The diesel bus swayed on the uneven road.

Xu Sui opened the window and the heat wave outside swept in with the breeze, occasionally mixed with a little fine sand and splashed onto her face.

She had been to the island during her school years. When she was a freshman, someone approached her and invited her to be a print model for one thousand yuan a day.

When she first found out she could make so much money, she was happy but also a little confused. After hearing about it, her roommate told her that the hairpin on her head was worth three thousand yuan.

The 18-year-old Xu Sui couldn't understand why, so she took a few part-time jobs when she was not busy with her studies, and saved some money to visit the sea she had always dreamed of.

The writer described the beautiful face of the sea, but she felt that she was insignificant in front of the deep blue.

Later, she owned a seven-digit conch pearl hair accessory, but she was not as happy as she was when she earned the thousand dollars.

"Sister, are you here to visit relatives on the island?"

Her mother, who was sitting behind her, spoke, and Xu Sui was pulled out of her thoughts.

"There are not many girls with fair skin like you on this island, given the wind and sand." The girl said enthusiastically, "Don't underestimate the sun, it's very strong. If you don't block it, your skin will peel off in a day."

Xu Sui just smiled and didn't answer, but the woman started talking, "I didn't know this when I first came here. In my hometown, a day of sun exposure was no big deal, but after only two days here, my neck and arms are all red..."

Now several people around joined in. The girl enthusiastically took out a horse brisket she had picked up on the roadside and taught Xu Sui to apply it to her sunburned skin.

Xu Sui smiled brightly, "Thank you, mother, otherwise I really wouldn't have noticed it."

"It's just a matter of a few words." The mother simply gave her the horse bridle, which was just something you could find on the roadside.

She asked, "Sister, you look old, you haven't found a partner yet, right?"

The voice of the girl was very loud. When these words came out, the ears of several young men in the car perked up.

They had noticed this female comrade when they got on the bus. She had fair and tender skin and beautiful features, but it was a pity that no one had the courage to approach her and talk to her.

After the car drove away, Lu Chenghuai stood straight and motionless, his eyes looking forward, but his attention was completely in another direction.

"No." Xu Suifang said, "I haven't thought about it yet."

The lady just asked casually, and smiled when she heard it: "There are so many young guys on the island. You have to be thoughtful. You have to choose carefully for a beautiful girl like you. Although the conditions on the island are a bit more difficult, the welfare of the army is still very good."

As soon as she finished speaking, the person next to her immediately took over the conversation.

Sitting next to Xu Sui were some grandfathers and mothers. In just a few minutes, they had discussed everything from the resources on the island to the hard life before liberation.

The women were chatting enthusiastically, and Xu Sui was happy to listen. The bus would shake for more than two hours before arriving at the destination, so it was a good idea to kill time by listening to stories.

Lu Chenghuai still looked ahead.

He was tall, and when he stood up he couldn't see out the window. All he was staring at was the yellowed carriage.

After hearing what the girl said earlier, he felt a little nervous for some reason, but unfortunately he didn't hear that pleasant voice again until the car stopped.

Xu Sui stood up and prepared to get off the car. She was only a few dozen meters away from the gate of her family compound.

She was about to pick up her luggage, but saw her two willow branches being lifted up by a pair of slender hands.

Lu Chenghuai said calmly: "Let me help you."

Xu Sui saw him get out of the car with his hands on his chest, and hurriedly followed him, looking at his back with some admiration.

The two wicker bags, plus the army green luggage he brought with him, looked easy to carry, without any bending of his arms.

She walked to his shoulder level and held out her hand, "Comrade, let me do it. It's just a few steps away."

Lu Chenghuai glanced at her soft palm, which had two bright red marks, and pursed his lips and said, "It's okay."

When he arrived at the gate of his family's courtyard, Lu Chenghuai put the willow tree on the ground, took the apple out of his coat pocket and put it on the tree.

This time, before Xu Sui could respond, he had already left.

Xu Sui glanced at the door of the family courtyard and found that he was actually walking in another direction.

"Sui Sui!"

Xu Mian waved excitedly, then ran out a few steps to pick up Xu Sui's luggage.

"Why is there an apple?" Xu Mian said, and gave the apple to his sister. He picked up two willow branches and led the way forward.

"Sister, let me pick it up." Xu Sui registered her information and hurried to pick it up.

Xu Mian refused. "You must be tired after sitting in the car for so long. I don't need you to carry this section of the road. Go home early and rest."

The two sisters haven't seen each other for several years, but Xu Mian is still the energetic sister, and there is no sense of strangeness in her speech.

At the first meeting, Xu Sui felt a sense of closeness.

"There are many people living in this courtyard, so it's very convenient to buy things there. There's a store here, and if you turn this way you'll reach the market. If you want to buy meat, you have to get up early in the morning and line up there." Xu Mian introduced them one by one, "If you're late, even the leftovers will be gone."

She walked around introducing each place, and soon she arrived at her own courtyard.

Xu Mian took out the key and opened the door. His eyes swept over his sister's well-behaved figure, and he felt indescribably happy in his heart.

The yard is not small, but there are vegetable plots on both sides, planted with fresh vegetables.

Xu Mian watched her measure the vegetable plot and said with a smile, "When your brother-in-law and I first came here, there were only bungalows here. We fell in love with this yard at first sight. Later, the army built two more buildings, and those who applied for houses later could live in the buildings. I was so jealous at that time."

"Upstairs and downstairs, lights and telephones" is a popular meditation nowadays, and it is everyone's expectation for future life.

"Sister, I think your yard is great. It's independent and you can do anything comfortably." Xu Sui said with a smile.

Close the courtyard door and you will find yourself in a world of your own.

"That's true." Xu Mian took the luggage into the room and put it away, then quickly went to the yard to pick a cucumber and washed it.

Xu Sui was looking at her room.

The room was very clean, with mattresses and mats already laid out, a thin quilt neatly folded against the head of the bed, and a window next to the bed, letting in sunlight, making the whole room look bright and warm.

Xu Sui took the cucumber and asked, "Sister, where are Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan?"

"I asked someone else to take care of them." Xu Mian fed them breakfast and went to guard the military gate.

She added, "When the two children were naughty, they couldn't speak tactfully, but they just loved to talk, chattering in my ears all day long."

Although it sounded like a complaint, Xu Mian had a gentle smile on his face and tenderness in his eyes when he spoke.

"Usually, they have to wear the same clothes and braid their hair at the same height, otherwise there will be some noise." Xu Mian said, "I'll pick them up later, otherwise we won't be able to have a good talk."