Deng Min came to borrow a bicycle.

Bai Shibao needed to catch the 8 a.m. train in the county town. Fortunately, he didn't need to transfer at all to get to Yancheng; it was a single line.

In order not to miss the train, the Bai family planned to set off after dinner and spend the night at the county station.

The Bai family now has a bicycle, but Deng Min prepared a lot of things for Bai Shibao. One bicycle couldn't carry two big men and several bundles, so Deng Min came over to ask Bai Jiaojiao to borrow a bicycle so that Bai Shihai could also ride one over. When they came back, they could just ride one and lead the other.

"Don't you want us to go and see him off? Or we can ask the brigade for a pass and take an oxcart over. We'll make it in time. My brother's joining the army is a great honor for the village. Surely we can borrow an oxcart."

There's no land that needs plowing now, and the oxcarts are just sitting idle in the village.

“Your older brother said it’s too much trouble. There’s Dad and kids at home, and I can’t leave either. So let the two brothers go.”

Bai Jiaojiao thought that this was a good idea, and that it was better to leave decisively. After all, the oxcart was pulled by an animal, and something was bound to happen on the way.

The poor have their own way of life; they don't need so many formalities. They eat dumplings before getting on the train and noodles upon getting off. Deng Min went back and made a meal of dumplings. After Bai Shibao finished eating, he wiped his mouth and left with Bai Shihai.

"Brother, I'm a little homesick."

Bai Shibo had only just left Shili Village when he spoke.

Bai Shihai: "Look at your future. Once you get there, you won't be able to concentrate on training."

"Brother, once I've made something of myself, I'll definitely come back to take care of you and Dad."

Bai Shihai didn't say anything more and silently pedaled his bicycle.

They rode their bikes for three and a half hours, stopping to rest seven or eight times, before finally reaching the edge of the county town.

Once they arrived in the county town, they were not quite sure which way to go.

It's still dark, there's no one on the road, and I don't know who to ask for directions.

Shen Heng used to come to the county town often. He gave Bai Shihai and Bai Shibo directions, saying to go north when you get to the county town. But it was dark, and the two brothers got a little lost.

"Brother, let's follow this road and see if we can find a place where people live."

Once you arrive at a residential area, you can tell which way is which.

Fortunately, the area outside the county town is still underdeveloped, and there is only one main road, so we can't get lost no matter which way we go.

The two of them rode forward like that, with Bai Shibao's flashlight swaying up and down with the movement of his bicycle.

"Ah—ah—"

"Brother, did you hear someone shouting?" Bai Shibao thought he was hallucinating. In the middle of the night, the voice was faint and terrifying.

"I heard you."

"Help--"

They rode forward a couple of steps and heard a woman shouting for help. Bai Shibao was no longer afraid. He quickly pedaled forward a couple more steps and used his flashlight to search for the source of the sound.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

Bai Shibao saw a figure running frantically toward him from afar, as if someone was chasing her, but when she saw that he had a flashlight, she didn't know which way she turned.

"Comrade, comrade, someone's chasing me!"

The voice that was speaking was that of the woman who had called for help earlier. Bai Shibao shone his flashlight behind her and saw no one else: "He ran away, don't be afraid."

As they spoke, the two jumped off their bicycles and took two steps toward the woman.

"Don't come any closer!"

Having just been pursued by a man, Guan Xinyan was on edge and very sensitive. When she saw two men in front of her, she became frightened.

Who's walking down the street in the dark?

“Comrade, don’t be afraid, we are good people,” Bai Shihai said.

But anyone can talk. Who can believe someone who claims to be a good person just by talking about medicine?

Bai Shibao rummaged in his pocket and pulled out his registration certificate, which he kept close to his body: "Comrade, my brother and I are going to take the train to join the army. Look, this is my registration certificate."

In this world, is there anyone more reliable than the People's Liberation Army?

"Let me see it!" Guan Xinyan shouted.

Bai Shibao hesitated for a moment, then folded the registration certificate and carefully tossed it over.

Using the light from the flashlight that Bai Shibao shone on her, Guan Xinyan carefully examined the registration certificate bearing the official seal.

"Comrades of the People's Liberation Army! A man was chasing me just now, and he disappeared without me. Really! Could you please take me home? I'm afraid he might be hiding somewhere and will come after me again after you leave."

Guan Xinyan was good at talking, and regardless of the fact that Bai Shibao hadn't reported for duty yet, she called him "comrade" first.

Bai Shibao stepped forward to retrieve his registration certificate and carefully put it away.

Bai Shihai said, "Bozi, we have enough time anyway, why don't we see her off? She's such a pitiful young girl."

Bai Shibao had no objection: "Can you ride a bicycle?"

"I can!"

"Then you can ride my bike."

Bai Shibao gave the bicycle to Guan Xinyan, then went behind Bai Shihai, moved the things on the back seat to another bicycle, and sat on the back seat of Bai Shihai's bicycle.

"Let's go, where do you live? We'll follow you there."

"Thank you so much. Don't worry, my home isn't far."

Guan Xinyan never expected such a good thing. It would only take less than ten minutes to get to her home by bicycle.

On the way, Bai Shihai asked, "What are you doing on the road alone in the middle of the night? You're really brave."

Guan Xinyan replied, "I'm a nurse, and I got home late today because I was working overtime."

"So when you used to work the night shift, did you walk back by yourself?" Bai Shibao couldn't help but ask.

That takes a lot of courage.

"Yeah, I've only been in the hospital for a month, and nothing's happened yet. If I'd known it would be like this, I wouldn't have come back; I would have just slept in the hospital."

Bai Shibao said, "They've been scouting the location for the past month. They know you often work overtime, and today they caught us making their move."

Not to mention Guan Xinyan, even Bai Shibao felt lingering fear for her.

What a tragedy it would have been if those two brothers hadn't come today!

"I'll continue to sleep in the hospital dormitory and go home in the morning," Guan Xinyan said.

Bai Shihai instructed, "You can't just guard against thieves. Go to the police station tomorrow morning to report the crime and have them arrest the person."

"Okay, I understand."

They hadn't chatted for long when they arrived at Guan Xinyan's house, and she invited them to come in and sit down.

"No need, we're in a hurry to get to the station."

"What time is your train? Why are you rushing to catch it in the middle of the night?"

Guan Xinyan insisted on inviting her two saviors to her home for a drink of water. Her parents heard the commotion outside and turned on the lights to come out.

"What's wrong? Who are these people?" Guan's parents looked at Bai Shihai and Bai Shibo, both of whom were unfamiliar faces.

"Mom, I ran into some bad guys on the street. Luckily, these two comrades scared them away, and they even brought me home!"

Guan Xinyan said.

"Oh dear, I told you it wasn't safe for you to come home in the dark every night, and you wouldn't even let your brother pick you up!"