After a long and bumpy journey of a day and a night, Li Baolong and Wang Yumei finally arrived in Korla. After a short rest, they transferred to a minibus and eventually arrived at Tiemenguan. At the intersection, they were lucky enough to flag down a tractor heading to Dawu Village.
As they approached the village, Wang Yumei's eyes sparkled with joy. The moment the car stopped, she flew towards her father, Wang Aiguo, like a happy butterfly, circling him and laughing sweetly.
Upon entering the house, Li Baolong opened his luggage and laid out the carefully selected braised meat and fresh vegetables from Korla on the table, along with a bottle of Xinjiang Tianshan Xiaolaojiao liquor. The three sat around the table, sharing their experiences and observations from the past few days. Upon learning that Li Baolong's matter had been resolved smoothly, Wang Aiguo smiled with relief, and the two raised their glasses in celebration.
Night fell, and the moonlight bathed the courtyard like water. Wang Aiguo and Wang Yumei chatted warmly in the yard. In the dormitory next door, Li Baolong, perhaps exhausted from his journey, had fallen into a deep sleep, his breathing even and steady.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye. At the moment of parting, Wang Aiguo and his daughter Wang Yumei were filled with reluctance. Wang Yumei, her eyes red-rimmed, promised her father she would visit him again in Xinjiang three years later during her university internship. Wang Aiguo gently patted her shoulder, earnestly urging her to focus on her studies and hoping she would find a good job after graduation.
Then, Wang Aiguo looked at Li Baolong with expectation in his eyes: "Baolong, I entrust Wang Yumei to you. If you two are destined to be together in the future, I, as her father, will definitely not object. I only wish that you can both have a smooth and happy life and work."
Li Baolong nodded solemnly, his heart filled with mixed emotions. All good things must come to an end, and they would eventually embark on a new journey. Li Baolong and Wang Yumei turned and left, their car slowly departing from the Iron Gate Pass, heading towards Korla Railway Station. They would transfer in Urumqi, heading to Chengdu, Sichuan Province, where an unknown university life awaited them. The feelings that had quietly grown in their hearts would face more tests and trials on their new journey, perhaps blossoming into something magnificent, or becoming an unforgettable, bittersweet memory—all quietly nurtured in the long river of time.
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