The sky collapsed, and in the blink of an eye, I found myself transported to Nanluoguxiang.

After a quick breakfast, the convoy members had a simple meal.

Captain Wang stepped forward again to give instructions, reminding the convoy members that they were about to reach the border of Northeast China, the weather was getting colder, and they should put on their cotton-padded coats.

Waiting for everyone to put on their cotton-padded coats.

"Set off!"

As Captain Wang's booming voice rang out from the front, the convoy of cars slowly began to move forward one after another.

As Li Kaixin climbed into the passenger seat, he couldn't help but yawn, his eyelids feeling heavy.

Master Chen skillfully started the car engine, then glanced at Li Kaixin and smiled.

"Are you tired of guarding? Take a nap. I know this way well, I'll wake you when we get there."

Li Kaixin felt a warmth in his heart, knowing that this was his master's concern. He didn't feel comfortable refusing, so he responded and wrapped his cotton coat tighter around himself, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes to rest.

The car swayed and rocked forward, which ironically became a sleeping pill for Li Kaixin, and he actually drifted off to sleep.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Kaixin was awakened by an even more violent jolt, and at the same time felt a chill that seeped into his bones.

I opened my eyes and looked out the window; the scene was completely different from yesterday.

The once barren land was now covered with a thin layer of white frost, and the temperature had dropped significantly, probably only a few degrees Celsius; even the breath exhaled turned into white mist.

"Awake? It gets colder the further north you go, button up your coat."

Although Master Chen was looking straight ahead, he still noticed that Li Kaixin had woken up.

Li Kaixin straightened his cotton-padded coat, feeling the cold wind seeping in through the gaps in the car door, and couldn't help but sigh at the weather in Northeast China.

The chill was even more intense when we went camping at night.

When everyone ate around the campfire, they all unconsciously moved very close together.

Li Kaixin, Wu Tian, ​​and Qian Dazhuang huddled together, warming their hands with the scalding hot lunchboxes.

"This weather is awful, why did it suddenly get so cold?" Qian Dazhuang complained, hunching his shoulders.

Wu Tian's lips were a little purple as he replied, "We only just entered the Northeast region today, right? I heard it's even colder inside."

Li Kaixin took a sip of hot porridge, looked at Wu Tian who was shivering, and said, "It's cold, but our group is lucky tonight. We were assigned to the first shift. When you think about the other two groups, doesn't it make you feel a little less sad?"

Wu Tian and Qian Dazhuang nodded in relief.

......

After three days and two nights of trekking.

It was afternoon.

When a cluster of low-rise buildings appeared in the distance, and most notably, the cylindrical grain silos, everyone in the convoy perked up.

Our destination was a county-level grain depot under the jurisdiction of Baishi, and we've finally arrived!

The convoy, covered in dust and exhausted, slowly drove into the grain depot compound.

As soon as the wheels came to a stop, a middle-aged man in a blue cadre uniform and a cotton hat quickly came up to greet them with several staff members.

With a warm smile on his face, he reached out his hand from afar; this was Station Master Huang of the grain depot.

"Welcome, welcome! Colleagues from the Beijing Transportation Station, you've had a long journey!"

After Captain Wang and Station Chief Huang shook hands, the two went to the side to talk.

At first, Station Chief Huang's face was still warm and smiling, but as he listened to Captain Wang's words, Station Chief Huang's expression gradually became serious, and he showed a troubled look.

Although the specific content was unclear, fragments of conversation could be faintly heard, such as time being tight, the task being brought forward, and this year's harvest possibly not being as good as in previous years.

Captain Wang listened in silence, his brows furrowed.

After a moment, he spoke in a deep voice: "Station Chief Huang, I understand the situation. But a mission is a mission, and I need to report to the station leadership immediately. May I borrow the phone for a moment?"

"Of course, of course, Captain Wang, this way please." Station Chief Huang quickly led Captain Wang to the office next door.

Over here, another man who looked like an official from the grain station walked up to Master Chen with a smile and said, "Old Chen! We meet again. How was your journey?"

Master Chen also showed a rare smile and patted the man's shoulder hard: "Old Zhou! Not bad, these old bones can still hold up."

Turning to Li Kaixin, he introduced, "Kaixin, this is Director Zhou from the grain station's logistics department. He's an old acquaintance of mine. Every time our convoy comes here, Director Zhou arranges our food and lodging."

Li Kaixin immediately stepped forward, bowed slightly, and wore a perfectly respectful smile.

"Hello Director Zhou, my name is Li Kaixin, and I am Master Chen's apprentice."

"Hey, young man, you're got spirit!"

Director Zhou smiled and looked Li Kaixin up and down, then said to Chen Dabing, "Old Chen, your new apprentice is clearly a clever lad!"

that's it.

Li Kaixin stood to the side, while Master Chen and Director Zhou chatted.

About fifteen minutes later, Captain Wang and Station Chief Huang came out of the office.

Station Master Huang nodded apologetically to everyone before hurriedly leaving to attend to other matters.

Captain Wang walked to the front of the convoy, faced all the team members, and raised his voice.

"Comrades! You may have heard part of the situation from my conversation with Station Chief Huang. We arrived a little early this autumn harvest, and the grain station's collection work is not yet complete; some grain has not yet been fully delivered."

"We need to stay here for three days while we gather more food supplies! We'll depart for the return trip on time three days from now!"

Seeing that no one had any objections, Captain Wang then said sternly, "For the next three days, everyone must abide by the rules and not cause any trouble for the local comrades! After we're dismissed, follow Director Zhou's arrangements for accommodation!"

After hearing this, a low murmur arose among the crowd. Some breathed a sigh of relief, while others worried about delaying their trip.

At this moment, Director Zhou stepped forward.

With a beaming smile, he greeted them: "Comrades from the transportation station, come with me! Your dormitories have all been arranged at the county guesthouse."

He then led the convoy away.

The group followed Director Zhou through several streets and arrived at a guesthouse in the county town that was closest to the grain station.

Perhaps because the Northeast is vast and sparsely populated, the accommodation was much better than expected. After Director Zhou coordinated with the guesthouse staff, he even assigned each person a single room!

After everyone went inside and looked around, although the room was small, it provided a private space, which was already very good for Li Kaixin and the others who had been sleeping outdoors for the past few days.

Director Zhou distributed meal tickets stamped with the grain station's seal and accommodation vouchers stamped with the guesthouse's official seal to each person.

He instructed, "Keep your entry and exit permits and meal tickets safe. Meals are at the grain station's canteen. If you need anything, find someone at the guesthouse, or come directly to the grain station's logistics department!"

Li Kaixin took the voucher, put it in his pocket, and greeted Master Chen, Wu Tian, ​​and Qian Dazhuang.

Turning around, I pushed open the door to the room assigned to me. Looking at the single bed, the fatigue accumulated from days of travel seemed to surge up instantly.

With a long sigh of relief, I tossed my luggage aside and immediately collapsed onto the bed.

Thinking that he had three days of free time, he had to do something in the Northeast in the secret space. As he thought about it, his consciousness drifted into slumber.