Chapter 15: What a Coincidence

For the first time, Hua Yuanyuan had the leisure to truly appreciate the green train she hadn’t ridden in years, contrasting it with the high-speed trains of the future.

Who could have imagined the earth-shattering changes in people’s lives over the past few decades?

It’s something you wouldn’t even dare dream of! Therefore, we must dare to dream big.

She rarely ate or drank much on the train.

If she got really thirsty, she’d take a small sip to moisten her throat; she really didn’t want to use the train’s restroom.

She’d boiled a dozen eggs at home and brought them along for her father and younger brother to eat if they got hungry.

Hua Yuanyuan climbed to the upper bunk, intending to sleep, but she couldn’t fall asleep at all.

She’d doze off for a while, then wake up again, repeatedly.

She knew every time the train arrived at a station, with people getting off and getting on.

Hua Youcai and Hua Fangfang didn’t sleep either. Lying on their lower bunks facing each other, they watched their luggage.

Clang, clang, clang—

At 6 a.m. on the 22nd of the twelfth lunar month, the train arrived in Beijing.

The ticket scalper said this was a temporary train added for the Spring Festival travel rush, and they were lucky to get tickets.

The three of them weren’t in a hurry; this was the final stop. They had a lot of luggage, so they got off last.

On the platform, they helped each other carry their luggage.

Hua Youcai and Hua Fangfang both used carrying poles, laden heavily on both ends.

With every step, the front end bumped against their luggage, while the back pressed tightly against their backs, bending the poles.

When they practiced at home, Hua Yuanyuan had worried the poles would break.

Of the three, she had the easiest load.

She carried a large package on her front and back, which looked big but were actually the lightest.

Following the flow of people to the exit for ticket checking, she gradually found herself at the front.

“Move forward, don’t block the exit.”

Reaching a less crowded area near a newsstand, she put down her luggage.

The station square was packed with people, carrying large and small bags, some arriving, some leaving…

“Dad, Xiao Fang, are you hungry? Let’s find somewhere to eat?”

Both shook their heads.

“Daughter, we’re not hungry. Let’s go home first.”

The city wasn’t like the countryside; everything required coupons. They didn’t have any.

This was the main reason why Hua Youcai had carried so much grain, oil, and other supplies from afar—without coupons, money was useless.

This was Hua Yuanyuan’s fault; she’d forgotten to tell her family that the apartment she rented was in the rural outskirts of Beijing.

She only said it was in Beijing, leading Hua Youcai to assume it was in the city proper.

This lovely misunderstanding would soon be cleared up.

The village’s supply and marketing cooperative was the same as the one in Xinghua Village: it didn’t require coupons. Rural people only had cloth coupons, not others.

Hua Yuanyuan bought newspapers, a map, and a bus route map from the newsstand, studying how to get back.

The last time she came, she hadn’t taken the bus.

At the train station, she’d been like a headless fly, holding an envelope, asking people everywhere how to get where she needed to go.

She’d run into a fellow soldier who was picking someone up and hitched a ride.

This time she wasn’t so lucky, although she still looked around, just in case.

…

Hmm? That car looks familiar.

Without hesitation, Hua Yuanyuan stood up and ran towards the green jeep.

The car had just stopped, and several soldiers in uniform got out, apparently catching the train.

“Daughter, where are you going? Don’t run around.”

Hua Youcai hurried to chase after her, only relaxing when he saw his daughter talking to the soldiers.

Although not far, Hua Yuanyuan jogged to stop the car, becoming more anxious as she saw the driver about to get in.

“Comrade, wait a moment!”

Hao Li waved to his comrades, about to get into the car, when he heard a clear, somewhat familiar voice.

Following the sound to see who it was, he recognized her instantly.

The feeling was strange.

It was clearly a stranger, yet he recognized her immediately. He didn’t realize this at the time.

Only her eyes were visible; her hat, clothes, and shoes were all different.

But it was those eyes, round and bright, that seemed to light up when she saw him.

The joy was palpable!

His wife hadn’t reacted like that when she saw him when he came home for a visit.

Hua Yuanyuan… had struck gold! If she bought a lottery ticket, she might win five million.

Her eyes shining with laughter, “Haha, this is great!”

No more transfers; she had a private car.

“Chief Hao, hello, do you remember me?”

She even winked.

Hao Li…

He thought she hadn’t recognized him; it was hard to recognize someone so well-wrapped up.

She pulled down her headscarf and neck warmer, revealing a smiling face.

Hao Li stared at her face for a moment, superimposing it with the face from a few days ago…

He cleared his throat awkwardly. Without looking at her eyes, he couldn’t believe how beautiful the dirty face had become after being cleaned!

Her skin was so white and tender, like a peeled egg.

He felt an urge to pull her neck warmer back up…

“Daughter, it’s freezing; quickly pull up your neck warmer.”

Hua Youcai’s sharp eyes had seen the soldier’s gaze.

His daughter was too pretty, which caused him worry.

“Dad, this is Chief Hao Li. He was the one who took me to the train station last time.”

“Yes, yes, we troubled him so much.”

“Chief Hao, are you going back to the base? Would it be convenient to give us a ride?”

Hua Yuanyuan’s approach was direct and straightforward.

Hua Youcai thought: My daughter is too honest; she needs to learn some strategy.

Hao Li helped load the luggage into the car. Luckily, he was driving himself. If it had been a driver, there might not have been enough room.

Since they’d run into each other, he would definitely help, no matter who it was.

Hua Yuanyuan’s straightforward nature wasn’t annoying at all.

Hao Li hated women who were hesitant and indirect, making you guess what they meant; it gave him a headache.

Hua Youcai sat in the passenger seat, with a bag under his legs and another on his lap.

In the back, Hua Fangfang and Hua Yuanyuan sat close together amidst the luggage.

Not long after the car started, the siblings fell asleep.

Hao Li still had some things to do, after which he would go straight home.

Hua Youcai exchanged a few pleasantries before also dozing off.

Hao Li looked at the family of three sleeping soundly, feeling amused and helpless.

He wondered if Chief Wang knew that Hua Yuanyuan had come.

Chief Wang was still on leave; weren’t they from the same village?

He hadn’t deliberately inquired about Wang Chang Jiang and Hua Yuanyuan.

He’d heard snippets of gossip everywhere. When Chief Wang was around, people whispered behind his back. Now that he was on leave, they talked even more.

People called her a “she-tiger,” a “ruthless woman,” a rural woman who couldn’t manage a household and couldn’t have children…

Hao Li couldn’t connect the woman sleeping soundly in the back seat with those descriptions.

Her eyes were so pure and innocent…

He couldn’t understand.