Chapter 28: Extra 2 

Summer of 1984 

On a train coming from the south, a young couple sat on the lower bunk. 

The boy was writing in a notebook with a pen. 

The girl leaned against the boy, pretending to sleep, but she wasn’t fully asleep. Her thin legs dangled from the edge of the bed. When she stretched her toes, they could touch the ground, but most of the time, she just swayed them and occasionally murmured, “Are you done?” 

Her voice was soft and sweet, clearly acting coy. 

“Not yet. You go to sleep first,” Xiao He replied quietly, focusing on the account book. 

It was already nighttime outside the train. 

“No, it’s almost time, so I’d better stay awake,” Tian Jiao shook her head and yawned again. 

As she grew taller, she lost her childhood chubbiness. Her small face looked delicate, almost as if it could be covered by one hand. Her skin was fair, and she had a beautiful neck and delicate collarbone. Even though she wore a simple shirt and trousers, she seemed more mysterious than those around her. 

At first glance, she was definitely the most eye-catching person in the crowd. 

The boy she leaned on was also very handsome. His skin was a bit darker than in his younger years, from being outdoors, which made his delicate features look more masculine. 

He wore black trousers, and his long legs attracted attention. He calculated the accounts quickly and accurately without any tools, just using his mouth. His slender fingers held the pen, looking much whiter than his face. The words he wrote were also very beautiful. 

An old lady sitting across from them watched the children and frowned slightly. 

In her eyes, a man should not be interrupted by a woman. The boy was handsome and caught her attention. However, she felt unhappy seeing the lazy girl leaning on him in public.

When the girl disturbed the boy again, the old lady spoke up, “Little girl, they are busy. Don’t make trouble.”

The sudden voice startled Tian Jiao, and she trembled. After realizing what happened, she felt embarrassed. She smiled at the old lady and continued to lean on Xiao He.

Xiao He noticed her reaction and gently patted her back to comfort her.

They had been living this way for years, so Tian Jiao thought nothing was wrong.

Xiao He was going out to buy supplies, and since it was her summer vacation, she joined him.

The south was more fashionable than Kyoto. Tian Jiao’s experience there opened her eyes. While not as good as in her previous life, it was still nice, especially since fashion tends to repeat itself.

However, after the trip, she felt really tired because she lacked exercise. On the way back, she felt sleepy. After getting up, eating a bit, and washing her face, she wanted to wait to get off the bus. But soon, she leaned on Xiao He again and dozed off.

Seeing her still, the old lady frowned even more. “Little girl, if you want to sleep, go ahead. Don’t keep bothering your man.”

Tian Jiao pouted in displeasure. Not only did she not move, but she also rubbed against Xiao He, burying her head in his shoulder.

Xiao He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He set down the account book and said to the old lady, “Sorry, I really enjoy her leaning on me like this.”

The old lady’s face darkened. She snorted and turned away unhappily, muttering, “You don’t know how to appreciate kindness.”

How could a boy be held back by a girl?

After Xiao He spoke, he softly encouraged her, “Okay, just lean on me and take a nap for a bit. We’ll be at the station soon. I’ll wake you up.”

Tian Jiao shook her head sadly. She really couldn’t sleep. Perhaps it was the first time she had been away from home for so long, away from her father and teacher. Just her and Xiao He made her feel excited about going back to see them.

Since she didn’t want to sleep, Xiao He stayed with her. He pulled out a book of prose poems from his bag, turned to the marked page, and read it with her.

The old lady watched them sadly, thinking, Kids these days! The world is getting worse!

Back in her time, they couldn’t hug and kiss in public like that.

But the old lady felt a bit bitter. When she was young, didn’t she want to do the same? Or was she too scared?

Times have changed. Everything seems to be moving quickly. Even the trains now travel much faster. What once took a long time now takes only a day or two. How wonderful!

****

The train was about to arrive, and Zhang Rui was waiting outside the station.

Everything here looked almost like it did in her previous life.

Everything seemed high-end, with many people coming and going, and shops bustling with activity, showing that business was thriving.

Zhang Rui wore a white shirt and trousers, with a low-key, expensive watch on his wrist and a platinum ring on his little finger. His handsome face showed he was a successful man.

People waiting nearby kept a distance from him.

Someone close by said, “Among all the restaurants here, only Zhang’s is good.”

“Then you made a good choice. Zhang Ji is well known!”

“There are many Zhang’s restaurants. How did it get famous? Do you know which one? There are three Zhang’s on this street.”

“Do you see the logo? Zhang’s logo is special. It looks nice and is eye-catching. If you choose this restaurant, you’ll be fine when eating there.”

“Wow……”

Even though Zhang Rui was waiting for someone, he couldn’t help but smile as he listened to their talk.

Zhang Ji was started by him and his niece. She had a good eye for business. As soon as she heard about the new train station, she spent a lot of money to buy three shops next to each other. They combined them into one store to sell everything made by Zhang Ji.

They had been making a lot of money since the train station opened.

In addition to this location, they owned many other shops in Kyoto.

His niece cooked perfectly, while Xiao He had a great eye for clothing. He taught himself design and hired several designers.

This led to opening a clothing factory.

This time, he traveled south to learn about new fashion trends and buy machines.

In just two years, his business had developed, which is why he felt okay letting Jiaojiao go with him to broaden her horizons.

But now they are finally coming back.

Soon, the radio announced the train’s arrival.

Zhang Rui was startled and stopped paying attention to the conversations around him. He focused on the exit.

Finally, ten minutes later, following the crowd, a pair of striking boys and girls appeared before everyone. Even among the many people, Zhang Rui’s eyes locked on them the moment they showed up.

“Dad!” A bright voice rang out, and then the girl ran over from a distance like a bird and jumped into his arms.

“Oh!” Zhang Rui hugged his daughter, his eyes almost tearing up. “Dear, you’ve been away for so long, and Daddy missed you a lot!” After saying that, he immediately checked how she was doing.

Well, she looked fine, not darker, not thinner, still beautiful.

Tian Jiao grinned widely, showering him with sweet words: “Dad, I miss you too. This is my first time away from you for so long. I wasn’t used to it the first day.”  

“Hey, you must be tired. Let’s get in the car first. You can sleep on the way home. Dad will take you to your room.” Zhang Rui rubbed Tian Jiao’s head and was about to leave while holding her hand.

Tian Jiao didn’t notice anything wrong at first. She took a couple of steps before realizing something.

“Dad, wait a minute, Xiao He isn’t here yet.” She stopped.

Zhang Rui remembered that he almost forgot about him.

When he turned around, he saw Xiao He talking to a young man. When they noticed Xiao He was still there, he smiled and spoke quickly. After finishing, he ran over with a happy face and said politely, “Uncle, let’s go.”

“Have you explained everything about the goods?” Zhang Rui reminded him.

Xiao He nodded, “Yes, Song Ming will handle it, so I don’t need to worry.” He couldn’t move tens of thousands of goods by himself. They were in a special cargo carriage on the train, and he just needed to supervise it with his men.

Seeing this, Zhang Rui stopped talking but thought of something important. He pushed his daughter forward and followed Xiao He a couple of steps behind. He lowered his voice and asked, “Tell me, did you stay in separate rooms or one room this time?”

Xiao He: “…”