At dinner time, a delicious aroma wafted from the neighboring compartment.

Zhi Zhi quietly sneaked over to take a peek.

This was too much! The door of the soft sleeper compartment next door was open, and inside were four young people, all dressed neatly and looking very respectable.

Moreover, on the table in front of them, there were sausages and a kind of noodles with a scent she had never smelled before.

The noodles were packed in individual lunch boxes, and the four young people, who seemed well-mannered and looked like university students, were eating.

“Little one, would you like to have some noodles?” one of the men asked.

Zhi Zhi instinctively wiped her mouth with her little hand and immediately turned to run away.

The three older kids also smelled the delicious aroma and ran over to the neighboring compartment to see what the others were eating.

Li Chengze, who was more knowledgeable, quietly told the younger two, “That’s instant noodles, made in Shanghai. They’re really delicious.”

Godan and Ludan, both from the countryside, followed the scent. Once the aroma hit their noses, their mouths watered uncontrollably.

The young men in the next compartment were quite polite to Zhi Zhi, but not so much to the older boys, likely because they were dressed poorly, probably from the countryside.

One of them said, “Hey, big guy, do you want some instant noodles?”

Li Chengze didn’t say anything, but Godan kept nodding his head vigorously.

“Here’s the deal: our shoes are dirty. If you help us clean them, we’ll give you a pack of instant noodles. How about it?” one of the young men joked.

The young man was likely just kidding.

But Godan took him seriously. “Okay, what should we use to clean them?”

“Use whatever you want,” the young man said, pulling out a pack of golden, oil-paper-wrapped instant noodles and waving it around. “After you clean them, I’ll give it to you.”

Godan didn’t have a handkerchief, and seeing that the young man’s shoes didn’t even look dirty, he was about to use his sleeve to clean them.

Li Chengze quickly grabbed him and pulled him back.

“Godan, are you that hungry for instant noodles?” Li Chengze asked.

Godan nodded. “Bro, I just want to know why those noodles smell so good.”

“I’ll figure out a way to get you some later, but we can’t clean their shoes,” Li Chengze said, pulling Godan away.

“But, bro, their shoes aren’t dirty at all. I can clean them with my sleeve, and we can get a pack of noodles. It smells so good!” Godan protested.

Li Chengze dragged him away firmly. “You’re my brother, and I’m the chieftain of Haixi County. The chieftain’s brother doesn’t clean shoes for others. Let’s go.”

Godan reluctantly followed.

The smell of instant noodles was simply irresistible.

But as the three boys reluctantly went back to their compartment, still sniffing the air, they saw their mother busy preparing their own dinner.

Su Xiangwan had brought half a chicken, which she had marinated. She tore it apart, added some chili oil she had brought, and put it in the center of the table. Each child got a cup of water, and half a flatbread. “Come on, eat,” she urged.

The kids suddenly remembered, oh right, they’d brought a chicken on the train.

It dawned on them that their mother was so smart for bringing it. Without the chicken, they would’ve been driven crazy by the smell of the instant noodles next door.

Soon, the aroma of the marinated chicken overtook the scent of the noodles. The kids dug into the chicken with Su Xiangwan’s crispy flatbread, each bite full of oil, savoring their meal.

Before long, the young men next door caught a whiff of the chicken. One of them, unable to resist, leaned his head out of the compartment door and started chatting with Su Xiangwan, “Big sister, where are you headed? Have the kids had instant noodles? I saw your little one looking pretty eager. Would you like to let them try some of our noodles?”

“I’ve got some flatbreads too. Would you like to try some?” Su Xiangwan, always generous, tore off a piece of her flatbread and handed it to the young man.

The lard pastry was a special product from old Qinzhou, fragrant with bitter beans and lard eggs.

The young man took a bite, and it crumbled in his mouth.

He quickly returned with a few packs of instant noodles and handed them to Su Xiangwan. “How about we trade? We have instant noodles, and you can have our chicken and flatbread. Three packs of noodles for one flatbread. What do you think?”

Su Xiangwan refused the offer. “The flatbread’s made with lard and eggs. Yours is just dry and bland instant noodles. The smell comes from all the MSG. If we’re trading, I’m not going to agree.”

“Well then, how about five packs? Five packs of noodles for one flatbread?” the young man persisted.

Su Xiangwan reluctantly took the five packs of noodles and handed over a thick flatbread. The deal was done.

The young man, thinking one flatbread wasn’t enough, asked, “Big sister, could you give me another one?”

Su Xiangwan replied, “How about you help me clean my shoes, and I’ll give you another one?”

The young man suddenly realized, probably realizing that Su Xiangwan was still upset with him teasing her son. He blushed, opened his mouth to apologize but hadn’t yet said it when Su Xiangwan turned around with a smile and walked away.

Despite her plain clothes, her posture and steps were quite elegant.

The young man stood there for a while, sighing, thinking, “This big sister is not only beautiful and confident, but I wonder how extraordinary her husband must be to deserve her.”

As the kids waited for the noodles to cook, Ludan and Godan pressed their faces against the door to the hot water area, greedily inhaling the aroma.

Zhi Zhi, too young to understand how the noodles were prepared, could only smell the delicious scent and was getting restless.

Li Chengze, noticing her impatience, picked her up and put her on his shoulders so she could see the noodles as they expanded in the hot water.

Once the noodles were ready, Su Xiangwan signaled to the kids, “Each of you gets one bite, don’t eat too much. These noodles have to last us a few days.”

Godan, the hungriest, grabbed his chopsticks and slurped a bite, wincing from the heat but swallowing it down. Ludan also took a big bite and then passed the chopsticks to Li Chengze. “Brother, you eat too.” The little one smiled brightly, full of justice, always eager to share.

Li Chengze, however, passed the noodles to Su Xiangwan. “Today, Su Aunty has done so much for us—getting us train tickets and noodles. You should eat first.”

“Don’t be too formal,” Su Xiangwan replied, grabbing the bowl and taking a big bite before handing it to Li Chengze. “We share our blessings and hardships. After you’re done, give Zhi Zhi some, hurry up. Look at how hungry she is!”

Li Chengze picked up the bowl and smiled with a bit of a meaningful look: “Song Donghai, Song Xiling, aren’t we three brothers?”

“Ah?” The two silly boys exchanged glances. “Yes, why?”

Li Chengze placed Zhi Zhi on the upper bunk, then brought the enamel bowl up as well, before saying, “Even Kong Rong would give up the pear. As older brothers, how can we only care about ourselves? There’s only half a bowl of noodles left—let’s give all of it to Zhi Zhi.”

Lü Dan and Gou Dan actually wanted to eat more, but after thinking about it, it made sense—such delicious food should be given to Zhi Zhi. They exchanged a look, each taking a piece of bread, and then continued eating.

Li Chengze was a bit clever, but he couldn’t resist showing off his little cleverness to Su Xiangwan.

Sure enough, after the two little ones fell asleep in the upper bunk, he sneaked downstairs. “Mom, you don’t need to bring the buns. I can get instant noodles from them. Why bring the buns?”

Su Xiangwan, holding Zhi Zhi and lying comfortably on a soft bed, opened her eyes and asked, “Tell me your plan. I’m listening.”

Li Chengze counted on his fingers and said, “The four guys in the soft sleeper cabin next door, they’re well-dressed, clean, and from good families. They’re obviously from a well-off family. And if you look at their luggage, it doesn’t look like they’re here to settle in Haixi County as educated youth. They’re not revolutionaries—revolutionaries wouldn’t ride in soft sleepers. They come from wealthy families. So there’s only one possibility: they must be from a geological survey team. Those teams are really rich now. My dad knows the leaders in the geological survey bureau. If I had the time to talk to them, they’d definitely give us some instant noodles.”

Su Xiangwan thought he was about to say something serious, but it turned out that Gou Dan’s idea was to shine shoes. This young master wasn’t particularly capable and still wanted to take the crooked path.

She grabbed his ear and said, “Li Chengze, the Qing Dynasty has long fallen, your dad and your grandfather have passed away, and you’re no longer a young master. No one is going to do you a favor. Do you know why I specifically boiled half a roasted chicken and brought so many buns? It’s because I don’t want you little ones to get on the train and be tempted by someone else’s food. Remember, you’ll trade one for one with me. Life is about peace of mind. I don’t care who they are, with anyone, it’s about exchanging ability for ability, skills for skills. Even if a leader comes, we can still stand tall, understand?”

Gou Dan and Li Chengze, who liked to take shortcuts, had to be gradually taught the benefits of walking the right path.

Of course, simply preaching didn’t work; it had to be taught through action.

Li Chengze saw that Su Xiangwan had squinted her eyes, reached out, and gently touched Zhi Zhi’s curly yellow hair. However, with a snap, her hand slapped it away.

The little one rubbed his nose, climbed up to the upper bunk, and went back to sleep.

Without Liu Zaiye, the pleasant journey began like this.

…

Haixi County, Baiyang Town.

Anyone who hasn’t been here can’t imagine the vastness and sandstorms of this place.

The mud-brick houses here are all low, lying in the wind and sand. Before the liberation, this place was all pasture, but now, it has all turned into farms, one after another, all called labor reform farms.

Su Xiangwan’s younger brother, Su Fufu, had endured and endured, but today he finally couldn’t take it anymore and scolded his mother, Zhao Yinshuang.

Then, carrying a hoe, he left the house, ready to go to work.

The young man was fifteen years old. Because of the labor reform, his hair was completely shaved, and under the glaring sun, his shiny forehead showed, and his body was thin, almost just skin and bones. His shoulders, from pulling carts, were full of calluses, which turned red under the sunlight.

As he walked, he regretted a bit.

Here’s the thing: he and his mother, Zhao Yinshuang, had been here for four years.

It seemed that there was no hope of returning to their hometown, Qingshui County. Now, in the labor reform farm, two men had been treating his mother well.

One was the captain of the livestock team in the farm, named Ma Xijun.

The other was a downed worker from Beijing, reportedly a former director of a state-owned bank, named Zhao Guonian.

Both men, Ma Xijun was 45, and Zhao Guonian was 47, around the same age as Zhao Yinshuang.

Clearly, Su Fufu thought that Zhao Guonian was more cultured and better spoken than Ma Xijun.

However, Zhao Yinshuang firmly refused Zhao Guonian’s pursuit and instead grew closer to Ma Xijun. Su Fufu understood her thoughts clearly.

Ma Xijun, though crude, worked with livestock. His hands were strong from handling horses, and he would often bring Zhao Yinshuang some horse feed—gray beans and barley. He ate the feed himself, making him strong and sturdy, and always tried to give her some, hoping to win her favor.

However, Su Fufu had always been wary of his mother getting too close to Ma Xijun.

But today, in the morning, Su Fufu caught Ma Xijun giving his mother some gray beans.

Gray beans were feed for the livestock on the farm. If Zhao Yinshuang took them and the labor reform team found out, she would be sentenced.

Su Fufu ran out, drove Ma Xijun away with two strikes, and scolded his mother.

Then, he left the house, leaving his mother crying on the ground.

The young man wiped his tears, angry, and without even eating breakfast, his stomach growled. After walking a few steps, he started to regret it.

After all, his mother was only 42 years old. She had been struggling since she had him at the age of 15, always working hard for her children.

At this age, it should be his turn to care for her, but instead, she was suffering like this. Su Fufu felt deeply upset.

Looking up at the endless yellow sky, with a few trees scattered in the vast wilderness, the windmill at the cooperative shop by the roadside creaked as it spun in the wind.

Song Qingshan turned his head and saw his wife staring at him with a half-smile.

However, when he turned around, he really got out of the car, picked up his luggage, and was ready to leave.

Su Xiangwan thought to herself: Could this man really be that clueless?

Didn’t he see how his former comrade-in-arms was eyeing his wife so closely?

But Song Qingshan honestly waved his hand. “I think I’ll be working overtime tonight. I’ll come to the farm to find you tomorrow.”