Yu Yin and the others didn't know what Lu Shuqi talked about with his wife and mother after he got home. In the end, they heard that the young couple separated and lived separately.

Yu Yin and Grandma Lu didn't interfere too much in this matter; they were both adults.

A few days later, Yu Yin received a call from A Xiang, who said she and Yang Shu were coming to Shanghai with their child. Yu Yin counted on her fingers; she hadn't seen A Xiang for five years. A Xiang was her first friend and one of her best friends.

After receiving the call, Yu Yin began to prepare.

The guest rooms have had new sheets and duvet covers, new toiletries, and slippers provided...

When the family saw Yu Yin's house and surroundings, Aunt Hu and Zhong Ling, who were unaware of the situation, assumed that Yu Yin's family was coming. They had only seen Yu Yin's younger brother; they had never met the others and had heard that they all lived quite far away.

"Auntie, is it that Yu Yin's family is coming to visit?"

Yu Yin was very busy, so Aunt Hu and Grandma Lu asked her if there was anything she needed to pay special attention to, such as her diet.

"No, it's Yinyin's friend and her family coming to visit. They're her friends from Yunnan Province, and she hasn't seen them for years. Yinyin is very happy. Don't worry, if there's anything special that needs to be noted, Yinyin will let you know."

"Okay, I got it."

On the day Ah Xiang and the others arrived at the station, Yu Yin took leave and went to the station with Lu Shurui to pick them up.

"Why is it delayed again? When will trains stop being delayed?"

Who knows?

Yu Yin listened to the people next to her complaining about the train delays. It was true; nowadays, it was good if the old green trains arrived on time, and it was rare for them not to be late.

Just wait, there won't be any delays in a few decades. By then, car speeds will be much higher, and you won't have to worry about where you want to go.

Another half hour passed, and the train finally arrived. The clanging sound was so pleasant at that moment that it didn't feel noisy at all.

On this train, some educated youth who had returned to the city also came back. They were pale and thin. After getting off the train, they burst into tears. They were back. They were finally back.

"Ah Xiang, over here."

Yu Yin kept her eyes fixed on the direction of the exit. As soon as A Xiang and the others came out, Yu Yin saw them.

“Yinyin…”

Ah Xiang also saw Yu Yin, and, pulling her child along, quickly squeezed her way out because there were too many people.

"No rush, go slowly, don't hurt the child."

Yu Yin said as she walked forward.

When they finally met up, they were covered in sweat.

"haven't seen you for a long time!"

I miss you so much!

The two embraced each other tightly. They had known each other since they were teenagers and had been together for more than a decade.

"Let's go home."

Since both sides were already familiar with each other, there was no need for formalities. Lu Shurui helped carry things, and it was unclear what he was carrying, but there were several bags. The three children were also very sensible and greeted them proactively. Yu Yin took the children's hands, and they walked together towards the bus stop.

Yu Yin felt that people were contradictory. In ordinary times, she was content with a modest life and had no ambition. But now, she thought, "If only I had a car, it would be so convenient in case of emergencies." However, cars at that time were not as expensive as they are in later generations; they were astronomically priced.

After changing buses, Yu Yin and the others finally arrived home.

"Come in, come in."

"Hello Aunt Xiang, hello Uncle, hello younger brother and sister!"

As soon as they entered the house, An'an and the others greeted them. The two older girls still remembered Aunt Xiang.

"It's all good, it's all good."

Ah Xiang was surprised to find that An An and the others had grown so tall, like young ladies and gentlemen.

Yu Yin introduced A Xiang and the others to her grandparents, Aunt Hu, and Zhong Ling, and told them to go wash up first, as the hot water was already boiled.

Ah Xiang and the others went to wash up. Yu Yin and Aunt Hu were in the kitchen preparing the meal. They were all exhausted from the train journey, which would take several days. Yu Yin felt a pang of regret just thinking about it.

When Yu Yin and the others were all done, Ah Xiang and her family also changed their clothes and came out.

"Come on, let's eat. You must be exhausted from the train journey."

"Okay, I'm really hungry. I don't want to eat anything for the next two days. If it weren't for Yang Shu finally getting a year off and us thinking of taking the kids out to see the world, and if I hadn't told you what was going to happen next, I would never have come out.

Ah Xiang felt that traveling by train was too much of a hardship; she couldn't eat or sleep well, and she was worried about the child and the luggage. It was only because Yang Shu had connections that he managed to buy her a sleeper ticket; otherwise, it would have been even worse.

Yu Yin invited everyone to dinner, and Aunt Hu had prepared several of her signature dishes.

Aunt Hu and Zhong Ling went back to their own room to eat. They were never used to eating with Yu Yin and her family. Yu Yin didn't force them; they did as they pleased, and the formality didn't matter.

Ah Xiang's family has three children. The eldest is two years younger than An An, the second is two years younger than Man Man, and the youngest is five years old. They have two sons and a daughter, and they are all good-looking.

After dinner, the children went to play on the third floor. Lu Shurui took Yang Shu to the study, while Yu Yin and A Xiang went to their room to have a good chat.

"Yinyin, is your house nice?"

"I was lucky to come across it and bought it. It cost me all my savings. You know, all I wanted was a home of my own, a place to live comfortably. Everything else was secondary."

Yu Yin doesn't have any other requirements, but she has high standards for where she lives. Otherwise, she wouldn't have bought a house when she had the opportunity; she wants to have her own comfortable home.

"I know how you're getting along with your mom and the others, and with Lu Shurui's family. Are your colleagues at work easy to get along with? ... You usually only report good news and never bad news, I wonder if your taciturn nature has been a problem?"

“My sister, I’m over thirty now, these things are no big deal to me. I’ve almost completely cut off contact with my mother. Except for birth, old age, sickness and death, we can’t have any contact in the future. It’s similar to Lu Shurui’s mother. I don’t have a mother-daughter bond, so I won’t force it.”

Ah Xiang patted Yu Yin on the shoulder. She had watched Yu Yin's journey from being confused and slow to react to eventually becoming clear-headed; it had truly been a difficult one. Especially after Yu Jun joined the army, Yu Yin's only protector left, and that period was incredibly tough for her.

"Stop talking about me. How are you doing? Are Yang Shu's family members easy to get along with? You gave up a perfectly good job, didn't they say anything?"

“What do they have to say to me, Ah Xiang? Thanks to you, our Dai village has become much better these past few years. Now every family has renovated their stilted houses, the children are all going to school, and the elderly are cared for and the young are supported.”

Ah Xiang felt so happy when she thought about these things!

Their village has been poor for so many years, ever since she can remember. Later, her father came back and led the villagers to secretly clear land and raise chickens, and life became a little better, but only a little.

Later, having exhausted all other options, she wrote to Yu Yin, thinking that she might as well try anything, in case it worked. Unexpectedly, it actually worked, and not only did their village's conditions improve, but the surrounding villages also improved considerably.

Especially for her and her father, although they didn't deliberately lower the price, their profit margin was still acceptable. In recent years, she has also earned some money and, following Yu Yin's example, bought a nice house and shop in their city, so that if Yang Ming were to change careers in the future, he would have a place to live.

I have so much to say to my friend whom I haven't seen in a long time, but I don't know where to begin.