There was a sense of familiarity, but she couldn’t quite place why.  

When Wu Pinghui looked at someone with delight, Rong Xiaoxiao’s attention also shifted to the man approaching them.  

Pursing her lips, she gave him a once-over.  

No wonder her second sister had fallen so deeply into the spell of love. Regardless of his character, at the very least, his appearance and demeanor were quite pleasing.  

In no time, he had struck up friendly relations with the other educated youths nearby and made his way over to warmly greet Wu Pinghui, leaving her flushed red from the neck up.  

“What a shame we weren’t assigned to the same train car. But it’s alright—it’s only a three- or four-day journey. Once we arrive, we’ll be heading the same way.”  

“Mhm!” Wu Pinghui nodded shyly.  

Her hand instinctively reached for the small bag behind her, intending to pull out some food to offer him. But just as she retrieved it, the item was snatched away by the person beside her.  

“Second Sis, how did you know I was hungry?” Rong Xiaoxiao munched on the egg pancake, looking utterly satisfied.  

It had gone cold, but their mother had packed it generously—each bite was rich with the fragrance of eggs.  

Without waiting for Wu Pinghui’s reaction, she lifted her head and studied the newcomer curiously. “So you’re Comrade Fang Gaoyang? My family’s mentioned you quite a few times.”  

“Little Sis!” Wu Pinghui startled, immediately forgetting about feeding her sweetheart. Their family had never said anything good about Brother Fang, and she didn’t want her little sister blurting out something embarrassing in public.  

Fang Gaoyang didn’t seem upset about missing out on the egg pancake. Instead, his smile deepened. “Pinghui and I have been classmates for years. Now that we’re going to the countryside together as educated youths, naturally, we’re closer than others.”  

“Good!” Rong Xiaoxiao beckoned him closer, making their conversation seem more intimate than with others. “Once we reach the production team, you’ll have to keep a close eye on my sister. She might seem tough, but she’s actually easy to bully.”  

Fang Gaoyang readily agreed. “Of course, that goes without saying. I won’t let anyone take advantage of her.”  

“Glad to hear it.” Rong Xiaoxiao continued eating while patting her chest. “Before we left, Mom and Dad were really worried. They went through so much effort and expense to prepare all these things for her, afraid she’d be tricked into giving everything away and end up with nothing for herself.”  

Fang Gaoyang listened, his gaze involuntarily drifting toward the luggage racks.  

There really was a lot of stuff—enough to make him a little envious. He nodded. “That makes sense. We’re good comrades, after all. I’ll definitely help keep an eye out.”  

“Then thank you, Brother Fang.” Rong Xiaoxiao thanked him loudly. “Just keeping an eye out is enough. As a male comrade, it’s not appropriate for you to interfere too much in my sister’s affairs. Just let me know, and I’ll handle the rest.”  

As she spoke, her eyes curved into crescents. “Before we left, Mom reminded us—if anyone dares to take advantage of us two sisters, we should raise hell. Second Sis is too shy to make a scene, but I’m not! I can camp outside that person’s door and curse for three days and nights without repeating a single word!”  

“…” Fang Gaoyang’s mouth twitched. “That… might be a bit excessive.”  

Wu Pinghui tugged at her arm. “Little Sis, what are you saying?”

Rong Xiaoxiao lifted her chin, seeing nothing wrong with her words. “I’m not saying anything incorrect. That’s exactly what Mom taught us. If someone has the audacity to take your things, then I’ll shamelessly make sure the entire production team sees their true, ugly face.”  

She raised her eyes and flashed a sweet smile. “Brother Fang, don’t you agree?”  

“…Hah, haha, you’re right,” Fang Gaoyang replied stiffly.  

Hearing his response, Rong Xiaoxiao brightened even more. “Second Sis, see? Even Brother Fang agrees with me.”  

Wu Pinghui glanced between them, a thoughtful expression crossing her face.  

Fang Gaoyang noticed and quickly interjected, “Well, it’s not like you have to—”  

“Not make too big of a scene?” Rong Xiaoxiao cut him off. “But our parents scraped together everything they had to prepare these things for us. They’d rather go hungry in town just so we can live a little better in the countryside. If the things they saved up through hardship just end up benefiting some outsider, how could we ever face our family back home, starving and freezing for our sake?”  

Though the three of them weren’t speaking loudly, their conversation was clearly audible to those nearby.  

Hearing Rong Xiaoxiao’s words, the other educated youths—far from home—couldn’t help but think of their own parents. Sympathizing deeply, they chimed in one after another.  

“She’s right. Our families are going hungry back home—why should we give our food away to strangers?”  

“Our parents worked hard to prepare these supplies for us. If we just hand them over for nothing, we’d be breaking their hearts.”  

“Comrade, your little sister makes a good point. You really shouldn’t let yourself be tricked,” an older female comrade said. “You’re assigned to Shengli Commune, right? So am I. Stick with me—I’ll make sure no one cheats you out of your things.”  

“I’m also going to Shengli Commune. If we end up in the same production team, we can look out for each other.”  

“Me too. With so many of us, some of us are bound to be grouped together.”  

One voice after another joined in, and before anyone knew it, the atmosphere in the train car had shifted.  

Fang Gaoyang felt the urge to retreat, but leaving now would only draw more attention. With so many eyes on him, he had no choice but to chime in, “Y-yes, as long as we stand united, no one will bully us—and we won’t let our comrades be bullied either.”  

Rong Xiaoxiao looked deeply moved, sniffling a little. “Brother Fang, you’re all so kind. But you don’t need to retaliate on our behalf—just let me know, and I’ll handle it myself.”  

Fang Gaoyang: “…”  

Rong Xiaoxiao chuckled again. “Though, Brother Fang, you and Second Sis are of different genders, so you can’t watch over her all the time. But that’s fine—there are so many people in the production team, someone’s bound to notice. Finding out who dares to take my sister’s things won’t be hard at all!”  

“R-right, not hard at all.” Fang Gaoyang couldn’t stand it any longer and quickly excused himself.  

Surprisingly, Wu Pinghui didn’t seem too bothered by his departure this time. Instead, she looked touched. “Little Sis!”

She had been worried about whether her little sister would be bullied all alone, yet here her little sister was, already planning how to deal with anyone who dared to mess with her.  

Even though she was the older sister, she was the one being looked after.  

Just as she was about to say something, her little sister stretched out a hand toward her.  

“What do you mean?” Wu Pinghui asked.  

Rong Xiaoxiao didn’t hold back. “Still hungry. More egg pancakes.”  

“…Don’t you have your own?”  

Rong Xiaoxiao replied matter-of-factly, “If I leave them for you, you won’t eat them. Better they go to your own sister than some outsider.”  

All that talk earlier had just been to scare Fang Gaoyang.  

If it worked, he wouldn’t dare touch Wu Pinghui’s supplies—after all, personal belongings were easy to track down if they went missing.  

But food was different. Once eaten, what evidence would be left?  

And if the scare tactic didn’t work, most of Wu Pinghui’s things would probably disappear.  

But it didn’t matter. Whoever took them would eventually answer to her.  

Not that she was doing this purely to stand up for her sister.  

It was exactly as she’d said—hadn’t their parents gone through enough hardship to prepare these things? Normally, they could barely afford full meals, their clothes patched over and over, yet they’d still spent a fortune to outfit their daughters properly.  

How could she let good things go to waste on strangers?  

There was no way she was swallowing this grievance.  

As for the future? She’d cross that bridge when she got there.  

After making her point, Rong Xiaoxiao kept a low profile for the rest of the trip.  

The train ride was unbearably long—dozens of hours crammed in one place drained everyone’s energy and enthusiasm for conversation.  

Worse, everyone was guarding their valuables, afraid to even blink in case something went missing. Most didn’t dare sleep, even at night.  

The Rong sisters had no such worries.  

They took turns keeping watch, allowing the one resting to doze off without constant panic.  

Even so, by the time they lugged their luggage off the train, both were still dazed.  

“We’re really here?” Wu Pinghui looked around.  

The train station in the Northeast wasn’t much different from the one back home.  

And yet, something felt distinct—the distant mountains, the crisp air in her lungs—finally making her realize just how far they’d traveled over those four days and three nights.  

After leaving the station, they headed to the bus depot, where the sisters would part ways.  

Before leaving, Wu Pinghui burst into tears, snot and all. Rong Xiaoxiao couldn’t stand such emotional farewells. Saying goodbye to their parents had been hard enough—she might’ve even shed a tear or two.  

But with her second sister?  

Honestly, she couldn’t squeeze out a single drop if she tried.  

The moment their bus arrived, she grabbed her bags without a word and boarded. Only after settling in did she call out to her still-sobbing sister, “Take care.”  

As for whether Wu Pinghui could manage her own luggage alone?  

Rong Xiaoxiao wasn’t worried in the slightest.

That Brother Fang had taken advantage of Second Sister many times before. But since he was the type who liked to maintain appearances, even if he was unwilling, he’d still put on an act.  

As the bus drove off, Rong Xiaoxiao was now on her own for the rest of the journey.  

The gathering point was near the supply station.  

People had already been waiting there for some time.  

Along with Rong Xiaoxiao, seven or eight other educated youths were also assigned to Liushi Commune.  

By the time they reached the supply station, they weren’t the first batch of educated youths to arrive—over twenty others were already waiting nearby.  

“I’ve got some info,” Chen Shuming said as he jogged over. “Liushi Commune has thirteen production brigades in total. No idea which one we’ll end up in, but it’d be great if we could stay together.”  

Since they had time to kill, Chen Shuming had gone to gather some intel.  

He was quite the social butterfly—it didn’t take him long to pick up some useful details.  

“They say out of the thirteen brigades, Qichadao Brigade is the best. It’s got mountains and rivers, so droughts or floods aren’t a big worry. Even if the harvest isn’t great, they can rely on hunting and fishing.”  

“How many educated youths can Qichadao Brigade take? Can we volunteer to go there?”  

“Dream on,” Gao Liao cut in without needing to ask. “The spots were decided long ago. No amount of bribes will change it now.”  

With so many educated youths around, the assigning officials wouldn’t dare openly take bribes and alter placements, right?  

“It’s all up to fate now.”  

“If Qichadao Brigade’s conditions are that good, the other places can’t be too bad, right?”  

“Not necessarily,” Chen Shuming shook his head with a bitter smile. “You’ve probably noticed—this area’s mostly mountains. Some brigades barely have any farmland. Sure, they can hunt, but you can’t rely on that for a whole year’s livelihood.”  

“True. So which brigade has the worst conditions?”  

Chen Shuming: “There’s no absolute worst, but a few are comparatively tougher—like Luozhuang and Hongshan Brigades.”  

Rong Xiaoxiao, who had been drowsy, suddenly perked up. “Hongshan Brigade?”  

Gao Liao pressed, “Go on, tell us more.”  

“Let’s start with Luozhuang. The reason it’s bad isn’t the environment—it’s that they’re really hostile to outsiders. The educated youths sent there before had a rough time.”  

Chen Shuming’s expression darkened, unable to hold back his frustration. “What kind of nonsense is that? The country sends us here to contribute, and instead of welcoming us, they isolate us?”  

“Enough of that,” Gao Liao stopped him.  

They were on someone else’s turf now. Complaining too much could backfire if overheard.  

Chen Shuming realized his mistake and lightly smacked his own lips as if to erase his words. “Anyway, let’s talk about Hongshan Brigade. Life there is really tough. The terrain is low, and a small river cuts right through it, leaving them with very little arable land…”