Chapter 6

Dinner time arrived, and the train attendant pushed a food cart down the aisle, shouting:

“Dear passengers, our train has prepared aluminum boxed meals for everyone. If you’d like one, please raise your hand to purchase. After eating, please leave your lunchbox on the table for collection by the train attendant, or you may go to Car No. 9 to dine…”

Fan Hua woke up amid the shouting…

She rubbed her eyes and looked out the window. It was already dark, and she had no idea where they were.

Fan Hua didn’t notice the man beside her had turned away, his back facing her. He hoarsely and lazily asked Geng Ailing, who was still stitching insoles:

“Sister-in-law Geng, where are we now?”

“We just passed Qiuxian. I heard the attendant say we’ll arrive at Xing City soon.”

Fan Hua nodded, then took out two dry buns from her bundle and handed one to Geng Ailing.

“Sister-in-law Geng, here, I brought these when I ran away from home. I’m really broke right now and can’t afford to treat you to anything nice. Let’s make do tonight, and we can buy boxed meals tomorrow.”

Fan Hua had originally planned to rely on Geng Ailing for meals during the trip, but after learning that Geng Ailing had also been tricked by someone, she felt too embarrassed to take advantage of her anymore. After all, they didn’t know what things would be like in the South, so they should save their money for now.

Geng Ailing didn’t stand on ceremony and took the bun, starting to eat.

While chewing, she asked, “Lihua, you said you ran away from home—what happened?”

“Oh, it’s nothing much. My family wanted to marry me off to a man in the county town over forty years old just to get 500 yuan as a bride price. I didn’t want to marry him, so I ran away. I’m planning to earn some money and go back when things settle down.” Fan Hua replied casually, as if it had nothing to do with her.

She didn’t notice the man next to her had stiffened at her words, his fists clenching unconsciously.

“What? How could your family do that? You’re so young and pretty, and that man’s old enough to be your father! How could they marry you off to someone like that!” Geng Ailing was outraged on her behalf.

“What else could they be thinking? With that 500 yuan, they’d have enough money to find wives for my older brothers.”

Fan Hua said offhandedly, as if it had nothing to do with her.

“That’s selling their daughter! Your parents are too much!”

“Enough, Sister-in-law Geng, let’s not talk about them anymore. It’s ruining my mood. Do you have a cup? I want to get some water, I’m a bit thirsty.”

“Yes, yes, I brought one before I left home.” Geng Ailing said, pulling out a white enamel mug.

Fan Hua took it and planned to rinse it with hot water first. She couldn’t help it—she hadn’t brought anything when she ran away, and forgot to buy a cup before boarding. She could only borrow someone else’s for now. Luckily, Geng Ailing didn’t mind. In the face of physical need, psychological squeamishness didn’t mean much.

On trains in the 1970s, there were no water dispensers—only a communal thermos placed between cars. Sometimes, attendants would go car to car pouring water. When there was no service, passengers had to help themselves.

Fan Hua took the enamel mug and walked toward the communal thermos.

Just after she left, the man who had been standing with his back to them picked up his own cup and quietly followed her.

Their earlier conversation had been clearly heard by him.

Zhao Yilu looked at the slender figure rinsing the mug and thought of what she had said. He couldn’t tell whether he felt more anger toward her family or more guilt toward Fan Hua.

She must have felt truly helpless to flee home like that. Fortunately, they met on the train. If he hadn’t seen her now, he wouldn’t know where to find her after finishing his three-year military service.

Zhao Yilu strode forward, lined up behind Fan Hua as if to wait for water, and quietly slipped a handful of large-denomination bills into her coat pocket.

Fan Hua, focused on rinsing the mug, immediately sensed something and became alert. Thinking she’d encountered a thief, she instinctively clutched her pocket and stomped hard on the foot of the person behind her…

Zhao Yilu winced in pain, surprised she reacted so fiercely.

Fan Hua grabbed the hand trying to shove money into her pocket and turned around. She wanted to see what this thief looked like!

“It’s you?” Fan Hua was surprised to see it was the handsome new soldier with the intense gaze from earlier.

“Yes, it’s me.” Zhao Yilu replied calmly, caught red-handed.

“Why were you putting your hand in my pocket?” Her tone was sharp.

“I wanted to… give you some money…”

Hearing that, Fan Hua looked at the hand she was still gripping—and sure enough, he was holding a wad of bills.

She frowned. Could it be that he really knew the original “her”?

“Why are you giving me money?”

Zhao Yilu glanced around—fortunately, no one was watching. In a low voice, he said, “Can you let go of my hand first?”

Fan Hua quickly released his hand, continuing to observe him. At close range, she noticed a small reddish-brown mole at the corner of his eye—distinctive and attractive.

Zhao Yilu coughed lightly to hide his discomfort before speaking: “I overheard your conversation just now. I know you ran away from home and probably don’t have much money on you. I’m on my way to enlist and didn’t bring much either, thinking I wouldn’t need it. But take this for now. Eat properly, and see if you can switch to a sleeper. I’ll send you more once I get my allowance…”

Fan Hua was full of questions. “Can I ask… who are you?”

Zhao Yilu’s expression grew serious. “You don’t recognize me?”

He couldn’t say whether he was angry or just hurt. They had shared such intimate moments—how could she not recognize him?

Fan Hua quickly made up an excuse: “You heard me tell Sister-in-law Geng—I ran away at night, fell into a ditch and hit my head. When I came to, I had some memory loss…”

Zhao Yilu frowned. No wonder she didn’t recognize him.

“Are you okay now? Any other symptoms? When the train stops, be sure to see a doctor—head injuries are no joke.”

Fan Hua forced a laugh. “I’m fine now, just forgot some people. I remember most other things. By the way, you still haven’t told me who you are—how do you know me?”

Zhao Yilu thought that since she didn’t remember him, he might as well introduce himself properly and explain more later.

“I’m Zhao Yilu, I—”

Before he could finish, Fan Hua suddenly interrupted him, excited.

“You’re Zhao Yilu?!”

“Yes, that’s me.” He didn’t understand why she was so worked up.

Just as he was about to keep talking, a soldier with a water cup walked over.

“Take care of yourself. I’ll find another chance to explain everything.” With that, Zhao Yilu turned and left.

Fan Hua stood there stunned. That man was Zhao Yilu, the cannon-fodder younger brother!

She remembered from the original novel that He Siyuan and Xie Yuting met because of Zhao Yilu’s injury. They were full brothers—He Siyuan took their father’s surname, Zhao Yilu their mother’s.

In the novel, Zhao Yilu had a promising military career, but was seriously injured in a mission. He was sent to the military hospital, where the heroine Xie Yuting was a student under his attending doctor. As He Siyuan took care of his injured brother, he and Xie Yuting grew close, and their relationship blossomed during Zhao Yilu’s recovery.

But Zhao Yilu’s fate was tragic—he survived the injury but lost a leg, becoming dependent on crutches and a wheelchair.

The novel didn’t feature him much—he mainly existed to move the plot and bring the main couple together.

Later, in a conversation between He Siyuan and Xie Yuting, it’s revealed that Zhao Yilu became depressed after his injury and stayed in his hometown for years. Then in 1986, he suddenly decided to move to Beijing to start a business, eventually becoming a wealthy tycoon.

Coincidentally, 1986 was also the year the original Fan Lihua died.

In the book, Zhao Yilu never married but cared deeply for Fan Lihua’s twin children—raising them as if they were his own.

Fan Hua had always liked this character—not just for his strength, but also because of his name. After all, her own name, Fan Hua, came from “a path of blossoming flowers” (Yi Lu Fan Hua). While reading the novel, she had wondered whether Zhao Yilu’s name had been chosen from the same idea.