Pei Jiwang didn't say anything, but simply handed her the kettle filled with hot water.
"Thanks."
She took it softly, her fingertips inadvertently touching his, then trembled slightly and quickly withdrew.
The two boarded the train again.
Pei Jiwang stared intently at the slender figure walking ahead.
This journey seemed to have planted a small yet complex seed in his heart, a seed about the true nature of Zi Xi.
The future seems even more promising for him.
A salty sea breeze swept over me, carrying a scent different from the humid air of Shanghai.
After several days of bumpy travel, changing trains and ships, and finally a bumpy jeep ride, we finally arrived at our destination.
The jeep stopped in front of a cluster of low bungalows.
The houses are neat and uniform, with rough, grayish-yellow walls and dark red roofs covered with tiles, many of which are overgrown with tenacious weeds.
The houses are spaced far apart.
Scattered salt-tolerant shrubs grow on the bare land, and in the distance, towering reefs and an endless expanse of blue-gray sea can be seen.
"We've arrived, Company Commander Pei, sister-in-law, this is the family compound."
The orderly, Xiao Chen, who was driving, jumped out of the car and enthusiastically helped carry the luggage.
Pei Jiwang got out of the car first, his eyes habitually scanning the surrounding environment.
He turned around and reached out to Zixi, who was still in the car, to help her out.
Zi Xi hesitated for a moment, but still gently placed her slightly cool fingers on his broad and warm palm.
She got out of the car somewhat stiffly, and immediately withdrew her hand as if she had been burned after standing still.
Zi Xi raised her head and looked at the scene before her, as if she had been frozen in place by a spell.
The sea breeze lifted the hem of her light blue dress and the stray hairs on her forehead, revealing her almond-shaped eyes, which were now filled with immense shock and disbelief.
[This, this is the family compound?]
[Rows of bungalows that look like pigeon coops?]
[Is the paint almost completely peeling off the walls? Is that grass growing on the roof? Shouldn't a house be at least two stories high?]
Where's the ground, the lawn, the flowerbeds? Why is it all sand and pebbles?! My shoes!
Pei Jiwang clearly heard the series of devastating questions and cries of anguish emanating from her heart.
He could even sense the almost tangible despair emanating from her.
Pei Jiwang continued to observe her reaction calmly, preparing for any possible crying or complaining that would fit the image of a capitalist's daughter.
However, Zi Xi simply blinked hard, her long eyelashes fluttering violently like butterfly wings.
She took a deep, rapid breath, as if trying to calm her turbulent emotions.
"The group... is very well organized. It's quiet here, and the view... is also very open."
Zi Xi turned to look at Pei Jiwang, forcing a very weak smile on her face, her voice thin and weak.
Pei Jiwang: "..."
Looking at her smile, which was more like a grimace, and her eyes that were trying to express satisfaction but couldn't help but reveal utter despair, he was momentarily at a loss for words.
The little girl's acting was so bad at times that it left people speechless.
[Old Pei, do you even believe that yourself?! Is it quiet because birds don't poop here?!]
[The view is so expansive because there's nothing but the sea and rocks! Heavens above! What did I do wrong to be banished to this place!]
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