Chapter 8

Gu Cheng was helping passengers hand up their luggage. After everything was loaded, just as he was about to get on the bus, he heard someone behind him call out, “Comrade PLA!”(People’s Liberation Army)

He turned around and recognized Ye Huan. She was carrying several bags, and following behind her was a young man holding a small bag, trailing along at a leisurely pace.

Gu Cheng’s brows furrowed. He quickly stepped forward, took the luggage from Ye Huan’s hands, and passed it up to the worker on top of the bus.

Ye Huan said, “Thank you, Comrade PLA.”

Gu Cheng replied in a low voice, “No need to thank me.”

And said nothing more.

Ye Huan thought to herself that this man had a good heart, but he looked far too serious and didn’t speak much. She wasn’t sure if he was just the quiet type or simply didn’t want to talk to her.

After securing the luggage on the roof, the worker jumped down and shouted loudly, “Anyone who hasn’t boarded yet, hurry up! The bus is about to leave!”

Gu Cheng stood closest to the door, but he didn’t board first. Instead, he stepped aside to let Ye Huan go ahead.

Ye Huan was just about to climb aboard when she saw Li Mingjie approaching quickly, seemingly trying to get on ahead of her and Gu Cheng.

Not waiting for him to catch up, Ye Huan urged Gu Cheng, “Comrade PLA, the bus is leaving. Get on quickly.”

Then she even gave Gu Cheng a tug, pulling him up onto the bus.

Li Mingjie was a step too late and ended up being the last one to board.

He had wanted to get on before Gu Cheng to grab a seat, afraid there wouldn’t be enough. But Ye Huan had clearly seen him coming and still pulled the soldier aboard first.

It felt deliberate.

He felt annoyed. After all, he and Ye Huan were supposed to be on the same side, yet she sided with the soldier.

Is this girl slow or what?

Luckily, there were exactly three empty seats left—just enough for the three of them.

Ye Huan sat beside an elderly woman, Li Mingjie sat in front of her, and Gu Cheng took a seat in the back row.

The bus started moving just as they settled in.

Li Mingjie wasn’t ready to give up yet. He pulled a metal water flask from his satchel, unscrewed the lid, and turned around to offer it to Ye Huan. “You must be tired. Have some water.”

Ye Huan gave him a brief glance, ignored him, and took a sip from her own flask instead.

Once again, Li Mingjie was left hanging.

He felt they had gotten along well on the train, but ever since they got off, Ye Huan had turned cold.

Reviewing the events, he figured it must’ve started when she found out he’d faked a heart condition. Since then, she barely acknowledged him.

This girl’s too rigid, he thought. Stubborn and inflexible. That kind of personality isn’t ideal. No matter how pretty she is, she’s not girlfriend material.

His interest in Ye Huan waned. He turned back around and stopped trying to engage her.

***

The elderly woman next to Ye Huan looked kind and warm. She asked, “Girl, judging by your accent, you’re not from Jiangping, are you?”

Ye Huan replied, “No, I’m from Nanzhou.”

“Oh my, all the way from Nanzhou? That’s far! Where are you headed?”

“Hongxing Farm.”

The elderly woman nodded in understanding. “Ah, so you’re a female student going to the countryside.”

Ye Huan nodded.

The woman, clearly a warm-hearted person, said, “My eldest son works at Hongxing Farm. His name is Xu Guochao. He helps manage things at the farm. If you run into any trouble, go find him. He’ll lend you a hand.”

When the woman mentioned her son worked at the farm, Li Mingjie had already perked up his ears. Now, hearing that her son had some responsibility there, he immediately turned and asked, “Auntie, what exactly does your son do at the farm?”

“You’ve got me there,” the woman chuckled. “I’m not really sure what his specific job is.”

Li Mingjie mulled it over, then smiled and said, “Auntie, I’m also headed to Hongxing Farm. I’m sure I’ll need to trouble Brother Xu in the future.”

The woman had initially spoken up out of concern for Ye Huan—a young girl traveling alone to a remote place. She hadn’t expected Li Mingjie to insert himself into the conversation.

Still, being warm-hearted, she didn’t mind. This young man looked like a good kid too, so she said, “Sure, go ahead and look for him. He’ll help if he can.”

“Thank you, Auntie.”

“No need to thank me,” she said cheerfully. “It’s not easy being away from home. We all help where we can.”

Ye Huan added, “Auntie, you shouldn’t tell strangers what Brother Xu does so easily. You mean well, but some people might take advantage of your kindness to get favors from him. Just ask Comrade Li here—we came on the same train. I saw all sorts of people on the way—some only care about what benefits them, no matter who gets hurt. Comrade Li, am I right?”

Li Mingjie’s smile froze, but he had no choice but to nod and go along. “Right.”

The old woman chuckled, “You’re a kind girl. My eldest son always says I’m too trusting. But I just took a liking to you. I wouldn’t have said a word if it were someone else.”

Li Mingjie: “…”

From her tone, it sounded like her son was some kind of leader at the farm.

If he could get close to a leader, that’d be like having a solid backing. Not only would he get lighter work assignments, but he might even get priority when it came time to return to the city.

Of course, this depended on whether Xu Guochao was actually a leader. If he was just a low-level laborer with no influence at the farm, there was no point in trying to cultivate a relationship.

And just when he thought he’d gotten in with the old woman, Ye Huan went and exposed him—without naming him, but clearly referring to him with every word.

Now he had not only lost interest in chasing Ye Huan—he wouldn’t even accept her if she chased him!

…..

An hour later, the bus stopped at Qingshi Town’s station.

Ye Huan got off and waited for her luggage.

Li Mingjie only had a small bag and didn’t need to pick up anything, so he stood off to the side watching.

He’d lost interest in Ye Huan, so he didn’t bother offering to help. Besides, he had an excuse—she didn’t want him to help anyway. No point offering a warm face to someone who kept slapping it away.

Around the bus stood people waiting for their luggage. The worker climbed onto the roof and handed things down one by one. When it was Ye Huan’s turn, he shouted, “Can a male comrade come help this young lady with her bags?”

Ye Huan was just helping the old woman off the bus. Hearing the shout, she went over and said, “Mister, just hand them to me. I can carry them myself—”

But a pair of hands reached out before she could finish, taking both her bags down.

Ye Huan turned and saw it was Gu Cheng again. She quickly thanked him, “Thank you.”

Just then, someone shouted, “ Commander Gu!”

She turned to look and saw another man in a green military uniform—this one younger—running toward them. He saluted Gu Cheng, then wiped the sweat off his forehead and grinned, showing two little tiger teeth. “Commander, you’re finally back!”

This was Gu Cheng’s orderly, Fang Hui.

Seeing Gu Cheng carrying a bag, Fang Hui assumed it was his, so he reached out to take it. “Commander, let me carry your luggage. The jeep’s parked just outside. Let’s go.”

Ye Huan told him, “Comrade, that’s my luggage.”

Fang Hui realized his mistake and scratched his head awkwardly. “Sorry, I thought it belonged to our Commander.”

He was about to return the bags when Gu Cheng stopped him and asked Ye Huan, “You’re heading to Hongxing Farm?”

“Yes.”

“Take my car.”

Fang Hui, always cheerful and friendly, chimed in, “Hongxing Farm’s right next to our unit. Come with us—it’s on the way, we’ll drop you off.”

Ye Huan replied, “I heard the farm will send someone to the Educated Youth Office to pick us up.”

Fang Hui waved it off. “No problem, we’ll swing by and let them know. The farm usually sends a tractor at most—and you haven’t seen that tractor. It shakes like someone dancing a yangko. By the time you arrive, you’ll feel like your bones have come apart. And if it’s an ox cart? Even worse! That old yellow ox walks like a grandpa—three sways for every step. If there’s grass on the side of the road, he’ll stop and take a bite. You’ll be lucky to reach the farm before nightfall.”

Ye Huan couldn’t help laughing at Fang Hui’s vivid description. She figured he might be right—either way, it didn’t sound pleasant. So she said, “Alright, I’ll trouble you then.”

Fang Hui grinned, “It’s no trouble. Just me and the Commander—”

Li Mingjie had been standing on the sidelines, uninvolved. But hearing that he could ride with them to the farm, he immediately stepped over. “Comrade, I’m also headed to Hongxing Farm. Could I get a lift too?”

Fang Hui, ever the enthusiastic sort, replied heartily, “Sure, there’s room for one more!”

Only then did he remember he hadn’t consulted Gu Cheng. He turned to look at him for approval.