CHAPTER 9: Going to the Countryside

To silence the gossip, even though Zhang Lanjun was extremely unwilling, she still had to prepare the supplies Su Yuan would need for the trip.

Her face stayed dark every day, casting a gloomy pall over the entire Su household.

Zhao Xiaoxue only dared to secretly rejoice in her heart, wishing Su Yuan would leave the very next day. From then on, both the Su family and Xiao Qi would be hers alone!

On the day before leaving Beijing—

Su Yuan once again went through her luggage. She’d acquired quite a few new things recently, and everything needed to be packed.

Seeing her buzzing about like a busy little bee, Zhao Xiaoxue grew curious about what was inside that bag.

She stepped into Su Yuan’s bedroom and, with a half-smile, said,
“Most people cry for days before going to the countryside. You being this happy… that’s rare.”

Su Yuan paused, then replied coolly,
“I’m busy. If you have something to say, say it. If not, stop standing there in the way.”

“You—!”

Zhao Xiaoxue was fuming, but instead of leaving, she plopped down into a chair.

“Once you leave, this room will be mine. What’s wrong with me getting familiar with it ahead of time?”

The smug look on her face was the picture of petty triumph. Su Yuan couldn’t be bothered to waste words on her and went back to packing.

Just then, Zhao Xiaoxue’s gaze landed on a fountain pen on the desk. She didn’t recognize the brand, but it was obvious it was something valuable.

She was about to pick it up when Su Yuan beat her to it, slipping it into her satchel.

“Who gave you that pen? Don’t tell me it was Xiao Qi?”

Su Yuan looked at her as if she were an idiot and nearly laughed in disbelief.
“It wasn’t from him. You’d better not even think about it.”

Having her thoughts exposed made Zhao Xiaoxue flush with embarrassment and anger.
“It’s just a stupid pen. What’s the big deal? Once you’re in the countryside doing farm work every day, you’ll see — that stupid pen won’t be of any use!”

Su Yuan’s brows knitted. She found her unbearably annoying.
She pointed at the chair Zhao Xiaoxue was sitting on and said flatly,
“There’s a nail sticking out there. Didn’t you feel it poking you?”

“…”

Zhao Xiaoxue’s eyes went wide in alarm. She scrambled to her feet — rip! Her skirt tore open with a loud sound.

At the same time, her bottom throbbed painfully, enough to bring tears to her eyes. She clutched at her backside and ran out calling for Zhang Lanjun.

Once she was gone, Su Yuan shut the door with a decisive bang, and the world felt blissfully quiet again.

In truth, the nail on that chair could only snag fabric, not pierce skin. Any pain Zhao Xiaoxue felt was purely in her head.

After locking her bags, Su Yuan went to say goodbye to Li Chaoyang and Sun Xiaohu.

By now, the entire compound knew she was going to the countryside as an educated youth. The comments flying around were all over the place, but she treated them as if she hadn’t heard a thing.

Not far from the Su house, Xiao Qi blocked her path.

The man’s tall frame loomed over her, making it impossible to dodge.

“Are you going to the countryside just to avoid me?”

Su Yuan met his gaze.
“No.”

“Then why are you going? The winters in the Northeast are bitterly cold — you’ll never handle it with your health. And with Fu Mobai’s performance, in another two years he’ll definitely be transferred back to Beijing. Don’t tell me you’re giving up on him too?”

Though he hated to bring up his rival, Xiao Qi was desperate to keep her from leaving.

Su Yuan’s expression didn’t change in the slightest…

Seeing that tactic fail, Xiao Qi grew both relieved and anxious, lowering his voice.
“Yuan Yuan, I know you resent me. I was wrong before. Don’t go, okay? I won’t force you again.”

Regret shone in his eyes. He hated himself for using such aggressive methods and driving her away.

But Su Yuan, tired of his endless talking and unwillingness to listen, didn’t bother explaining. She simply kicked him, said “Move,” and slipped past before he could react.

The decision to go to the countryside was already set in stone. No matter how capable Xiao Qi was, he couldn’t change it.

….

The next morning—

Su Yuan had her hair in two neat braids, a short-sleeved white shirt paired with green army pants, and carried two large bags as she came downstairs.

The whole Su family was gathered in the main hall to see her off.

Su Jianguo called his eldest son over to help with the luggage. Then he turned to Su Yuan.
“The journey’s long, and you’re too young for me to feel at ease. I’m sending Aimin to escort you to Qingshan City and take Ye Jie to the hospital while he’s at it.”

He was a suspicious man by nature — unless he confirmed things for himself, he wouldn’t be at ease.

Su Yuan pretended to be happy, but inside she worried that once they arrived, her godmother might accidentally give them away if she saw Su Aimin without warning.

The only solution was to rely on Wen Yan. So she subtly gave her a signal, and their years of tacit understanding let Wen Yan instantly grasp her meaning.

Zhang Lanjun’s expression was complicated — tangled with many emotions — as she watched Su Yuan about to leave.

Standing beside her, Zhao Xiaoxue slipped her arm through hers and said sweetly,
“Mom, aren’t you going to see my sister off? Once she’s gone, who knows when she’ll be back. Aunt Ye is really lucky to have such a filial goddaughter.”

Zhang Lanjun’s heart, which had just softened, hardened again at those words. She curled her lips in indifference.
“She’s more than capable. She doesn’t need me to see her off.”

With that, she turned upstairs without the slightest courtesy. Zhao Xiaoxue followed behind her, smiling.

For a moment, the atmosphere was awkward.

Su Jianguo frowned, clearly displeased with his biological daughter.

Trying to salvage his wife’s image, he cleared his throat and said gently,
“Yuanyuan, your mom only acts this way because she can’t bear to see you go. Once you’re there, you must take good care of yourself. If she knew you weren’t doing well, she’d be crying in no time.”

“Mm, I will. You two take care as well.”

Before leaving, Su Yuan kept her smile and her composure, offering the household a final, graceful farewell.

Because she knew that once she stepped out of the Su family’s gates today, this would no longer be her home.

Outside the courtyard waited a jeep. Su Aimin loaded the luggage into the passenger seat, then spent some time giving instructions to his pregnant wife before climbing in.

Su Yuan said goodbye to everyone, then got into the vehicle as well.

Wen Yan’s eyes were red. She ran over, and as the car slowly started, she secretly slipped a folded envelope into Su Yuan’s hand.

In a low voice, she urged,
“If you ever run into trouble, you must send me a telegram. Whoever dares to bully you—even if they’re at the ends of the earth—I’ll come after them to avenge you!”

Su Yuan felt a rush of warmth. All the words she wanted to say condensed into just one phrase—“Take care.”

She didn’t need to open the envelope to know it contained money.

To have a confidante and true friend in life—what more could one ask for?

….

More than an hour later.

The car arrived at the train station. Su Aimin unloaded the luggage and led Su Yuan to the ticket check.

The platform was crowded with countless reunions and farewells.

The train bound for Longjiang Province was already waiting. Their tickets were for regular seats, and the journey to their destination would take thirty hours.

One of their seats was by the window. Su Aimin gave that one to Su Yuan, taking the middle seat himself.

Across from them sat two young men and a young woman—judging from their clothes, they looked like educated youths heading to the countryside.

The young woman smiled warmly at Su Yuan. “Are you an educated youth too?”

“Yes, I am.”

Su Yuan smiled back. “Where are you going for your assignment?”

This train traveled northbound. The girl replied, “We’re all headed to Longjiang Province.”

“What a coincidence—I am too.” Su Yuan’s eyes lit up, feeling a sudden sense of meeting kindred spirits in a faraway place.

The girl brightened as well. “That’s great! Zhou Zhe and I are going to Qingshan City, and Dazhuang is going to Harbin. What about you?”

“I’m assigned to Baiyun Village in Qingshan City.”

Hearing the village name was different, the girl looked a little disappointed, but quickly regained her smile. “My name’s Feng Shumiao. I’m happy to meet you.”

Su Yuan introduced herself as well and took out a few candies to share with them.

They were all young, with endless topics to chat about—learning from one another, encouraging each other. Time passed quickly in laughter.

Sitting beside them, Su Aimin stayed quiet. To him, they were just kids—no common ground for conversation.

By evening, Su Yuan wiped her hands clean and pulled two boiled eggs and two white steamed buns from her bag. Handing him one portion, she teased,
“I didn’t know you’d be coming to see me off, so I only packed for myself. There’s not much—just make do.”

Taking the food, Su Aimin’s expression turned a little awkward. Seeing that the three across from them weren’t paying attention, he lowered his voice.
“Dad was afraid you’d refuse if you knew, so he didn’t tell you I’d be coming. And… I wanted to see Godmother too. It’s been years—I’ve missed her.”

“You’ve met her before? When?”

Su Yuan bit into her bun, curious about the Su family’s past.

Seeing no harm in telling her, Su Aimin began reminiscing.

The Su family had moved to Beijing in 1956. Before that, they’d lived in Harbin, Longjiang Province.

Every New Year, their father would take the three children to Qingshan to pay respects to Ye Jie.

Every time they returned from these visits, Zhang Lanjun would get angry, and it would take Su Father days to coax her out of it.

Back then, the children didn’t understand why. As they grew, they began to sense the reason.

Between a biological mother and a godmother, the choice of who to be close to was obvious. Gradually, they became more distant from Ye Jie—everyone except Su Yuan, who remained oblivious and continued to visit her warmly.

“This time, by going to the countryside, you’ve probably hurt Mom’s feelings for good. When you come home for New Year, try to make it up to her. She’ll talk to you again.”

“Mm, alright.”

Su Yuan nodded vaguely, chewing her bun, her thoughts already drifting away…

The train clattered on through the night. After enduring a full day and night plus half another day, they finally arrived.

August weather was stiflingly hot—the Northeast was no cooler than Beijing.

Su Yuan fanned herself with her hand as she followed the crowd off the train. Su Aimin trailed behind, carrying two bags.

At the station exit, they parted ways with Feng Shumiao and the others, then began searching for Ye Jie.

Su Yuan had only seen her in black-and-white photos, and those were never accurate, so spotting her in a crowd wasn’t easy.

Suddenly, a voice called from not far away. Looking over, Su Yuan saw a short-haired woman smiling at them.

Su Aimin recognized her instantly. Leading Su Yuan over, he greeted her, “Godmother, I’m Aimin—do you remember me?”

Ye Jie’s eyes widened. She gave his shoulder a hearty smack and laughed.
“Well, look at you—grown so tall! You’re looking more and more like your deadbeat dad.”

“….”

His shoulder smarting, Su Aimin still managed a smile. “I don’t look like Father—Third Brother looks most like him.”

Watching this exchange, Su Yuan almost burst out laughing. She held it in, greeting with poise,
“Hello, Godmother. I’m Yuanyuan.”