Chapter 7: Taking the Train, Following the Army

Chu Yue withdrew her hand and tucked Lu Yuanbao back under the blanket, covering him snugly. Then she placed a cup of water and some stomach-friendly soda crackers by the bedside.

“Keep sleeping. If you feel unwell, drink some water. You can have a bit of cracker, but don’t eat too much.”

After giving these instructions, Chu Yue stood up. A faint, meaningful curve tugged at the corner of her lips, and her eyes glinted with a sly light as she walked out of the room.

…

At this moment, Chu Yue had already gotten the 300 yuan handed over by her stepsister, the marriage certificate with Lu Zhanlin, and the train ticket for early the next morning.

Once dawn broke, she would be completely driven out of this household.

Chu Yue stood at the center of the room, her icy gaze sweeping across the surroundings.

It wasn’t a wealthy home, but since they were urban residents, they had accumulated a decent amount over the years.

A Sanwu brand wall clock, a Shanghai brand radio, and, in the center of the room, a Butterfly brand sewing machine.

These were all valuable items — not only did they require money, but also ration coupons of various kinds to purchase.

Chu Yue reached out and brushed her hand across them, simultaneously activating her portable space system.

In the blink of an eye, those items vanished from the home.

Only a few old, shabby tables and chairs remained.

What Chu Yue was going to do was simple — completely empty the Chu household.

From the radio to the sewing machine, the Jiefang-brand bicycle in the yard, the kitchen’s rice jar with ten catties of rice, twenty catties of flour, five catties of millet, two catties of salt…

Anything that caught Chu Yue’s eye — all of it went into her portable space.

While she was clearing out the kitchen, she also discovered two catties of white sugar, one catty of brown sugar, and an enameled basin filled with lard, all hidden in a dusty corner of a cupboard.

The sugars were wrapped first in wax paper and then in layers of old newspaper — completely inconspicuous.

As for the lard, it was white and rich, the entire jar full — not a single scoop had been used.

“That stepsister really hid things well!”

The original host had often been ordered into the kitchen to cook, and yet she had never discovered these items.

And yet, the stepsister constantly accused her of being wasteful, scolding her for using up the lard too quickly, insisting it was the original host who had been reckless with it.

Turns out, she had hidden it herself the whole time!

“What a vicious stepmother’s heart!”

Chu Yue completely cleared out the kitchen — not even a single steamed bun was left. The place was so empty that the sound of the cold wind howling outside echoed eerily inside.

Now she felt much better.

Chu Yue clapped her hands with satisfaction and turned to head back to her room.

Just as she pushed open the door, a door in the adjacent small room opened.

Chu Jianjun stepped out from his side of the house — and the two came face to face.

Chu Jianjun was sixteen this year, just promoted from junior high to high school. At this age, he was no longer a child. As the only son in the household, he had no affection at all for the original host — his biological older sister.

To be honest, Chu Yue felt nothing for him either. Her gaze toward him was sharp and guarded.

If Chu Jianjun had seen her emptying the house, Chu Yue wouldn’t hesitate to knock him out cold.

Chu Jianjun froze as their eyes met, startled by her expression.

His voice was nervous and muffled. “Sis…”

“What is it?” Chu Yue replied with a cold face.

Chu Jianjun stood motionless at the door — just like before, when he had watched Chu Yue argue with her stepsister without interfering at all — silent for a long time.

Chu Yue began to frown, growing impatient.

Just as she was about to close the door and leave, Chu Jianjun finally spoke again.

He rubbed his wrist, then took off an old silver watch from his arm. He looked up at Chu Yue and handed it to her.

“Sis, take this. It’s all I have left. It’s worth some money — you should have it.”

Chu Yue looked at the old, worn watch, and her eyes paused.

This was likely the last bit of warmth the original host had in this world — but it could no longer save her life.

Too late…

Chu Yue did not take the wristwatch Chu Jianjun handed to her. Instead, she told him something else.

“Chu Jianjun, society is changing fast. In a few more years, by the time you graduate from technical school, the steel plant won’t be hiring tech school graduates anymore—only university graduates. Even if you want to take your father’s position, the factory won’t accept you. If you have any ambition at all, repeat a year, get into a regular high school, and then take the university entrance exam.”

This was Chu Yue’s final piece of advice to Chu Jianjun—a last show of conscience.

Once the words left her mouth,

Chu Yue didn’t give him another glance. She turned, shut the door, and went into the small room.

Inside, Lu Yuanbao was curled up under the covers. The cup of water nearby had been sipped from, and the soda crackers showed signs of being eaten.

He opened his round, dark eyes and watched Chu Yue enter the room.

Without a word, Chu Yue touched his forehead, then felt his stomach.

“Does your tummy still hurt?”

Lu Yuanbao cautiously shook his head.
“No… it doesn’t hurt.”

“Good. Then get up and get dressed. We’re heading to the train station now.”

Chu Yue took out a thick coat and handed it to him. Lu Yuanbao had never seen such nice clothes before and was momentarily stunned. By the time he came to his senses, Chu Yue had already dressed him in the thick cotton coat.

Not only did he get a new coat, but also new socks, new shoes, and a new hat.

Lu Yuanbao was bundled up from head to toe. Chu Yue gave him a once-over and still felt something was missing.

She opened the wardrobe in the room—it was Chu Yaoyao’s wardrobe.

It was full of Chu Yaoyao’s clothes: not just new coats, but also all kinds of bright, colorful dresses.

Chu Yue had no interest in those flashy skirts. Her eyes locked onto a red scarf in the wardrobe.

She pulled it out and touched it—fuzzy and soft, and surprisingly, made of wool.

Without hesitation, Chu Yue took it and wrapped it carefully around Lu Yuanbao’s neck, layer by layer. The bright red scarf almost completely covered the child’s small face, leaving only a pair of shiny black eyes exposed.

“This scarf is good. It’s bright. I can spot you right away. You won’t get lost. Alright, let’s go!”

Lu Yuanbao, now wrapped up like a little round ball, started walking after Chu Yue’s words.

But—

As soon as he moved, a strong force lifted him up, and his small body ended up slumped forward on Chu Yue’s back.

She had picked him up.

“Put me down, I can walk by myself,” Lu Yuanbao struggled on her back, trying to get down.

Chu Yue gave his butt a pat and scolded softly:
“Don’t move! You’re just a little kid, and you’re still recovering—how fast do you think you can walk? Don’t waste my time. Hold onto my neck and stay still!”

Her words weren’t gentle, but everything she said was for his sake.

Lu Yuanbao stayed still on her back, perhaps shocked.

After a while, the small boy slowly reached out his hands and wrapped them around Chu Yue’s neck.

He lowered his head, hiding his reddened eyes in the fuzzy scarf. The tears at the corners of his eyes were quietly wiped away by the wool.

Chu Yue walked out of the Chu family home, and out of the steel plant’s residential compound.

She boarded the first bus of the morning in the still-dark sky.

…

An hour later, a sharp scream rang out in the Chu household.

“A thief! We’ve been robbed! That damned thief emptied the whole house!”

“My sewing machine! My white sugar! My lard!… Everything’s gone! Even the rice! How are we supposed to survive now?”

“Where’s Chu Yue? Where’s that wretched girl? She’s disappeared! No matter how careful you are, you can’t guard against your own family! That damn heartless girl! She wants the whole family to starve this New Year!”

Li Amei’s vicious curses could no longer reach Chu Yue’s ears.

At that moment, Chu Yue was in the post office near the train station, mailing a letter of accusation. Then she bought a hot scallion pancake and walked into the station with Lu Yuanbao.

She was boarding the train—

to join the military camp.