Chapter 3

When Mr. and Mrs. Mo received the notice, they were completely stunned. Didn’t Yutong say she was going to the department store? Why was she going to the countryside as an educated youth? They had never expected such a big turn of events.

Firstly, it was for policy reasons. According to last year’s document, people with only one child were not allowed to go to the countryside. Secondly, her Yu’er was just a delicate and soft little girl. How could she do farm work? Not to mention farm work, even making a fire and cooking was an extremely difficult task.

“Old Mo, do you think something happened to Yu’er?” Mother Mo sat in the deputy director’s office with a gloomy look on her face and asked her husband on the other end of the phone.

It’s not that she was overthinking it, but what happened in the Finance Department next door made her think too much.

Ms. Li from the Finance Department has a son and a daughter. Three years ago, her son responded to the national call and went to the countryside. According to the policy, the daughter stayed with him.

As a result, the girl had a boyfriend without Sister Li’s knowledge. The boyfriend was the second child in a large family. Last year, he was blocked at his door by people from the street committee and was asked to go to the countryside.

When the girl learned that the property was going to be sent to the countryside, she also clamored to go with her. Sister Li couldn’t go against the national policy, so she could only watch her girl happily get on the train with tears in her eyes.

I didn’t expect that this would be our final farewell. He passed away in less than a year. I heard that he drowned while taking a bath in the river, and he was still naked when he was fished out.

When Sister Li received the message, she was so shocked that she fainted. It was Xiaolin from the Security Department who carried her to the People’s Hospital.

“Don’t think too much. Baby smiles every day. What can happen?” Although Dad Mo said this, he couldn’t help but feel a pang in his heart.

He had also heard his wife talk about Sister Li. Could it be that the baby is in a relationship… No, his baby’s carefree and cheerful look doesn’t seem like he’s in a relationship.

Thinking back to when he was dating his wife, he had no appetite and would run to her house whenever he had free time. Even just looking at her from across the street was enough to make him happy for the whole day, and he would laugh silly laughs from time to time every day.

How can I be like my baby, who eats biscuits and then cakes, and then eats melon seeds and then peanuts.

“But why is she going to the countryside suddenly? I found out that she is going to a poor county under Yu City, Sichuan Province, and it is the most remote commune.” Mother Mo’s eyes became red as she spoke. How could her precious child go to such a poor place? How could she bear to let her go?

“How about I think of a solution?” In fact, Mo’s father had also inquired about some of the situation. He not only knew which commune Bao Bao was going to join the team, but also knew that it was the place she had applied to go to herself.

“How are we going to find a way to catch the train the day after tomorrow morning?” Mother Mo knew that everything was a foregone conclusion. Even if they had the ability to do it, it would definitely not be now.

She and Lao Mo, one is the deputy director of the municipal food company and the other is the director of the meat processing plant. Both are incumbent cadres who eat commercial grain. They must not make mistakes in this sensitive period.

It is better to wait for a year or two and then apply for her to return to the city due to injury. After all, urban educated youth who become ill or injured after going to the countryside and cannot participate in agricultural production, and who have no relatives to rely on in the countryside and have a home to return to in the city, can apply to move back to the city.

“I’ll take two days off and go home soon.” Some things have to be said behind closed doors at home. This is a factory, and it’s not as safe as home.

“Okay, then I’ll take two days off as well to prepare things for Yu’er.” After saying that, Mother Mo quickly hung up the phone.

They all asked for leave and went home, only to see Mo Yutong lying on the bed taking a nap, with the corners of her beautiful lips slightly raised, as if she had dreamed of something good.

“How about we go buy something before the department store closes?” Mother Mo’s words were agreed by Father Mo.

The two of them turned around immediately, with no intention of disturbing Mo Yutong’s sweet dream, and quickly asked the driver to take them straight to the department store.

In her dream, Mo Yutong was walking on the pedestrian street built for her by her Mr. Yan. The usually bustling street seemed to have been cleared.

There was no one on the wide sidewalk, only the commercial buildings on both sides of the road had their lonely doors open.

Four streets named Food Street, Shopping Street, Entertainment Street and Health Street divide the entire area into four parts in a cross shape. The intersection is a small circular square with a large fountain in the center and water stations installed around the fountain.

But now, not only is there no water flowing out of the fountain, but even the water valve at the water station cannot be opened.

Being alone in a quiet space, she should be afraid, but she is not. There are too many memories of hers here, and all of them are about Mr. Yan.

Mr. Yan, who felt distressed and blamed himself when she sprained her ankle; Mr. Yan, who took good care of her when she was sick; Mr. Yan, who was gentle and doting when she laughed unrestrainedly; Mr. Yan, who was deeply moved when she gave him a gift.

The Mr. Yan she loved, the Mr. Yan she missed madly, her Mr. Yan…

Mo Yutong opened her eyes and rubbed the corners of her eyes. The familiar ceiling, the familiar bookshelf, she was still in 1975 and had not returned to the ward thirty years later.

But that Xinyi Pedestrian Street is so real…

Before Mo Yutong could come to his senses, he was standing in the square again.

Could it be… She looked and saw that her body was still lying on the bed, but her consciousness had been separated.

Mo Yutong said silently in his heart: I want to go out.

With a flash of consciousness, she felt the softness of the quilt again.

This seemed like a space. Mo Yutong became excited when he thought of such a large pedestrian street and so many things.

“Octopus balls.” Mo Yutong sat on the bed and spread out his palms and said softly.

How could there be no octopus balls? There was a shop in the food court that sold them, and Mr. Yan had bought some for her, and they were delicious.

“Rice.” Mo Yutong shouted again.

There was no rice. Mo Yutong got out of bed and searched for a while, but there was not a single grain of rice.

Is it possible to just recite it silently in my heart? Mo Yutong did as he was told, but still nothing happened.

If there is nothing, then what is the meaning of its appearance? Mo Yutong was confused.

I stared at the small bag beside the bed and thought it would be nice if I could put it in there.

As soon as the thought flashed through his mind, the shoulder bag disappeared. Mo Yutong quickly put his consciousness into the space to check, and found that the shoulder bag was lying obediently on the bench in the square.

It turned out that this was just a storage space, and those supermarkets and pharmacies were just background boards and had nothing to do with her. It was really a useless space that was tasteless to eat and a pity to throw away.

Mo Yutong was a little discouraged, but she soon regained her energy. Although she could not bring the things from thirty years later to Brother Li, she could buy a lot of things and store them in the space.

Just when Mo Yutong was so happy that she was about to fly, Mo’s father and mother, who had just returned from a big shopping trip at the department store, were moving things into the courtyard where they lived.

He provided a lot of clothes, daily necessities and food, fearing that his precious child would be wronged.