It's common knowledge that Li Xian likes Xu Yan?

Xu Nuo's fair face showed a hint of anger as she sullenly kicked the stone on the ground.

But then I thought, what does their business have to do with me?

She's about to pack her bags and leave. Once she's out of the storyline and avoids becoming cannon fodder, she'll have no trouble finding a good man.

Xu Nuo stopped talking, and Duan San was also lost in his own thoughts. The two remained silent all the way until they reached a fork in the road and parted ways.

When Xu Nuo arrived at Li Xian's house, she stopped in her tracks.

If it weren't for the familiar, renovated courtyard gate, she would have almost thought she had come to the wrong place.

The trellis covered with vines and fruit is gone, the red and yellow flowers under the tree have disappeared, and even the apple tree that used to bear so much sweet fruit seems to have never existed.

Everything is gone.

All that remains are yellow sand dunes, desolate and ruined.

The tightly locked courtyard gate, even under the scorching sun, made one feel a chill in the air.

Perhaps it's because I feel cold inside.

"Nuonuo".

Xu Nuo took a deep breath and turned around.

Xu Yan stepped forward and asked curiously, "Nuonuo, what are you doing here?"

She was tall and slender, with a beautiful face and a resolute and kind expression between her brows.

She is the kind and ambitious female protagonist in the book.

To be fair, Xu Yan hadn't actually done anything to wrong her, and she was unaware of the messy things that had happened between her and Li Xian.

I shouldn't have taken my anger out on her.

But Xu Nuo didn't know how to face her at this moment, nor did she know what kind of mood to use when talking to her.

She only took a box out of her bag.

"I'm here to repay Li Xian."

Fearing that Xu Yan might overthink things, she specially came up with a suitable reason: "It's too troublesome to pay him back every time I sell something, so he only pays for a month at a time. I didn't deliver much to him this month because of the college entrance exam, and I won't be able to do any more work in the future, so I'm here to pay him back."

Xu Yan glanced at the courtyard behind her and said with difficulty, "Brother Li is not here."

Xu Nuo nodded: "I know."

The gate to the courtyard was locked.

However, she didn't want to waste time waiting for Li Xian to come back. In any case, Li Xian hadn't come to see her since that day, which meant he had nothing to say to her.

She shoved the box into Xu Yan's arms: "Please return it to him for me."

After returning the items, she and Li Xian truly had no further connection whatsoever.

"Master Wang is still waiting for me, I'll be going now."

Xu Nuo left after finishing her sentence.

For some reason, Xu Yan felt uneasy as he watched her retreating figure.

After returning from Luxian Village, Xu Nuo did not go home immediately, but instead went to the supply and marketing cooperative.

Lin Xiaofeng was quite surprised to learn that she was about to leave Lu County: "Isn't school still a while away? Why are you leaving in such a hurry?"

Xu Nuo couldn't explain it in a few words, so she only said, "There's something else going on."

With her gone, the supply of herbal teas will definitely not be the same as before, so Xu Nuo and Lin Xiaofeng plan to raise prices and take the path of high profit and low volume.

Anyway, we can mail it now, so she can just send it once a month if necessary.

Lin Xiaofeng's gaze: "You'll be going to Shanghai soon, that's great."

Xu Nuo knew that Lin Xiaofeng had a heart for wandering the world, so she joked, "If you want to come, you're welcome anytime."

Lin Xiaofeng sighed, "I'm like a bird with its feet tied; I can't fly high even if I want to."

Xu Nuo smiled but didn't say anything.

Time flew by and the day of departure arrived.

Lu County is a small county town, a hundred and eight thousand miles away from Shanghai.

In that era, only high-ranking officials could travel by plane, so Xu Nuo and Su Zhao could only take a bus to Chongzhou, the provincial capital, and then take a train from Chongzhou to Shanghai.

The train ticket from Chongzhou to Shanghai cost nine yuan and twenty cents. It was a small, thin piece of paper with the departure point and destination written on it.

Xu Nuo had only ever ridden high-speed trains and airplanes, and had never ridden this kind of green train before.

Already curious, Xu Nuo couldn't hide her excitement when Su Zhao told her there would be performances on the train.

The two of them bought sleeper tickets, and each seat was equipped with a thermos.

Xu Nuo reached out and picked it up, only to find that it was already filled with hot water.

She was worried about motion sickness, so she had already put some herbal tea in her thermos. As soon as she poured hot water over it, the fragrance of flowers mixed with a refreshing aroma filled the air.

Green forests and mountains pass by outside the window, and wisps of smoke rise from nearby or distant farmhouses, much like decorative paintings.

At lunchtime, some ate dry food, some ate hard steamed buns, and some were willing to spend money to buy stir-fries from the food cart.

Xu Nuo was disturbed for a long time by the crying and noise of the baby on the train, and had no appetite at all.

She was feeling drowsy and said listlessly, "I don't want to eat."

Su Zhao said, "The stir-fries on the train taste really good; it would be a real shame not to try them."

With a "let's give it a try" attitude, the two headed towards the dining car.

The food cart was clean and tidy, with white tablecloths on the tables, music playing from a tape recorder, and the aroma of food filling the air.

A large box of boxed lunches from the food cart cost only three cents, and no food coupons were required.

It tastes really good.

Overall, although the journey was tiring, we arrived in Shanghai smoothly.

Because of her exhaustion, Xu Nuo didn't get to see much along the way. Her strongest impression was of standing in the alleyway and looking up at the dense network of crisscrossing power lines.

Although it cannot compare to later generations, Shanghai at this time already had the beginnings of becoming a fashion capital.

Xu Nuo had a letter of introduction and originally planned to stay in a hotel before renting a house, but unexpectedly met an old lady from Shanghai on the train.

And so, they found a place to live.

Coincidentally, the house is not far from Shanghai University.

…

Lu County.

The interrogation room was dimly lit and filled with a nauseating smell of blood.

The man's jaw was clenched so tightly that his emaciated cheeks, revealing the bone beneath, were taut, showing how much pain he was enduring.

The slender fingers were now presented in an extremely contorted posture.

There was no blood on the skin and flesh, but the bones inside had been broken.

The interrogator looked grim and spoke with impatience: "Li Xian, have you been involved in the smuggling of pornographic goods?"

The person, already delirious from the pain, managed to utter, word by word: "No...injustice..."

Team Leader Wang narrowed his eyes.

He didn't doubt the truthfulness of Li Xian's words. To be honest, he had known for several days that the man in front of him was most likely innocent.

Inhuman beatings are enough to break down a prisoner's mental defenses, let alone half a month of continuous interrogation.

The fact that his skin and flesh were torn apart was secondary.

He hadn't slept for several days and nights, and every time he showed signs of fainting or falling asleep, he would be mercilessly shaken awake.

A mental breakdown is far more unbearable than physical pain.

Team Leader Wang firmly believes that no one can remain on guard under such circumstances.

What is said at this time must be the truth.

Who cares about the truth? All they want is a prisoner who bows his head and confesses.

They wouldn't dare do that to anyone else, but Li Xian has a bad reputation, so even if they beat him to death, no one would care.

I never expected him to be such a tough nut to crack, with an incredibly tenacious vitality and an admirable willpower.

Team Leader Wang felt somewhat powerless, closed his eyes, and then exerted force with his hand.

The remaining finger was also teetering on the brink of collapse.

Li Xian's eyes were tightly closed, as if he were dead, with only the intact side of his forehead twitching.

Some people couldn't stand it anymore: "He'd be better off dead than to keep carrying this on like this."

In the past, Li Xian would have thought it would be better to die.

Anyway, this world has always been ugly and despicable, and all he has received from it is abuse and contempt.

Before I met her.

He felt that there wasn't much difference between being alive and being dead.

But now, his eyes are closed, and all he can think about is that person's name.

Xu, Nuo.

His silent shouts and roars were all for her name.

Only in this way could his faltering breath miraculously continue even as his consciousness collapsed.

Only in this way did the pain in his body seem to disappear.

Only in this way could he have held firm to his beliefs until now.

It cannot be recognized.

He has to get out of here alive.

No matter how many bones he breaks or how much blood he bleeds, he will walk out with a clear conscience.

I'll crawl to her side, no matter what.

Stand with her.

He has never asked anyone for anything in his life.

When he was starving to the point of collapse, he chose to eat raw grass roots and soil rather than go to the commune canteen covered in spittle to ask for the food that was rightfully his.

But now it's different; he's willing.

As long as I can live.

He was willing to be a dog, kneeling and crawling before this bunch of scum, wagging his tail and begging for mercy.

He doesn't care.

As long as he gets out alive.

The man's silent face trembled slightly, and he slowly opened his eyes, revealing a grotesque and eerie wound caused by the sole of his shoe.

His eyes had lost their luster, and he spoke each word with difficulty.

"My parents... were wronged... suffered... their whole lives... until death. I can die, but I cannot... be... unjustly accused... I cannot... be wronged..."

The last word was so weak that it was almost inaudible.

His head had drooped.

He looked as if he were dead.

The interrogation room was completely silent.

Is this the reason he's held on until now?

After a long silence, Captain Wang sighed, his voice filled with reluctance: "Let them go."

Before leaving, he took a deep look at the man covered in blood.

"This kid is a man."

…

Duan San looked at the man who looked like a dead tree, and his eyes couldn't help but redden. He said, as if to comfort himself and him, "Brother Li, it's alright."

The man remained silent, his face gaunt, his eyes sharp as knives, and he was more silent than ever before.

He had changed into clean clothes, the thin fabric of which looked like a skeleton, empty and flimsy when the wind blew.

Her black hair had grown quite long from short stubble, and it was wet, covering half of her eyebrows and eyes.

But it couldn't hide the scabbed scars on her face.

But what does that matter? At this moment, there isn't a single patch of intact skin left on his body.

After a long while, his hoarse voice finally rang out: "Hmm."

Duan San looked at his hand, his heart aching. Li Xian noticed his gaze and said calmly, "It's alright, it's been taken back."

He even felt a little relieved that it was only broken off rather than cut off.

If you cut it off...

Duan San felt another wave of sadness.

He knew that Li Xian must have suffered hardships that ordinary people could not bear, otherwise, given his status as a descendant of a landlord, even if he denied it to the death, how could he have survived?

"Oh, right."

Duan San changed the subject, pulling out a palm-sized iron box from his pocket. The box was printed with plum blossoms and was the outer packaging of hair oil sold in the supply and marketing cooperative.

For some reason, Li Xian's eyes twitched violently when he saw the box.

This thing looks like hers.

Thinking of her, Li Xian's expression softened instantly, a warm current seemed to flow through his chest, and his fingertips curled up tightly.

It looked like it was trying to grab onto something.

If he weren't afraid that his disheveled appearance would frighten her and give her away, Li Xianzhen would have wanted to go to her right away.

I miss her.

For so many days and nights, he hovered on the edge of life and death, and every moment he thought of her frantically.

I miss her pretty face and her sweet voice.

I still think about what she said that day.

Only by constantly thinking about her could he maintain a clear mind.

All I can think about is her.

That's how he managed to grit his teeth and survive in that dark and hopeless world.

Li Xian had no idea that Xu Nuo had already left Luxian Village.

Today marks the ninth day since I left.

…

Seven o'clock in the morning.

Liu Meixiang knocked on the door.

The door was quickly opened, revealing a fair and beautiful face. Perhaps because she had just woken up, her eyes were misty with moisture.

Even Liu Meixiang, who was used to seeing beautiful women, was stunned.

The beautiful woman's eyes crinkled into crescents, and her voice was sweet and gentle: "Xiangxiang, you're here."

Liu Meixiang smiled, a little embarrassed: "Did I come too early? Are you still sleepy?"

It was indeed a bit early, but I went to bed early last night and felt refreshed when I woke up. She stretched and smiled, "No, I'm not sleepy at all now."

She picked up the glass of cold water and took a sip.

"Then come and have breakfast."

Liu Meixiang brought breakfast for Xu Nuo, which consisted of fried dough sticks and steamed buns from the People's Restaurant. Since soy milk couldn't be taken out, she brought milk from home before leaving.

Xu Nuo was deeply moved. She hugged Liu Meixiang softly and gently, rubbing her fair and delicate face against Liu Meixiang's shoulder. "Aww, Xiangxiang, you're so good."

Liu Meixiang was the youngest in her family, with two older sisters and two older brothers. She had always wanted a younger sister so she could experience what it was like to be an older sister.

This is why Xu Nuo and the two got along so well so quickly after only a short time in Shanghai.

"Eat quickly, or it will get cold."

Xu Nuo picked up a steamed bun, took a bite, and asked, "How has your grandpa been feeling these past few days?"

When this was mentioned, Liu Meixiang immediately gave her two thumbs up, a gesture she had learned from Xu Nuo.

“It’s amazing! My grandfather has been in great shape these past two days. He’s tried all sorts of tonics, but none of them have been as effective as your herbal tea.”

"That's good. I'll send some more to your grandfather when he runs out."

Seeing that her cheeks were bulging from biting so hard, Liu Meixiang couldn't help but reach out and pinch them.

It feels really good.

"Okay, but you have to charge me this time, otherwise I'll feel embarrassed to accept it."

Xu Nuo rested her chin on her hand and said playfully, "Okay, I'll take it."

Liu Meixiang happily placed the manuscript she had brought on the table.

After Xu Nuo finished eating, the two began translating the manuscript.

Speaking of which, apart from being a cannon fodder female supporting character in the book, Xu Nuo feels very lucky in everything else.

If you want a house, you'll meet an old lady who already owns one.

Just as she was thinking of developing herbal teas and moisturizing oils after arriving, she met Liu Meixiang through Su Zhao.

Liu Meixiang was a kind-hearted girl, so the two got along very well.

At the time, Xu Nuo was unaware of Liu Meixiang's family background. He simply gave her moisturizing oil and herbal tea as a gift to his friend.

Unexpectedly, this opened the door to the market in Shanghai's military and political circles.

But that's a story for another time.