It was still early, and many people were still half asleep. Even those who were awake were busy with their own things. If it weren't for Yang Xiaohong's shout, no one would have noticed what was happening here.
Chen Shuning spoke with complete confidence and without the slightest guilt. With Xu Laidi as a witness and He Chaoyang's military status as a guarantor, everyone looked at Yang Xiaohong with disapproval.
Sitting across the aisle from them, a female comrade who also disapproved of Yang Xiaohong's behavior advised her: "Comrade Yang Xiaohong, this is wrong of you. If you have any complaints about Chen Shuning, you should talk to her. Why drag a People's Liberation Army comrade into this for no reason?"
"That's right. If even PLA comrades who help others are slandered, who will dare to help others in the future?"
"That's right, she's a People's Liberation Army comrade. If it were us, we don't know how badly we would be wronged. From now on, we'd better stay away from that Yang Xiaohong to avoid being extorted."
For a moment, the carriage was filled with voices condemning Yang Xiaohong. Finally, He Chaoyang spoke up, "Thank you all for clearing my name. Although I was misunderstood by this female comrade, from the moment I put on this military uniform, protecting the country and the people has been my mission. This uniform does not allow me to stand idly by when the people are in danger. My name is He Chaoyang, and I am the battalion commander of the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion of the 7th Division of the 39th Army. I am open to your supervision and correction at any time. I have a clear conscience."
He Chaoyang's statement that he had a clear conscience completely confirmed Yang Xiaohong's accusation that she had slandered Chen Shuning and him because of personal grudges. His act of introducing himself further proved that he was honest and upright, and at the same time, he took the opportunity to introduce himself to the girl he liked.
Then, with a calm expression, amidst the admiring gazes of everyone, he reached out and took the net that Chen Shuning had been unable to remove, placed it on the dining table, nodded to Chen Shuning, and turned to leisurely return to his seat.
In contrast, no matter how much Yang Xiaohong argued, no one believed her. In the end, she had no choice but to slink away with her luggage to another carriage, just like Yang Wanqiu.
This little incident was quickly overshadowed by the conversations of the people who had woken up in the carriage, and Chen Shuning thus got to know this handsome People's Liberation Army comrade.
The four-day, three-night train journey had almost worn down everyone's enthusiasm. Just as Chen Shuning was teetering on the brink of a breakdown, the train finally slowly pulled into the station in Wangshan County.
When the train stopped at the platform, the previously listless people on board seemed to have taken stimulants and rushed off the train like wild horses.
Chen Shuning was no exception. Although her luggage looked quite a lot, it didn't feel heavy. As she got off the bus with the flow of people, Chen Shuning breathed in the fresh air and felt like she had come back to life.
Thanks to the spiritual spring's conditioning, Chen Shuning's physical condition was quite good throughout the journey. However, the stench in the car almost drove her to a mental breakdown. She only felt alive again after getting out of the car and breathing in fresh air.
After waving goodbye to He Chaoyang, who hadn't gotten off the train yet, Chen Shuning was then swept away by the crowd of people getting off the train and headed towards the open space outside the train station.
On the train, He Chaoyang looked at the little girl, who was different from the others who were either crazy or listless. The little girl was almost buried in her clothes, and her two braids had been turned into a high ponytail.
The scene of him turning around, waving, and smiling at him was deeply imprinted in his heart.
Unlike the hairstyles of girls in this era, the little girl's simple high ponytail made her look so full of energy.
For some reason, he used to be surrounded by many girls, many of whom were prettier than the little girl, but he didn't like any of them. Even his mother wondered if he didn't like women anymore.
Only he knows that it's not that he doesn't like women, but that the person who can make his heart flutter hasn't appeared yet.
Until that soft laugh, that playful "You guys continue," and the flutter in his heart as she was held in his arms, it was like a pair of hands plucking a string in his heart, something he could never forget. He would always unconsciously want to look for her figure in the crowd, wondering if this was the feeling of being moved that those boys had been talking about.
Chen Shuning had no idea what He Chaoyang was thinking, and even if she did, she wouldn't have time to care right now.
Because besides Chen Shuning's carriage, there was also the carriage next door, and more than 200 people from both carriages got off at this station.
The small station was suddenly packed with more than two hundred people. It was so crowded that you had to shout to talk to them. Before long, she and Wang Chunni, Xu Laidi and the others were separated by the crowd.
I don't know how this small Wangshan County, with a total population of just over 10,000, will arrange for this group of educated youth.
After finally squeezing out of the platform, Chen Shuning, standing in the station square, finally saw the signs for various communes to pick up people.
Chen Shuning quickly found the sign for Xiangyang Commune. The commune leader was a man in his thirties, wearing black-rimmed glasses and looking very refined.
Seeing that everyone was exhausted, he simply checked the paperwork, ticked off the list in his hand, and told them to wait on the tractor next to him.
Everyone else was carrying large bags and small packages, and when they boarded the train, their families helped them carry things. Now that they were all alone, it was really difficult.
Chen Shuning also had a lot of luggage, but it was all light. Her mother didn't bring any heavy stuff for her; she was just waiting for her to write home after she arrived and get a specific address so that her mother could mail it to her.
Moreover, the few heavy items in Chen Shuning's luggage had long been moved into her spatial storage. What remained outside were only the quilt and mattress in her backpack and a full military pack. Back home, Chen's mother had tied these two packages together, and they were easily carried on her shoulders, one in front of the other.
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