Chapter 21: A Family Should Be Complete

Chapter 21: A Family Should Be Complete

Even with numerous neighbors and a city reporter as witnesses, Ye Father was still in a daze as he signed his name on the document volunteering to aid Xinjiang.

Not long ago, he was regarded as a good husband and father in this tenement building, with a job that everyone envied, and a harmonious family with children. In the near future, there was even a possibility of him getting a promotion and raise, becoming the workshop director, and achieving his lifelong ambitions.

But why, in just a few days, had everything turned upside down? Family members gone mad, paralyzed, committing crimes, and he, to protect himself, had to flee his hometown for safety?

Ye Father looked at the many neighbors below, applauding and showering him with praise as if it cost them nothing, and then at his terrified and bewildered family members beside him, and for a moment, he doubted his own life.

Just yesterday, when he went to work at the silk factory early in the morning, he learned that something major had happened at the factory.

The day before, because his eldest son was taken away by the revolutionary committee and his wife suddenly collapsed, he had to stay home for a day.

In just one day, the atmosphere in the factory had drastically changed. Everyone looked at him strangely and gathered in groups, pointing and whispering about something.

Feeling something was off, Ye Father hurriedly pulled aside a colleague with whom he usually had a good relationship.

The colleague hesitated, stammering, before finally revealing the truth.

Apparently, just before and after Ye Father took leave, a group of people with red armbands had arrived at the factory.

These red armbands went straight to the factory's security department, claiming to have received a formal report that Li Rulan, head of the silk factory's logistics procurement department, had been involved in improper sexual relationships and was pregnant with the man's illegitimate child.

The news caused an uproar, stunning everyone.

Even the workers in the factory were shocked, and Li Rulan herself was dumbfounded.

Pregnant? How could she not know? It was ridiculous. She had been using an IUD for years; how could she be pregnant?

Li Rulan immediately denied it, arguing that it was a slander against her reputation and demanding to confront the person who made the formal accusation.

The red armbands had no intention of hiding the identity of the accuser. A formal accusation meant the person was confident in the truth and was not afraid of it being known.

So, in front of the many workers, the red armbands said, "It's a letter of accusation written by Ye Lijun, head of your factory's No. 3 workshop technical team. Since he dared to sign his name, it means he saw it with his own eyes. If you want to prove whether this is slander, come with us, and we'll check if you're really pregnant. The truth will be revealed!"

Without further ado, the red armbands rudely stepped forward to take Li Rulan away.

Li Rulan's face turned ashen with anger, wanting to lash out.

She had never interacted with Ye Lijun, and in a factory with over a thousand workers, it was impossible to know everyone. Yet this person was falsely accusing her like a mad dog. Was he insane?

The problem was, Li Rulan knew that her secret dealings with Yang Wenchan were indeed shameful, so she couldn't afford to confront the red armbands directly.

If she really went to the revolutionary committee, who knew what methods they would use to interrogate her?

Li Rulan refused to go, but the longer she resisted, the more impatient the red armbands became, their eyes sharper and more suspicious.

"Comrade Li, do you want us to find a doctor to come to your silk factory and examine you in front of everyone to verify your condition? Please cooperate with our work and don't make things difficult for everyone!"

Since there were security personnel from the factory present, the red armbands were relatively polite to Li Rulan and didn't resort to force.

Li Rulan wasn't afraid of being examined; she knew she had an IUD and couldn't be pregnant.

But with the tense atmosphere and the residual smell of cigarettes from the two red armbands who might have just smoked, she found the smell incredibly pungent. For a moment, a wave of nausea surged up, and she instinctively covered her mouth.

At this gesture, everyone's eyes turned to Li Rulan.

Her face suddenly turned pale.

In that instant, a string in her mind snapped. She suddenly remembered that when she was pregnant with Yin Zhao, she couldn't stand the smell of cigarettes either.

And her period had indeed been delayed for a few days.

A bad premonition rose in Li Rulan's heart, and panic unconsciously showed in her eyes.

She instinctively looked around for Yang Wenchan, hoping to seek his help.

But Yang Wenchan had run far away after hearing the news, afraid of getting involved, so how could he show up at this moment?

With no other choice, Li Rulan could only desperately pray in her heart that she wouldn't be so unlucky, and steeled herself to go with the red armbands.

After Li Rulan was taken away, the silk factory was in an uproar, with everyone curious about what grudge Ye Lijun had against Li Rulan and who the man involved with Li Rulan was.

Yang Wenchan was also looking for information about Ye Lijun.

Because Yang Wenchan knew that Li Rulan was wearing a contraceptive ring, and considering that the two of them rarely interacted in the factory, pretending to be almost strangers, he was still quite confident at this moment and not worried that this fire would burn him.

But no matter what, Li Rulan was still his woman. For someone to bully his woman like this was almost the same as slapping his face, wasn't it?

So Yang Wenchan was very angry and immediately decided to make an example out of Ye Lijun!

On that day, Ye Lijun had taken leave and was not in the factory. Everyone thought that Ye Lijun knew the people with red armbands were coming to get him, so he deliberately hid away.

Yang Wenchan naturally thought the same.

He wasn't in a hurry anyway. As long as Ye Lijun was still working in the factory, he could avoid trouble on the first day but not the fifteenth. There would always be an opportunity to find a way to mess with him.

Thus, the next morning, after Ye's father arrived at the factory, it wasn't long before a quality inspection team came to pick on him, found a fault, and stopped his work.

After that, someone went to report to the factory leadership that Ye Lijun's son had been taken away by the revolutionary committee for privately hiding banned books and damaging publications of the great leader.

The factory's security department immediately called Ye Lijun over and told him that his son had committed such a significant mistake, and as his father, he bore unshirkable responsibility. Such incidents had a very bad impact on the silk factory, so the factory decided to handle this matter seriously to serve as a warning to others. This would ensure that other workers in the factory would go back and properly discipline their family members!

As a result, Ye's father was stripped of his title as the head of the technical team and was also punished to sweep toilets for half a year.

The demotion and punishment were so swift that Ye's father didn't even have time to react. By the time he came to his senses, he was already in the public restroom.

Holding the broom and standing at the restroom entrance, choking on the foul smell, he felt an overwhelming sense of grief and anger, immediately wanting to go and reason with the factory leadership.

But before he could take any action, a colleague pulled him aside and secretly told him an insider story.

"Did you know? After Li Rulan was taken away by the revolutionary committee yesterday, she hasn't come back. They say she was really found to be pregnant!"

This truly shocked Ye's father. "What?!"

The colleague gave him a look that said, 'You wrote the denunciation letter, and now you're pretending?'

"You're really something, a denunciation letter with pinpoint accuracy. Li Rulan used to be so arrogant in the procurement department, acting like she owned the place. Now she's in trouble, and it's uncertain whether she'll come out of it intact. How did this woman offend you to make you go after her like this?"

Ye's father immediately explained, "I didn't write the denunciation letter. I don't know anything!"

But who would believe him?

The colleague felt sorry for Ye's father but also thought he was incredibly foolish. You know the insider story, so why not secretly get revenge? Why openly write a denunciation letter and make yourself a target?

After some hesitation, the colleague decided to tell Ye's father a secret to prevent the old man from being kept in the dark after being demoted.

"Do you know that by taking down Li Rulan, you're also finished? Do you know why Li Rulan could join the factory's logistics department and even become the head of the procurement department? I heard she has a relative who is either the Plant Manager or the Deputy Factory Manager. Her backer is strong! With your denunciation letter causing harm to her, do you think the factory leadership will let you off?"

The colleague whispered this secret to Ye Lijun, but looked at him as if he were an idiot.

Ye's father was struck like a thunderbolt. It was as if he had received enlightenment. He suddenly understood what had happened.

Someone must have discovered Li Rulan's pregnancy secret and, given their competitive relationship in the factory, used it to frame him by reporting her!

By taking him down, that person would benefit perfectly!

Considering this, the ones who could have done this were the heads of the technical teams from the other workshops and his own workshop's deputy head.

But Ye's father could only suspect. With seven workshops in the silk factory, there were seven potential suspects, and he couldn't be sure who exactly had done it.

But now that everyone in the factory believed he was responsible, he couldn't defend himself, which made Ye's father feel both wronged and fearful. He didn't know if he could still stay in the silk factory after this incident.

At the same time, a shocking scandal broke out in Yantang Old Street.

After learning that Ye Hong had been dumped by Hu Jiadong, Ye's mother was extremely angry and resentful, so much so that she suffered a stroke on the spot and had to be revived with a large bottle of medicine.

Before leaving, the doctor who administered the IV drip repeatedly told her not to get too emotional or suffer any more shocks, or the consequences would be dire.

But how could Ye's mother not be emotional? Just thinking about how her eldest daughter's good marriage had fallen through made her so angry she couldn't sleep at all.

So, after thinking it over for a whole night, the next morning, Ye's mother got out of bed and was determined to go make a scene at Hu Jiadong's house.

Ye Hong, feeling down, had gone to bed very late the previous night and had no idea that her mother had taken it upon herself to seek justice from Hu Jiadong.

The reason she broke up with Hu Jiadong was that she was in love with someone else in her heart. She was already too embarrassed to talk about it, so naturally, she couldn't tell her mother.

So Ye's mother unilaterally decided that Hu Jiadong had played her daughter, and she couldn't tolerate being bullied by the Hu family. Of course, she had to go to their house and demand justice for Ye Hong.

Standing in the Hu family's alley, she banged on the door and scolded them loudly, not only cursing Hu Jiadong but also dragging the entire Hu family's ancestors into it.

Her commotion drew all the neighbors from the alley to watch the spectacle.

The Hu family still cared about their reputation after all, and before long, Hu Ziqiang's wife came out with a dark expression on her face and asked:

"What exactly do you want?"

Upon hearing the Hu family's woman say this, Ye's mother, thinking she was afraid, became even more arrogant and outrageously threatened:

"Either you give my daughter 500 yuan as compensation, or you find a way to get my eldest son Ye Zhigao out of the revolutionary committee. Otherwise, I'll have my daughter report to the revolutionary committee that your son Hu Jiadong was behaving indecently. The choice is yours!"

Originally, the Hu family couple had already planned to let their son swallow this bitter pill for the time being, planning to find an opportunity to deal with Ye Hong later. However, Ye's mother's threat immediately infuriated Hu Ziqiang's wife.

"The choice is mine? Hah, I'll show you what my choice is!"

Hu Ziqiang's wife, who had a fiery temper and was not someone to be trifled with, sneered upon hearing Ye's mother's words. She turned around and went back into the house. Before long, she came out again.

In her hand, she held a bowl of paste and a stack of papers. In front of many neighbors, she began to stick the papers on the wall.

At first, Ye's mother didn't understand what the Hu family's woman was doing, until a neighbor read aloud what Hu's wife had posted.

Vulgar words fell into Ye's mother's ears, clear and distinct among the crowd. When she realized what the papers Hu's wife had posted were, she felt as if she had become a clown in a circus, so embarrassed that she wished she could find a crack in the ground to hide in.

Dizzy, she fell to the ground again.

But this time, she wasn't so lucky. Ye's mother suffered a second stroke on the spot, resulting in stiff limbs and facial paralysis on one side of her face.

By the time Ye Hong heard the news and rushed over from the alleyway buildings to stop it, it was already too late.

Seeing the diary entries posted all over the alley and feeling the malicious laughter and unfriendly gazes of the surrounding crowd, as if they were going to strip her bare.

The immense humiliation caused Ye Hong's emotions to completely collapse. She went mad, frantically scratching at the papers on the wall, her eyes wild as she cried, laughed, and screamed. Before long, she began to lose her mind, becoming completely abnormal.

The incident happened so quickly that no one had time to react.

Only when the neighbors realized something was seriously wrong with the Ye family did they sense the gravity of the situation, even Hu Ziqiang's wife panicked.

Neighbors immediately helped to send the victims back to the alleyway buildings. The twins, unable to wait for their mother to make breakfast, had already put on their backpacks, prepared to go to school on an empty stomach. But the chaotic scene startled them, and they couldn't go to school that day.

Realizing she had caused trouble, Hu Ziqiang's wife hurried to the neighborhood committee to find Hu Ziqiang and figure out what to do.

By the time Ye Lijun heard about the incident at home and rushed back from the silk factory, the Ye family was on the verge of falling apart.

In just two days, Ye Qing's wife suffered a stroke and was left paralyzed in bed, their eldest daughter went mad, and their eldest son disappeared, his fate unknown, into the revolutionary committee, while Ye Zhi Gao himself was dismissed and demoted to cleaning toilets. To make matters worse, the couple's two youngest were twins who could hardly stand on their own.

It was as if the family had been cursed by misfortune, with one disaster striking after another.

Not only was the family falling apart, but his job had also become futile. If he were to return to the factory, who knew if his superiors would make things difficult for him again? The future looked bleak, with no hope in sight. Ye’s father, his face deathly pale, fell to the ground, utterly at a loss for what to do.

It was at this moment that Hu Ziqiang arrived at his door, accompanied by several leaders from the Yanpond Old Street and Ningzhou Neighborhood Revolutionary Committee.

It turned out that after receiving the Ye family's application to support the border regions, Yanpond Old Street had held a special meeting to discuss the matter. They had decided to honor the Ye family as exemplary representatives of dedication, making them a living poster for the street to encourage other citizens to actively participate in supporting the border regions.

However, just as this decision was about to be finalized, they received news from the neighborhood committee that the Ye family's eldest son had been arrested by the Ningzhou Revolutionary Committee.

The Ye family was meant to be promoted as a positive example for the old street. But now, their son had broken the law and was being sent to labor reform? This would be a huge embarrassment!

How could the Yanpond Old Street Revolutionary Committee allow such a thing to happen? They immediately dispatched people to negotiate with the Ningzhou side.

At first, the Ningzhou side was uncooperative. After all, they had worked hard to arrest him. If they were to release him just like that, wouldn't it mean they got nothing in return?

Moreover, this person had dared to destroy publications of the great leader. Who knew if there was something more sinister at play? Perhaps he had been turned by spies! Further investigation might uncover major cases. The Yanpond Old Street Revolutionary Committee knew this was just an excuse, but they also knew that without offering something in return, the other side would never relent.

So, after some discussion, they decided that the two streets should join forces. After the matter was successfully resolved, they would share the credit and achievements. That way, everyone would benefit.

When the Ningzhou Revolutionary Committee realized there was something to gain, they weighed the benefits of the two options and no longer hesitated. Without a second word, they agreed to Yanpond's request.

The main reason was that after Ye Zhi Gao was brought back, he refused to admit that the hand-copied pornographic material was not his. The Ningzhou Revolutionary Committee had compared the handwriting in the notebook with Ye Zhi Gao's and confirmed that the notebook was indeed not his.

Ye Zhi Gao suspected that when he graduated and was packing his books, someone might have secretly slipped it into his stack. In any case, he refused to confess and claimed he had never even read its contents.

Because the investigation into Ye Zhi Gao had reached an impasse and they couldn't convict him, the case was dragging on. The Ningzhou side was already troubled by this when Yanpond offered them a way out. Of course, they seized the opportunity to get off the hook.

Thus, the directors of both revolutionary committees, along with Hu Ziqiang, went to the Ye family as emissaries.

Originally, the revolutionary committee's plan was just to persuade the Ye family to cooperate with their publicity efforts. But on the way there, Hu Ziqiang suddenly came up with a new idea.

If they were really going to promote the Ye family, the influence of just the couple wouldn't be enough.

If they could convince the entire family—all seven members—to go support the national construction effort, that would be a huge news story. It would create a sensation throughout the city, or even the entire country. The positive publicity effect would be tremendous!

The two directors of the revolutionary committees exchanged a glance and immediately saw dollar signs in their eyes.

As people who had risen to their positions by mastering the art of wielding power, they understood that if executed properly, Hu Ziqiang's idea could bring them enormous benefits.

However, the two directors were somewhat concerned. While they wanted achievements, they didn't want to force the Ye family into something too difficult. Wasn't it a bit too much to ask the entire family to move to the border regions? Would the Ye family even agree?

Hu Ziqiang, however, was confident. He patted his chest and guaranteed that he could persuade the Ye family.

When they arrived at the Ye family's home, Hu Ziqiang immediately apologized to Ye’s father. He explained that his wife had acted impulsively and without thinking, posting Ye Hong's diary on the wall for everyone to see, which had led to irreversible consequences. He expressed his deep regret and offered financial compensation.

The two directors of the revolutionary committee also chimed in, helping to smooth things over.

Ye’s father, being a small citizen, was immediately flustered and flattered by the presence of such high-ranking leaders from the revolutionary committee and neighborhood committee. He quickly waved his hand, saying the fault was not with the Hu family. It was his own wife and daughter who had been making a scene. He completely forgot that his wife was partially paralyzed and that his daughter was still mentally unstable.

Hu Ziqiang, having been an official in the neighborhood committee for many years, was skilled at dealing with the locals. He didn't put on any official airs but spoke to Ye Lijun from the perspective of a father concerned for his children, appealing to his emotions and reasoning with him.

If the revolutionary committee were to pursue Ye Zhi Gao's case, he would surely be sentenced to labor reform. By the time he completed his sentence and returned, his story would have spread throughout the entire street. With a criminal record, he would never find a job or a wife. His life would be ruined.

As for Ye Hong, once the diary incident became known, she would be disgraced. Given her current mental state, it would be better for her to leave for another place, where perhaps her condition could be treated without anyone knowing her past. Once she recovered, she could marry into a good family, and this ordeal would be behind her.

With all that had happened to the Ye family, people would gossip, which would not be good for the twins' lives or Ye Lijun's career advancement. Therefore, for the sake of the children, the only option for the Ye family was to leave Yanpond as soon as possible, preferably far away. Perhaps in a new place, they could start anew.

Hu Ziqiang's words didn't really register with Ye’s father at first. He didn't care much about how the situation would affect his children's growth.

But one point struck a chord with him: if he wanted to advance in his career, he would have to "make a fresh start."

Hu Ziqiang was right. In Shen City, he had no future. Perhaps taking his family to the great northwest would give him a chance to fulfill his ambitions. No matter what, it would be better than staying in the silk factory and cleaning toilets for the rest of his life!

Thus, Ye’s father no longer resisted and obediently agreed to the demands of both revolutionary committees.

He would cooperate with the revolutionary committee's publicity efforts and take his family to the border regions, becoming a model family celebrated for their dedication. This would help restore the Ye family's tarnished reputation!

And so, through a series of twists and turns, Ye Qing found herself attending the absurdly grand commendation and farewell ceremony in the alley.

Although she had overheard the conversation of the two people with red armbands and gained a rough understanding of the situation, she couldn't learn all the specific details.

But that didn't matter.

What mattered was that, by different paths, she had finally witnessed the Ye family receive their comeuppance. The entire family was heading to support the border regions, and she was quite satisfied with this outcome.

Previously, these people had accused the original owner of being pampered, unable to endure hardship, selfish, and lacking a sense of the bigger picture. Well, this time, the entire family was opening their minds to the bigger picture, heading off together to a cold and barren place for a "team-building" experience. Let's see who dared to complain now!

Ye Qing left after enjoying the spectacle, and she could still hear the reporter asking on stage:

"Isn't there another daughter from this family who signed up to go to the countryside for reeducation? Where is she? Come out and join us for a photo!"

Ye Qing quickened her pace, afraid of being discovered by the crowd behind her. As for the photo, she respectfully declined. She had no desire to appear in a frame with the Ye family, much less be crowned with the title of "Model Five-Good Family." She found the idea embarrassing.

Back at school, Ye Qing continued with her plans.

She first went to say goodbye to the old men who fished, bringing them the wild fruits she had brought back. She also delivered the bait she had prepared for Old Man Wu.

The bait was a "secret recipe" she had made by crushing biscuits bought from the supply and marketing cooperative and a leftover steamed bun from a state-owned restaurant. She mixed in some grass fragments catalyzed by her wood-type ability to create the perfect bait.

She didn’t go anywhere else; she headed straight to People's Park, and sure enough, several old men were sitting by the lake.

Ye Qing divided those wild fruits into several portions and gave each of them a bag.

When the old men weren’t paying attention, she secretly handed the bait to Old Man Wu, giving him a sly wink.

Old Man Wu immediately understood and pocketed the bait, a wide grin spreading across his face.

Ye Qing didn’t linger long at People’s Park, as she still had unfinished business.

The Revolutionary Committee had already delivered the ceremonial banner to the Ye family, and the reporters had taken photos that would soon be published in the city newspaper. This meant everything was finalized and there would be no further changes.

With that settled, Ye Qing felt she had no more concerns. She took the letter exposing the affair between Li Rulan and Yang Wenchan at the silk factory from her bag and slipped it into the Revolutionary Committee’s mailbox.

Li Rulan was still hoping Yang Wenchan would use his connections to save her, but she was dreaming. After causing so much harm to the research team at the institute, that scum of a man and his mistress deserved to die a thousand deaths. They should be locked up together and left to rot!

Afterward, Ye Qing still went to the hospital.

Considering how close she had been to being caught by that police officer last time, Ye Qing was more careful this time. She changed her hairstyle to a bun, wore a medical mask, and even changed her clothes and the way she walked, making sure not to carry a bag. This way, she was less likely to be recognized.

She went to the intensive care unit and once again asked the nurse to see Grandma Chen. This time, she gave the nurse a Red Fuji apple.

The nurse remembered Ye Qing, and her attitude was less stern than before.

“Oh, it’s you, Comrade Ye. Mrs. Chen’s family mentioned you just yesterday. If you came back, they said I should take you straight in.”

Ye Qing wasn’t surprised. Since she knew Chen Youde, his daughter-in-law, Liao Yun, had been more respectful toward her, even if reluctantly.

But this didn’t change Ye Qing’s opinion of the woman.

Chen Youde was a good man, but his nephew’s wife, Liao Yun, wasn’t someone Ye Qing liked. Since they weren’t on the same path, there was no need to interact. That’s why she had to return the money Liao Yun had given her, to avoid any future criticism.

In the intensive care unit, Ye Qing finally saw Grandma Chen again.

The medical technology at the time was still quite backward, unable to perform stent surgery to restore coronary blood flow. Given Grandma Chen’s age and the fact that her coronary heart disease had been around for years, only basic treatment was possible, and recovery would be slow.

Grandma Chen’s condition was recovering slowly, but it was only because Ye Qing had secretly transferred some of her wood-element abilities during the emergency that the old woman was still alive.

Although Ye Qing didn’t like Liao Yun, she had a good relationship with Chen Youde, so she came to visit the old woman and brought a bag of wild kiwis.

Grandma Chen was very grateful to Ye Qing. As soon as she saw her, she asked her daughter-in-law to bring a chair and prepare some malt drink for her.

Liao Yun pouted and moved slowly, not really wanting to help.

Fortunately, Ye Qing wasn’t there for food or drink, so she didn’t mind. She leaned in to check on the old woman, exchanged a few pleasantries, and was about to leave. Before leaving, she reminded Grandma Chen to eat more of the kiwis she had brought, as they were easy to digest, rich in vitamins, and beneficial for her condition.

The kiwis also contained wood-element energy, which would help with the old woman’s illness, but Ye Qing couldn’t say that outright. She had done her best, and whether the patient and her family followed her advice was beyond her control.

After leaving the ward, Ye Qing signaled Liao Yun, who followed her out. Ye Qing then handed Liao Yun twenty yuan she had counted out earlier.

“I appreciate your gratitude, but as I said, I saved people out of conscience, not for reward. Take the money back. Consider this matter closed. Don’t worry; I’ll be leaving for the countryside to work tomorrow, and no one will bring this up again!”

With that, Ye Qing left.

Afraid of running into that police officer again, she hurried down the stairs, her pace quickening unconsciously as she reached the same staircase from last time.

Nothing happened on the floor where the police officer was, but as she reached the first floor and turned a corner, she collided with a tall man rushing up the stairs.

“Ouch—”

The impact felt like she had run into a wall, and she stumbled backward, barely managing to steady herself after a few steps.

“Are you alright? I’m so sorry, I was reading a letter and wasn’t paying attention to where I was going…”

The man scratched his head and apologized repeatedly.

When Ye Qing looked up and saw his face, her expression stiffened slightly.

This seemed to be the man who had chased her from the ward of that police officer. If she wasn’t mistaken, he was the officer’s colleague!

Luckily, Ye Qing was wearing a mask; otherwise, her embarrassed expression would have given her away.

She quickly waved it off, indicating she was fine, bent down to pick up the letter that had fallen during the collision, and handed it back to the man. She then stepped aside to let him pass.

The man took the letter, threw a quick “thanks” over his shoulder, and continued rushing upstairs. Before reaching the ward, he shouted at the top of his lungs, “Boss, you’ve got a letter from your girlfriend back home!”

Ye Qing couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

That guy must be talking to the injured police officer in the ward.

Boss? That officer looked quite young, at most in his early twenties, and he was already in a leadership position? Could he be a squad leader or something similar in the Public Security Bureau?

Ye Qing also recalled the brief glance she had caught of the letter when she picked it up.

“To Gu Weidong.”

Was Gu Weidong the name of that young police officer?

Ye Qing smiled but didn’t think much of it, quickly leaving the hospital.

When she returned to the school, it was quite late. This time, Ye Qing genuinely had dinner with Song Chunhua at the cafeteria. After a simple meal, they returned to their dormitory, where Song Chunhua helped Ye Qing pack her things.

To travel light, Ye Qing cut down on what she brought. Things like cotton quilts and winter coats were left behind.

The weather in September was still relatively mild, and even in the countryside, she would only need autumn clothes. Quilts and thick winter coats were heavy and took up too much space, so she didn’t bother bringing them.

She had asked the Ye family to prepare ten jin of cotton because cotton was hard to come by at the time. Most families couldn’t save up even one jin of cotton a year, so she deliberately made the request to make things difficult for the Ye family.

But in reality, as long as it was something related to plants, she would have no shortage of it. Whether it was grain or cotton, these were things she could easily obtain, so there was no need for her to carry this stuff onto the train and add to the hassle of her journey.

However, after Song Chunhua finished checking the luggage she had prepared, she couldn’t help but scold her on the spot:

“Didn’t I tell you to prepare according to the list I made? Look at what you’ve bought! Cold cream, soap—these fancy yet impractical things, why did you buy so much? With that money, couldn’t you have bought more brown sugar or white sugar instead?”

Ye Qing quickly begged for mercy.

Her conscience could vouch for her—she had endured ten long years in the apocalyptic world. Skincare products and soap were things she had been longing for but could never get her hands on. Besides, when she was in People’s Park earlier, the tickets that old man Chen and the others gave her happened to include these items. If she didn’t use the vouchers, they would expire, and there was no guarantee they could be used elsewhere. It was better to use them up before heading to the countryside.

As for brown sugar and white sugar, as a wood-type ability user, how could she not manage to get those?

In any case, the things she had prepared were nagged about by Song Chunhua for an entire evening.

Ye Qing didn’t argue back. She just listened with a smile on her face. Later that night, she massaged Song Chunhua again, and after Song fell into a deep sleep, Ye Qing hid the snake-skin bag full of Fuji apples and snow pears under the bed. She also hid all the food ration tickets Song had given her back under her pillow.

By the dim light of the lamp in the dormitory, Ye Qing took out and organized all the money she had saved over the past few days.

The dried fruits sold to the machine shop were acquired at a price of 1.5 cents per unit. Over 5,000 jin of mountain goods had earned her more than 750 yuan.

Added to the money Ye Qing already had, it totaled around 1,320 yuan.

Ye Qing put the twenty or so yuan and the remaining food ration tickets into her crossbody bag. The remaining 1,300 yuan was carefully sewn into the undergarments she would wear to board the train the next day, following the customs of this era.

After finishing all these tasks, she finally lay down to sleep in peace.

The next morning, before five o’clock, without waking Song Chunhua, she tiptoed out of bed, left a note, and headed to the train station with her luggage.

It took over an hour on the road before the first bus appeared. She then took the bus for a few stops before finally arriving at the train station.

The train was scheduled to depart at 7:15, and she needed to get through the ticket check before 7:00 to wait on the platform. By the time she arrived at the station, it was already 6:50.

A large crowd of passengers carrying bulky luggage surged into the station, pushing and shoving, almost lifting Ye Qing off her feet.

Finally reaching the platform, she had a moment to breathe and quickly put down her luggage to catch her breath.

At that moment, the train had not yet arrived at the station, and Ye Qing looked around the entire train station.

Having only seen what a 1970s train station looked like on TV, she now scanned the area.

That’s when she noticed a green train parked on the opposite platform, and a uniformed Train Police officer was loudly urging passengers to board.

On the platform, a bustling crowd of people stood, and among them, six figures carrying heavy loads were particularly conspicuous and familiar.

Perhaps because Ye Qing had been staring for too long, one of the six noticed and looked over in her direction.

Upon seeing her, the person’s expression immediately shifted from numbness to excitement.

Soon, all six of them turned to look at Ye Qing. Across several tracks, the seven people locked eyes for a long moment.

Ye Qing truly hadn’t expected that a passing thought she had jokingly voiced when signing up her parents for the Xinjiang aid project at the revolutionary committee would actually come true.

The Ye family was indeed heading to the great northwest on a special train on the very day she was going to the countryside!

At that moment, standing on two adjacent platforms, seven people gazed at each other from afar—one heading north, six heading west, destined to be separated by vast distances, perhaps never to cross paths again in this lifetime.

Ye Qing could see Father Ye opening his mouth as if to say something, and she could also see Mother Ye’s resentment and the jealousy and bitterness of the other siblings.

But Ye Qing didn’t care anymore.

From this day on, the Ye family would become a thing of the past. From now on, she, Ye Qing, would be a free woman, with the sea and sky open for her to roam as she pleased, and no one could stop her again!

Hearing the conductor’s whistle behind her, Ye Qing’s lips curled into a smug and relieved smile. Just before boarding the train, she provocatively waved at the six of them:

“Farewell, and goodbye to you all!”