Three days passed in the blink of an eye. During those three days, Mother Nan had cooked many delicious dishes for Nan Mo, packed them in aluminum lunch boxes, and stored them in her space.
On the last night, Mother Nan went to Nan Mo’s room and handed her a thick stack of ration coupons.
“Take these. I exchanged them all into nationwide coupons for you.
When you’re out there alone, be careful when using your space. If something can be bought with money or coupons, use money or coupons whenever possible,” Mother Nan reminded her.
“Once you get there, you must write to us every month. If something urgent happens, call or send a telegram. I heard your production team has a phone at the brigade office. If writing letters is inconvenient, at least tell us in advance.”
“Got it.”
“If you can handle farm work, then do it. If you can’t, pretend to be sick. There’s no need to listen to other people’s gossip. Living your own life well is better than anything else…”
“Pfft!”
“What are you laughing at? Did you hear me?” Mother Nan glared at her, then continued,
“Try to get along with people in the countryside, but don’t meddle in other people’s business. Listen more, watch more, and talk less.”
“If anyone bullies you, don’t tolerate it. No matter what happens, we’ll back you up.”
“You’re not allowed to date in the countryside. Even if you meet someone you like, write to me first. I’ll go take a look before anything else.”
“Okay.”
That night, Mother Nan talked on and on for a long time. Nan Mo did not feel impatient in the slightest. Instead, her heart felt warm.
Early the next morning, Nan Mo set out for the train station with her parents.
At the station entrance, they found the staff from the Educated Youth Office. She walked over, registered, and received her train ticket.
Seeing that the train was about to depart, Father Nan and Mother Nan finally sent her aboard. After finding her seat, they passed her suitcase through the window.
After placing the luggage down, she turned and waved to them, signaling for them to go back.
Soon the train began to move. Father Nan and Mother Nan, their eyes reddened, jogged a few steps after it, which made Nan Mo’s heart ache.
When she came back to her senses, she noticed that everyone in the carriage was looking at her. Embarrassed, she took out a handkerchief and wiped her tears.
“Nan Mo?” Wu Mingyue called out in surprise when she saw her.
Nan Mo was not surprised at all to see Wu Mingyue. In the original novel, the one sent to the countryside had been her.
No matter where Wu Mingyue went, she planned to keep her distance. She did not want anyone tying her to Wu Mingyue. If she ever needed to do anything to her in the future, whether their relationship was good or bad, it would be more convenient if they had no relationship at all.
“And you are?” Nan Mo looked at her in confusion.
Wu Mingyue clearly did not believe Nan Mo did not recognize her. She had introduced herself last time, had she not?
“I’m Wu Mingyue. We’re classmates,” she said, sounding aggrieved.
As soon as she said that, whispers rose nearby. Nan Mo found it amusing. It had been a long time since she had encountered such low level tactics.
“Oh? Sorry, Classmate Wu. Were you also in Class Three of No. 1 High School?”
“I was in Class One, but we had the same math teacher. I’m also Wu Mingkang’s younger sister.” Wu Mingyue looked as if she were trying very hard to jog Nan Mo’s memory.
In reality, she wanted the people in the carriage to know that Nan Mo did not recognize her own classmate, yet recognized her classmate’s brother.
“Who? Wu what?”
“Pfft…”
Nan Mo and Wu Mingyue both turned to look. A round faced girl covered her mouth. “Sorry, go on.”
Nan Mo laughed as well, as if Wu Mingyue were some kind of joke. Yet her words sounded very sincere. “Sorry about that, Classmate Wu. I really can’t remember.”
Seeing that everyone in the carriage was looking at her teasingly, Wu Mingyue cast Nan Mo a wounded glance and sulkily returned to her seat.
After sitting down, she even put on a dejected expression.
Nan Mo thought to herself that her expression control was quite good. This was clearly the level the original novel’s female lead should have, a hint of that white lotus vibe.
The round faced girl stared at Nan Mo without blinking. The gaze was impossible to ignore.
Seeing no malice in her eyes, Nan Mo looked back. The girl had not expected her to turn around. Her small face reddened, and her big round eyes became even rounder. “Y you… why are you looking at me?”
Nan Mo saw her blush and felt like teasing her. “Shouldn’t I be the one asking that? Why were you staring at me?”
“What’s wrong with looking?” After saying that, she felt her tone sounded harsh and worried she might have frightened her. “I just thought your skin looked nice, so I wanted to ask what face cream you use.”
Nan Mo raised her brows. “Your skin is nice too.”
“Right? I think so too. Hehe.
My name is Lu Yuanyuan. You can call me Yuanyuan. I’m seventeen this year, from Xi City in Su Province.” After saying that, she looked at Nan Mo and blinked, as if waiting for her to introduce herself.
Nan Mo found the girl amusing. She was round everywhere, and even her name matched her appearance perfectly.
She did not keep her waiting long. “My name is Nan Mo. You can call me Xiao Mo. I’m seventeen this year, from Shanghai.”
She responded in the same format, which made the girl blush again.
Seeing her blush once more, Nan Mo found it extremely entertaining. “You blush so easily? Your skin must be really thin. What face cream do you use?”
This time Lu Yuanyuan could not hold it in. She reached out and lightly smacked Nan Mo’s shoulder, then shot her a fierce glare that made Nan Mo laugh.
While Lu Yuanyuan and Nan Mo chatted and played around quietly, Wu Mingyue was already so angry she nearly spat blood.
She thought her luck was truly terrible. Not only had she gone to the countryside in her brother’s place, she had even been laughed at after going up to start a conversation. Now everyone’s attention in the carriage had shifted to Nan Mo.
It was all Nan Mo’s fault. If not for her, how could her brother have entertained thoughts of marriage? If her brother did not want to marry, she would not have had to go to the countryside.
Nan Mo did not know what Wu Mingyue was thinking. Even if she did, she would only think the girl was sick.
The train sped along. The entire carriage was filled with educated youths heading to the countryside. No one knew who started it, but introductions began.
“I’m Chen Ruonan, eighteen, from Xiang Province.”
“I’m Jiang Haodong, nineteen, from Xiang Province.”
“I’m Chen Jianming, nineteen, from Zhe Province.”
“I’m Peng Liang, eighteen, from Su Province.”
“I’m Hu Mingliang, seventeen, from Su Province.”
“I’m Lu Yuanyuan, seventeen, from Su Province. Hu Mingliang and I are classmates, and he’s also my cousin.”
“Cousin brother, cousin brother!” Hu Mingliang protested desperately.
“He’s my younger cousin. You said it yourself. As long as I convinced Aunt to let you go to the countryside, you’d acknowledge me as your older sister.”
Everyone watched the lively pair with amusement.
“I’m Wu Mingyue, seventeen, from Shanghai.”
“I’m Nan Mo, seventeen, from Shanghai.”
…
After everyone finished introducing themselves, Chen Jianming led them in singing revolutionary songs.
Nan Mo truly admired these passionate young people. Their hot blood had clearly rushed to their heads.
Over there, Peng Liang had taken off his shoes and stood on his seat, raising his hands above his head, trying to rally the whole carriage.
Here, Jiang Haodong sang until his face turned red and his neck thickened, the veins on his neck bulging as if they might burst.
Hu Mingliang was no better. He clapped along with the rhythm until his hands were nearly swollen.
Nan Mo hummed softly along. She felt that if she did not join in, she might end up being torn apart by the crowd.
The scene did not last long. Everyone gradually ran out of energy, and the carriage slowly quieted down.
Nan Mo closed her eyes to rest, though in reality she used her mind to open a tablet inside her space and began reading a novel.