Chapter 7

The entire train car was buzzing with talk about going to the countryside.

Li Mingjie and Ye Huan remained mostly silent.

Ye Huan couldn’t join the conversation even if she wanted to. Despite having the original owner’s memories, she still didn’t fully understand why people were being forced to leave their homes for rural areas. So she mostly listened, trying to piece together what kind of world this was.

Li Mingjie, on the other hand, was afraid to speak up.

He and Ye Huan were the only ones in the car headed to Hongxing Farm. While it was still hard work, Hongxing Farm was prosperous and well-equipped. They produced so much grain each year that they couldn’t even eat it all, so there was no need to worry about going hungry.

That’s why it was so coveted; without connections, you had no chance of getting in.

Such good conditions easily drew envy. With everyone’s pent-up resentment simmering, Li Mingjie knew that speaking too much could make him a target for their anger, turning the entire car against him. So he kept quiet, trying to stay invisible.

Instead, he focused all his attention on Ye Huan.

Li Mingjie had just turned twenty and was still single.

Unlike other shallow men who prioritized looks when choosing a partner, he wasn’t like that. For him, the most important thing was a woman’s family background—whether her parents or siblings were capable and well-connected.

His own family’s connections weren’t particularly strong; they had only managed to get him assigned to Red Star Farm by pulling strings and giving gifts. Whether he could return to the city, and when, would depend entirely on his own efforts.

Finding a capable partner would save him a lot of trouble. If he couldn’t get back to the city on his own, his partner might have the connections to arrange his return.

Looks came second. A good family background was paramount; beauty was just the icing on the cake.

Ye Huan perfectly fit his criteria.

Ye Huan had fair skin, clearly untouched by hardship. She smelled faintly of perfume, likely from applying high-end snow cream—the scent was too refined for anything less. This alone suggested her family’s comfortable circumstances.

Her assignment to Hongxing Farm further confirmed her family’s connections.

She rarely interrupted others, listening quietly and attentively, indicating a simple, gentle, and obedient nature.

Ye Huan was everything he could have asked for in a wife—she practically embodied his ideal.

At this vulnerable time in her life, all he needed to do was show her enough care and consideration to win her over.

Li Mingjie exuded confidence. Throughout the journey, he showered Ye Huan with attentive kindness. Even when exhaustion threatened to overwhelm him, he forced himself to stay awake, guarding their luggage so she could sleep soundly.

After two days and two nights of rattling train travel, the train pulled into Jiangping City Station on the morning of the third day.

Jiangping Station wasn’t the final stop, so the train’s layover was brief. Most passengers were disembarking here, and as soon as the train screeched to a halt, they surged toward the exits, lugging their heavy bags and bundles amid a cacophony of shouts and jostling.

Eager to impress Ye Huan, Li Mingjie didn’t wait for her to ask. He hoisted both of her large suitcases onto his shoulders. The weight nearly buckled him, but he gritted his teeth and held firm, telling her, “I’ll lead the way. Stay close, and if you can’t keep up, just grab onto me.”

“I can carry my own luggage,” Ye Huan protested. “I’m strong enough…”

Li Mingjie wouldn’t hear of it. “I’m here, so there’s no need for you to carry anything. Let’s get off quickly before we miss our chance.”

Without another word, Li Mingjie hoisted his luggage and began pushing toward the train door. Ye Huan, fearing they would miss their stop, had no choice but to hurry after him.

As passengers crowded toward the exit, the crush grew tighter, making it nearly impossible to move. Li Mingjie shouted, “Comrades, please make way! I have a heart condition and my chest feels tight. I might have an attack—I need to get off the train immediately!”

The staff member maintaining order at the door overheard and startled. He quickly joined the call: “Everyone, stop pushing! We’ll all get off. Those in front, please make way for the comrade with the heart condition so he can disembark first!”

In those simpler times, people were still genuinely kind. Hearing about Li Mingjie’s heart condition, they instinctively shifted aside, creating a clear path for him to exit first.

Li Mingjie, carrying two large bags, and Ye Huan following behind, disembarked smoothly.

Perhaps fearing a medical emergency, the staff member took the luggage from Li Mingjie’s hands and asked, “Comrade, how are you feeling?”

Li Mingjie waved weakly. “I’m fine. I just need to rest for a bit.”

The station staff couldn’t stray far. They helped carry the luggage to the side, set it down, and wiped sweat from their foreheads. Noticing Ye Huan was with Li Mingjie, they cautioned her, “Heart disease is no joke. Keep an eye on him and don’t let him carry the luggage alone. This condition can be aggravated by overexertion, which could trigger an attack.”

They had to maintain order, so they hurried away after giving the warning.

Li Mingjie turned to see a dense crowd of people swarming the train exit, their voices rising in a cacophony.

Some impatient passengers, fearing they wouldn’t be able to disembark, were jumping out of the windows.

Li Mingjie felt smug. Good thing I was smart enough to claim heart disease, he thought. Everyone cleared a path for me. Otherwise, we’d have been crushed getting off the train.

…..

After disembarking, they still needed to take a bus to Qingshi Town, where the Educated Youth Office was located. From there, Hongxing Farm would send someone to pick them up.

“Let’s go,” Li Mingjie said. “The bus station is right across from the train station. We might even catch the next bus.”

He reached for the luggage.

Ye Huan quickly stopped him. “You have heart disease. You shouldn’t exert yourself. I’ll carry it myself.”

She didn’t know much about heart disease, but seeing how everyone had cleared a path for Li Mingjie and how the station staff had even helped carry his luggage, she figured it must be a serious condition. She didn’t dare let him carry the luggage, fearing that overexertion might trigger an attack she wouldn’t know how to handle.

Li Mingjie froze for a moment, then remembered what he had shouted when they disembarked. He mumbled, “I don’t have a heart condition. I just wanted them to make way so we could get off smoothly.”

If it had been a girl he didn’t care for, he might have stuck to his “heart condition” act. He had no intention of carrying heavy luggage for strangers, offering only token assistance with lighter items.

But now, he had a soft spot for Ye Huan and wanted to pursue her. Afraid she might reject him if she thought he was sickly, he decided to tell her the truth.

As he confessed, he felt smug, confident that Ye Huan would admire his cleverness and convincing performance. Without his act, she would have been crushed in the crowd, possibly even forced to climb out a window.

To his surprise, Ye Huan’s brow furrowed. “You faked an illness just to get off the train early? And you acted so convincingly that you fooled everyone! Judging by how smoothly you pulled it off, this isn’t the first time you’ve faked sick, is it?”

Surrounded by fellow passengers who had just disembarked, Ye Huan didn’t lower her voice—in fact, she raised it slightly to ensure everyone heard. Several people turned to stare. An elderly woman exclaimed indignantly, “What? This kid was faking sick!”

“And I even made way for him, losing my shoe in the process!”

“My mom was holding her baby and still made way for him! The poor child was squeezed so hard it started crying!”

Li Mingjie genuinely didn’t see anything wrong with faking illness. He was just trying to make it easier for them both to get off the train smoothly.

But Ye Huan’s public outburst, in front of so many people, stung his pride as a man. He quickly said, “Keep your voice down! I was just trying to help you get off the train easily. Let’s hurry, we need to catch our next train.”

As he bent down to grab their luggage, Ye Huan beat him to it, lifting her own bag. “No need to trouble you. I can manage.”

She slung one bag over her shoulder, catching Li Mingjie off guard and nearly knocking him over. She carried the other bag in her hand.

With one bag on her shoulder, another in her hand, and a crossbody bag slung across her chest, she strode off effortlessly.

Before leaving home, Li Xiufen had told her, “When you’re out, get along with others. Don’t pick fights. If you don’t like someone, just ignore them — don’t lower yourself. But if someone crosses a line, don’t be afraid. Go find the farm director, the office manager, the police — someone’s always in charge. As long as you have reason on your side, you don’t need to be afraid. And if worst comes to worst, call your mom. I’ll come argue it out for you. I don’t pick fights, but if I do, I’ve never lost one.”

And now here was Li Mingjie — perfectly healthy, strong as an ox — pretending to be sick just to trick women and children into giving up their spots.

And the staff had even scolded her, as if she were lazy for letting a “heart patient” carry both bags.

She didn’t want to argue — but she’d definitely be keeping her distance.

Ye Huan walked off effortlessly with both suitcases, leaving Li Mingjie staring in shock. Those bags were heavy even for him, but she carried them like it was nothing.

This girl looked delicate, but her strength was astonishing. He couldn’t help but wonder: if they ever got married and had a fight, he’d probably lose.

Lost in thought, he didn’t notice Ye Huan had already walked far ahead with the luggage.

Several people pointed and whispered about Li Mingjie, and one old woman even started scolding him. Frightened, he quickly grabbed his own bag and hurried after Ye Huan.

…..

Leaving the train station, they crossed a street to reach the bus terminal.

At the terminal, Li Mingjie offered, “Give me your referral letter. I’ll buy the tickets while you watch the bags.”

“I’ll buy my own,” Ye Huan said, already heading to the ticket window. She pulled her referral letter and money from her satchel and handed them over. “Hi, comrade. One ticket to Qingshi Town, please.”

The clerk handed her the ticket and change, reminding her, “Hurry and board the bus. It departs in ten minutes.”

“Thank you.”

Ye Huan tucked the letter and money back into her bag, then carried her luggage to the bus inside the station.

Li Mingjie had also bought his ticket and followed Ye Huan into the station, where they found their bus.

Large luggage had to be placed on the roof. A man was standing on top of the bus, taking luggage passed up from below.

The person handing up the luggage was wearing a military uniform.

Even from the back, Ye Huan recognized him instantly. It was the same man who had helped Ye Yongguo and Li Xiufen pass her luggage to her earlier. So he was also going to Qingshi Town—what a coincidence!