Chu Xia was puzzled. “Thank you for what?”

After thinking it over, Chu Xia realized that Wang Chaoxi might be thanking her for sharing her test papers with Six Middle School.

Chu Xia decided not to ask Wang Chaoxi for more details.

If Wang Chaoxi wasn’t planning to elaborate, there was no need to press the issue.

She was content to let things be and not worry about other students knowing.

The English exam was still not challenging for Chu Xia.

She completed it, checked her answers three times to make sure she hadn’t made any careless mistakes, and submitted her paper early before leaving the exam room.

High school final grades were not released until after the holiday, so Chu Xia wouldn’t know her results until the next semester.

Since she wasn’t a regular student, after her final exams, she informed her homeroom teacher that she wouldn’t be returning until the first exam of the next semester.

When she got home, Cen Huai’an ran up to her excitedly, “Mom, Dad said to call him when you get back.”

Chu Xia paused, taking off her scarf and asked, “When did your dad call?”

Cen Huai’an replied, “Right after you left the house.”

Chu Xia wrapped her scarf back around her and turned to leave. “An’an, do you still want to talk to your dad?”

“Yes!” Cen Huai’an quickly followed her.

Cen Zhengnian’s call was about finding a replacement for her job, and the efficiency was impressive.

Just a few days had passed, and Chu Xia was quite surprised.

“Did you find someone so quickly?”

Cen Zhengnian chuckled lightly, “The textile factory job is something many young people want.”

Chu Xia realized he was right.

For people of this era, having a factory job was quite respectable.

If not for her own plans, a factory job would be quite desirable.

Cen Zhengnian continued, “My colleague will be at the factory gate at nine o’clock tomorrow morning. His name is Zhou Ancheng, and he’ll be wearing a gray Zhongshan suit and accompanied by a young woman about eighteen or nineteen.”

Chu Xia noted the information and nodded, “Got it.”

The next day was Sunday, so she didn’t have to go to work. Chu Xia got up at eight, had breakfast, and left for the factory gate by eight-thirty.

At the appointed time, she was surprised to find Zhou Ancheng, dressed in a gray Zhongshan suit and looking about the same age as Cen Zhengnian, standing at the gate with a young woman beside him who had two long braids and appeared nervous.

Chu Xia walked over and smiled, “Hello, are you Comrade Zhou Ancheng?”

“Yes, that’s me. Are you Zhengnian’s wife?”

“Yes,” Chu Xia said with a friendly smile. “Just call me Chu Xia. Let’s find a place to talk.”

Nearby the factory was a teahouse. Chu Xia led Zhou Ancheng and the young woman there, where they found a secluded spot behind a screen, away from the few elderly patrons drinking tea.

Chu Xia knew that if she was to pass on her job, it had to be to a family member, but she wasn’t aware of this detail before.

It was Zhou Ancheng who explained it to her.

Since he had come to see Chu Xia, it meant he had a solution to the problem.

He smiled and asked Chu Xia, “Are you really willing to transfer your job to us?”

“Yes,” Chu Xia answered decisively, “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble with Zhengnian to find a replacement.”

“Good, as long as you’re willing, I’ll handle the rest. You just need to cooperate,” he said, handing her an envelope. “As agreed, this is half of the payment. The other half will be given once everything is finalized.”

Chu Xia left the teahouse feeling relieved.

The money was handled by Cen Zhengnian and Zhou Ancheng, so she didn’t have to worry about it.

Moreover, Zhou Ancheng and the young woman expressed their gratitude, especially the young woman, who looked at Chu Xia as if she were a benefactor.

It was clear she had never seen someone so young willingly transfer a job before.

With everything settled, Chu Xia didn’t need to worry further. Zhou Ancheng took care of the job transfer, including discussions with Factory Director Zhang and handling the handover.

Chu Xia was genuinely grateful that she had sought Cen Zhengnian’s help.

Otherwise, navigating all the procedures, the paperwork, and the need for personal references would have been overwhelming and uncertain.

Zhou Ancheng is from Liangzhou and has his own network.

In just three days, he managed to handle all the matters.

Of course, he used special channels, and what he gave up for this isn’t known to Chuxia.

All she knew was that she smoothly completed the job handover with the young girl, and she was no longer an employee of Textile Factory No. 3.

The young girl became the new worker at Textile Factory No. 3.

Chuxia was happy just to have successfully passed on her work, even though she didn’t join the publicity department.

She was content to work in the workshop.

Chuxia left Textile Factory No. 3 quietly, with only the factory manager, HR, and the publicity department head knowing about her departure.

The publicity department head simply informed his team that Chuxia was no longer at the factory, and that was the end of it.

Union Chairperson Zheng had helped Chuxia before, and Chuxia specifically went to bid her farewell and gave her a New Year’s gift.

Chairperson Zheng expressed regret: “Chuxia, your job at the factory was so good. It was hard to get in. Why are you leaving?”

Chuxia couldn’t explain the situation at the publicity department, which was actually the trigger for her decision.

Originally, she planned to worry about work after the college entrance exams, but it had just come a few months earlier, which wasn’t a big issue. It gave her more time to study.

Besides high school subjects, she also needed to brush up on her medical knowledge.

She hadn’t had time to read medical books for the past six months.

“It’s my own reason. I want to go find An’an’s father.”

Chairperson Zheng nodded with understanding: “Yes, being apart isn’t good. You’re a determined person. With your education, you’ll definitely find another job.”

Leaving Chairperson Zheng’s house, Chuxia touched the train tickets Zhou Ancheng had bought for her and felt a bit anxious about what would happen after they went to the northwest.

The letter from Cen Zhengnian’s parents said they were very nice.

Since she would be spending the New Year there, things should go smoothly, right?

Chuxia took a deep breath and decided not to dwell on it.

She needed to hurry home to pack because they would be leaving for Ganzhou the next day.

Cen Huai’an’s results had been returned just as Chuxia was busy with the handover.

As expected, he had perfect scores and received a certificate, a pencil, an eraser, and a notebook for having the most “little red flowers.”

First place didn’t get a notebook, and third place didn’t get an eraser.

The top ten received certificates, but only the top three received additional material rewards.

This was a big deal for students, as they really wanted the school’s certificate during their school years.

When Cen Huai’an came back with his awards, Chuxia asked, “An’an, have you thought about your wish?”

Cen Huai’an nodded without thinking: “Yes. Mom, I want to spend the New Year with Dad.”

Since Chuxia had only mentioned going to the northwest once and hadn’t discussed her work situation with An’an, she considered this a grown-up concern.

An’an was still a child and should enjoy his time, do his homework, learn chess, and play with his friends without worrying about adult problems.

Even though An’an knew about the trip to the northwest and wouldn’t go back on his word, he still feared it wouldn’t happen.

That’s why his most precious wish was about this.

Chuxia felt both heartache and a bit of jealousy about Cen Zhengnian’s importance in An’an’s heart.

But she patted his head and said, “You don’t need to make a wish for that. We will go. I’ll give you a chance to think of another wish.”

Cen Huai’an shook his head: “Mom, this is the wish I most want to come true.”

Chuxia said, “Okay. Don’t worry, we can go to the northwest in a few days. You can say goodbye to your friends and tell your teacher you’ll return after the New Year.”

At Guo Lin’s place, not only did An’an need to inform them, but Chuxia also told them about taking An’an to the northwest.

Guo Lin agreed without hesitation: “New Year is a time for a break. I’ll also be on holiday. But you won’t be here to learn from me every day. You must keep up with your studies and practice Go. It’s best if you can find someone to play with.”

Chuxia couldn’t guarantee finding someone to play Go, but she could make sure Cen Huai’an didn’t slack off in his studies.

Cen Huai’an had already said his goodbyes to Bangzi and the others.

Early the next morning, Chuxia locked the door, carried the luggage, and took An’an to the bus station to catch the train.

Zhou Ancheng had bought sleeper tickets for them.

Traveling with a child, a sleeper was safer.

Chuxia used the method she learned from predecessors and sewed the money into her winter coat because there were many small thieves at the station.

Once inside the station, she tightly held An’an’s hand and repeatedly reminded him not to let go.

This was his first long-distance trip, and he was nervous.

Especially after Chuxia had told him many cases of children and women being kidnapped on trains, he was even more anxious.

When Chuxia said to hold her hand tightly, he grabbed with great force.

After squeezing through the crowd, Chuxia’s hand hurt a bit.

Looking down, she saw that Cen Huai’an’s small hand had turned white from gripping too tightly.

She laughed and cried, patting his hand: “Relax a bit. Does your hand hurt?”

Cen Huai’an loosened his grip a bit but still held on tightly, keeping a vigilant eye on the surroundings.

Chuxia sat on the luggage with Cen Huai’an, feeling some regret for telling him so many scary stories about kidnappings.

She mainly wanted to remind Cen Huai’an about deceptive methods to avoid being scammed on the train.

But being careful is always good. It’s better to be overly cautious when traveling.

Once they finally boarded the train and found their sleeper compartment, Chuxia and Cen Huai’an could finally relax.

They had one compartment with a top bunk because children traveled for free.

Though climbing up and down was inconvenient, Chuxia preferred the top bunk as it was safer at night.

At this time, there were only the two of them in the compartment.

Chuxia helped Cen Huai’an up first and then climbed up herself.

They only had one large bag, which she placed in the corner after wiping the dirty spot.

Inside the bag were new sheets and pillowcases that Chuxia brought.

She put them on the train’s bed.

While she was arranging the bed, a middle-aged man with a small suitcase entered, followed shortly by an elderly couple.

No one else came in after that.

The middle-aged man glanced at Chuxia, placed his suitcase on the floor, and began reading a book on the lower bunk.

The elderly couple sat on another lower bunk; the husband, looking unwell, quickly lay down.

Chuxia and An’an sat on the top bunk.

She gave An’an a comic book and took out a book herself.

It was a new edition of “Compendium of Materia Medica” she bought from the bookstore.

She found a good version and bought it to review the herbal medicine she had previously memorized.

Besides “Compendium of Materia Medica,” Chuxia also bought other books on traditional Chinese medicine like “Huangdi’s Internal Classic” and “Newly Compiled Treatise on Cold Damage.”

Some books were out of print in later years, and some versions were no longer available.

She bought all she could find.

To excel in all diseases in traditional Chinese medicine is impossible due to limited energy.

While there are geniuses who can do it, Chuxia knew she wasn’t one of them.

She planned to specialize in gynecology but was reviewing all her knowledge now.

Being specialized doesn’t mean focusing on one subject alone; traditional Chinese medicine is vast and complex, requiring extensive study.

Most people need decades of study to understand it well, which is why older practitioners are more valued.

Of course, geniuses are an exception.

The train clattered along, and though it was winter, the scenery outside was not entirely bleak.

..

Ganzhou Tian Gong Base.

Since Cen Zhengnian received Chu Xia’s call saying she would be taking the train to the Northwest today, he couldn’t focus on his work.

He hadn’t slept well the night before, worrying about Chu Xia and An’an’s safety during their trip.

Even though he had asked an old friend, Zhou Ancheng, to help buy sleeper tickets, he wouldn’t be at ease until Chu Xia and An’an safely arrived in Ganzhou.

Yu Tian noticed Cen Zhengnian’s distraction, which was unusual after so many years at the base.

“Zhengnian, you made a mistake with these numbers. What’s going on? This isn’t like you.”

Cen Zhengnian was usually very good at mental arithmetic, and such mistakes were rare for him.

He rubbed his forehead, corrected the calculation, and said, “I was distracted.”

“You were distracted?” Yu Tian was surprised and reached out to check Cen Zhengnian’s forehead, but he pulled away.

“You’re not sick again, are you?” Yu Tian asked with concern.

Cen Zhengnian shook his head, “I’m fine, it’s something else.”

He didn’t plan to announce Chu Xia and An’an’s visit to the Northwest widely.

They couldn’t visit the base, as it was a confidential research facility without any family members living or visiting.

After Chu Xia and Cen Huai’an arrived, they would stay with his parents in the Ganzhou military base.

He planned to visit them during his rest days.

Cen Zhengnian decided to take a day off on the day they arrived to see if he could meet them at the station.

He wasn’t sure if he could get the day off, as his recent illness had delayed his work progress.

He sighed inwardly, took a sip of water to clear his mind, and tried to focus on his work.

---

At the Ganzhou military base, Jiang Shengnan and Cen’s father were also very worried and nervous.

“Old Cen, how do you think the two rooms are arranged? Do you think Chu Xia and An’an will like it?”

Since learning Chu Xia was bringing her child for the New Year, Jiang Shengnan had been preparing the rooms.

The beds were new, with fresh bedding, and the rooms were warm and comfortable to ensure a good sleep.

Knowing Chu Xia studied, they also set up a new desk and chair in one of the rooms.

To keep the chair warm, they added a cotton cushion.

There was also a wardrobe and, to avoid bare walls, they hung up some calligraphy and paintings Jiang Shengnan had brought from her family home.

The rooms were tidy and had a scholarly feel.

Cen’s father didn’t know what Chu Xia and An’an would think, but he didn’t show it.

He nodded calmly and said, “It looks good.”