"Teacher Tang Jing, I really appreciate your concern for my son, but my wife is not the kind of person you’re making her out to be. Please don’t slander her."
Lin Han’s expression turned cold, and even Nan Sheng felt a shiver of unease, let alone Tang Jing, who barely knew him. She was so frightened she couldn’t utter a single word.
Only after Lin Han had walked far away did Tang Jing dare to mutter under her breath, "As expected, a stepmother brings a stepfather. Even a soldier is no exception."
By the time Nan Sheng woke up, Lin Han had already returned from the school. He didn’t mention running into Tang Jing—he had eyes, and he could see for himself!
"Wife, I’ll take these things to the post office first. If you want to go to town too, wait for me to come back and pick you up."
Nan Sheng nodded. There was no way they could carry everything in one trip, so she planned to visit the black market to bid farewell to Xiao Yi and the others, and also sell the bicycle while she was at it.
The two children had disappeared early in the morning, but with Sizhe keeping an eye on them, she wasn’t worried about her daughter getting lost.
By the time Lin Han returned, two hours had passed. The physical endurance of a soldier was truly impressive—he had ridden back and forth without breaking a sweat.
Sitting on the back of the bicycle, Nan Sheng listened as Lin Han chattered, "We’ll ride to the county tomorrow and catch the three o’clock train in the afternoon."
Lin Han’s military base was stationed in a border town near Rongcheng, where mist was frequent, sunlight scarce, summers humid and hot, and winters damp and cold. It had taken him years to adjust.
But Nan Sheng didn’t mind. Instead, she thought of the local delicacies—mapo tofu, twice-cooked pork, skewered hotpot, and more.
As they chatted, they soon arrived in town. After dropping off the parcels at the post office, they rode to the black market.
When Xiao Yi heard Nan Sheng was leaving, he had been waiting in town for the past two days, nearly on the verge of tears. His benefactor was slipping away—what was he going to do now?
Shitou welcomed Nan Sheng and her husband into the courtyard. "Sister Nan, Brother Yi is waiting for you and Brother-in-law inside. He’s prepared a lot of things for you."
Most of it had already been handed over to Little Qi, who knew the address and would mail it for them. The rest was food for their train journey.
The moment Xiao Yi saw Nan Sheng, he stood up and called out, "Sister Nan!" before shaking hands with Lin Han, his demeanor humble and respectful.
Nan Sheng smiled at him. "I’m going to join my husband at the military base, so I came to say goodbye."
Though they had only known each other for a year, Xiao Yi and Nan Sheng trusted each other deeply. Fortunately, Mingli would remain at the black market, so they wouldn’t lose touch.
"Sister Nan, I believe with your skills, you’ll thrive in Rongcheng too. Don’t forget about an old friend like me when you come back!"
"Of course not! I’m counting on you to look after Mingli from now on!"
At noon, Nan Sheng and Lin Han ate at Xiao Yi’s place and left carrying pastries and canned goods.
At first, Lin Han had assumed Xiao Yi and the others treated Nan Sheng with respect out of fear of her status. But after observing them, he realized their friendship was genuine—even the others in the courtyard held Nan Sheng in high regard.
Curious, he asked, "Wife, how did you and Xiao Yi meet?"
"We met during the drought when I was buying grain. I warned him about the coming disaster and told him to stock up. He’s a decent man—while other places raised prices, he kept his the lowest. I made some money from it too. Later, when I started working for the government, I occasionally passed him some information."
Lin Han understood now. No wonder Xiao Yi had been so generous, treating them to meals and gifts.
"But doesn’t the government crack down hard on the black market? If Mingli keeps associating with them and gets caught, won’t he lose his job?"
"No, he won’t!"
Lin Han was a good man, but his thinking was too rigid. Nan Sheng didn’t plan to change him, but she also didn’t want him interfering in her decisions.
"The leadership has said we must unite all forces that can be united. Take this drought, for example—the government couldn’t secure enough grain. Without the black market traders, who knows how many people would’ve starved?
"As long as there’s demand, the black market will never disappear. As long as they follow the rules, we can afford to turn a blind eye sometimes."
Lin Han thought it over and realized she was right. Without ration tickets, the black market was inevitable—though not all traders were as principled as Xiao Yi. Many resorted to underhanded tactics.
"Not long ago, something big happened in Huaishan County."
Lin Han asked what it was, and Nan Sheng replied, "The government requested military support to crack down on the black market. All the seized grain was distributed to the people."
Lin Han understood—his wife was reminding him that the black market was just a disorganized rabble. If the government acted, they’d be powerless to resist.
Nan Sheng thought she felt nothing, but that night, she lay awake, unable to sleep.
She laughed at herself. Since adulthood, she had moved countless times—lived in basements, slept in train stations. Yet after just a year here, she had grown attached.
To help herself sleep, she took the initiative for the first time, climbing onto Lin Han. "I can’t sleep. How about working overtime tonight?"
"Overtime?"
For a moment, Lin Han was confused—but the moment Nan Sheng moved, he understood. Instantly, he took control.
Later, as she drifted off, Nan Sheng thought drowsily, Lin Han really was a great sleep aid…
Early the next morning, the Nan and Lin families gathered in Lin Han’s courtyard. With no food left at home, they decided to buy steamed buns in town.
Lin Han locked up the house, keeping one set of keys for himself and Nan Sheng while giving the other to Mingli.
After saying goodbye to the Lin family, Lin Han rode with his wife and daughter, Mingli took Sizhe, and Nan Jingyu rode with Zhong Yanyan as they all headed to town.
After buying the buns, their bicycle brigade gained two more members—Xiao Yi and Shitou joined them, and the group set off in a grand procession toward the county.
The road to the county was long and monotonous. Nan’s father and mother rode behind their daughter, secretly wishing the journey could stretch even longer.
By noon, they had reached the train station. The men, strong from cycling, showed no signs of fatigue, while the women’s backsides were numb from the ride.
This time, Lin Han splurged on three hard sleeper tickets. Since Siqi was still small, she could ride for free. Seeing they still had time, Nan Sheng took everyone to a state-run restaurant for a meal.
It was peak dining hours, and the place was crowded. Fortunately, Nan Sheng had eaten there twice before, and the young hostess recognized her, leading them to a private room.
Mingli marveled, "Sis, this is the first time I’ve been treated so politely at a meal!"
Xiao Yi and Shitou nodded in agreement. They often ate out, but the staff at state-run restaurants were usually indifferent—they’d grown used to it.
While waiting for the food, Nan Sheng and Lin Han visited Yu Feng, even managing to snag a box of fine tea leaves before leaving.
Du Tang and Clerk Peng, knowing their journey would be long, had prepared bags of mung bean cakes and cookies. Nan Sheng returned with her arms full!
After the meal, Nan Sheng urged the others to leave. Traveling at night was dangerous—wolves were a real threat, and the unlucky might even run into a black bear.
"Mom, Dad, I’ll call the town as soon as I arrive. If anything comes up, write to me. I’ll visit as often as I can on leave!"
Zhong Yanyan could no longer hold back her tears, her voice choked with emotion as she nodded in agreement. For a moment, the entire group was enveloped in the bittersweet atmosphere of farewell, their eyes glistening with unshed tears.
Even as the bicycle carried them far into the distance, Zhong's Mother kept turning back for one last look.
Siqi clung to her mother’s leg, just as she had hugged her grandparents and uncle earlier. "Mama, don’t be sad. We’ll come back before you know it!" she reassured.
Nan Sheng gently patted her daughter’s head, and the family continued walking toward the train station.
Lin Han’s heart swirled with mixed emotions—this was the first time anyone had ever seen him off…
