Jiang Min walked forward resolutely, not looking back, even though her heart ached.

She was determined to move into the sunlight, leaving behind everything related to Liang Tiefeng and Liang Laopozi.

“Liang Tiefeng, I no longer owe you anything.”

“You’ve never owed me anything; it’s I who owe you,” he thought.

If he could, he wouldn’t want her to leave or let go.

Jiang Min slowly pried his fingers off her.

Although he was unwilling, he dared not anger her further and could only let go with pain.

He watched as she led Xiaomeng toward the ticket check.

Xiaomeng kept waving back at him, but he only fixed his gaze on Jiang Min’s back, hoping she might look back at him.

But she never did.

Jiang Lin led Xiaojun. “Say goodbye to your dad.”

Xiaojun said, “Dad…”

Liang Tiefeng could no longer hold back his emotions and rubbed his face vigorously.

He told Jiang Lin, “I’ll send money to you every month.”

Jiang Lin replied, “Keep it for yourself. The money will be needed when the children are older. We don’t need it now.” She didn’t even want to say goodbye and walked away with Xiaojun.

Jiang Xinglei, carrying a quilt, lunch box, and tea cup, passed by Liang Tiefeng and couldn’t help but tell him what Liang Laopozi had done to Xiaomeng. “She really is heartless, not even caring about her own granddaughter?”

Liang Tiefeng felt as if he had been punched.

He had thought that the old lady might have been reluctant to share with Xiaomeng and Xiaojun, but he hadn’t expected her to be so cruel just to express her dissatisfaction with Jiang Min.

He almost couldn’t stand.

Cheng Rushan patted him on the shoulder. “Remember, you’re a man.” He turned and walked away without looking back.

Liang Tiefeng thought of something and called out, “Wait a moment.”

He caught up with Cheng Rushan and handed him an envelope. “For Jiang Min.”

Cheng Rushan glanced at it. “A relic?”

Liang Tiefeng’s eyes were filled with pain and complexity as he nodded.

Cheng Rushan said, “You really are something.”

He took the letter, passed through the ticket check, and boarded the train with Jiang Lin and the others.

Liang Tiefeng stood there, unable to see anything anymore but unwilling to turn back.

If he turned back, he would be moving in the opposite direction and would lose them completely.

Only by moving forward could he still see them, and as long as he saw them ahead, it felt like he would never truly lose them.

For years, he had taken her to work in the mornings, brought her home in the evenings, and heard his children call him “Dad” at night.

Now, she was taking all of that away.

From now on, mornings, evenings, days, and nights would no longer have sunshine and laughter for him, only endless memories and loneliness.

Liang Tiefeng felt as if his heart was empty and all hope in his life had been taken away.

On the hospital bed, Liang Laopozi was lamenting, but she was in so much pain, unable to move or speak clearly.

When she opened her eyes, she expected to see her son.

When he didn’t appear, she cried. When Liang Tiefeng finally returned, she glanced behind him and asked, “Where’s Xiaojun?”

Liang Tiefeng looked drained and didn’t want to say anything.

What could he say?

Blame her for mistreating Xiaomeng and driving Jiang Min away?

The truth was, if Jiang Min didn’t want to stay with her, she would have found a way to leave eventually.

“Give me back my eldest grandson!” Liang Laopozi demanded, shaking with anger and trying to move, but she couldn’t.

Liang Tiefeng said, “Mother, Jiang Min has taken them away. Stop making trouble. You’ve already driven them away…”

“Ah—ah—” Liang Laopozi screamed in protest.

It wasn’t her fault they left; she never wanted them to stay!

She had always suggested having more children, but Liang Tiefeng had said that having more children would be hard on Jiang Min.

Now that she had support, she left immediately! What could she say?

Liang Laopozi, enraged and speechless, her mind racing and lips trembling, cried out, “My eldest grandson!”

“Tiefeng, you, you… listen to your mother…” She tried to speak to Liang Tiefeng, but her voice was unclear.

Liang Tiefeng replied, “You’re injured. Just focus on recovering.”

Finally, Liang Laopozi managed to shout, “Son, we don’t need your good conditions. Quickly find a good girl, there are plenty who want to be your wife! Have seven or eight grandsons for me!”

Liang Tiefeng looked at her in disbelief. “What are you saying?”

“I’m telling you to get married and find a good girl to give me many grandsons!” Liang Laopozi shouted, banging her head against the pillow like a wounded wolf, her voice harsh and her gaze cold.

Liang Tiefeng felt as if he didn’t know her anymore, though she was painfully familiar.

He was filled with cold fear and panic.

Was this how Jiang Min saw him?

---

On the train from the county town to the city, they had hard seats, with five seats across facing each other.

Jiang Lin, seeing the children were nervous, tried to cheer them up by telling them stories, talking about the fun things in the provincial capital, and about their older siblings.

Although they hadn’t met yet, it was good to get familiar beforehand so that their eventual meeting wouldn’t be too awkward.

Jiang Lin noticed that Xiaojun was very timid outside.

At home, he was loud and confident, but in the presence of strangers, he became anxious and fearful, afraid of being taken away.

However, old habits die hard and will need to be corrected slowly, while also being careful not to swing from one extreme to another.

Cheng Rushan handed the bulging envelope to Jiang Lin for her to pass on to Jiang Min.

When Cheng Rushan and Jiang Xinglei went to their activities, Jiang Lin gave the letter to Jiang Min.

At first, Jiang Min didn’t want to read it, thinking it was from Liang Tiefeng.

But when she saw the name on the envelope, her face changed.

Jin Haiping.

This name hadn’t been mentioned in years.

Liang Tiefeng only referred to him when he was upset, never using the name directly.

She had never spoken of it, considering it a taboo.

Jin Haiping was associated with her most beautiful yet painful youth, sealed in memory.

After she married Liang Tiefeng in winter, he came back from the border for the New Year, but she was too ashamed to see him and didn’t want to delay him any further, so she avoided him.

She had asked the team leader to tell him to go back to the city; she was now settled here and would not leave.

That day, Jin Haiping, drunk and in a frenzy, shouted her name at the team headquarters, declaring his desire to marry her for life.

Later, she learned that Liang Tiefeng had fought with him.

The next day, after sobering up, Jin Haiping wrote her an apology letter through the team leader and then returned to the border, never to contact her again.

At that time, she thought it was for the best not to stay in touch, allowing her to believe that he was living a good life in the provincial capital, happy and content.

Last winter, she accidentally saw a list of fallen border youth, and amidst the densely packed names, she saw his.

The imagined happiness she once had for him came crashing down, making her feel as though the world was unreal.

She didn’t remember how she spent that day; her memory of it was blank.

In the end, she pretended not to know about the list, keeping the belief that he was still alive somewhere, in the border or in the provincial capital, living a happy life as a husband and father.

She thought Liang Tiefeng didn’t know, but it turned out he had known all along, even though he pretended otherwise.

Among Jin Haiping’s belongings was a part related to her—some unsent letters addressed to her and some of his reflections on life’s ups and downs.

Although he had asked for them to be burned, his commander still sent them back, and the team leader locked them away.

Eventually, they ended up in Liang Tiefeng’s hands.

Those letters were less about Jin Haiping’s messages to her and more about his personal reflections and experiences.

At first, they were driven by their passionate love for each other.

However, after she broke up with him, he was deeply hurt.

When she got married, he felt hopeless.

Eventually, he realized that love isn’t about selfishly holding onto someone.

Even though she married someone else, it didn’t stop him from loving her.

But he shouldn’t let her know this, nor should he let anyone else know, as it might affect her life.

So, he left and returned to the border.

In the end, he said:

“When we lose faith in the future and in life, Youth, passion, and hard work lose their meaning.

We feel powerless against everything, I thought at the very least, I could control love.

But in reality, love is the hardest to control.

I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have demanded anything from you.

Love is meant to be one-sided.

I love you, but I shouldn’t ask you to love me back.

I am willing to dedicate myself to love, but I shouldn’t expect you to be as stubborn.

Now, I hope you find the essence of love in your marriage, and I have no regrets.

When they debated love with me, they concluded that I didn’t love you but loved the idea of love itself, a beautiful illusion.

Is that true? Maybe.

I imagined all those beautiful things as you. You became my faith in love.

Who can say that I didn’t love you? Jiang Min, I love you.”

This was the only time he confessed his love during the years they knew each other, felt attracted, and almost got married.

Those years of supporting each other and being each other’s faith left an indelible mark on her heart.

…

While transferring to another train in the city, Cheng Rushan used Director Di’s name to buy a soft sleeper ticket and used his connections at the railway bureau to get another one.

He let Jiang Lin and Jiang Min take the soft sleeper with the two children, while he and Jiang Xinglei stayed in the adjacent hard sleeper.

During the day, Jiang Min went to sleep in Jiang Xinglei’s berth.

Jiang Xinglei wanted to play cards with Cheng Rushan and Jiang Lin but was rejected by Jiang Lin.

Since reading the letter, Jiang Lin noticed that Jiang Min’s mood was very low, and she seemed quite absent-minded.

Later, Jiang Min hid in the bathroom for a long time, and when she came out, her eyes were so swollen that even a blind person could tell she had been crying.

Jiang Lin didn’t know about Jin Haiping’s situation, so she didn’t ask why Jiang Min was upset.

Even if Jiang Min cried for Liang Tiefeng and her marriage, Jiang Lin wouldn’t mind.

Crying can help release negative emotions.

“Xiaomeng, Xiaojun, if you’re sleepy, go lie down and sleep. I’ll call you when it’s time to eat.”

Xiaomeng helped her younger brother take off his shoes, coat, and pants.

The two children then snuggled into bed and fell asleep obediently.

Once the two children fell asleep, Jiang Xinglei went off to chat with people, feeling especially relaxed after solving his sister’s problem.

He was eager to meet everyone in the two train cars.

Cheng Rushan would sometimes find interesting people to talk to, but he regularly checked on Jiang Lin, spending a few words with her each time.

Suddenly, he noticed that his wife seemed a bit unhappy.

She was leaning against the train compartment, with her legs curled up, holding a book, but her lips were slightly pouted, and she was looking at him.

Cheng Rushan asked, “Wife, do you want some hawthorn berries? I can take out the seeds for you.”

Jiang Lin replied, “My back aches.”

Cheng Rushan said, “I’ll give you a massage.”

After he finished, Jiang Lin said, “Now my shoulders ache.”

Cheng Rushan continued massaging.

After he had massaged her all over, she then said her hands were sore and her head felt heavy.

Cheng Rushan knew something was up.

He smiled and said, “Come on, tell me, what’s wrong?”

Jiang Lin didn’t really know why, but she suddenly felt like being spoiled by him. “My back aches,” she said.

Cheng Rushan paused, then sat down and opened his arms. “Come here, give me a hug.”

Whenever she was unhappy or worried about something, she liked to snuggle into his arms and squirm around until she felt comfortable.

Since there were many people around during the day, he hadn’t been able to get close to her, which made her uncomfortable.

Their compartment had four berths, all occupied.

He had bought two lower berths, while the upper berths were occupied by a man in his fifties and a woman who had been sleeping with her head covered.

The man had gone out for a walk.

Jiang Lin indeed snuggled into his arms and started squirming like a little child.

Cheng Rushan could tell she wanted something from him.

Looking down at her, he saw her fair face tinged with a rosy pink, the corners of her eyes also pink.

Her clear eyes looked captivating, the way she looked when she was moved.

Cheng Rushan touched her face and asked, “Is the heater too hot?”

On the way there, the heater wasn’t warm enough, and she had felt cold.

On the way back, the heater was running well, making it too hot to wear her thick coat.

Jiang Lin replied, “It’s a bit hot.”

Cheng Rushan asked, “What do you want to eat? I’ll go to the dining car and check for you.”

Jiang Lin, holding onto his neck, leaned in close and whispered mischievously, “I want you.”

Cheng Rushan’s fair neck immediately turned red.

He pressed his forehead against hers and said bitterly, “Linlin, do you think it’s okay to say such irresponsible things?”

Jiang Lin, however, was addicted to teasing him.

After all, on the train, he wouldn’t dare to do anything to her!

She slipped her hand under his sweater and started to feel around.

Cheng Rushan took a deep breath, caught her hand, and brought it to his lips for a kiss. “If you keep this up…”

Jiang Lin looked at him with a seductive glance, “What will you do?”

Cheng Rushan was about to kiss her when he noticed out of the corner of his eye that the man from the upper berth had returned.

He quickly started smoothing Jiang Lin’s hair. “Look at your messy hair, tidy it up properly.”

The man in his fifties, still full of energy and with sharp eyes, laughed and said, “Are you two a young couple visiting relatives?”

Cheng Rushan massaged Jiang Lin’s neck to help her relax and started chatting with the man.

It turned out they were both heading to the provincial capital, so they exchanged names.

The man was Lan Moxuan, the owner of Huichun Hall and a traditional Chinese medicine doctor by family trade.

Previously, Huichun Hall had been confiscated, and he had been sent to sweep floors in a hospital.

After the downfall of the Four, he returned and resumed his practice at Huichun Hall.

Jiang Lin, curious about traditional Chinese medicine, asked Dr. Lan about the diagnostic methods, including pulse diagnosis.

Lan Moxuan laughed and said, “A great doctor can indeed diagnose by pulse alone, but I don’t have that skill. But, young lady, you look quite rosy. Do you have good news?”

Jiang Lin teased, “Dr. Lan, aren’t you a doctor? Why are you reading faces?”

Lan Moxuan chuckled, “Didn’t I just say ‘observe, listen, question, and feel’? Reading faces and hands is part of it too.” He motioned for Jiang Lin to extend her hand so he could take her pulse.

Jiang Lin, intrigued, let him try.

Lan Moxuan placed three fingers on her wrist, closed his eyes slightly, and after a moment, said, “Your pulse is smooth and bead-like, moving fluidly. It seems I was right. Congratulations to you both!”

Jiang Lin asked, “Doctor, what are you congratulating us for?”

Cheng Rushan, who had been lazily leaning back, suddenly sat up straight, his eyes bright and sharp. “Dr. Lan, is my wife pregnant?”

Lan Moxuan nodded, “Yes, I specialize in pediatrics and gynecology. Would I lie about this?”

Jiang Lin was stunned.

She had been expecting her period and had packed sanitary products, just in case it arrived during the train journey or at an inconvenient time.

It hadn’t come on the way there, nor during their stay at the farm, and she was a bit worried it might come on the way back.

Little did she know, it wasn’t coming at all!

She didn’t hear Cheng Rushan’s reaction, so she pushed him, only to meet his smiling, dark eyes.

Usually sharp and composed, Cheng Rushan was so shocked by the news that he froze, looking like a silly deer!