The waves are constantly changing, but life on the island is much calmer than elsewhere.

In the blink of an eye, Mao Mao has grown to be ten years old. He no longer needs his parents to pick him up and drop him off, and he can even take his two younger sisters to school together.

He's calculated it all out. In another year, he'll be able to go to his mother's school for middle school and become her student. He's so happy!

But when he got home from school today, he found his mother crying while listening to the radio.

Mao Mao immediately dropped his schoolbag and ran over, hugging his mother with his little arms. Imitating his father, he gently patted his mother's back and comforted her, saying, "Mom, don't cry. No matter what happens, Mao Mao will help you solve it."

The twin sisters also ran off, handing their mother a handkerchief.

Surrounded by her children, Feng Mingshu felt a surge of warmth in her heart. She turned off the radio, reached out and hugged them, saying, "Mom is crying tears of joy. We can go back to Bincheng now!"

Ten years have passed, the movement is over, and she can finally return to Bincheng!

The three children were still somewhat bewildered by their mother's excitement.

When Zhou Jinshan returned home in the evening, he saw his wife packing her things, and his lips tightened.

Feng Mingshu turned around and saw her husband. She immediately shared the good news with him and then said, "I want to go back to Bincheng first to take care of my house and then come back."

The tense lines on Zhou Jinshan's face softened, and he reached out to put his arm around her, asking, "How long will it take?"

Feng Mingshu glared at him: "You gave me a hard time as soon as you got back. If I'm gone for too long, do you want to find someone else... um..."

All sounds were silenced by the man. Feng Mingshu punched him with her fist, but it didn't make him let go. Instead, her feet were lifted off the ground and she was carried to the bed.

The door was bolted, the curtains were drawn, and all sounds were sealed inside, creating a secretive yet passionate atmosphere.

The next day, when they parted, Zhou Jinshan's last words to her were: "Ming Shu, you can stay in Bincheng for a while longer."

Feng Mingshu was a little puzzled, but the ferry was about to leave, so she could only hurry onto the boat, waving to her three children and telling them, "Listen to your father, Mom will be back in a while."

The three children nodded in unison, their eyes brimming with tears.

Once the ferry was out of sight, Mao Mao looked up at his father and asked, "Dad, don't you miss Mom? Why did you let her stay longer?"

Zhou Jinshan raised his large hand and ruffled his son's hair: "Don't worry about adult matters, just take good care of your two younger sisters."

After that, he had his guard drive the three children home, while he went to the camp, wrote an application, and submitted it to the commander's office.

Commander Tong's temples were already gray. After reading his application, he frowned and said, "Jinshan, I told you before that I'm about to retire. I recommended you to the higher-ups to replace me. Although they might not accept my recommendation, there's still a 50% chance. If you transfer now, you'll miss this opportunity. Go back and think it over carefully."

Zhou Jinshan replied, "Commander, I've thought it through. Given the current situation, our relationship with them will definitely ease gradually..."

An hour later, Zhou Jinshan finally emerged from the commander's office.

A few days later, news gradually spread throughout the camp that Zhou Jinshan was going to be transferred.

At this moment, Feng Mingshu had just arrived in Bincheng.

Ten years have passed, and Bincheng has not changed much. She first went to the housing management office and took out her expired rental contract.

The staff member hesitated, saying, "Comrade Feng, several families are currently living in your building. If we ask them to move out, we might not have a suitable place to put them right away. How about this: your previous rent was too low, so we'll have them pay the normal rent every month..."

Feng Mingshu shook his head: "Ten years ago, I gave them one yuan a year in rent to support the city's work, not to earn that rent income. However, I also understand the difficulty of their move, so I gave them a week to move."

The staff member remained hesitant, and after a long pause, said to her in a low voice, "Most of the people living inside are leaders, so our work is not easy."

Feng Mingshu frowned, but she still didn't budge: "Even if they are leaders, they can't forcibly occupy people's homes. If you can't resolve this here, I can only appeal to your higher-ups."

The staff member was taken aback for a moment by her assertive manner, then said, "Please wait a moment, I'll go and talk to our manager."

Not long after, the other party's leader arrived, and it turned out to be an acquaintance.

Feng Mingshu had actually forgotten, but the other person recognized her and reached out to her: "Hello, Comrade Feng, I am Lin Zihua. Ten years ago, I worked for Director Wu in the Municipal Office. I once accompanied Director Wu to your villa and met you there."

After hearing his story, Feng Mingshu suddenly remembered such a person, shook hands with him, and asked, "How is Director Wu now?"

Lin Zihua was silent for a moment, then said, "Director Wu went to work on a farm a few years ago, and I haven't heard from her since."

Upon hearing this, Feng Mingshu felt very conflicted. She remembered that before her mother left Bincheng, she specifically said goodbye to Director Wu and reminded him to retire gracefully, but Director Wu ultimately did not retire.

“I’ve also been inquiring about Director Wu’s whereabouts recently. I’ll let you know when I have any news,” Lin Zihua said proactively. Then, she returned to the topic of the house, “I’ve already learned about the situation of your villa. It’s a bit complicated, but I’ll do my best to resolve it. Please provide some information about you and your husband first.”

Lin Zihua's last sentence was tinged with a hint of probing.

Feng Mingshu was unaware that she had taken out a pen and filled in her and Zhou Jinshan's information as required.

Lin Zihua's face darkened at first, then a look of surprise flashed across his face. He was surprised that Feng Mingshu's husband, who was only in his thirties, could reach such a level, far beyond what the current residents of the small villa could compare to.

After putting away the information sheet, Lin Zihua said to Feng Mingshu, "Your house will be available within three days."

Feng Mingshu was slightly surprised, but then understood. He thanked her and left the housing management office.

Three days was enough time for her to return to her ancestral home in Xiaowangzhuang. In the afternoon, she took a bus to the commune.

Luckily, they hitched a ride on a tractor heading back to Xiaowangzhuang.

The tractor chugged into the village; it was already dusk.

Feng Mingshu arrived at Wang Ma's house.

Ten years had passed. Wang Ma's hair had turned white and her eyes were somewhat cloudy, but she recognized her at a glance, hugged her, and cried, "Miss, you're finally back."

Feng Mingshu was also deeply moved. She took out a handkerchief to wipe away Wang Ma's tears: "Wang Ma, I'm not some young lady anymore. I'm already a mother of three. From now on, you can call me by my name or my nickname."

Wang Ma happily grabbed her hand and asked her about the three children, to which Feng Mingshu answered one by one.

During this time, Wang Ma's youngest son and daughter-in-law came to meet her with several children, but the daughter-in-law's gaze was somewhat evasive.