"What are you writing? I could hear you laughing all the way from the door. Is it another letter to your sweetheart? You’ll be back in the capital soon anyway—why not just apply for leave and see her then? A few more days won’t make a difference."
"It’s not the same."
Liao Yuanjie sealed the envelope. In just a few days, he’d finally get to see Comrade Fan and surprise her.
"Nian, why are you packing so much stuff?"
Shen Xianjun returned home to find bundles and parcels neatly stacked, ready to go.
"These are for Mom and the professor’s wife, and these are for the kids. We hardly ever get leave to visit them, so I want to bring back plenty of local specialties."
"Are there even that many specialties here?"
Shen Xianjun was puzzled. His wife was busier than he was, yet he only knew of one or two local products—and they weren’t exactly easy to transport. The sheer volume she’d prepared suggested far more than just a couple of items.
"There’s quite a bit. I skipped the things that are hard to carry, like certain herbs. But the medicinal ingredients I asked the base’s procurement team to help me buy are excellent quality—perfect for Mom and the professor’s wife to brew as health teas."
As Qin Nian pointed out the contents of each bundle, Shen Xianjun scratched his head. He hadn’t considered these things as local specialties, but she was right—they absolutely were.
"Mom’s going to be over the moon. At this rate, she’ll end up liking you more than me."
"You can give Professor Wen’s wife her share when we visit, and I’ll handle Mom’s."
Qin Nian smiled. Since they’d moved to the base and started living together long-term, they’d grown to understand each other better. Their relationship, though lacking dramatic highs and lows, had settled into a quiet, steady companionship.
"Got it."
Shen Xianjun rearranged the bundles to make them easier to carry, doing his best to lighten his wife’s load.
"The base keeps growing, and higher-ups have started discussing letting families join the personnel. If they approve it, should we bring Mom and the kids here? That way, we could all be together."
He shared the news with Qin Nian, and the two began discussing the idea.
Qin Nian shook her head. "The schools in the capital are better. Even if Mom and the kids came, we’d be reunited, but it’d disrupt the children’s education. And Mom’s finally settled into life in the capital—her orchard, all her hard work over the years, would go to waste if she had to leave it behind."
"We’re both too busy to help. She’d end up managing everything herself again. Right now, we might not see her or the kids as often, but if we install a phone at home—just like the orchard has—we can call more frequently. Let’s not burden Mom with more work."
"You’ve thought this through."
Shen Xianjun considered her words. He’d been focused on reuniting the family, but he couldn’t realistically care for either the kids or his mother. In the capital, Mom had Aunt Wang, his mother-in-law, and even her godson—it almost made him feel superfluous.
"I haven’t touched much of my pay these past two years. When we go back, I’ll give it all to Mom."
His salary had increased significantly, and with meals and housing covered—plus all the daily subsidies—he’d barely needed to spend a cent. Everything had gone straight into savings.
Originally, he thought that after getting married, he would have to support the family and be careful with his allowance, but both his mother and his wife were capable earners. In the past, his money was lent out, but now it was all being saved up.
Shen Xianjun handed his allowance book to Qin Nian, who didn’t check the amount and simply tucked it away.
It wasn’t until they were on the return trip that Qin Nian remembered something important.
"Xianjun, did you tell Mom about our return?"
Shen Xianjun froze for a moment.
"I thought you did. I forgot."
The two exchanged glances. Since they were already on the road, calling home wasn’t an option—they’d have to explain once they arrived.
Meanwhile, Yang Yufen, unaware of the surprise heading her way, was busy planning with Aunt Wang for the newly contracted mountain land.
"Thankfully, we have an extra truck. This is all high-quality timber—perfect for building houses or making furniture. We’ll hire a carpenter later to craft pieces for the new home."
"Furniture made from this wood is far better than those Western-style ones. Plus, we’re skipping the lumber mill, so we’re saving money too."
The two elderly women were meticulous with their finances. They had negotiated directly with the lumber mill manager, handpicking the best logs at the lowest price. Once processed at the mill, the cost would’ve been much higher.
"When we dig up the roots later, we can pick a few good ones to make into tables. A coat of varnish, and they’ll look stunning."
Little Zhang supervised the loading of the timber before driving off.
For the newly contracted land, Yang Yufen and Aunt Wang had hired locals to clear the mountain area first.
Hu Jun held a list of names—veterans from his time in the Northwest who had fallen on hard times after retiring due to health or other reasons. Though they had lost touch, he had never forgotten them.
His thick notebook was filled with their contact details and records. Some, he even paid travel expenses for, inviting them to come.
When Shen Xianjun and Qin Nian arrived home, they found the door locked. It was their neighbor Fang Fen who noticed their return first.
"You’re back! I bet no one picked up when you called. Mom and the others are staying at the orchard now—they’ve been busy clearing land. Li Wen and Professor Wen are at the university district."
Fang Fen glanced at the sun-dried goods spread across the yard and quickly added,
"Thanks for letting us know, sis. We’ll tidy up here first, then head to the orchard."
"Sure. Just shout if you need anything."
Fang Fen didn’t linger, noticing how seamlessly the couple worked together—one directing, the other acting, perfectly in sync. It wasn’t her place to interrupt.
Still, she sent over a few bunches of saved grapes with her child.
The house needed a thorough cleaning. Though Yang Yufen returned occasionally to tidy up, dust and stale air had settled in.
Shen Xianjun oiled the bicycle, which clearly hadn’t been used in a while.
"Oh, Xianjun, Nian—if you’re going to the orchard, you can take the bus now. It goes straight to the orchard’s entrance, and the last one leaves at 5:30. You still have time."
Fang Fen remembered this after finishing grading papers and hurried over to tell them.
"Got it."
After putting everything out to dry and packing them back up, the two were about to leave to catch their ride when they spotted a familiar car and an even more familiar face before even reaching the door.
"Why didn’t you call home when you got back? Luckily, Uncle Liao phoned the orchard. Come on, let’s head back first—where were you two even going?"
