When Zhan Chunlan returned to the guesthouse, Xiao Qiulin had not yet returned. "That saves me the trouble of explaining." She breathed a sigh of relief, flashed into her spatial dimension, deftly dug out a pot of orchids of excellent quality, picked it up, and ran downstairs.

Seeing her panting, Wang Wenfeng assumed it was because the flowerpot was heavy and felt a little guilty: "I should have gone upstairs with you to carry the flowers."

“It’s not heavy,” Zhan Chunlan waved her hands repeatedly, still breathing heavily. “I was just in a hurry and ran too fast.”

Anxious? Wang Wenfeng was slightly taken aback, a ripple of confusion passing through his heart—was he... in a hurry to see me again?

He immediately shook his head to himself: We've only met a few times, how could this be? They must be afraid I'll miss the last bus. Yes, that must be it.

“No need to rush,” he explained gently. “It’s very close to my destination. Even if I miss the last bus, it’s only a 20-minute walk.”

Seeing that she had misunderstood, Zhan Chunlan didn't explain, since they were all going in the same direction: "Brother Wenfeng, we'll be going back in a few days. Is there anything or anything you want to say to Aunt Fang? I can help you take it back."

“No need for anything. A young girl like you shouldn’t have too much luggage.” Wang Wenfeng carefully held the orchid, its leaves trembling slightly at his fingertips. “Just tell my mother and uncle to take care of themselves and not worry too much about Xiao Cheng. If there’s really no other way, we can send him to the army. If they have any ideas about that, they can tell me directly.”

After he finished speaking, his gaze fell on the girl's clear eyes. Recalling the story Xiao Cheng had told her about her life, his tone softened even more: "You too, be careful. You can work hard, but you don't have to risk your life. Nowadays... no one can easily control your life anymore."

A single sentence warmed her heart, and Zhan Chunlan felt a lump in her throat, her eyes instantly welling up with tears. She blinked frantically to suppress her tears, afraid to speak lest she reveal her sobs, and could only wave goodbye forcefully.

The next morning, Deputy Factory Director Zhou came to see her specifically about the reward Haicheng Food Factory would give her: "The export process is still underway, but Haicheng Food Factory has already promised that as long as this cooperation is finalized, they will reward you with 1,000 yuan in cash, plus a full set of vouchers—a bicycle, a radio, a sewing machine, and a watch voucher are all ready! You won't have to worry about that when you get married."

Zhan Chunlan was overjoyed. Although marriage was still a long way off, these certificates in her hands provided real security, whether she could cash them out or give them away.

After that, they stayed for about ten more days and tasted the newly developed chocolate-flavored milk candy from Haicheng Food Factory. Zhan Chunlan also gave some suggestions for the coffee-flavored milk candy, saying that it should not only have the bitterness of coffee, but also find a way to make the milk candy smell of coffee.

We really can't stay any longer; if we stay any longer, it'll be the New Year. Deputy Factory Director Zhou led the large group from the pastry factory back home. Although Zhan Chunlan didn't get to explore properly this time—she barely visited any of the places on the map Fan Hongying gave her—she had no regrets. Besides achieving another success, she also had a strange premonition that she would definitely come back here.

Oh, and her house too. Although it seems a bit strange to her right now, it's a house, a small villa in Haicheng, and no one can refuse it.

The ship slowly started moving, and Zhan Chunlan lay swaying on the bed. The return journey would take longer, seven days and six nights, and just thinking about it made her seasick.

I've spent almost the entire last seven days sleeping. I was lying in bed until my head ached and my body felt stiff. Finally, the time has come.

When the boat docked, the river fog was thick. Zhan Chunlan carried her luggage and followed the group down the river. The familiar air, mixed with the smell of river water and dust, gave her a sense of inexplicable peace. The sounds of people greeting passengers on the dock were layered and lively.

"We're finally back! I was going to starve to death in Haicheng if we hadn't come back." Xiao Qiulin was very excited. People in Jiangcheng are like this; they can eat their fill without chili peppers in their meals. In addition, due to the difference in tastes over there, everyone in the group had lost several pounds.

Suddenly, a "Oh dear" with the last syllable of Haicheng's came from beside me.

She turned around and saw a thin girl carrying her luggage stumble as she was bumped by the crowd. The cloth bag she was holding fell to the ground and rolled on the steps, making a series of distress noises. The girl hurriedly picked it up, her braids slipping down to her chest, the hair tie made of old blue cloth, already frayed.

Just as the bag rolled down near Zhan Chunlan, she stretched out her foot to stop it from rolling further down. She bent down, picked it up, and carried it in one hand while vigorously patting the bag a few times to remove the dust. She then handed it back to Zhan Chunlan, her fingertips touching the back of her hand, which was icy cold and damp with the river breeze.

"Thank you, comrade." The girl looked up, her eyes red and swollen, but she forced a smile, revealing a small dimple on her left cheek.

"You're welcome." Zhan Chunlan shook her head and smiled. She was a girl in her early twenties, carrying a huge work bag on her back—the kind of common migrant worker's bag—stuffed so full it almost bent her thin frame. She was carrying two net bags in her left hand and a cloth bag on her right, struggling to walk forward.

Seeing her petite frame carrying so much luggage, he immediately stepped forward and reached out to support the bottom of the large backpack, wanting to share some of the weight: "Are you alone? Let me go with you."

"Thank you," the girl turned around, her face full of gratitude, "Actually, I could have done it by myself."

She spoke with a Haicheng accent, her tone revealing stubbornness, but the beads of sweat on her forehead betrayed her exhaustion.

Zhan Chunlan smiled, her grip on her hand remaining firm: "If you hadn't noticed, that would have been fine. But now that you have, how could you not lend a hand?"

Seeing this, Xiao Qiulin stepped forward to help. Being thoughtful, she was afraid the young woman would feel uncomfortable, so she didn't touch the other woman's luggage, but instead took the handbag from Zhan Chunlan's hand. Only then did she realize something was amiss—Zhan Chunlan's large and small bags looked impressive, but they felt surprisingly light, almost weightless. No wonder she had seemed so relaxed the whole way.

"Chunlan, how did you pack all this?" Xiao Qiulin couldn't help but ask curiously, weighing the package in his hand. "You packed so much, how come it's not heavy at all?"

"Most of the clothes inside are just changes of clothes I brought, so they weren't heavy to begin with," Zhan Chunlan said with a smile, her tone relaxed. "Unlike you, who bought so many local specialties, of course yours is heavy."

Of course, the real reason was that she had put all the heavy items in her space, and the luggage she carried consisted of small but not heavy changes of clothes, which were not heavy.

Xiao Qiulin smiled broadly when he mentioned this: "It's not easy to go to Haicheng, so of course I have to bring back some local specialties as gifts! I also have to thank you. Thanks to you, the Haicheng Food Factory gave me several packs of milk candy, which saved me a lot of money."

Upon hearing this, Zhan Chunlan smiled and said gently, "Actually, the pastries from our Jiangcheng Pastry Factory are quite good, and there are many varieties. There's really no need to carry so many back from so far away."

“You don’t understand,” Xiao Qiulin shook his head, looking like he knew there was a trick to it. “Even if they are exactly the same thing, the feeling is just different when they are brought back from elsewhere and when they are bought locally!”

Hearing their conversation, the girl's eyes lit up slightly, and she asked softly, somewhat shyly, "Um... are you the employees of Jiangcheng Pastry Factory who went to Haicheng Food Factory for exchange and learning?"

Zhan Chunlan smiled and nodded.

Xiao Qiulin was somewhat surprised, his tone tinged with curiosity: "You know us? Has news of this exchange program spread so widely?"

“Well,” the girl smiled shyly and explained, “Actually… I’m an employee of Haicheng Food Factory.”

Even Zhan Chunlan looked slightly surprised. Xiao Qiulin glanced at the large bags of luggage beside her and casually asked, "So, what's the purpose of your trip...?"

“My boyfriend is a technician at Jiangcheng Machinery Factory,” the girl said, a faint blush rising on her face, her voice even softer. “I came to see him during my vacation.”

"Wow!" Xiao Qiulin's eyes lit up, her voice filled with genuine joy. "Will he come to pick you up today?"

"I've already spoken to him," the girl smiled, her eyes sparkling with anticipation, "He should be waiting for me there."

As Zhan Chunlan watched the two chatting warmly, she fell into deep thought. In this era of inconvenient transportation and difficult communication, how far could such a relationship go, with one in Haicheng and the other in Jiangcheng? How difficult must it be to maintain a relationship across thousands of miles, relying solely on letters?

Just then, a young man in factory work clothes rushed out of the crowd. The girl immediately waved to him excitedly.

Zhan Chunlan watched them meet quietly. The man naturally took the large backpack from the girl's back as soon as they met, neatly slinging it over his own shoulder, and then took the several small bags from her hands as well. From beginning to end, there was no hugging or kissing between the two, only the gentle smiles in their eyes and the tenderness that could not be hidden in their subtle actions.

Such subtle and sincere interaction is even more captivating than passionate kisses.

As Zhan Chunlan watched this scene, a corner of her heart suddenly softened. She gently curved her lips into a smile—perhaps, this really wasn't such a bad opportunity after all?