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The moment her stepmother was mentioned, Yu Bai’s voice grew emotional.
“That woman took our mom’s job and used our family’s money to buy her daughter a job. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have to go to the countryside at all!”
“If I weren’t a boy, Dad wouldn’t have bothered buying me a job either.”
“Dad listens to that woman like she’s the emperor. There’s a saying for this: ‘With a stepmother comes a stepfather.’”
“Yu Mo, let’s forget about other people—for ourselves alone, we must hold our heads high and fight for our future!”
“I’ll work hard to pull some strings in the city and get you transferred back. You must stay safe while you’re in the countryside…”
Lin Ting was moved by what she heard.
“Every family really does have its struggles. Life isn’t easy for anyone.”
She glanced at Yu Mo’s face and realized how young the girl looked.
Just a middle school graduate—what, 14 or 15 years old at most?
Right then, a man in a black Zhongshan suit stepped out of the crowd with a megaphone and shouted:
“All youth heading to the countryside, gather here! The tractor will arrive soon and take you to the train station!”
People quickly gathered in front of him. Lin Ting also hurried over.
Yu Mo reluctantly followed Lin Ting, turning back to shout to her brother:
“Don’t worry, Brother, I’ll take care of myself. You take care in the city too!”
“Mm-hmm!”
Just before parting, Yu Bai shoved all his savings into his sister’s hand. Before Yu Mo could even react, he’d already ridden off on his bicycle.
The girl naturally began crying again.
Lin Ting, fumbling a little, handed her a handkerchief.
Surprised and touched, Yu Mo said politely:
“Thank you.”
Like someone clutching a lifeline, she started chatting nervously:
“Comrade, where are you going for the relocation?”
“Northeast.”
Yu Mo’s eyes lit up:
“Me too! I’m going to the Northeast!”
“I really hope we’ll end up in the same place.”
Lin Ting gave a soft smile, keeping her tone gentle:
“Let’s hope so.”
Seeing that Lin Ting didn’t mind her being chatty, Yu Mo stuck close the entire time, talking non-stop—it was her way of coping with the anxiety of heading into the unknown.
Lin Ting said little in return, but her occasional responses were comforting enough for the girl.
The tractor bumped along the road until they finally reached the train station.
At the platform, they saw a mother holding back tears while straightening her child’s collar. The father stood silently beside them, holding a suitcase. Both Lin Ting and Yu Mo sighed softly at the scene.
Later, they learned that child was also a sent-down youth heading to the Northeast, just like them.
The only difference—that person had a sleeping berth ticket, while they had hard seats.
Inside the crowded green train carriage, some sang revolutionary songs while others quietly wiped away tears. The view from the windows slowly changed from familiar city streets to unfamiliar fields.
Lin Ting silently watched it all.
Her emotions were different from the others.
This was a rare second chance given to her by fate.
She had to grasp it tightly—this time, she and her family must survive.
The carriage slowly grew quiet as most passengers dozed off, leaving only the rhythmic clatter of wheels on the tracks.
As Lin Ting dozed, she vaguely heard soft sobbing beside her—Yu Mo was crying again.
Her heart ached. She gently pulled the girl closer, letting her lean on her shoulder.
“Just surviving is already a win.”
“As long as we’re alive, there’s hope.”
Yu Mo began to share her story in a low, broken voice:
“I’m not crying for myself… I’m worried about my brother.”
“My mom died when I was ten. Not even three months later, Dad brought home a new woman. She had a daughter two years older than me. That girl took my clothes and snacks and always tattled on me. Dad punished me a lot because of her.”
“My brother had it worse. The stepmother constantly complained about him. Once, Dad beat him so badly he couldn’t get out of bed for three days.”
“I sneaked off to find Grandpa, who took my brother to the hospital. Otherwise, I might not even have a brother now.”
“Now that I’m leaving… what if it happens again? That stepmother and her daughter would never take him to the hospital.”
Lin Ting patted her shoulder gently and comforted her:
“Your brother’s a grown man now. He can protect himself. You staying alive and well—that means more to him than anything.”
Yu Mo leaned on Lin Ting’s shoulder and fell asleep unknowingly.
Listening to her even breathing, Lin Ting’s thoughts drifted to her previous life.
Chen Li had once claimed he “wasn’t physically capable” just to avoid touching her.
Even after decades of marriage, she had slept alone every night—never hearing another’s breath beside her.
Her mother-in-law scolded her for being a “hen that won’t lay eggs,” but for the sake of Chen Li’s dignity, she endured in silence.
Only later did she find out—Chen Li had always loved another woman. He remained “pure” for that white moonlight in his heart.
And to protect that woman, Chen Li even staged a car accident to kill Lin Ting.
Lin Ting sneered coldly in her heart.
“This life, I’m breaking off the engagement.”
“They deserve each other, those shameless lovers!”
“Let’s see how Chen Li survives without my dowry, without the Lin family’s connections and support!”
Finally, they arrived in the Northeast. Lin Ting and Yu Mo lugged their bags off the train.
Just outside the station stood a bullock cart and a tractor, both seemingly waiting for someone.
As Lin Ting was about to ask if they were there for the sent-down youth, a man in his middle years standing next to the bullock cart called out:
“Are you the educated youth?”
“Yes, yes.”
The man quickly said:
“I’m here to pick up Zhong Shuhe, Lin Ting, and Yu Mo.”
Lin Ting and Yu Mo’s hearts sank.
They had been hoping to be sent to a better village—and it was obvious the team with a tractor was the better one.
Before they could say anything, a sharp voice came from behind:
“Your brigade only has this broken bullock cart?!”
The middle-aged man clicked his tongue.
“City girls sure speak their minds!”
“If our village wasn’t poor, do you think we’d be assigned only female youth?”
He sighed.
“When I get back, I don’t even know how I’ll explain this to the villagers…”
Still, he gave a forced smile:
“We’re not like you folks in the city. Having a bullock cart is already a big deal for us.”
Lin Ting glanced over and realized—it was the same girl they saw at the platform, the one whose mother had straightened her collar while holding back tears.
Her family clearly had money and connections—how else could she get a sleeping berth ticket?
And honestly, Lin Ting’s butt was still sore from the hard seat!
The girl—Zhong Shuhe—was now throwing a fit.
“I’m not riding a bullock cart! I want to go to the brigade that can afford a tractor!”
She was breaking down inside.
“No way am I going to some poor countryside to suffer!”
But the middle-aged man wasn’t angry. He simply replied:
“Then go ask the other brigade if they’ll take you.”
“One less educated youth? Great by me!”