Late summer of 1974.

Li Xiyue ended her two-and-a-half-year experience as an educated youth.

When the villagers knew she was leaving, they all came to see her off, including Chen Xinjian and his sister from the neighboring brigade.

The men couldn't say anything sentimental, but their reluctance was written all over their faces.

Grandma Yu made dumplings, Grandma Wang boiled eggs, and Chen Meifang specially made meat buns for her to take on the road.

Gao Xiulan made two pairs of shoes, Sun Xia gave her two sets of clothes, and Fang Yue'e prepared new hats and scarves made of animal fur.

Other villagers whose old ailments had been cured by Li Xiyue were given dry food and snacks.

The items were put together in a large bag. Xu Dashan also put the cured meat he had prepared in it and handed it to Chu Xun, instructing Chu Xun to take good care of his great benefactor.

"Yueyue, take good care of yourself when you go back, and come back to visit when you have time." Grandma Yu held Li Xiyue's hand, extremely reluctant to part with her.

"Grandma Yu, I will."

For the past two and a half years, Grandma Yu has treated her like her own granddaughter, and she genuinely likes this kind old woman.

Uncle Xu was already wiping away tears. "Yueyue, Grandpa said the same thing, hoping you would come back more often."

They are getting old, and every meeting is one less time they can see each other. They don't know how many more times they will see their granddaughter in their lifetime.

Looking at the old man's gray hair, Li Xiyue's eyes welled up with tears. "Grandpa, I'll come back to see you whenever I have time. I've settled down in Beijing, and I can even take you there for a short stay. I've found my maternal grandfather. Grandpa, haven't you always wanted to meet him?"

Uncle Xu immediately smiled and said, "Yes, yes, I'll wait."

"Dear sister, remember to write to me." Xu Guoqing pouted, looking unhappy. "And Xiaobai, she's used to being wild in the countryside with me, I wonder if she'll be able to adapt to city life?"

Little Whitey's head drooped; it had so much to miss here.

Little Flower sat beside it with a litter of puppies, whimpering softly.

"Remember to take good care of Grandpa during the National Day holiday."

She was actually a little reluctant to part with her younger brother, who had called her "older sister" for two years, but they were both still young and would have many more opportunities to meet in the future.

The three sisters came over carrying several baskets. Xuemei said, "Sister Li, we heard you moved to a new house. You must need baskets. My sisters and I wove a few for you. They are all the prettiest patterns and are sturdy. We hope you won't mind them."

Li Xiyue took it and saw that it was indeed very well woven. She smiled and said, "I don't mind at all. I like it very much. Thank you."

The three sisters have severed ties with their families, and it's much safer for them to do business on the black market now. Even after she leaves, the children can still gather medicinal herbs and deliver them to the clinic, where Xu Baiwei will give them appropriate compensation.

Their lives will only get better and better.

"Sister." Xia Zhu couldn't hold back and burst into tears. "I can't bear to part with you."

As soon as she cried, Xu Baiwei, who had been holding back her tears, also started to cry. "Master, please don't leave."

"Sister..." Then came Xu Lanlan, Tie Tou (real name Xu Junjun), Xu Panpan, and even the young and innocent Xu Tiantian and Xu Xiaoxiao cried.

Parents were busy trying to soothe their children, and the scene was chaotic.

Just as the children were calmed down, the three "plastic sisters" at the educated youth settlement started wiping away tears again, especially Huang Xinrui, who was obsessed with money, and she hugged her and cried bitterly.

"Yueyue, I can't bear to part with you."

No matter how much she joked around before, when the day of parting actually arrived, she was truly reluctant to leave.