On their way home from work, Wei Lanlan and Xu Ning walked together, while Chunhua followed behind them.

Seeing her lagging behind, Wei Lanlan tugged at her and said, “Walk faster, what are you thinking about?”

Chunhua smiled, quickened her pace to catch up, and glanced at Xu Ning beside her.

Xu Ning noticed her gaze and gave her a small smile.

The three of them chatted as they walked, and just before they reached the compound for the educated youth, Chunhua asked with a grin, “Xu Ning, why did you fight with Liu Fang today?”

Hearing the question, Xu Ning knew Chunhua had witnessed the event.

Ever since Xu Ning mentioned that she secretly brought her younger brother to the countryside, Chunhua had not visited her again.

Xu Ning understood perfectly well, but she didn’t care. Everyone had someone they needed to protect, and she didn’t have the energy to worry about what others thought of her.

Besides, ever since she had gotten to know Chunhua, she hadn’t done anything to wrong her. If Chunhua wanted to distance herself, Xu Ning didn’t mind at all. Friendship, after all, was simple: if they got along, they could talk more; if not, a greeting when they met would suffice, and they could each go their own way.

When Wei Lanlan heard Chunhua’s question, she wasn’t happy. “Chunhua, how can you say that? What do you mean Xu Ning fought with her? Clearly, she was the one who hit Xu Ning.”

Chunhua glanced at her, smiled, but didn’t say anything.

Xu Ning, however, shrugged indifferently. “Didn’t you see why we fought? What else could it be? We just didn’t like each other, plain and simple!”

After that, the three had already reached the compound. Xu Ning smiled, bid them farewell, and went home.

Wei Lanlan noticed that the conversation between the two felt strange. Though she wasn’t particularly sensitive, she wasn’t foolish either. She recalled several times when she had invited Chunhua to visit Xu Ning, but Chunhua always found excuses to refuse.

When had it started? Thinking back to the last time they had returned from Xu Ning’s place together, Wei Lanlan suddenly understood.

But what did it matter? Although Xu Ning could be a bit stubborn about some things, she was a good person. Unlike some of the others in the compound, who were always up to something troublesome.

Wei Lanlan glanced at Chunhua, wanting to say something, but in the end, she said nothing. She just smiled and went back to her room.

Chunhua sighed too. She had originally thought Xu Ning’s personality was quite good, and they had gotten along well. But the more she got to know her, the more she felt that Xu Ning was a bit rigid.

After seeing Xu Ning fight with Liu Fang this time, Chunhua felt she was a bit ruthless. Even if she didn’t like Liu Fang, slapping her a few times to vent would’ve been enough. But Xu Ning had beaten Liu Fang’s face until it was swollen like a pig’s head.

Xu Ning, however, had no time to worry about what Chunhua thought. She had instructed Xu An to cook at home, and she herself was preparing to dig up some wild vegetables. If she waited much longer, the vegetables would become too old, so she planned to dig as much as she could now and dry them later.

During dinner, Xu Ning told Xu An about her fight with Liu Fang that day.

Xu An chuckled and said, “Lately, everyone in the village has been talking about how Lin Qiuhua has hit it big. She doesn’t even respect people anymore, ordering the workers from the cowshed around and calling herself ‘Auntie.”

“I also mentioned to some of my classmates why we moved out. There are a few students in my class who are from her husband’s village.”

Xu Ning gave him a piece of food with her chopsticks and smiled. “Just say enough to make a point, but don’t bring it up again in the future. Even if you want people to remember, it shouldn’t come from you.”

Xu An nodded and replied, “I understand, Sis.”

The two siblings exchanged smiles.

“Xu Ning, Xu Ning, come get your letter!” It was Wei Lanlan’s voice.

Xu Ning was washing the dishes, so she asked Xu An to go and get it.

Before Xu An even entered the house with the letter, he excitedly announced, “Sis, Big Brother Lu said he’ll be back from military school next month!”

Xu Ning quickly wiped her hands and eagerly took the letter to read. As she read, the smile on her face grew wider. Lu Xiaotang had been away for nearly a year now, but he wrote her two letters every month.

“Sis, there’s a smaller envelope inside,” Xu An pointed out.

Xu Ning’s face reddened slightly as she quickly took it from him. “That’s the ticket Brother Lu sent. Last time he visited, I told him to put it in a separate envelope. Otherwise, anyone could see what’s inside.”

In the past, Xu Ning had always gone to retrieve the letters herself and would discreetly remove the smaller envelope. Today, she had just forgotten for a moment.

Xu An didn’t think much of it. Brother Lu sent money and ration tickets every month, and they had always been handled by his sister.

Xu Ning took the letter into her room to open it. The two pages were filled with strong, bold handwriting. After reading the letter, she carefully stored it in her secret space, touching her slightly warm face as she thought to herself—just over a month until they could finally see each other again.

What Xu Ning didn’t know was that at the same time she received Lu Xiaotang’s letter, he had been urgently called back from his training by the military district to carry out a secret mission. He only had time to send her a short telegram with just eight characters: “Plans have changed, return date uncertain.”

By the time Xu Ning received the telegram, the village was preparing to hand over the communal grain, and she had been out in the mountains for several days gathering wild goods.

Staring at the brief message on the telegram, Xu Ning felt a deep sense of disappointment. Even going out to gather wild goods no longer lifted her spirits.

When she returned home with a basket full of goods, Xu An had already finished school and was at home sorting chestnuts.

Seeing her with another full load, he asked, “Sis, how did you gather so much so quickly? It’s more than what the two of us usually collect together.”

Xu Ning’s heart skipped a beat. Distracted as she had been today, had she unknowingly put too much into her secret space?

Quickly recovering, she smiled and explained, “I found a spot that was closer, so I was able to make two trips.”

Xu Ning handed the telegram to Xu An for him to see.

Holding the telegram, Xu An said disappointedly, “Sis, Brother Lu won’t be able to come back.”

Xu Ning nodded, not feeling much like talking.

After dinner, while Xu An was still washing the dishes, Xu Ning headed to her room to sleep early.

Seeing her retire so soon, Xu An thought about how much wild goods she had gathered today. He figured she must be exhausted, so he didn’t disturb her. He sat in the kitchen, peeling chestnuts quietly.

Since she had gone to bed early, Xu Ning woke up very early the next morning. She prepared breakfast first, then went to wake Xu An. He must have stayed up late, as all the chestnuts had been peeled by the time she checked.

As Xu An sipped on his bowl of dumpling soup, he reminded her, “Sis, they’re distributing grain today. You should go early!”

Xu Ning smiled and said, “Don’t worry! We’ll definitely get the grain today.” Every year when it was time to collect the grain, Xu An was always very enthusiastic.

Xu Ning went to collect the grain with Wei Lanlan and Chen Xiangdong. The two were already preparing for their wedding. Just yesterday, they had borrowed her bicycle to go to the city and take photos.

Chen Xiangdong pulled the cart ahead, while Wei Lanlan chatted with Xu Ning from behind. “Lin Qiuhua’s engagement might be falling through. Yesterday, the matchmaker came to the educated youth compound, and Lin Qiuhua thought she was there to discuss wedding plans.

She was so happy that she invited the matchmaker into the house, serving tea and snacks. After chatting in the room for a while, the matchmaker left.

Lin Qiuhua cried in her room for a long time before coming out. She didn’t even eat dinner yesterday. And this morning, I heard from Chunhua that the matchmaker had actually come to break off the engagement.”

Xu Ning listened but remained indifferent. The man’s family wasn’t exactly lacking, and while they might have been ignorant of Lin Qiuhua’s character before, now that they knew, who would still want to marry someone like her?