This was a long-distance bus traveling from the neighboring town to the county. Since it was an early morning bus, there weren’t many passengers—only about a dozen people—so everyone had a seat.

Song Zhi let Bai Taotao sit down and then organized their luggage. Bai Zhengqian had asked Dongsheng to pack up the bamboo crafts he had made recently into a large bundle and had Tang Liren take them to the city to see if they could be sold on the black market.

Tang Liren and Bai Lili waited nearby for a while. Seeing that Song Zhi had no intention of giving up the seat beside Taotao, they automatically sat in the row in front of them.

After finishing with the luggage, Song Zhi took out twenty cents and handed it to the conductor. “Four people going to the city.”

—The fare from here to the county was exactly five cents per ticket.

The bus had already started moving.

The conductor took the money from Song Zhi and examined it carefully. Confirming that it was only twenty cents, he pointed at Yan Naqian and asked, “Isn’t this female comrade with you?”

Song Zhi repeated, “Four people going to the city.”

The conductor didn’t say more. He collected the money, tore off the tickets, and handed them to Song Zhi. Then he frowned at Yan Naqian. “Comrade, please buy a ticket. It’s five cents per seat.”

Yan Naqian looked stunned. She cried out, “Brother Song Zhi!”

Song Zhi acted as if he didn’t hear her.

Yan Naqian panicked and hurried over to him, speaking anxiously. “Brother Song Zhi, what exactly did I do to offend you? You—”

Tang Liren curled her lips and interrupted, “So in our village, pretty and educated girls don’t have to pay for bus tickets?”

Yan Naqian ignored Tang Liren and instead looked at Song Zhi with tearful eyes, aggrieved. “Brother Song Zhi, do you really not care at all about the bond we’ve shared since childhood…” She choked up slightly before continuing, “You’ve always known my feelings for you, and Uncle Song and Song Sui always hoped we’d be together…”

“If you think I was wrong in the past, then I apologize. But can’t you at least say a word to me for Uncle Song and Song Sui’s sake?” Yan Naqian said with watery eyes.

Sitting beside Song Zhi, Bai Taotao watched Yan Naqian excitedly.

Back when she was in Meizong sect, she had seen her fellow disciples fight and scheme against each other every day. They nearly drove the sect master, the elders, and the grandmaster to their graves!

Now, the way Yan Naqian spoke reminded her so much of those senior and junior sisters.

Look at this—half-spoken words, hints left and right, all clearly implying, “I have history with Song Zhi. We share an unspoken connection. His father and brother think highly of me.”

Taotao was curious to see how Song Zhi would respond. She turned her head and gazed at him expectantly.

Tang Liren and Bai Lili also widened their eyes, looking back and forth between Yan Naqian and Song Zhi, wondering if there was really something between them.

Song Zhi continued to ignore Yan Naqian.

—Although he rarely returned to Nandu, it wasn’t as if he had never been back. He just had little interest in his father’s social circle there. He had seen Yan Naqian from a distance a few times but had no impression of her at all.

It wasn’t until she sought him out in private and introduced herself that he realized she and Song Sui had been childhood sweethearts.

Because Song Zhi harbored complicated feelings toward his father and brother, he had always been indifferent to Yan Naqian. No matter what she said, he remained expressionless.

Now, he was focused on rummaging through his luggage.

Yan Naqian was overjoyed, thinking he must be looking for money to pay for her ticket. She let out a relieved sigh.

But then Song Zhi pulled out an aluminum lunchbox, opened the lid, and said to Taotao, “Eat a piece. It’ll help prevent motion sickness.”

—Tang Liren suffered from severe motion sickness and never traveled without pickled ginger.

Taotao delicately pinched a piece of pickled ginger with her fingertips and carefully licked it.

Tang Liren and Bai Lili also took a piece each.

Yan Naqian froze.

So?

Was Song Zhi really not going to pay for her ticket?

It was just five cents! Was he even a man?!

This was the first time Yan Naqian had encountered such an unyielding man. She was so shaken that she began doubting her own charm.

The conductor grew impatient. “Hey, comrade, buy your ticket, will you? If you don’t want to buy one, then get off the bus! Hurry up!”

Yan Naqian still wasn’t willing to give up. She pleaded, “Brother Song Zhi—”

—As long as he didn’t outright reject her, there was still a chance. She just needed him to look at her. Maybe if he just lifted his head and glanced at her, he’d change his mind?

Yan Naqian knew exactly how to adjust her expression to appear beautifully sorrowful.

Just as she finished preparing her look, Song Zhi lifted his head, his gaze sharp. “Comrade Yan, if you don’t mind me asking, are you an adult?”

Yan Naqian was caught off guard. She mumbled, “I-I am an adult, of course.” She could get married anytime.

“If you’re an adult,” Song Zhi said slowly, “then you should know that when taking a long-distance bus, you have to follow the rules and buy a ticket.”

Yan Naqian’s face turned red, then pale.

Song Zhi’s words, Bai Taotao’s curious gaze, the conductor’s disdainful look, and the murmuring of the other passengers all made her feel utterly humiliated.

“What? You don’t have money and even want a free ride? You’re an educated youth too—how can you be so shameless?” the conductor mocked.

Yan Naqian flushed with embarrassment and was about to take out money to buy a ticket—

Suddenly, someone spoke up. “Conductor, I’ll buy a ticket for Comrade Yan!”

Yan Naqian was startled and turned toward the voice. She saw that it was a male educated youth from Jixiang Village.

The young man acted as if he didn’t notice her embarrassment. He took a ten-cent coin from his pocket, bought a ticket for her, and then smiled. “Comrade Yan, are you also heading to the city?”

Yan Naqian’s face burned with shame, her emotions a whirlwind. She resented Song Zhi for being so cold, hated the conductor for looking down on her, but at least someone had bought her ticket. It proved she still had charm, that she was still attractive to men despite doing farm work every day. She finally felt a little better.

Since someone else had paid for her ticket, she couldn’t keep pestering Song Zhi. Lifting her chin, she walked past him without another glance, smiling as she approached the young man who had helped her. She sat in the empty seat beside him, and the two started chatting in low voices.

Tang Liren was itching to ask Song Zhi, “What’s the deal with you and Yan Naqian? If you two have some messy history, then don’t even think about entangling our Taotao!”

But with so many people on the bus, it wasn’t the right time to ask. She just gave Song Zhi a glare and kept quiet.

Taotao, meanwhile, was happily licking her pickled ginger.

—This was her grandmother’s specialty. The old lady was over seventy but still in great health. She grew all the ingredients herself, using some unknown secret method to make her pickled ginger incredibly flavorful. The pickled ginger tasted 50% sour, 10% spicy, and 10% sweet. In addition, the ginger was young, crisp, and juicy. The juice overflowed when you bit it, and there was no residue left after chewing it a little!

Song Zhi crossed his arms and watched Taotao eat the pickled ginger quietly.

Based on his observations, the little girl really did like licking her food—whether it was rice, vegetables, snacks, or soup.

She first used her soft pink tongue to lick off the chili sauce on the surface of the pickled ginger—finding it a bit spicy, she bared her teeth and hissed as she endured the heat. Only after the spiciness faded did she take a small bite of the crispy ginger, holding it in her mouth with a wide smile.

Song Zhi chuckled.

It was just a piece of pickled ginger—how could she be so happy eating it?

He couldn’t help but reach out and pat Taotao’s head.

Taotao liked it when he patted her head.

As soon as he did, she sat quietly, enjoying it so much that she even stopped eating the pickled ginger.

After a while, Taotao could no longer stay still. She handed the pickled ginger to Song Zhi for him to hold, then leaned over the backrest of the seat in front of her to whisper to her sister.

One said, “The hair ties our brother bought last time were so pretty. Let’s see if there are other kinds this time.”
The other said, “The mosquito net at home is broken. We need to get a new one…”

One said, “I want to eat at the state-run restaurant. Last time, we didn’t get enough of the taste.”
The other said, “I wonder what’s trending in the city lately.”
…

Song Zhi didn’t remember what Bai Lili said.

But everything Taotao said—he remembered it all, word for word.

The bus swayed and jolted along the way. With some traffic delays in between, by the time they finally reached the city, it was already past noon.

After sitting for so long, everyone felt sore and stiff. When they got off the bus, they all looked like battle-worn soldiers.

Yan Naqian had gotten quite close with the male educated youth from the neighboring village. When she got off the bus, she carried herself with an air of elegance, merely nodding coolly at Song Zhi and Tang Liren before passing them by without a word, and walking off with the young man.

Tang Liren watched Yan Naqian’s departing figure for a long moment before muttering, “That Yan Naqian…” and shaking her head.

Song County wasn’t big, with only two or three guesthouses in total.

Song Zhi still went to the guesthouse where Aunt Guihua worked. He took out an introduction letter and booked two rooms. Then, he discussed with Tang Liren, “Aunt, why don’t you all rest at the guesthouse while I head to the Hongxing Machinery Factory to check on things? That way, we’ll know how long we’ll need to stay in the city.”

Tang Liren pulled out a stack of bills and asked, “Do you need some money on hand? We’re in the city now—eating and taking transport all cost money!”

Song Zhi smiled and shook his head. “Thank you, Aunt, but I have money.” As he spoke, he glanced at Taotao and said to Bai Lili, “Please keep an eye on Taotao. Don’t let her wander off—she’s very mischievous.”

Taotao shot him a sidelong glance, looking utterly unbothered.

But when she saw him reaching out to pat her head again, she couldn’t help but giggle and even lowered her head voluntarily, obediently letting him pat her.

Tang Liren and Bai Lili exchanged a look.

Song Zhi hurried off.

Taotao grabbed her mother’s hand with one hand and her sister’s with the other. “Let’s go! We’re going to the black market!”

Tang Liren was both amused and exasperated. “At this hour? Where would you even find a black market? Besides, you’ve been on the bus all day—aren’t you tired? Listen to me, rest first. We’ll go tomorrow.”

Taotao looked thoughtful. “Why wouldn’t there be a black market at this hour?”

Bai Lili explained, “Because it’s dinnertime now. Every household is busy cooking—who would have the time to be out buying or selling things?”

Tang Liren added, “By the way, your Aunt Guihua is off work today. I need to buy something and go visit her. We need to maintain good relations! Otherwise, without her connections, how could we have rented such a big courtyard for just one yuan a day? That’s way cheaper than staying at a guesthouse!”

Bai Lili said, “Wasn’t it two yuan a day?”

“I lied to your grandma! Otherwise, she’d think we’re made of money!” Tang Liren said. “Alright, let’s go. I’ll take you two to eat some meat buns first. After that, you can go back and watch TV while I head to your Aunt Guihua’s place.”

The three of them wandered around for a while before finally finding a street vendor selling meat buns at the entrance of a small alley. They bought a few buns. The vendor also tried hard to sell them his leftover porridge, which was almost gone, but Taotao found his bowls unsanitary and refused no matter what.

After hurriedly eating their meat buns by the roadside, they split up.

But Taotao refused to go back to the guesthouse.

She turned to her sister and said, “I don’t believe it. There has to be someone setting up stalls at this hour! What if someone in the city runs out of salt or soy sauce while cooking? Or if a guest suddenly arrives, and they need to prepare an extra dish… What would they do then? Besides, we’re not going far. We’ll just stake out the black market near the train station for a bit.”

Bai Lili: ……

That made sense.