After returning home, Huo Yingjie was unable to calm down for a long time. Unlike He Tiantian, he was not optimistic. He didn't know when they would meet again after this parting.

He couldn't lose Tian Tian too. Even if he gained money and power, and was high above others, after losing the one he loved, his heart was still empty, lonely and melancholy when the night was quiet.

The next morning, Wang Shuping got up and made scallion pancakes and boiled a few eggs for her daughter to take on the train. He Jingyu helped He Tiantian carry her luggage and headed to the train station.

"Sweetie, sweetie..." Huo Yingjie held a package containing things he had prepared for He Tiantian. He hoped that He Tiantian would have a better life in the countryside.

He Tiantian was deeply moved when she saw Huo Yingjie. She was so lucky to see him again before leaving, and she had no regrets.

The group went to the train station. The low-ceilinged station was packed with people and filled with various smells. However, even the sweltering summer heat couldn't hide the youthful faces and the smiles full of faith.

The parents who saw her off were reluctant to part, offering earnest advice on how to conduct oneself in society. On the way, He Tiantian wasn't particularly sad. But seeing these scenes, her eyes involuntarily welled up with tears. Once on this train, she would have to face the outside world alone.

However, He Tiantian is already prepared. Although her shoulders are still young, she has a strong heart and unwavering faith, and can overcome all difficulties.

Wang Shuping took a handkerchief and wiped away her daughter's tears, choking back sobs as she said, "You must be careful when you're out and about."

"I will, Mom and Dad, take care. Brother Yingjie, take care too," He Tiantian said, choking back tears, and threw herself into her mother's arms.

Huo Yingjie and He Jingyu felt a pang of sadness, but they had to persevere to survive. They placed He Tiantian's luggage on the train's overhead rack before reluctantly disembarking.

He Tiantian sat by the car, while Huo Yingjie, He Jingyu, and Wang Shuping looked up from outside the window, giving her repeated instructions and earnest advice.

As parting was imminent, all words were ultimately transformed into tears, and through misty, tearful eyes, I watched the train depart.

Waaaaah... Besides, besides...

A plume of white steam rose from the green train, its wheels rolling with a series of loud thuds, but even the loudest sounds could not drown out the painful pounding of a heart filled with the sorrow of parting.

As the train moved along, Huo Yingjie said, "Sweetie, you have to wait for me, wait for me..."

He Tiantian reached out and touched Huo Yingjie's hand, tears streaming down her face.

The train was going faster and faster, and Huo Yingjie could no longer keep up. The long train was getting smaller and smaller until it became a dot and disappeared from people's sight.

“Yingjie, Tiantian will come back,” He Jingyu said, comforting the big boy who had grown up before his eyes.

Huo Yingjie clenched his fists tightly, nodded, and said, "Okay, let's go back." He wanted to protect Tian Tian's parents.

He Tiantian wiped away her tears and calmed herself down.

The train was filled with the sorrow of parting.

However, since everyone was young, they soon smiled and sang an inspiring promotional song after being encouraged by the staff.

"Go to the countryside, go to the border regions, go to the places where the motherland needs you most..." It's not just who started it, but everyone joined in singing.

"Each generation is stronger than the last," "The great Party is calling," "Go to the countryside, go to the frontier," "Heading to where the motherland needs us most," "Revolutionary youth aspire to go everywhere," "Going to the countryside is good"—one song after another, everyone seemed tireless, clapping and keeping time, their voices carrying far and wide.

He Tiantian didn't want to be accused of being dissatisfied with the Great Leader's decision, so she sang a few lines as well, but mostly she just opened her mouth without making a sound.

By noon, everyone was hungry and opened their packages to find lunch prepared by their families. He Tiantian took out her mother's scallion pancakes and ate them in small bites. The taste of her mother's cooking filled her mouth and her heart with happiness.

For children who have left home, their families will always prepare something delicious for them, while others will have pancakes, steamed buns, eggs, and the like.

He Tiantian was in low spirits and didn't speak. A girl next to her, who was a little older than He Tiantian, said, "My name is Li Yuanyuan, what's yours?"

"My name is He Tiantian," He Tiantian said shyly. When traveling, it's best to keep quiet because of her young age.

"Where are you going?" Li Yuanyuan asked. "I've been assigned to Taoyuan County to support national development. What about you?"

“I’m also from Taoyuan County,” He Tiantian said with a smile. “We can travel together.”

"Yes, your face looks so young, how old are you?" Li Yuanyuan asked, clearly noticing that He Tiantian looked younger than the others.

"I'm sixteen," He Tiantian said, indicating that she was a year older so that others wouldn't think she was too young and therefore easy to bully.

"Sixteen? That's not old. I'm eighteen. From now on, you can call me Sister Yuanyuan," Li Yuanyuan said. "We're from Nanshi. Let's help each other out in the future."

Sending her to the countryside at such a young age? Her family is really willing to let her go. Li Yuanyuan felt sorry for He Tiantian and acted like an older sister. She should take good care of He Tiantian in the future.

"Mm." He Tiantian nodded, not rejecting Li Yuanyuan's enthusiasm. When you're out and about, even if you can't be friends, you shouldn't become enemies.

Other people around her also gave introductions, but none of them were going to Taoyuan County, so He Tiantian didn't talk much with them.

It's the hottest time of the year now. Everyone's faces and bodies are covered in sweat, and the carriage is filled with unpleasant smells like sweat and body odor.

But He Tiantian found herself feeling very cool, without a trace of sweat. She had always been prone to sweating since childhood, and on such a hot day, her face would be covered in sweat and her clothes would be soaked with sweat, but now she felt very cool.

Upon closer inspection, He Tiantian noticed something strange: the coolness on her body was coming from her left ankle and spreading throughout her entire body.

Does she have a built-in central air conditioning system?

He Tiantian reached out and touched her ankle, but there was nothing there! She wanted to check her foot, but it was too crowded, with luggage piled up around her feet, so she couldn't look right now. She'd wait until she was settled. It was time for her usual afternoon nap, and He Tiantian was a little sleepy. Holding her small bundle, she drifted off to sleep.

When I woke up, it was already evening.

He Tiantian asked Li Yuanyuan to watch her luggage, went to one end of the carriage to ask the train attendant for hot water, and also to use the restroom.

The bathroom smelled terrible, a truly foul odor. He Tiantian quickly released her pent-up energy, fastened her pants, and ran out. She had originally wanted to check why her ankles felt so cool, but that was completely forgotten.

When I came back, I filled a kettle with boiling water and went back to eat dinner. Everyone else started getting water and eating too.

After a day and a night, everyone's enthusiasm had waned, and they were listless, hoping to reach their destination as soon as possible.

Each time the train arrived at a station, people would get off, and the number of people on the train would decrease, leaving the empty carriages feeling somewhat desolate.