When they learned that they would be staying in a guesthouse that night, the brother and sister were very excited. They had never stayed away from home before, so even though the conditions in the guesthouse were not as good as at home, they still found it interesting.

What's more, the environment of the resident guesthouse is very good. It looks like a two-story building from the outside, but there is a courtyard behind the lobby. The courtyard is surrounded by two-story buildings on three sides, and the overall look is like a Chinese character "口".

The three sides of the building are all guest rooms, except for the first floor on the right, which has bathrooms, toilets and laundry rooms. The second floor is an office and a resting place for employees.

Most of the rooms are standard rooms, but there are also king-size rooms and suites. There are two types of suites, one with beds in both the inner and outer rooms, and one with two rooms and a living room. The latter are basically for leaders to stay in, as there is only one room in the entire guesthouse, so He Dongchuan booked the former. At night, the two children slept in the inner room, and the couple slept in the outer room.

They will leave Pingchuan Island tomorrow. Su Ting couldn't sleep at night. For fear of disturbing He Dongchuan's sleep, she didn't dare to toss and turn. She just closed her eyes and thought about random things.

Suddenly, she heard He Dongchuan's voice: "Can't sleep?"

"You didn't sleep?" Su Ting asked in surprise.

"No," He Dongchuan said, changing his position, placing his left hand flat under her head, and his right hand passed through the gap between Su Ting's neck and the pillow, holding her shoulders and saying, "I'm leaving soon, and I can't sleep."

Su Ting leaned into his arms and whispered, "I feel the same way."

When she first arrived at Pingchuan Island, she was actually not used to it. It was not because of the climate. Although Fujian was indeed hotter and more humid than her hometown, and the cockroaches were bigger, it was still within an acceptable range.

What really makes her feel uncomfortable is the change of times and identity. She traveled from the 5G era to the 1970s when there were no mobile phones or computers. To be more precise, computers were not widely used. She changed from a single young woman to a married military wife with a husband and a stepson.

She was very confused.

More than two years have passed, and Su Ting finds it difficult to recall her feelings at that time. She has long since adapted to and become accustomed to this era. If she were given a chance now and allowed to choose whether to wear it back or stay, she would probably choose the latter.

If she goes back in time, she will lose her family and will most likely be alone in the future. If she stays here, although the technology is a little backward and life is not so convenient, they can always be together as a family.

As long as she lives well, she can still enjoy the convenience brought by intelligence in the future, and maybe, when she is old, she can become the most fashionable old lady in the community.

Isn't it said that the elderly tend to be out of touch with the times? No matter how smart an elderly person is, they may not be able to use a smartphone. But she doesn't have such concerns. She was born in the era when smartphones were popular.

Su Ting couldn't help laughing when she imagined He Dongchuan holding his mobile phone and asking her how to scroll through videos, watch TV, and download software.

Hearing her laughter, He Dongchuan turned his head in the dark and asked: "What did you think of that made you so happy?"

“I wonder what the world will be like in a few decades.”

He Dongchuan's voice sounded somewhat puzzled: "What will happen?"

"The changes will be huge, especially technological changes. People of our generation may not be able to fully adapt to them." Su Ting raised her head and looked at his outline in the dark, smiling, "But don't worry, I will teach you when the time comes."

He Dongchuan understood what she meant and asked, "Are you so sure that I can't adapt?"

"I didn't say that," Su Ting denied. "I just proposed a possibility."

"oh--"

He Dongchuan dragged out his voice: "Then should I thank you?"

"Okay."

Listening to Su Ting's happy voice, He Dongchuan turned over in the dark, bent down and kissed her lips.

The suite could only be locked from the inner room, and although it was already late, if they made any noise, the two children might be woken up.

And if she really did something, it would definitely leave traces. The staff at the guesthouse are all military wives. If they saw it when they came to clean up, who knows what would happen. Su Ting didn't want to die socially before leaving Pingchuan Island.

She quickly put her hand on He Dongchuan's chest to avoid his kiss and said sternly, "No, this is in a guesthouse!"

"I know, and I didn't intend to do anything." He Dongchuan stroked Su Ting's cheek and said, "I just suddenly wanted to kiss you."

Su Ting expressed doubt about his words: "Really?"

"Of course."

"Then why do you suddenly want to kiss me?"

"Don't you realize this is the first time you've thought about what it's like when we're old?"

“No way…”

Just as she was about to deny it, Su Ting reacted and realized that this was indeed not the first time she had fantasized about what it would be like when she was old, but it was the first time she mentioned it to He Dongchuan.

He didn't know this before, but this was naturally the first time in his eyes.

Su Ting smiled: "Are you happy?"

"Yeah, I'm happy." He Dongchuan kissed the corner of her lips, "It seems that my performance in the past two years has been pretty good."

Su Ting followed what he said, recalled his performance in the past two years, and concluded: "Indeed, I am very satisfied with your performance, but I hope you will not be too proud in the future, and keep up the good work."

He Dongchuan hummed, then asked again, "Are there any rewards?"

Su Ting raised her head slightly and kissed him on the lips.

"That's it?"

"What other reward do you want?"

"At least something substantial." He Dongchuan said in a low voice.

Su Ting's cheeks were slightly hot, and she said shyly: "I told you not tonight!"

"It's okay. I can pay off the debt here," He Dongchuan said, adding that he was easy to talk to. "You can pay off the debt until we settle down in Shanghai."

Su Ting turned sideways, indicating with her actions that she didn't want to pay attention to him, but their bodies were already pressed close to each other, and as soon as she turned around, he came over seamlessly and chased after her to ask if she was okay.

Su Ting was so entangled that she had no choice but to say, "Okay, okay!"

After a few words, Su Ting owed a debt to He Dongchuan. She no longer dared to talk to him and closed her eyes to pretend to sleep. At first, she was just pretending, but as time went by, her eyelids gradually became heavy, and finally she fell into complete darkness.

Su Ting slept well that night. When she woke up in the morning, it was already bright. He Dongchuan had already washed up, and there was breakfast on the desk in the room.

Su Ting asked, "Are you going home?" They came to the guesthouse to sleep yesterday and only brought toiletries.

He Dongchuan nodded and said, "I'll go home and pack my luggage. After you finish breakfast, you can go home and get your things and leave." They bought tickets for 11:30 a.m., so they had to leave early.

"Okay, I'll get up and brush my teeth, you go wake up the kids?"

Su Ting asked as she bent down to pick up the clothes at the end of the bed. When she was about to change, she noticed He Dongchuan staring at her. She stopped and said, "Why are you standing there?"

"It's up to you." He Dongchuan said frankly.

Su Ting: "...Hurry up and wake the children up!"

Knowing that his wife was embarrassed, He Dongchuan didn't say much. He walked to the door of the second bedroom, pushed it open, walked in, and closed the door.

After the door was closed, Su Ting continued to take off her top, put on her bra, and then put her clothes back on one by one. Then she walked to the desk, picked up the comb on it, untied her hair in front of the mirror, and re-braided it.

There were crying sounds coming from the inner room. She gradually became a little grumpy when she woke up, and would cry for a while when she was woken up. Knowing that He Dongchuan would be able to coax her, Su Ting did not go in to join in the crying. She took the enamel cup and toothbrush and went out to brush her teeth.

When she was brushing her teeth, she ran into a military wife who was washing her hands after using the restroom. She smiled and asked, "How did you sleep last night? Are you used to it?"

"Very good." Su Ting said with a smile.

There was not much to do in the guesthouse, so she was not in a hurry to go to work. She leaned against the pool and chatted with Su Ting: "It's good to sleep well. Riding on the train is very tiring. It's basically impossible to sleep on the way. By the way, what time did you take the train?"

"Eleven o'clock in the morning."

"Are you in such a hurry? Have you packed your things?"

Su Ting replied: "It's almost all packed up."

"That's good. We are conveniently located near the train station in the city. When you get to Shanghai, please write to us often and don't forget us."

"I definitely won't forget." As for writing letters, their relationship wasn't that good, and even if they wanted to write letters, she probably wouldn't write to each other, so she skipped the topic.

The other party did not ask Su Ting to write to her. She just mentioned it casually during the greeting when she saw that they were about to leave. Su Ting did not answer, and she did not ask again, and changed the topic to something else.

We kept chatting until Su Ting finished washing her face. He Dongchuan came over with his two children and said he had to work, so he left the laundry room and went to the front.

Putting down his things, He Dongchuan squeezed toothpaste onto his girlfriend's toothbrush and asked, "What did you two talk about just now?"

"She asked us what time our train was and chatted briefly."

He Dongchuan said "oh" and asked with a toothbrush, "Daddy will brush your teeth for you, okay?"

Slowly shaking his head like a wave drum: "No daddy! I want mommy!"

"Okay, let me do it." Su Ting said with a smile as she took the toothbrush from He Dongchuan.

He Dongchuan said unwillingly: "I will definitely be gentle this time."

He Yan complained: "Dad, you always say that."

Nodding slowly and vigorously: "Yes, yes!"

After being repeatedly complained by his children, He Dongchuan had nothing to say. He stood by and watched Su Ting brush her teeth slowly.

In fact, her force was not light, but the amplitude was not large. The toothbrush basically only moved on the teeth, and did not involve the areas where no teeth grew.

He Dongchuan watched and felt that he had mastered it, and was eager to try, but gradually he was not given the opportunity, so he could only watch obediently from the side.

…

After breakfast, they packed up and left the guesthouse. On the way home, they met several military wives, who would stop to greet them and ask a few questions.

So it took them about twenty minutes to walk this short distance.

Fortunately, they were not in a hurry. As long as the train at 11 o'clock could depart before 9 o'clock, it would be fine.

As soon as I got home, Yu Xiaofang came over with a lunch box in her hand. In it were a few pancakes she had baked. She handed them to Su Ting and said, "Eat them on the way."

"When did you brand it?"

"It's freshly baked this morning, with vegetable oil, and can be eaten cold."

"You are thoughtful." Su Ting didn't pretend and took out a lunch box to put the cake in it.

Yu Xiaofang sighed and said, "In the blink of an eye, we have known each other for more than two years. You are also moving away. I don't know when we will see each other again."

She knew there was food on the train, but she couldn't think of what to give them, so she just baked two pancakes as a token of her appreciation.

"We will meet again someday. If you want to visit Shanghai in the future, please contact me. I will provide you with food, accommodation and entertainment." Su Ting said generously.

Yu Xiaofang smiled and said, "I'll remember what you said. If that day ever comes, I'll go and depend on your family."

"No need to complain, our home is open to welcome you." Su Ting said with a smile, and then asked He Dongchuan, "Right?"

"yes."

As they were talking, it was already half past eight. He Dongchuan saw that the two were still chatting and reminded them, "It's time for us to leave."

Yu Xiaofang immediately said, "I'll take you there."

Su Ting waved her hand and said, "No, it will only delay things."

"I'll take you to the gate of the compound," Yu Xiaofang said, "I'm not busy right now anyway."

Their home was not far from the gate of the compound. Su Ting did not refuse and nodded with a smile: "Okay."

The large luggage had been sent away, so they didn't have much to take with them, including their own spare clothes, towels, toothbrushes, lunch boxes, face and foot washbasins, and other miscellaneous items, and they also brought a thermos.

The train ride takes more than twenty hours, and there are four people in their family, so it is more convenient to bring a thermos to drink water.

Moreover, once you arrive in Shanghai, if the thermos is not broken and can be used, it is okay if it is broken. As long as the judges say it is good, you can find someone to exchange it for a new one, which is more cost-effective than buying another one.

Anyway, they don't have much luggage, so it won't be a problem for them to bring an extra thermos.

Yu Xiaofang helped them take out the luggage, and Su Ting stayed behind to lock the door.

Su Ting stopped pulling the two wooden doors with both hands, and when they were about to close, she looked deeply into the almost empty house, until someone tapped her shoulder, and then she came to her senses and asked, "Huh?"

"I'll lock the door with you."

He Dongchuan reached out and covered Su Ting's hand, and together with her, he closed the wooden door and locked it.

Click.

The lock is locked, and the memories of the past are completely blocked.

He Dongchuan held Su Ting's hand, took out the key and said, "I will send the key to the Military Dependents Resettlement Office later."

"Um."

As they walked out of the yard, the family of four looked back every few steps. He Yan looked up and asked, "Mom and Dad, can we come back in the future?"

"There's a chance." Su Ting said gently.

In the future, transportation will become more and more convenient, and they can come back anytime they want. But the next thirty years will be the thirty years of greatest change in the country, and no one can predict what this place will look like when they come back.

But He Yan was young and didn't think about these things. He was very happy to know that he had the opportunity to come back.

Today is a weekday, and there are not many people in the compound, but everyone we meet on the road, seeing them carrying large and small bags, will spontaneously come to see them off.

By the time they reached the gate of the compound, the number of people following them had increased to thirty or forty. This showed that they were usually nice people, at least since so many people were willing to see them off when they left.

Watching He Dongchuan coming down the stairs, Su Ting waved to everyone and said, "Everyone go back. It's time for us to leave too."

"Come back often in the future," the military wives shouted.

Su Ting smiled and agreed: "You are also welcome to visit Shanghai."

"I will definitely go if I have the chance."

They waved to the wives of soldiers who came to see them off and half-retreat towards the gate. When they were out of the courtyard, Su Ting shouted to everyone: "Let's send them here. See you later!"

"See you later!"

…

The journey from Fuzhou to Shanghai was not difficult. After taking a train to the capital for more than 30 hours, the 20-hour drive was no pressure at all for Su Ting.

Secondly, they were sitting in soft sleeper rooms, which were small and spacious. When they got tired of sitting or lying down, they could get up and move around. Apart from the swaying feeling, it was not much different from staying in a guesthouse.

Well, there is still a difference. In addition to their family, there is also a middle-aged man who is on a business trip to Shanghai in the compartment.

He probably had a smoking habit, so he took out a cigarette before the train left Rong City. But before he could light it, He Dongchuan, who was sitting in the aisle, saw him and said, "Hello, comrade."

The middle-aged man bought a ticket for the upper deck and climbed up as soon as he got on the train. He was half lying on the bed and sat up when he heard He Dongchuan's voice and said, "Hey, you say."

He Dongchuan said, "It's like this, my daughter is still young and can't get used to the smell of cigarettes, so I would like to ask you not to smoke in the cubicle."

Following He Dongchuan's words, the other party looked at the group of one adult and two children lying on the opposite floor, then raised his head to look at He Dongchuan and the military uniform he was wearing.

As a native of Rong City, the middle-aged man didn't know much about military affairs, but he had basic common sense. So just by looking at He Dongchuan's clothes, he knew that this man was a naval officer. As for his rank, he couldn't tell.

But no matter what level, it is always good to have good relations with others, so after hesitating for a while, the middle-aged man put the cigarette to his ear and said with a smile: "No trouble, no trouble, I just didn't pay much attention, comrades, where are you going?"

The other party happily put away his cigarette, so He Dongchuan naturally didn't want to destroy the bridge after crossing the river, so he chatted with him casually: "Go to Shanghai."

"What a coincidence! I'm also going to Shanghai. I work at a machine tool factory and was sent by my company to study and exchange ideas," the middle-aged man asked after introducing himself. "Why are you going to Shanghai? Are you going to visit relatives?"

He saw that they were obviously a family and had a lot of luggage with them, so it was obviously not a business trip, so he thought of them as visiting relatives.

He Dongchuan said: "I was transferred to Shanghai."

The middle-aged man had not thought of this possibility. He was stunned for a moment, but soon smiled and said, "This is a good thing. Shanghai is a big city, much more prosperous than our Rong City."

All the way to Shanghai, the middle-aged people were looking for opportunities to chat with He Dongchuan. The topics of their conversations were very broad, ranging from work to family.

Of course, the topic was mainly about the middle-aged man's work. He was smart and knew that even if he asked He Dongchuan about his work, he would not get an answer. Instead, it would make people wary. So he just talked about his own situation and didn't ask any unnecessary questions.

He also talked a lot about family, and He Dongchuan occasionally agreed with him, and occasionally talked about the two children at home. So along the way, just by listening to the two of them talking, Su Ting understood this man's situation.

The middle-aged man is a native of Rong City. He went to junior high school and joined the city's machine tool factory after graduation. He started as a technician and later switched to sales. However, his main purpose of going to Shanghai this time was to exchange and learn.

Of course, it would be even better if we could get orders for the company.

Communication and learning are good things. As long as he has learned something, he will definitely become a backbone among the backbone when he returns, and promotion and salary increase will be a piece of cake. Therefore, when middle-aged people talk about these things, their posture and tone are quite high-spirited.

As for his family, he and his wife met through an introduction. They have been married for more than 20 years and have four children. The eldest went to work in a state-owned factory, the second went to the countryside, and the third and fourth are still in school.

Moreover, he not only talked about the situations of several children, but also mentioned their names. But don’t think that he was stupid for revealing so much in front of strangers. He had a purpose.

As soon as the train entered Shanghai, the middle-aged man said, "Although we just met, it is fate that we met. Do you think we should exchange contact information so that we don't lose touch later?"

Although people these days are generally more enthusiastic than in later generations, it is not common for people to exchange contact information when riding the same train. After all, everyone is just a casual acquaintance, and after leaving the train station, who will still know each other?

He Dongchuan has taken the train many times in recent years, but he has never exchanged contact information with anyone. However, during the journey, the middle-aged man acted as if he wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk with him and told him all his personal situations. If he said that there was no need to exchange contact information, it would really be a bit unkind.

After thinking for a moment, He Dongchuan said, "I haven't reported to the army yet, so I don't know the address of the family compound. How about this, you leave me your contact information."

After hearing what He Dongchuan said, the middle-aged man had no choice but to take out a notebook and a pen, write down his work unit in Fuzhou, his work unit phone number and home address, think for a while after writing it down, and then write the phone number of the business unit at the bottom and hand it to him.

After leaving the contact information, the train was about to arrive at the station.

The middle-aged man was quite enthusiastic and wanted to help them with their luggage when they got off the bus, but was stopped by He Dongchuan. After he lifted the large and small bags with one hand, he could still hug the young lady with his free hand, so there was no need to trouble others.

Seeing him carrying the luggage and the child without blushing or panting, the middle-aged man couldn't help swallowing and said, "Comrade He, you are really strong."

"Not bad." He Dongchuan said modestly, following Su Ting and He Yan out.

Get off the train first, then leave the train station through the underground passage. The unit the middle-aged man was going to was close and could be reached by bus, while Su Ting and the others had to go to the bus station to take the shuttle bus.

Because they were going in different directions, the middle-aged man said to He Dongchuan after they got out: "Be sure to call me when you're settled."

"I will definitely play when I have time." He Dongchuan said.

After hearing what he said, the middle-aged man waved goodbye to them.

After the two sides separated, Su Ting asked: "Why did he insist that you contact him?"

"I want to get to know someone better."

"What's the use of knowing someone on the train?"

If He Dongchuan is still in Rong City, it might be useful to leave his contact information. With more contact information, we can make arrangements to meet and slowly become friends.

But He Dongchuan has been transferred to Shanghai, and although the middle-aged man is in sales, he said that he may not go to Shanghai for three to five years. Rong City and Shanghai are thousands of miles apart, and even if they are connected, the relationship will not be very close.

People who have known each other since childhood will eventually drift apart, let alone those who just met by chance.

He Dongchuan said: "It's just a few stamps, not a big investment, but if we maintain a good relationship, it's always a way out. He's in sales, so he thinks longer-term than us."

After he said that, Su Ting could understand. In her previous life, the address book of all the salespeople in her company was a long list. She could add anyone and chat with anyone.

However, after traveling to this world, Su Ting had never seen anyone who was as active in expanding his network as the middle-aged man. After all, at this time, whoever has the goods in hand is the boss. Haven’t you seen that the sales clerks in department stores have worse tempers than the customers?

In addition, He Dongchuan's occupation had nothing to do with the industry that the middle-aged man worked in, so Su Ting didn't think about it that way. But after thinking about it, she understood the enthusiasm of the middle-aged man along the way.

Cast a wide net and catch more fish.

Su Ting asked: "Do you want to contact him?"

He Dongchuan said helplessly: "I have to make a call."

Look, here I picked up one.

Su Ting thought about it and couldn't help laughing.

All the way to the bus station, she kept smiling and looked at He Dongchuan with strange eyes from time to time. So after buying the ticket and sitting down, he couldn't help asking, "Why are you always looking at me?"

"I was wondering, if you were a fish, what kind of fish would you be?"

He Dongchuan didn't understand and asked, "What do you mean?"

Su Ting did not hide her thoughts and told him what she was thinking. She meant to say that he was tricked, but He Dongchuan seemed not to understand what she meant. He lowered his voice and said, "If I were a fish, I would be a big shark."

"Why?"

“Because it’s big.”

Although He Dongchuan is tall, there are people in the north who are taller and stronger than him. He compared himself to a shark. Su Ting thought he was bragging. She turned around and looked He Dongchuan up and down: "How are you taller?"

He Dongchuan's thoughts suddenly changed, and he leaned over to her ear and whispered, "I'll tell you tonight."

Su Ting glanced at him, thinking that he was deliberately keeping her in suspense, and snorted, "Forget it." He didn't want to say it, and she didn't want to listen.

…

As it turned out, Su Ting had overestimated He Dongchuan.

Because it was already late when they arrived in Shanghai, He Dongchuan did not report immediately after arriving at the base. Instead, he went to the base guesthouse with Su Ting and their two children.

The guesthouse environment at the Shanghai base is much better than that of Pingchuan Island. There are several types of suites alone. With the previous lessons learned, He Dongchuan asked the staff to open a family-style suite this time, which has two rooms and a living room.

While waiting for the staff to handle the formalities, he said in a high-sounding manner: "It will take time for me to handle the transfer procedures. I don't know when I can get a house after the formalities are completed. Maybe we will have to live in the guesthouse for a while. The house is spacious and we can live more comfortably."

Su Ting was a person who was not afraid of spending money and focused on enjoying life. She thought what he said made sense and nodded in agreement with his choice.

As a result, after taking a shower at night, Su Ting was pushed down on the bed by He Dongchuan. When she asked him what he wanted to do, he looked very serious and said, "Aren't you angry about my age? I'll tell you now."

After showing Su Ting how big he was with his actions, He Dongchuan felt refreshed. He hugged his wife's shoulders and said, "Do you think I look like a shark now?"

Su Ting, who already knew he was talking nonsense, said: "No, I think you are like a dolphin."

Not only big, but also very wild!