Chapter 2

Ling Liehuang knew that some educated youths faked illness just to get back to the city. Looking at Xin Qi’s delicate, porcelain-white face, especially those big, watery eyes staring at him, he couldn’t help but feel a strong urge to protect her.

Xin Qi looked like a fragile, stunningly beautiful young girl, but from what she had just said, it was clear that her personality wasn’t as soft as her appearance suggested.

Xin Qi didn’t care whether Ling Liehuang had figured out she was faking illness to return to the city. Since he didn’t expose her, she was happy to play dumb.

Although this Ling Liehuang was tall and handsome—with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and legs that seemed to go on forever—his features were sharp and defined, with star-like eyes and sword-like brows.

There was a certain aura about him, like a panther hunting silently in the night—calm but dangerous.

If this weren’t the 1970s, Xin Qi wouldn’t mind turning this chance encounter into a romantic one. But for now, she had to politely decline that thought.

The atmosphere in the hospital ward grew a little heavy.

Zhang Tianlei was a warmhearted guy, and since Xin Qi was pretty, he naturally had a good impression of her. He also knew she was heading back to Beijing.

So he offered, “As it happens, I’m here to take Old Ling back to Beijing. Comrade Xin, why don’t you come with us in our car?”

“Tomorrow’s New Year’s Eve. You won’t be able to get a train ticket now even if you tried.”

A free ride? Of course Xin Qi was willing. Since Ling Liehuang didn’t object, she took that as tacit approval.

Maybe because this body was young and had done a lot of farm work in the countryside, her physical condition was still quite solid. After the IV drip, Xin Qi felt almost fully recovered.

When she heard that the train station staff had already paid her medical bill, Xin Qi wasn’t too happy.

She had nearly passed out on the train, and the station staff didn’t even bother to leave someone behind at the hospital. Once they saw Ling Liehuang’s credentials, they felt reassured and dumped her on the soldiers, then quickly paid the bill and ran off—probably afraid she’d make trouble for them.

But since they were gone, Xin Qi didn’t have the energy to argue. She just took the medicine the hospital had given her and got into the jeep with Ling Liehuang and Zhang Tianlei for the ride back to Beijing.

Xin Qi sat in the backseat, with Zhang Tianlei driving and Ling Liehuang in the front passenger seat.

Along the way, the two men chatted up front. From their conversation, it was clear they were childhood friends who grew up in the same military compound.

Xin Qi looked out the window, occasionally chiming in with a few words to Zhang Tianlei. Ling Liehuang, however, didn’t look back or say a single word to her the entire ride.

It was a three-hour drive—faster than the current trains, which hadn’t been upgraded yet—and far more comfortable.

By the time they arrived at Xin Qi’s residential compound, she had fallen asleep again. Zhang Tianlei had to wake her up, and only then did she realize they had arrived.

Xin Qi couldn’t believe how low her guard was. Must be the illness—her mind was still foggy.

Thankfully, she had run into two proper military men. Otherwise, she could’ve been kidnapped.

Before getting out, Xin Qi insisted on leaving a small bag of wild walnuts—something she had brought all the way from Harbin as New Year’s gifts for her family.

After Xin Qi left, Zhang Tianlei drove another half hour before reaching the military compound where he and Ling Liehuang grew up.

They stopped in front of a building for senior officers. Ling Liehuang reached into the backseat and took the bag of wild walnuts.

Zhang Tianlei protested, “Hey, hey, hey, that was for me! I was the one who went out of my way to take her home!”

Ling Liehuang replied calmly, “A life-saving favor—can you top that?”

Zhang Tianlei scoffed, “Tch, life-saving, huh? What next, you’re expecting her to marry you out of gratitude?”

Ling Liehuang ignored him, grabbed his luggage, and got out of the car.

Meanwhile, Xin Qi found her family’s apartment using her memories of the original owner. She knocked for a long time, but no one was home.

A neighbor, hearing the noise, opened the door to see a young woman standing outside with a bunch of luggage.

After asking a few questions, the neighbor recognized her. “Oh my goodness, you’re the fourth daughter of the Xin family? I wouldn’t have recognized you if you hadn’t said so!”

“It’s been so many years since you came home. You’ve really blossomed—grown into such a beauty!”

“Oh dear, your family’s not home. They all went out early this morning to shop for New Year’s. Didn’t you tell them you were coming?”

Xin Qi hadn’t expected that no one from her family remembered she was returning—even though she had sent a telegram well in advance.

With the weather so cold, she had no choice.

The neighbor, Aunt Wang, kindly invited Xin Qi to wait in her home until her family came back.

It wasn’t until dark that the Xin family finally returned.

When they saw Xin Qi, they looked stunned.

Aunt Wang scolded them, “Li Huilan, your fourth daughter finally came home, and not a single one of you stayed back to pick her up. She’s still recovering from illness, too. If I hadn’t taken her in, she could’ve frozen to death out there.”

Wang Fengying’s husband, Ye Shunbiao, worked in the same workshop as Xin Guoping, and the two were rivals.

Naturally, their wives didn’t get along either. Wang Fengying loved to take any chance to poke at Li Huilan.

“Alright, alright, your house isn’t the Great Hall of the People. Spending a little time there won’t kill anyone.”

“Our family business is none of yours,” Li Huilan said, brushing her off.

After seeing off the nosy neighbor, Li Huilan muttered, “What a nuisance, making a fuss right before New Year’s.”

Then she scolded Xin Qi, “And you—of all the places, why’d you go to her place? Embarrassing your mother like that.”

Xin Guoping nudged her and tried to smooth things over. “Enough, she hasn’t been home in years. Is that how a mother talks?”

Back when Xin Qi lived at home, she had been the third girl in a row, and the least favored. It was no surprise that even after getting a telegram, no one had thought to pick her up at the station.

Fortunately, Li Huilan still had a sliver of motherly instinct. Seeing Xin Qi’s pale face, she didn’t say much more.

She directed everyone to sort and organize the day’s groceries, while she rushed to prepare dinner.

The whole family was starving after a day out shopping. Xin Jianjun’s six-year-old son, Xin Haoran—nicknamed Haohao—was already yelling that he was hungry, flashing his missing front tooth.

Li Huilan laughed and scolded, “Alright, alright, little ancestor. Dinner’s almost ready. Your favorite—dough drop soup.”

Haohao kept whining for the cookies they had just bought. He’d been craving them all day.

Xin Guoping doted on his grandson. He snuck into the room and brought Haohao a cookie.

Xin Jianjun was a quiet, honest man. After greeting Xin Qi briefly, he just silently got to work—tying up the live chicken for the balcony, putting the fish in a bucket in the bathroom, and delivering the vegetables to the kitchen.

Sister-in-law Zhang Lan greeted Xin Qi warmly, “I remember when I first married your brother, you were still in primary school. Now you’re a beautiful young lady.”

“Wow, everyone else who went to the countryside came back looking rough and weathered. But you—your skin’s still so fair and soft.”

“How was life in Harbin? Is it really as cold as they say? I heard the snow can bury a person…”

She asked a barrage of questions—how long Xin Qi would stay this time, whether she had a boyfriend, how much she earned each month, and whether she had savings.

Xin Qi replied coolly, “We’ll see. No boyfriend. The salary barely covers living expenses. Not much saved.”

Zhang Lan had a straightforward personality. While she lacked a sense of boundaries, she wasn’t too annoying overall.