The train swayed and rattled all the way to Beijing Railway Station. Shen Mu Ning had been resting with her eyes closed, but as soon as she heard that the train had arrived at Beijing Railway Station, she immediately perked up. After all, this was the capital of our great Hua Kingdom; she had to wake up and take a good look.

In her previous life, Shen Mu Ning had always stayed in the southwestern part of China. She was never inclined to step out of her comfort zone, so even her university years were in Sichuan Province, and she had never been to Beijing. She couldn't help but feel curious and longing for the country's political, cultural, and economic center. Now that she was in Beijing, she was determined to experience its charm.

Shen Mu Ning sat up straight, her little head resting on the windowsill, wanting to see what the bustling capital city looked like.

Unfortunately, the Beijing Railway Station nowadays is marked by dilapidation and backwardness, with the only lively scene being the crowds crammed onto trains. All that can be seen are simple platforms, plainly dressed people wiping away tears of farewell, and the rest of the area is desolate.

Shen Mu Ning was greatly disappointed, but she quickly rallied. The nation had only recently been founded and was still weak and impoverished, but in the near future, a dragon would soar and a tiger would emerge from the mountains, and the world would witness the splendor of China. She had come here to witness these changes, and perhaps she herself could become one of those who propelled history forward.

Since there wasn't much to see outside the window, Shen Mu Ning turned her gaze back to observe the educated youth boarding the train in Beijing. Beijing wasn't far from Jilin Province, separated only by Liaoning Province, so a large portion of the people boarding the train in Beijing were assigned to Jilin Province.

Shen Mu Ning looked at the diverse crowd, most of whom wore expressions of reluctance. Indeed, ever since the "Going to the Countryside and Up the Mountain" campaign began eight years ago, everyone knew that working in the countryside was hard and tiring, and one couldn't earn many work points.

Some educated youth couldn't even earn enough for their basic food rations after going to the countryside, let alone in some poor and remote areas where the villagers were stubborn and treated the educated youth as enemies who were competing with them for food, and were treated even more unfairly.

Initially, the rural educated youth program was voluntary, but later it became mandatory. Moreover, among those who went to the countryside over the years, only a minority were able to return to the city. Many older or those who couldn't endure the hardship married locals and no longer hoped to return.

Therefore, most of the people who went to the countryside at this time were thinking that they would never be able to return to the city, and this was reflected in their expressions.

Among these people, there were a few who were different. They all had a smile on their faces. Without exception, these people were all well-dressed. Perhaps their parents would soon find a way to send them back to the city. Going to the countryside was just a formality.

Two people stood out. One was a man wearing a polyester shirt and carrying a leather suitcase, with a watch on his wrist. Keep in mind that watches are luxury items these days; a watch costs at least 200 yuan, which is more than half a year's salary for an average family, and watch vouchers are hard to come by.

The other was a well-dressed, pretty girl. She wore a Chanel-style princess dress that could only be bought with foreign exchange certificates in export stores, and a pair of white chunky leather shoes. Judging from her outfit alone, one would think she was going on a trip.

However, what attracted Shen Mu Ning's attention the most was not how much the two people were worth, but that she felt something was off about the girl in the princess dress.

Logically speaking, she should be a charming and pampered princess in her daily life, but her temperament is like that of a middle-aged woman who has experienced many hardships. The atmosphere around her gradually changes from gloomy and resentful to calm and serene.

However, Shen Mu Ning only had a moment of doubt in her heart before she stopped observing her. Anyway, they might not have any interaction, and even if they did in the future, she could slowly figure out what was going on.

Lin Siqi, who had just sat down, turned her head and looked around in confusion. She had been watching her the whole time, but she hadn't noticed because she was so engrossed in her own world.

Now, when she tried to find out who was observing her, she realized the gaze was no longer on her, and she had no idea who it was. But the scrutiny was just a normal observation, without any subjective bias. Maybe someone was just bored or curious about her clothes. Since she couldn't see who it was, she decided to let it go and gather her thoughts.

After a few minutes of probing, Lin Siqi discovered that she had indeed returned from 50 years old to when she was 16. At that time, all the disasters had not yet begun, and she was still the pampered little princess of the Lin family, unaware of the ways of the world.

Now that fate has brought her back, she must protect her family in this life, prevent them from suffering and dying young, and make those who harmed her pay for their actions.

Now that she was 16 again, as long as she was careful, managed her life well, and found a way to make her parents aware that some people had ill intentions, then her parents and relatives would not suffer again. Thinking this way, Lin Siqi felt a sense of relief, and a smile appeared on her face.

Sitting next to Lin Siqi, He Xiaolan noticed that her mood had relaxed again and said softly, "Siqi, don't worry. Even if Uncle Lin wants to send Third Brother Lin to the military camp, he won't abandon you. They will definitely find a way to get you back to the city."

Upon hearing He Xiaolan's voice, Lin Siqi felt a surge of intense hatred, but she quickly calmed herself down. She had harbored hatred for over 20 years, unable to avenge herself and her family in her previous life, and in this life, she would make He Xiaolan pay for it all.

"Yes, I know." Lin Siqi didn't actually remember how the two of them got along. She only remembered that He Xiaolan was a pawn that caused her family's ruin. But now that she thought about it, she was really blind back then. She couldn't even see through such obvious attempts to sow discord and still regarded He Xiaolan as a close friend, giving her the opportunity to frame her family and push her into a pit of fire.

However, in this life, she knew the course of events in advance, so He Xiaolan could no longer deceive her and harm her and her family.

Seeing Lin Siqi's coldness, He Xiaolan assumed she was heartbroken and remained silent. However, a slight upturn at the corners of her mouth betrayed her good mood: Sure enough, Lin Siqi, that brainless woman, was so easily fooled. She had only mentioned it briefly, and she had already convinced Lin Siqi that her father wanted to send her to the countryside for her future. She had even tricked Lin Siqi into going with her to the countryside. Once they arrived, she was sure she could gain Lin Siqi's trust and complete the task her father had entrusted to her.

Shen Mu Ning was unaware of what was happening here, as she was already happily harvesting lettuce, eggplant, and green beans. What gave her the biggest headache was the green beans; they were flowering profusely, and in just half a day, she had accumulated another batch of harvestable beans. If she waited even a little longer, they would become tough, but tough beans could only be kept for seeds and couldn't be eaten. So she had to be diligent; it was truly a sweet burden.

Shen Mu Ning happily put away the vegetables, and when she opened her eyes again, she found that she was surrounded by people again. This time, there was no one to liven up the atmosphere, and after everyone introduced themselves, there was not much to talk about.

It just so happened that three people were all working in the same production brigade in the countryside, and Shen Mu Ning was quite far from the other two. So the three of them immediately banded together, thinking that they could get along well on the road and look after each other in the future. When Shen Mu Ning saw this, she stopped talking to the others.