The waiting room at Yucheng Railway Station was spacious, with many long wooden benches for passengers to rest on.

After picking up the tickets from the counter, Yan Ming found a seat by the window. “Xiuzhu, sit down and rest for a bit. The train won’t arrive for a while.”

“Alright,” Xiuzhu replied, taking the seat he had chosen.

Due to the “Up to the Mountains, Down to the Countryside” movement, large numbers of educated youth—referred to as zhiqing—had been leaving the cities for rural areas since 1955 to receive re-education from the poor and lower-middle peasants.

Some went voluntarily, while others had no choice.

But regardless of the reason, once they left, no one knew when they would reunite with their families again.

So, on the eve of departure, the station was filled with the sound of sobbing, as if it were a scene of life and death, making it heartbreaking to witness.

Xiuzhu’s delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly. Next year, even more zhiqing would be sent to the countryside, but she knew she wouldn’t be one of them.

She was well aware of herself—completely ignorant about farming, lazy when it came to work, and if she ended up marrying someone there, it would likely be a rough and unrefined man. That was not the life she wanted.

Pressing her cherry lips together, she withdrew her gaze, choosing not to pay further attention.

But after a while, curiosity got the better of her, and she continued glancing around.

The last time she had been at the train station was five years ago, traveling with her parents. She had been young then, and much of it was now a blur.

Looking outside through the window, she saw many people climbing through the train windows, scrambling to secure spots on the luggage racks.

The scene fascinated Xiuzhu, though she was unaware that she, too, had become a sight for others to admire.

She looked to be around seventeen or eighteen years old, tall and slender, with bright eyes and white teeth. Her beauty was fresh and ethereal—her exquisitely shaped oval face was fair with a rosy glow, her cherry lips were full and luminous, and her lips were gently pressed together.

She wore a light blue blouse with a black suspender dress. Under the scorching sun, her snow-like skin glowed like translucent jade, making her appear as if she were an immortal descending to the mortal world, breathtakingly beautiful.

At that moment, a few men with shifty expressions seemed to be secretly observing the crowd. A trace of cunning flickered in their eyes.

“Boss, look at that girl—she’s something else,” one of them whispered.

The man addressed as “Boss” turned to look at Xiuzhu, his face filling with even greater greed.

But seeing the burly man sitting beside her, he knew he had no chance. He clenched his teeth in frustration and barked at his subordinate, “Something else? My ass!

“Didn’t you see the guy next to her? You have a death wish?”

Snapped out of his daze by his boss’s words, the lackey finally noticed the intimidating figure beside the girl.

The man was terrifyingly massive—towering, dark-skinned, and built like an ox. His fierce expression, combined with a pair of eyes as large as copper bells, gleamed with menace as he scanned the surroundings.

His eyes were wide, his lips slightly parted. In an instant, the lackey spun around and bolted, using every ounce of strength to flee.

It was as if something terrifying was chasing him, and he dared not stop for even a second.

…

Yan Ming and Xiuzhu were, of course, unaware of any of this.

At this moment, Yan Ming was solely focused on staying completely alert, refusing to leave Xiuzhu’s side for even a moment.

If anything happened to her, he would have no choice but to die to atone for it.

Thinking of Deputy Division Commander Lin—the notorious daughter-doting maniac—Yan Ming shuddered. Death wouldn’t be enough; that man would make him wish he were dead!

A chill ran down his spine as he stiffened, his copper-bell eyes scanning the surroundings even more fiercely.

In the front row, a little boy playing in his mother’s lap was being scolded impatiently:

“If you keep misbehaving, the bear monster will come for you—it loves snatching up naughty children like you!”

The boy continued playing, unfazed. He had heard this kind of warning countless times—there was no such thing as a bear monster.

But when he turned around absentmindedly…

Waaah! The bear monster was real! Its massive eyes were scanning for misbehaving children!

Terrified, he buried his head in his mother’s arms, too scared to even cry or move a muscle.

Yan Ming…??

A long whistle echoed through the air as the train slowly pulled into the station.

In the sweltering heat of over 30 degrees Celsius, the platform instantly became a sea of voices. Passengers rushed forward, scrambling to board.

The sleeper cars were less crowded, and passengers waiting to board this carriage stood in an orderly queue, well-mannered and disciplined. There was no shoving or chaos.

The same could not be said for the adjacent carriage, where the boarding area had turned into utter mayhem.

Amidst the jostling, a sharp, shrill voice rang out:

“You damn useless thing! You eat more than anyone at home, and you still can’t push your way in? If you don’t get inside quickly, you can forget about eating when we get home! Now hurry up and get a good spot for my precious grandson!”

The voice came from an elderly woman with a sallow, thin face. The lower part of her cheeks was sunken, with deep lines of hardship etched into her skin, making her look sharp and mean-spirited.

She wore a dark blue coarse cloth blouse and pants, about eighty percent new.

Beside her stood a thin, timid-looking woman with a weary expression. Her patched-up clothing bore clear signs of poverty.

She seemed used to the old woman’s scoldings and insults. Her lips were pale, and fine beads of sweat dotted her forehead, trickling down her temples and sticking to her cheeks, making her look utterly wretched.

Yet she showed no intention of stopping. Despite the verbal abuse, she continued pushing forward, straining under the weight of a chubby, dark-skinned boy around five or six years old in her arms.

Xiuzhu gave them a quick glance and then continued boarding.

With Yan Ming by her side, they got onto the train smoothly, quickly finding their assigned berths.

Once inside their private soft sleeper compartment, Xiuzhu and Yan Ming were the only occupants.

Yan Ming put their luggage away and turned to her. “Xiuzhu, you should lie down and rest for a while. It’s still quiet since not everyone has arrived yet.”

“Alright.”

Xiuzhu’s berth was on the upper bunk on the left. She took out an old bedsheet from home, spread it over the mattress, and weakly lay down on the soft bed.

The compartment was designed for four passengers, but two berths were still empty.

In this era, even having money didn’t guarantee a sleeper ticket—buying one required a recommendation letter. The chances of the other berths remaining vacant were slim.

Since her mother had woken her up early this morning, she hadn’t had a moment to rest. Add to that the restless dreams she had last night, and now, with her delicate, untrained body, she was utterly exhausted.

“Xiuzhu, if you get thirsty, hungry, or need to use the restroom, just tell Uncle Yan. Don’t be shy, alright?”

A deep yet strangely strained voice broke the silence.

Xiuzhu found it awkward to listen to. “Uncle Yan, just talk normally. I know you well enough. If I need anything, I’ll let you know. You should rest too.”

Yan Ming was 30 years old. At 15, he had been recruited from the countryside into the army, serving under father Lin ever since. He had practically watched Xiuzhu grow up.

Since it was just the two of them in the compartment, there was no awkwardness.

“Heh heh heh, got it. I’ll put the luggage away and then lie down.”

“This is the first time in my whole life I’ve slept in a soft sleeper! I won’t waste a second of it. Except for, well… cough going to the bathroom and eating, I’m not leaving this bed!”

His familiar, hearty voice filled the small compartment.

Xiuzhu raised an eyebrow in playful exasperation but said nothing more. She simply lay back and closed her eyes to rest.