Chapter 264 Return

The next day, editor Lin Yuan arrived on time, directing the staff to move the books signed by Nan Zhiyi away, and then neatly stacking the newly delivered 3,000 copies of books awaiting signature into the study.

He looked at Nan Zhiyi, rubbing his hands together, "Comrade Zhiyi, our company has discussed it and we're thinking of adding another 5,000 signed copies. What do you think...? Of course, please don't rush this time, sign slowly, and don't tire yourself out!"

Nan Zhiyi: "Editor Lin, there's no need for you to be so polite. It's something authors would love if their books sold well, so it's only right that I sign more copies."

Seeing how understanding she was, Lin Yuan said, "Comrade Zhiyi, you are so considerate! Our editorial department has also considered this and decided that we cannot increase your burden indefinitely. Therefore, we have decided that this signed edition will be limited to 10,000 copies. Subsequent reprints of the regular edition will include bookmarks, but will no longer be signed. After your new book is published, if there is still market demand, we will discuss the signed edition issue based on the situation. What do you think?"

"The magazine can handle these matters; I have no objections." Nan Zhiyi had no objections to this.

Lin Yuan took his leave, satisfied.

In the days that followed, Nan Zhiyi spent her time peacefully signing autographs, spending time with Xiaoman, and occasionally meeting with Zhou Anping.

A fulfilling life makes time fly by, and before we know it, it's the end of August.

Kyoto University is scheduled to officially start the new semester on September 1st, and Zhang Yueran is coming back.

Nan Zhiyi took Xiaoman to the train station to pick her up.

The train station exit was crowded with people. She held Xiaoman in her arms and stood on tiptoe to look around.

Soon, she saw Zhang Yueran carrying two bags, squeezing out of the crowd in a somewhat disheveled state.

Zhang Yueran spotted the mother and son at a glance, and was both surprised and annoyed: "Sister, why did you come in person? And with Xiaoman! It's so crowded!"

Nan Zhiyi laughed and said, "If I don't come myself, do you think I'll let you carry all this stuff and squeeze onto the bus to go back by yourself? I can't rest easy about that."

Zhang Yueran felt a warm glow inside, but said aloud, "I'm a grown woman!"

She shook the bag in her hand, "Mom missed you and Xiaoman so much. She brought you a lot of homemade pickles and cured meat, but she couldn't come because of work. Oh, and my luggage!" She then turned around to look at the bag.

Nan Zhiyi then noticed that behind Zhang Yueran were three young people, one woman and two men, one of whom, a handsome and refined-looking man, was carrying two travel bags.

Zhang Yueran introduced, "Sister, this is also a classmate from Peking University. We happened to be going the same way. She helped me a lot along the way because she saw I had a lot of stuff."

She pointed at the boy carrying the bag.

Nan Zhiyi quickly thanked them, put Xiaoman down on the ground and held her hand, reaching out to take the luggage: "Thank you so much! Give it to me."

The young man, however, was quite gentlemanly. He didn't let go immediately and said, "It's alright. I'll help you carry your luggage to the car."

Zhang Yueran readily agreed: "That would be great! Thank you!"

Seeing that Zhang Yueran had agreed, Nan Zhi didn't refuse anymore. "Alright, then please take us to the taxi stand next door."

A group of five or six people walked and talked as they headed toward the taxi service station.

From Zhang Yueran's chatter, Nan Zhiyi learned that the boy who had been helping her carry her luggage was named Duan Jiaming, a student from the Physics Department, class of '77.

Upon arriving at the service station, we didn't have to wait long before a dusty Soviet-made Volga sedan pulled up empty.

Duan Jiaming and the driver together stuffed all of Zhang Yueran's luggage into the trunk of the car.

Nan Zhiyi then realized that Duan Jiaming was only carrying a simple backpack, while the two large bags he was carrying actually belonged to Zhang Yueran. She felt bad about it, but she couldn't say anything more at the moment, so she could only thank him repeatedly.

After putting away their luggage, Duan Jiaming and his two classmates said goodbye and turned to head towards the bus stop.

Nan Zhiyi carried Xiaoman and Zhang Yueran into the car and gave them the address of the Army Compound.

As the car slowly started moving, Nan Zhiyi couldn't help but ask, "Yueyue, why did you bring so much stuff this time? It's so heavy. Couldn't some of these things have been mailed over? It must be tiring for you to carry all this way."

Zhang Yueran sighed and leaned back in her seat: "That's right! I told Mom I could just mail it, but when I got to the post office at the train station, the staff saw all these bottles, jars, and packages and said they were fragile and too much trouble to pack, suggesting I carry them with me. I was just worrying about it when I ran into Duan Jiaming, who was also mailing his luggage. He'd already mailed his things, but he only had one small bag left. Seeing my predicament, he offered to help me carry it. If it weren't for him, I would have been in real trouble!"

After listening, Nan Zhiyi instructed, "That's really too much trouble for them. When you get back to school, you must thank them properly, treat them to a meal or buy them some fruit or something."

"Okay!" Zhang Yueran readily agreed.

"Don't worry, sis, I know what I'm doing. Duan Jiaming and his classmates in the physics department have a heavy workload, so we've agreed to study together after the semester starts. Our advisor said that scholarships will be awarded this semester, and there are quite a few spots available, so I need to study hard and try my best to get one!"

Nan Zhiyi felt gratified seeing her younger sister's positive and optimistic attitude.

Knowing Zhang Yueran's diligence and talent in her studies, she encouraged her: "It's good that you have this ambition. Studying hard is the right thing to do. But don't overwork yourself."

The taxi stopped in front of the Gu family's courtyard. Hearing the noise, Sister Zhang quickly came out to help unload the bulging bags from the trunk.

She was also taken aback, "Oh my, Comrade Yueran, you brought even more this time than last time!"

Zhang Yueran: "That's right! Mom is always worried that I'm not eating well at school. She hasn't stopped for the past few months. She's been making meat sauce, drying meat, one portion for me, one portion for my sister, and also making pills for my sister. She made little clothes and shoes for Xiaoman. She was also worried that I would get cold in the winter in Beijing, so she rushed to make me several thick cotton-padded coats and thick overcoats, as well as hats, scarves, gloves... She made a whole bunch of things."

She took a breath and pointed to another net bag, "Oh right, there are also some local specialties from my hometown that I brought for my roommates, so I can share them with my classmates and get along well with them."

Nan Zhiyi listened and exclaimed sincerely, "Aunt Feng is really... so thoughtful in everything she does."

With Zhang Yueran's help, it took her a while to sort out the luggage into different categories.

Zhang Yueran straightened up, rubbed her back, and took Xiaoman's hand, saying, "I've been sitting on the train for days, and my butt is sore. I need to go out for a walk and get some fresh air. Xiaoman, come with your aunt for a walk?"

Xiaoman, being at the age where she loves to play, immediately responded enthusiastically: "Auntie, let's go!"

Nan Zhiyi: "Okay, you guys go ahead, but don't go too far. You'll be back for dinner in a little while."

She added, "How about we invite Anping to go boating at Beihai Park tomorrow? It's cool there, and after boating, we can find a good restaurant nearby."

"Great! It's settled then!" Zhang Yueran cheered and led Xiaoman out the door.