Time Travel: My Comfortable Life After Going to the Countryside

Time flies, and it's already the last day of training. Tomorrow morning, everyone will be able to go home for the holidays.

The training these past few days has been entirely militarized: from 6:00 to 6:15 in the morning, we wash up, and at 6:15 immediately we line up, followed by a five-kilometer morning run. Political study begins promptly at 8:00, mainly focusing on how to manage the "four categories of elements"—landlords, rich peasants, counter-revolutionaries, and bad elements. From 9:00 to 12:00, there are professional skills classes in criminal investigation. The afternoons are entirely dedicated to military skills training, with shooting and hand-to-hand combat alternating. In the evenings, we also have to give ideological reports and engage in criticism and self-criticism.

The afternoon military training was Liu Xiangyang's most comfortable time. He had been boxing for over ten years, so his physical foundation was already exceptionally solid. His shooting training improved even more rapidly; before long, he could hit exactly where he was pointing. Even the instructor patted him on the shoulder and said, "With your talent, it's a pity you're not in the army."

That afternoon, everyone was absentmindedly waiting for the training to end when suddenly someone ran over, leaned close to the instructor's ear, and whispered a few words.

The instructor's face hardened, and he turned around, blowing his whistle: "Attention, everyone! We've received orders from higher command that there will be a capture operation tonight, and we need everyone's cooperation. Now, go to the canteen for lunch immediately, then return to your dormitories and await orders! Do not wander off, and be ready to assemble at any time!"

Upon hearing there was a mission, the crowd stirred, buzzing with excited chatter. After dinner, they waited until after nine o'clock in the evening before the order finally arrived. Everyone lined up to receive their weapons, then silently climbed onto the waiting trucks.

The truck bumped and jolted along in the night. Liu Xiangyang looked out from the back of the truck, increasingly puzzled. Why did this road look so familiar? Wasn't this the direction leading to the lumber mill? Could it be... that they were heading towards Zhao Si?

The car did not stop when it passed the black market intersection where he had made his last transaction. It continued to drive for a few minutes before stopping outside a dimly lit street.

Liu Xiangyang jumped out of the vehicle, his heart skipping a beat. Seven or eight trucks were already parked in the open space, and soldiers armed with guns were jumping out and quickly forming ranks. The trainees also hurried over to assemble.

A middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit with a stern face stood at the front, his voice low but penetrating: "By order of superiors, a group of counter-revolutionaries has been operating a black market here for a long time, seriously disrupting the economic order. Tonight, the patrol training brigade will cooperate with the troops to carry out the arrest. Now, in pairs, immediately seal off all the exits of the outer alleys! Your task is to patrol the outer perimeter to prevent any escapees—action!"

Liu Xiangyang was assigned to a narrow alleyway. He gripped his gun tightly, watching the soldiers silently and swiftly encircle the depths of the black market. A short while later, a piercing scream suddenly erupted from within: "Run!—they're coming to arrest us!"

The shouts were like cold water splashed into boiling oil, and a chaotic cacophony of running, crashing, and suppressed gasps erupted in the darkness.

Liu Xiangyang's mind raced: Could this place... belong to Zhao Si's gang? If it really is him, then his background is incredibly powerful. He just emptied their stock, and they can get new goods right after? With such capabilities, how could they have been caught?

The arrest lasted for more than half an hour, breaking the silence of the night before gradually returning to calm.

Finally, a dozen or so people with their hands tied behind their backs were brought out. Liu Xiangyang's eyes narrowed. Leading them were Zhao Si and Lao San, with Lai Zi and his cousin following behind with their heads hanging low.

As Zhao Si was shoved past, his eyes darted around like hooks. Passing a young man standing in the shadows, he suddenly struggled to his feet and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Master Qian—"

Before the word "zi" could even be uttered, the young man raised his hand and slammed the butt of his rifle hard into Zhao Si's mouth! With a muffled thud, Zhao Si's words were forced back down his throat, and blood immediately spilled from the corner of his mouth.

"Take him away!" The young man's voice was icy, exceptionally clear in the night. "Gag him tightly."

Zhao Si and his gang were quickly crammed into a truck and disappeared into the thick night.

On the truck ride back, Liu Xiangyang frowned deeply. They clearly recognized Zhao Si's unfinished cry of "Young Master Qian," and the young man's swift and decisive attack, even with a hint of murderous intent. Moreover, the young man's clothes were not ordinary; he was definitely not a common character.

He shook his head, banishing those dangerous thoughts from his mind. He was just a nobody now; he couldn't afford to get involved in this kind of thing. Making money quietly and reaping the benefits was what truly mattered. The truck bumped along towards the camp.

That evening, Liu Xiangyang didn't participate in the discussion. He soaked his feet in hot water and went to bed, wrapped in his godmother's blanket, and fell asleep smelling her scent.

The next morning, before dawn, Liu Xiangyang rolled up his bedding and tied it tightly. He and his roommates carried their luggage and headed out of the camp. As soon as they opened the door, a cold wind swirled with heavy snow and pelted them. In no time, everyone's shoulders were covered in a layer of white snow.

"Xiangyang, over here! Let's catch the bus together!" A man heading in the same direction called out to him through the wind and snow, his neck hunched over.

Liu Xiangyang didn't move. His gaze was fixed on a figure not far away, standing quietly beside a bare tree trunk in the wind and snow, wearing a dark blue woolen overcoat, like a resilient and tenacious plum blossom. Snowflakes piled up on her shoulders and hair; she seemed to have been waiting for a long time.

"You guys go first," Liu Xiangyang said, his voice sounding a little dry, but his eyes never left that direction. "I still have some things to do in Bingcheng, and I want to buy some things to take back with me."

As the last few companions' figures were swallowed up by the swirling snow, the two ran towards each other, the snow crunching under their feet, growing louder and louder until it suddenly crashed in front of her.

The two were separated by swirling snowflakes, their breaths turning into white mist that quickly mingled together.

He looked at her slightly red nose from the cold and her eyes reflecting the snow, and felt something burning hot pounding in his chest.

"Godmother," he finally found his voice, filled with heartache and an indescribable flutter of emotion, "Why did you come so early in this cold weather?"

Chen Jie looked up at him, tiny snowflakes clinging to her eyelashes. Suddenly, she chuckled softly, a smile that dispelled the chill around her.

She simply grabbed his hand: "Godmother has decided. Today is your twentieth birthday, and I want to give you a birthday present." Her voice was softer than snowflakes falling, yet it clearly reached his ears.

Liu Xiangyang was stunned. The sounds of wind and snow, the distant sounds of vehicles and horses, and the faint bugle calls from the camp all faded away in that instant.

It was as if only the woman in front of him remained in his world; she was twenty years old, a date he had almost forgotten.

His hand touched her face, which was red from the cold, and felt a burning sensation in his heart as he touched her icy skin. "Why didn't you wear more clothes? What if you got too cold?"