Chapter 17

“No nee—”

“My luggage is still on my seat. You should go rest for a bit. I’ll go get it, and I’ll be back quickly.”

Before Xue Miaoyun could finish, Cang Ling had already turned and left, his tall figure quickly disappearing down the corridor.

She stared at his back, a little dazed, unable to react for a moment.

“Miss, is that your boyfriend? He’s so handsome!”

“Yeah, yeah! He exudes such authority; I didn’t dare speak earlier.”

“With four pockets, he must be an officer…”

Xue Miaoyun found herself surrounded by several passengers from the same compartment. Their enthusiastic attitude caught her completely off guard.

Having grown accustomed to the indifference of modern society, where people mind their own business, Xue Miaoyun was rendered speechless.

She felt quite helpless. How could she explain that Cang Ling was just a stranger she had met less than five hours ago? In this era, there were so many rules about how men and women could interact.

So, she could only force a smile and say they were friends, just coincidentally traveling the same route.

It wasn’t until Cang Ling came back with his few belongings, stepping into the aisle outside the compartment, that Xue Miaoyun managed to escape the crowd.

“What’s wrong?” Cang Ling asked, noticing the expression on her face.

“Nothing, nothing.” Xue Miaoyun smiled weakly and crawled back into her bunk, tiredly sitting cross-legged against her bag.

Cang Ling frowned, saying nothing, but he leaned against the wall in the aisle. Every time someone walked past their section of the aisle, they instinctively slowed their steps, not daring to speak loudly.

Having slept poorly the previous night and with everything that had happened today, Xue Miaoyun was truly exhausted.

She leaned back, and before long, she fell into a light, drowsy sleep.

Cang Ling, with his sharp vision, immediately noticed when the young woman had drifted off.

His gaze lingered on her without hiding, his eyes focused entirely on her.

He knew his actions were impolite, but his heart wasn’t under his control. He wanted to spend more time with her, not wanting to miss the chance to connect.

For the first time, he felt the stirrings of affection. He used to think that all sudden attractions were based on looks, but now he realized that it was true. He, too, was just an ordinary man.

【…Dear comrades…We have arrived at Lin’an Station…】

The announcement rang through the speakers. Some passengers started packing their things, preparing to disembark.

Cang Ling didn’t rush. He waited for most people to leave before taking long strides into the compartment.

“Comrade Xue, we’ve arrived.”

Xue Miaoyun, still groggy, opened her eyes and looked at Cang Ling with confusion. Who was this? Where was she?

Cang Ling couldn’t help but find her dazed expression endearing, his heart skipping a beat.

If anyone had seen his ears, they would have noticed they were slightly red.

“Comrade Miaoyun, we’ve arrived.”

“Ah, we’re here, we’re here!” Xue Miaoyun quickly shook herself awake and was about to get out of bed.

“Careful.”

Cang Ling reached out to steady her, feeling that this girl was rather clumsy. One moment of inattention, and something might happen.

“Thanks! Quick, let’s go—the train’s already stopped!”

“Don’t worry, Lin’an Station usually has a longer stopover.”

By the time the two of them got off the train, most of the passengers had already dispersed into the distance.

In this completely unfamiliar place, Xue Miaoyun looked around, trying to get her bearings.

“Is someone here to pick you up?”

“There should be.” At the station exit, Xue Miaoyun spotted a cardboard sign with her name on it.

“There! Hello, I’m Xue Miaoyun.” She politely took off her mask and greeted the person holding the sign.

The one who came to pick her up was a young man in his twenties. The moment he saw her face, he froze for a good few seconds.

“C-Comrade Xue! Hello, I—I’m Secretary Xiao Yan from the County Chief’s office. You, you can call me Xiao Yan.”

Xue Miaoyun was surprised. She didn’t expect her Uncle Xun’s friend to be the County Chief.

“Hello, I’m Xue Miaoyun. Thank you for your trouble.”

“No trouble at all, no trouble.” Xiao Yan’s face turned red as he shook his head.

Xue Miaoyun smiled a little.

“Ahem…”

“Ah, Comrade Cang, I’ve found the person I’m supposed to meet. Thank you so much for taking care of me along the way,” She almost forgot that Cang Ling was still by her side.

Cang Ling knew that now was the time to say his goodbyes, or else it might become bothersome.

But with the County Chief involved, there was no need to worry about losing contact…

“It was just a small favor. I’ll take my leave now,” Cang Ling said, looking down at Xue Miaoyun, his gaze lingering for a moment.

“Goodbye.” Xue Miaoyun swallowed nervously, feeling an unexpected pressure.

…

“Please, this way, Comrade Xue. The County Chief hasn’t finished work yet, but she has already arranged your room. Please follow me.”

“Thank you.” Xue Miaoyun looked at the room in front of her. It was very simple, but also very clean. She was quite satisfied with it.

Seeing the fatigue on Xue Miaoyun’s face, Xiao Yan immediately suggested that she rest for a while. He would bring her some food later.

Xue Miaoyun naturally expressed her thanks.

After resting for two hours, Xue Miaoyun finally felt a bit more refreshed. She ate the bowl of noodles Xiao Yan had brought her, and she felt completely revived.

Since she was in someone else’s home, Xue Miaoyun didn’t wander around. She stayed in her guest room and tinkered with things in her space. She was experimenting with the “Life’s Blue,” trying to see if it could be used as medicine. Since the “Life’s Blue” would quickly dissipate when exposed to the outside world, she could only experiment with it using her consciousness in the space.

At six o’clock in the evening, the host returned from work.

According to Xiao Yan’s introduction, the county magistrate, Yu Xiaohua, was a veteran revolutionary who had worked in the Lin’an government for many years. Her husband was often away, and they had two sons, both of whom had gone to the countryside.

So, Yu Xiaohua lived alone. Despite her busy schedule, she was very dedicated to her work, and since she was rarely home, the atmosphere in the house felt quite sparse.

No wonder Xue Miaoyun had felt that the atmosphere in the house was somewhat lacking. It didn’t feel like a home at all—more like a guesthouse.

“County Chief.” Xue Miaoyun greeted her confidently.

“You must be Lihua’s daughter, Miaoyun. Oh my, you’re so beautiful.” Yu Xiaohua looked at Xue Miaoyun with admiration. The girl really was striking, with some resemblance to Lihua, but much more beautiful.

“You know my mother?” Xue Miaoyun was surprised. Did the original owner’s mother know so many people?

“Your mother was the youngest one in our group. She was pretty and had a sweet personality. Most of us treated her like a little sister.” Yu Xiaohua reminisced about the past with a sigh. Sadly, the youngest sister was now gone.

“Miaoyun, just call me Aunt Yu. Feel free to stay here. I’ve already bought your train ticket. It’s for a sleeper berth, for the afternoon two days from now.”

“Thank you, Aunt Yu.”

Yu Xiaohua was the only one at home, which made Xue Miaoyun feel much more at ease.

After discovering that Aunt Yu had a generous personality and treated her with such kindness, Xue Miaoyun began to treat her as a senior, much like Xun Jinian.

Aunt Yu didn’t usually cook at home; she ate at the work unit’s canteen. Xue Miaoyun wasn’t used to it, and Aunt Yu noticed this. She immediately gave Xue Miaoyun money and tickets, urging her to eat at a state-run restaurant.

Xue Miaoyun, however, didn’t want to waste money. Instead, she bought some ingredients and decided to cook herself.

Her cooking skills were pretty good.