The train didn't arrive until 9:30 PM. The two waited in the simple waiting room. The long wooden benches for people to rest on were limited and had already been occupied. Zhao Mingyue and Shen Xuyue had no choice but to sit on their luggage to wait. Before it got dark, Shen Xuyue found an enamel mug and filled two cups with hot water. "Mingyue, let's eat something first. It'll be dark soon, and it won't be convenient."

Zhao Mingyue nodded: "Okay." She turned out the bags of food. One cloth bag contained cold steamed buns and eggs. The steamed buns were made by Shen Xuyue using flour he bought. They were easier to carry than rice. The other bag contained pickled vegetables she brought from home, along with some cured meat, which was steamed together with the pickled vegetables.

The two ate cold steamed buns and cold eggs over hot water. Shen Xuyue said, "When we get to Beijing, I'll take you to eat fried liver. It'll be hot and warm up your stomach."

Zhao Mingyue smiled brightly: "Okay. But what is fried liver?"

Shen Xuyue thought for a moment: "It's made with pig liver and large intestine, which is very warming and better than this cold steamed bun."

Seeing someone eating a rice ball next to her, Zhao Mingyue said, "I think cold steamed buns are better than cold rice balls."

Shen Xuyue nodded: "That's true."

Zhao Mingyue praised him, "Luckily you were quick-witted."

Shen Xuyue chuckled.

After dark, two dim, yellowish incandescent lights illuminated the waiting room, casting a hazy, dim light. Early spring in February was still quite cold, especially at night; the chill was biting and penetrating. The two sat in a corner, arms huddled together, waiting for time to pass. Having traveled all day and just eaten, Zhao Mingyue was feeling drowsy, her eyelids drooping. Shen Xuyue, worried she'd catch a cold from sleeping there, kept talking to her: "...At this time of year, the ice in Beijing shouldn't have completely melted yet. We might still see ice when we get there."

Zhao Mingyue asked, "Is Beijing that cold?" She knew that Beijing was quite cold, but she wasn't familiar with the city. In her previous life, she mainly lived in the south, especially in Haicheng. When she went to Beijing, it was always for business trips, and she stayed for a very short time, so she rarely paid attention to those places.

Shen Xuyue said, "That's right. The moat, Beihai and Zhongxihai all freeze over. In winter, there's an ice rink on the west bank of Zhongxihai. My brothers and sisters and I have even gone ice skating there."

Zhao Mingyue's eyes widened: "Really? We can go anywhere without anyone interfering?"

Shen Xuyue said, "Nobody cared. My dad worked there back then, and we would go there to play during the day. There were very few people who could ice skate, and my dad even got me a pair of ice skates. Later, I don't know where those skates went, but even if they were, I couldn't wear them anymore. It's been so many years. And we can't go there anymore now."

Zhao Mingyue looked at him and said, "Don't worry, your dad will be fine. Things will get better in the future."

Shen Xuyue nodded: "I think so too. I've noticed that things have been getting better since I met you. I still remember that night when you came over with your third brother and openly discussed the future of the tea plantation with me, talking about sustainable development and the issue of soil erosion. It really surprised me." The girl with two big braids had left a deep impression on him.

Zhao Mingyue lowered her head and smiled, "We didn't just meet back then."

“But our contact started that night. I knew of you before, but we didn’t know each other and had never even spoken,” Shen Xuyue said.

Zhao Mingyue shook her head: "I already said that."

Shen Xuyue asked in surprise, "When?"

Zhao Mingyue said, "Once, I was returning from gathering firewood at Xiaogangshan and resting at the village entrance when you rode your bike back from the commune. You even got off your bike to ask me if I needed any help."

Shen Xuyue frowned, racking his brains for the matter, but had absolutely no recollection of it: "Did I help you?"

"No, I only carried half a load of firewood. My brother Da Tou carried it ahead of me. It wasn't heavy, so I didn't ask you to help," Zhao Mingyue said with a smile.

Shen Xuyue asked, "How old were you back then?"

Zhao Mingyue thought for a moment and said, "Fourteen or fifteen? You seemed to have just become the brigade secretary not long ago." That one kind greeting stirred the heart of Zhao Mingyue, who was just beginning to experience romantic feelings.

Shen Xuyue scratched his head: "Hehe, I really don't remember."

Just then, someone carrying a huge pile of luggage came rolling over like a road roller: "Excuse me, comrade, please make way, thank you."

Shen Xuyue reached out and pushed the other person's luggage out a little to prevent them from bumping into Zhao Mingyue. Sensing Shen Xuyue's action, the other person nodded apologetically, "Sorry, you didn't bump into me, did you? I had too much stuff."

Shen Xuyue said, "Comrade, why don't you put it here? There are even more people if you go further in, and there won't be any room to stand."

The man looked up and said, "Okay, I'll sit here. Thanks, comrade."

The man put down all his belongings, and Zhao Mingyue could barely make out his appearance. He was a young man in his twenties, wearing a black homespun blouse over a cotton-padded jacket, and handmade cloth shoes. Although everyone was considered unfashionable in those days, this man was even more so, downright rustic. Homespun clothes were generally worn by older people; young people mostly wore clothes made of cotton, polyester, corduroy, polyester, or similar fabrics bought from state-run stores, with the more refined ones sometimes wearing woolen fabric.

Seeing Zhao Mingyue staring at him intently, the man smiled at her, revealing a set of white teeth against his dark face. Zhao Mingyue quickly lowered her head, no longer looking at him directly; staring at a man like that was considered impolite. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the man touch his luggage before finally sitting down on a bag. Only then did she have time to speak to Shen Xuyue: "Comrade, are you also waiting for the 9:35 train to Beijing?"

Shen Xuyue nodded: "Yes, there's only this train at night, and most people here should be taking that train."

"Wow, there are so many people!" the man remarked.

Shen Xuyue said, "There are few cars, so there are many people. Comrade, where are you going?"

The man laughed, a proud look on his face, and said loudly, "I'm going to Beijing. What about you?"

Shen Xuyue said, "What a coincidence, it's us too."

The man looked at Shen Xuyue, then at Zhao Mingyue: "Is this your sister?"

Shen Xuyue shook his head: "No, it's my girlfriend. We're going to Beijing to study together."

The man looked at them in surprise: "You two are both going to study in Beijing? That's amazing!"

Zhao Mingyue's ears turned red. This was the first time Shen Xuyue had ever said she was his girlfriend in front of others, and she couldn't help but smile sweetly.

The man then said, "What a coincidence! I'm also going to university in Beijing. Hello, comrade! Let's travel together. We'll be fellow townsmen from now on, and we can look after each other over there. By the way, I'm at Peking University. My name is Liang Dong. What about you?"

This time it was Zhao Mingyue's turn to be surprised. This guy actually got into Peking University? Shen Xuyue was also slightly surprised. You really can't judge a book by its cover. So he extended his hand to shake hands with him: "Hello, I am Shen Xuyue, and her name is Zhao Mingyue. I am at Tsinghua University, and she is at Beijing Normal University."

"Your Mandarin is really good," Liang Dong said with a smile, shaking his hand.

Shen Xuyue said, "I was originally from Beijing, and I came here to work in the countryside."

"Oh, so this can be considered a triumphant return home. Congratulations!"

This guy named Liang Dong is quite talkative and very enthusiastic. When he got on the bus, he was carrying so many things himself, but he still wanted to help Zhao Mingyue move her things. His enthusiasm was so overwhelming that it was hard to resist.

Once on the train, since none of the three had seats, they had to find empty seats at the junction of the carriages. The train was packed with people, even the aisle was full. Everyone was carrying large bags and small packages, and the vast majority were young people, probably educated youth going to school or returning to the city.

The social atmosphere was very good in this era. Although people were poor, they had a very positive outlook and most people had a noble heart. At least Zhao Mingyue was not worried about pickpockets on the bus.

After boarding the train, Shen Xuyue asked Zhao Mingyue to watch the luggage while he walked away. Half an hour later, Shen Xuyue returned and said to her, "Two people are getting off at the next stop in the carriage ahead. We can go over there and wait for them to get off before taking their seats. Liang Dong, if you don't mind, you can come with us too. The three of us can take turns sitting, which is more comfortable than being crammed here."

Liang Dong glanced at the people in the aisle: "There are too many people, and we have a lot of luggage. How are we going to get through? Maybe we should just forget about it and make do here."

Shen Xuyue said, "We'll be sitting in the car for more than twenty hours. This place is close to the toilet, but it's too dirty. Mingyue, let's go over there."

Zhao Mingyue nodded: "Okay." She had ridden on trains that were even more crowded than this before, so she didn't find it too difficult.

Shen Xuyue asked Liang Dong to watch his luggage while he and Zhao Mingyue took some luggage and went over. Navigating through the crowded streets was no easy task; nobody likes being bumped or jostled. Shen Xuyue held the blanket high above his head the whole way, politely asking people to make way, and finally arrived at his destination.

Zhao Mingyue discovered that the two people getting off the train were an elderly couple from the provincial capital. Their son worked in Haicheng, and their grandson had just been born, so they were rushing to visit him. Since they lived in the provincial capital, they had bought their tickets well in advance and even had seats. Shen Xuyue inquired along the way and found out that these two were the first to get off the train, so he struck up a conversation with them and agreed that he would give them his seats after they got off.

The elderly couple looked at Zhao Mingyue: "Xiao Shen, is this your sister?"

Shen Xuyue laughed and said, "No, this is my girlfriend, she is Xiao Zhao. Mingyue, this is Uncle Zhang and Aunt Zhang."

"Hello, Grandpa and Grandma!" Zhao Mingyue quickly and politely greeted the two elderly people.

The old lady looked at Zhao Mingyue and saw that she had pretty features but was dressed simply and elegantly. She couldn't help but feel happy and called out to her, "Little Zhao, come and squeeze in with me."

Zhao Mingyue waved her hand: "No need, thank you, auntie. I'll stand for a while, so you can sit more comfortably. We young people can stand."

Hearing that Zhao Mingyue also spoke fluent Mandarin, and although she was dressed like a country person, her demeanor was completely different from that of a typical country person. She spoke politely and well-behavedly, so Aunt Zhang happily chatted with her. Seeing that Zhao Mingyue and Aunt Zhang were having a good time, Shen Xuyue went to move the rest of the luggage himself.

Trains were very slow in those days. The distance from the provincial capital to Haicheng was less than 300 kilometers, but the train took four hours. So when they arrived in Haicheng, it was already past midnight. Shen Xuyue took the initiative to see the elderly couple off the train. The train would stop in Haicheng for more than half an hour, where they might need to resupply some water and fuel.

Shen Xuyue got off the train, bought two large apples at the station's convenience store, and then got back on the train: "Mingyue, would you like an apple?"

Zhao Mingyue had been standing all night and was a little tired. She was drowsy and looked at Shen Xuyue with her sleepy eyes: "Ah, an apple? Okay."

Shen Xuyue had never seen Zhao Mingyue like this before, and found her incredibly cute. His tone softened considerably as he said, "Are you tired? Eat an apple and then go to sleep."

Zhao Mingyue rubbed her eyes: "Okay."

"Eat up, I've already washed it, no need to peel it."

Zhao Mingyue held the apple, which had an enticing fruity aroma. It was all-natural and pollution-free. She took a bite and smiled at Shen Xuyue with satisfaction: "So sweet."

Shen Xuyue looked at her and took a satisfied bite. He guessed that Zhao Mingyue had never eaten an apple before, because they were rarely sold where she was from, and she had never been out of town, so how could she have eaten an apple? "When we go to Beijing in the future, there are many apples there, and they are cheap, so we can eat them often."

"Mmm." Zhao Mingyue's eyes crinkled into crescent moons with a smile.

Their seats were two-seaters. Opposite them sat a middle-aged man who looked like a government official and a young woman. Judging from their clothes, they were city dwellers. Ever since Zhao Mingyue and her companion arrived, the two had been sleeping with their eyes closed. At this moment, the young woman opened one eye, glanced across at the other side, and her lips twitched slightly. Neither Zhao Mingyue nor Shen Xuyue noticed.

The next morning, the two who had been sleeping in their seats woke up, both with aches and pains in their backs and necks. Traveling like this was truly unbearable, even with seats available. The middle-aged man and woman opposite them were awake. Shen Xuyue politely greeted them. The man chatted with them rather casually, but the woman remained silent, her eyes fixed on the window. They chatted for a while and discovered they were a father and daughter; the man was sending his daughter to university in Beijing—a rare sight these days.

"I'm also taking this opportunity to visit some relatives back home; it's been so many years since we last saw each other," the uncle said with a smile. "I heard you're also going to university in Beijing? Which schools are you at?"

Shen Xuyue said, "Oh, right. I'm at Tsinghua University, and she's at Beijing Normal University."

“Oh, Beijing Normal University? That’s my daughter’s alumni. She’s a new student this year, in the Department of Political Science and Law. Which department are you in?” He said, nudging his daughter. “Hongyu, this is your alumnus. Let’s get acquainted. You’re from X province, right? We’re from the provincial capital.”

Zhao Mingyue smiled politely at the girl opposite her: "Hello, my name is Zhao Mingyue, I am a history major. I am from Jinnan area."

The girl turned her head and glanced at Zhao Mingyue: "Bian Hongyu, from the provincial capital." Her attitude was somewhat arrogant.

Zhao Mingyue smiled indifferently. These days, city people always look down on country people. Bian Hongyu was probably a rather aloof girl. Zhao Mingyue didn't intend to associate with such a person. The two were not in the same department, so it was unlikely that they would become very close.

As Shen Xuyue chatted with Uncle Bian, Uncle Bian's attitude changed when he learned that Shen Xuyue was from Beijing and was going to Tsinghua University. Even Bian Hongyu turned to look at Shen Xuyue a few more times and even said a few words. Zhao Mingyue thought to herself, no matter what era, there are always people who like to treat others differently based on their status.

Although Bian Hongyu herself was indifferent, Uncle Bian insisted that his daughter befriend Shen Xuyue. Zhao Mingyue didn't mind; since he wanted to build connections for her, she might as well do the same.

Shen Xuyue stood up: "Mingyue, let me go and call Liang Dong to come and sit down. He's having a hard time over there all by himself. There's no one to watch his luggage when he goes to the toilet."

Zhao Mingyue nodded: "Okay, go ahead."

After watching Shen Xuyue leave, Uncle Bian turned to Zhao Mingyue and asked, "Little Zhao, you're quite young, aren't you? A recent graduate?"

Zhao Mingyue said, "I am eighteen years old this year. I did not go to high school. I learned everything on my own."

Uncle Bian looked somewhat surprised: "Then you're very lucky."

Zhao Mingyue smiled slightly, unsure if it was alright.

Bian Hongyu covered her mouth with her hand and gave a disdainful look.

Shen Xuyue came over carrying Liang Dong's luggage, while Liang Dong was still shouting from behind, "I said it's not necessary, I'm fine sitting over there, it's too much trouble for you."

Shen Xuyue laughed and said, "It's okay, the three of us can squeeze in here. We can chat along the way. Uncle Bian and his daughter are also going to university in Beijing, so it'll be good to have company on the journey. It's still more than ten hours to get to Beijing."

Liang Dong greeted the Bian father and daughter with a smile. Uncle Bian was quite worldly and tactful, and did not show any disdain. Bian Hongyu, on the other hand, looked disdainful and simply turned her head away and went to sleep on the small table.

Zhao Mingyue smiled faintly, observing everything. The myriad aspects of life were truly fascinating. However, it was best to keep her distance from someone like Bian Hongyu; her emotional intelligence was too low, her attitude arrogant, and she wasn't worth associating with.