Chapter 11 Leaving

The man glanced at her, noticing she was bundled up tight with only her eyes visible, and shook his head. “I don’t ride a bike.”

“Even if you don’t ride it yourself, you can deliver for the leadership,” Song Nanting said. “I’m in a hurry to sell, so the price is low. Just two tickets total.”

She knew these two bicycle tickets were bought at great cost by her father, who went through a lot of trouble and spent a fortune on them. His intention was to get one bike each for his two sons. In her father’s eyes, she wasn’t even worth a bicycle—otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so eager to marry her off to the Pan family for just a 150-yuan bride price, practically wishing to pack her off immediately. But now, there was no choice. These bicycle tickets bore the stamp of their province, meaning they were only valid within the province. If she couldn’t sell them here, she could try selling them in the provincial capital later.

“How much?” the man finally showed some interest.

“Eighty-one yuan,” Song Nanting held up her fingers to show.

The man frowned, “Too expensive.”

Song Nanting smiled, “Then forget it.”

“No, I want them, but I don’t have that much cash on me right now. I have to go home and get it.”

Hearing this, Song Nanting hesitated and quickly put the tickets away. “Sorry, I’m not selling anymore.” Without waiting for the man to call after her, she hurried off.

She almost forgot that money was precious these days; nobody would carry eighty or ninety yuan casually. Who knew what could happen during the trip home to get the cash? Never mind, since these were valid only within the province, she would try selling them in the provincial capital later. It was still better to keep a low profile in the county town for now. If someone she knew recognized her by accident, it would be troublesome.

Back at the state-run hotel, Sun Huining patted a large bundle and said, “Nanting, I’ve got everything ready for you.”

Song Nanting asked, “Are there enough tickets? If not, I can add some more.”

“They’re enough. I packed it tight with your tickets,” Sun Huining said, glancing at the time. “It’s getting late. You should leave quickly.”

Song Nanting shouldered the heavy bundle filled with food and said to Sun Huining, “Just pretend you never saw me. I’m afraid I’ll cause you trouble, okay?”

Sun Huining nodded with some reluctance. “I know. Take care of yourself. When you get there, remember to write me a letter. I promise I’ll keep your secret.”

“Okay.” Nodding, Song Nanting had to part with her friend once again. This time, she was stepping onto an unknown path alone.

The state-run hotel was not far from the train station, and winter nights fell early. It was already dark outside. Song Nanting found a shadowy spot and took out four steamed buns, planning to put the rest in her storage space.

When she felt the buns, something felt off. She took one out and found it was actually an egg. Opening the bundle, she found eight eggs inside. Counting the buns and steamed buns, it matched the amount of her tickets. In other words, these eggs were a special gift from Sun Huining. The eggs were still warm, which warmed Song Nanting’s heart.

In this place that had once caused her despair and pain, there were still people hoping for her well-being. In her previous life, she wasn’t alone in her despair. In this life, even though she was braver and stronger, there were still people silently wishing her well.

Song Nanting took a deep breath and tucked the eggs into her pocket.

Outside, the air was cold and quiet, with passersby hurrying along. Song Nanting didn’t know what chaos would unfold between the Song family and the Pan family after she left. All she knew was that her path forward was very clear.

She was going to find Lu Jian’an.

It wasn’t until the train clattered into motion that Song Nanting finally felt her heavy heart relax. She had finally left Ning County and would never return this lifetime.

Taking the train from Ning County to the provincial capital took about four hours. But trains on schedule were rare in these days — arriving on time felt like suffering a loss. A trip that should have arrived at ten at night didn’t stop until eleven, slowly and lazily.

The provincial capital looked much more prosperous. The train station was bustling with crowds.

Song Nanting was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open. She carried only a shoulder bag with a water bottle, tickets, a few buns, and eggs. All her valuable things were stored safely in her secret space, which gave her some peace of mind.

Passengers poured out like sardines packed in a can, and Song Nanting could only follow the flow out.

Outside, the night was cold. Southern winters were damp and chilly. Her padded coat was years old, patched repeatedly at the sleeves, making it not very warm at all.

Her storage had many clothes she had worn in her previous life, but those were too conspicuous now.

For now, she just wanted to find a place to sleep well.

But it wasn’t time to sleep yet. She still had to buy tickets.

The provincial capital was still far from the capital city, and she had to transfer in Yu Province. When she went to buy tickets, she could only get a ticket for midnight the next day. That was fine — it gave her a day to take care of some business.

There were no sleeper tickets available, only hard seats. She would try to get a hard sleeper once on the train.

After buying the ticket and stepping out, looking at the unfamiliar provincial capital, Song Nanting sighed.

In her previous life, she had lived to her fifties, and for most of those years, she had never left Ning County. When she did leave, it was only to stay one night in the provincial capital before following Lu Jian’an far off to the northeast. So the provincial capital was very unfamiliar to her.

It was late at night, the wind howling outside, and after some thought, Song Nanting decided to go to a nearby guesthouse.

At this time, there wasn’t much danger outside, and the guesthouse was government-run, so it was relatively safe. Luckily, there was still a single room available when she arrived. Song Nanting paid, went inside, and immediately locked the door.

The cramped guesthouse wasn’t exactly comfortable, but she didn’t care—she had her space. The bed she slept on in her secret space was one that Lu Jian’an had specially bought for her back then. In the past, when she suffered from insomnia, no bed felt right. Now lying on it felt like resting on a cloud.

While washing up in the bathroom, Song Nanting couldn’t help but look at her current face. It was very young—though somewhat yellowed and rough, it didn’t hide her beauty.

In her previous life, when she met Lu Jian’an, she was already in her early forties, weighed down by the burdens of life, with no time to care for herself. Later, when she was with Lu Jian’an, he gave her all his savings and told her that if anything happened to him, the military would provide a compensation fund so she could live well, not to make things hard on herself, and to live happily.

He bought her the most beautiful clothes, lots of skincare products, and delicious food, which she hoarded at home. Lu Jian’an was the kindest person to her in this world.

She looked forward to meeting the younger version of him. He would definitely like her, right? In the last life, he was so tolerant and good to her.

This time, she wanted to see him earlier, to look at him, and not let him fall ill too soon. She wanted him to live a long life, to accompany her into old age.

After showering, she opened the cabinet, took out her skincare products, and carefully followed the steps to take care of her skin. Then she lay down on the bed and closed her eyes.

“Lu Jian’an, good night.”