The rest of the train ride was peaceful and quiet. Xiuzhu and Gu Yu grew even more familiar with each other.

Whenever she encountered difficulties with her summer homework, she would come to him for guidance.

Gu Yu was patient with her, his demeanor gentle. He explained things in a gradual and structured manner.

Following his train of thought, Xiuzhu felt as if she was getting smarter.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

The train slowly pulled into the station, the friction between the wheels and the tracks sounding particularly clear in the still air.

Inside the compartment, all four passengers began gathering their belongings, preparing to disembark.

Gu Yu felt a wave of reluctance rising in his heart. Watching Xiuzhu waiting eagerly to get off the train only made him feel more stifled and unwilling to part.

A thought crossed his mind, and he said warmly, “I know a lot of fun places and great food spots in Beijing. You should bring your family along—things are livelier with more people.”

In just two days, he had already figured out Xiuzhu’s preferences—she loved beauty, enjoyed playing, and had a sweet tooth.

It wasn’t hard to understand. Whenever something piqued her interest, her eyes would sparkle.

Sure enough, Xiuzhu was immediately tempted and responded eagerly, “Okay!”

She had already started seeing him as an elder, just like Yan Ming.

Since she would be staying in Beijing for a while and her cousin would be busy with wedding preparations, she shared her uncle’s phone number and address without hesitation.

Her uncle’s house was in the Beijing Military District compound, where making and receiving calls was quite convenient.

Gu Yu mentally reviewed everything—there was nothing missing.

He then stood up, picked up his luggage, bid farewell to Xiuzhu and the others, and followed the crowd toward the station exit.

As he stepped out of the station, he turned back to glance in Xiuzhu’s direction, an inexplicable feeling welling up in his heart.

“Deputy Bureau Chief Gu, what are you looking at? Do you need my help?” The person who came to pick him up asked respectfully.

“It’s nothing. Let’s go.” He withdrew his gaze and resumed his usual relaxed and aloof demeanor.

The driver quickly took his suitcase, opened the car door, and drove away.

…

After parting ways with Gu Yu, Chen Yuling shot Xiuzhu a resentful glare before striding away, disappearing into the bustling crowd.

Xiu Zhu found her behavior baffling. Ever since the human trafficking incident had settled, Chen Yuling had barely been noticeable.

Yet, whenever she got the chance, she would still cast eerie looks at Xiuzhu. Fortunately, they wouldn’t have to see each other again. Otherwise, seeing her too often might even ruin Xiuzhu’s appetite.

…

“Xiuzhu! Lin Xiuzhu! We’re over here!”

Lin Yaowen stood on his tiptoes, waving his arms excitedly beside Lin Xiuli, both calling out loudly to Xiuzhu.

Seeing familiar faces in the crowd, Xiuzhu broke into a delighted smile and quickened her pace toward them.

“Brother Yan Ming, hello! Thank you for taking care of Xiuzhu along the way!”

“Uncle Yan, hello!”

Two cheerful and pleasant voices rang out.

“Haha, hello, hello! It was no trouble at all!”

“Wow, time flies! You’ve all grown up so fast!”

“Oh, right—congratulations, Xiuli! Wishing you a happy marriage and a lovely baby soon!”

“I wish I could attend your wedding, but I have other duties to take care of!” Yan Ming was happy to see familiar faces and couldn’t stop chatting.

Since coming to Beijing, Lin Yaowen’s father had also assigned him additional tasks.

Hearing the well-wishes, Lin Xiuli felt a bit flustered and shyly responded, “It’s okay, Brother Yan. Work is important—stay safe.”

They often spent holidays at their uncle’s house in Yucheng and were quite familiar with Yan Ming’s personality.

Since Xiuli was older, their form of address differed from Xiuzhu and Yaowen’s.

She then turned to Xiuzhu, her bright eyes scanning her up and down in an exaggerated appraisal.

With a radiant smile on her lovely face, she teased, “It’s been so long, Xiuzhu! You’ve grown so beautiful—I almost didn’t recognize you!”

Xiuzhu was immersed in the double joy of reuniting with her cousin and being complimented.

Before she could even open her mouth to speak, the annoying brat beside her cut her off.

“Lin Xiuzhu, how come you haven’t grown at all in the past two years? Look, I’m already taller than you now!”

Lin Yaowen grinned mischievously and gestured to compare their height difference.

How could he say she hadn’t grown? She had clearly grown three centimeters since two years ago—she was already 165 cm tall now.

Among girls her age, she was considered tall, and she was still in her growth phase!

But compared to her cousin Yaowen, she did grow slower. He was already 180 cm at 18, having shot up by more than ten centimeters in the past two years.

They were close in age, and when they were younger, she had always been the taller one.

But starting two years ago, his height suddenly skyrocketed. Now, when they stood side by side, he was nearly a whole head taller than her.

“Stinky Yaowen! You’re still so disrespectful. You have to call me ‘Jie (elder sister)’! No matter how tall you get, you can’t change the fact that I was born a day before you.”

Xiuzhu shot him a sideways glare. Hmph, you think I can’t handle you?

Your big sister is still your big sister. I can put you in your place anytime.

Watching the two of them bicker the moment they reunited, Xiuli chuckled. They had always been like this since they were kids.

Ironically, they were the closest of all the cousins. This back-and-forth banter was just how they communicated.

Afraid their squabbling would drag on and delay lunch—especially since their mother had even taken half a day off to prepare—Xiuli quickly changed the subject.

“Xiuzhu, after such a long train ride, you must be hungry. Your aunt went out early this morning to buy fresh ingredients.

Before Yaowen and I left the house, we saw what she prepared—Peking duck, braised pork ribs with pickled cabbage, and sweet-and-sour pork. Let’s hurry back!”

Aunt Lin was from Hangzhou, and her taste in food was similar to Shanghainese cuisine.

Xiuzhu hadn’t had northern-style dishes in a long time, and just hearing about them made her swallow unconsciously.

Lin Yaowen also found his mouth watering. The two of them immediately stopped bickering—after all, these were dishes they usually only got to eat during the holidays.

After taking the suitcase from Yan Ming, they bid him farewell and rushed off to the bus stop.

Watching the two of them race ahead, Xiuli couldn’t help but shake her head in exasperation.

They’re really just two overgrown kids.

Once they caught the bus, the three of them found seats in the back row.

Xiuzhu, curious, leaned against the window, taking in the bustling streets and alleys of Beijing.

“Xiuzhu, look to the left—that’s the newly opened department store! It has tons of trendy goods from Hong Kong, including all kinds of dresses. I’ll take you shopping there soon!”

Xiuli pointed excitedly at the building ahead.

Xiuzhu followed her gaze. She had heard so much about Beijing’s department stores and had been looking forward to visiting one.

But right now, she just felt grimy.

Spending two or three days on a train in the middle of summer? That was far from a pleasant experience.

The priority now was to get home and take a shower.

Thinking of this, she turned to Xiuli and asked, “Jie, can I take a shower first before eating? I feel like I stink.”

“Haha! My sister already guessed you’d be miserable after the train ride, so she had me heat up your bath water ahead of time!” Yaowen boasted.

Xiuzhu raised her hand with a smirk, looking at Lin Yaowen mischievously.

“Wow, I’m so lucky to have the best sister and brother in the world! Come here, let your cousin pat your head.”

Sure enough, Yaowen’s face turned bright red. Like a startled chicken, he dodged away and shouted, “Why are you suddenly so mushy? I can’t stand you!”

“Hahahaha!”

Their laughter and playful banter filled the entire bus, drawing amused glances from other passengers.

Even Xiu Li, usually composed, couldn’t help but clutch her stomach as she burst into laughter.

She laughed so hard that her stomach hurt and had to force herself to think of sad things just to calm down.

Amidst the laughter and chatter, the bus soon arrived at the military compound in the western part of the city.