A young boy from the 1970s, separated from his family, fled famine and led his younger brother into

"Nianci, you did the right thing."

Lin Wenjun's warm embrace and gentle words made Su Nianci's body, which had been stiff from being overly tense, relax a little.

She didn't turn around, but simply gave a soft "hmm".

The atmosphere in the carriage became somewhat subtle because of the shocking scene that had just unfolded. No one pointed fingers at Su Nianci's behavior anymore, and the gazes directed at her now held not only the previous awe but also a deep-seated respect.

This five-year-old girl is not only intelligent and courageous, but also has a heart of gold.

The train continued north without encountering any further setbacks.

After experiencing the two major events of "fighting human traffickers" and "encountering refugees," Su Nianci and her brother enjoyed the highest level of treatment on this train. Not only would the train police frequently visit them and inquire about their well-being, but the passengers in the carriage also spontaneously took on the responsibility of "bodyguards," deterring any strangers who approached with their wary gazes.

Su Nianci was happy to have some peace and quiet, and she spent most of her time talking with Lin Wenjun.

From Lin Wenjun's mouth, she absorbed all the information about this era like a sponge.

She learned about the layout of Beijing and what kind of people lived in which courtyards; she learned the importance of "letters of introduction" and "household registration booklets" and knew that without these two things, it would be impossible to move an inch in this era; she even heard a lot about the Northern Military Region from Lin Wenjun, although most of it was hearsay, it gave her a clearer outline of her future destination.

Lin Wenjun was also surprised to find that Su Nianci's "eagerness to learn" was simply unbelievable. Not only did she have an exceptional memory, remembering everything she heard, but she could also draw inferences from one instance to another and ask some very profound questions that even she, a child raised in the capital, could not answer.

"Nianci, it would be a waste of your brilliant mind if you didn't become a scientist in the future," Lin Wenjun remarked more than once.

Su Nianci just smiled and didn't say anything.

A scientist? No, what she's doing is far more complex and dangerous than what a scientist does.

In this calm yet turbulent atmosphere, the train rattled along for two days and one night.

On the morning of the third day, as the first rays of sunlight shone through the car window, the station announcements came over the loudspeaker.

"Attention passengers, the next stop is Jeju Station. The train will stop at Jeju Station for thirty minutes. Passengers disembarking at this station, please prepare accordingly..."

Upon hearing the words "Jeju Station," Lin Wenjun's body stiffened slightly.

Su Nianci noticed it immediately.

"Sister Wenjun, are you getting off here?"

"Okay." Lin Wenjun nodded, her eyes filled with deep reluctance. "I'm going to transfer here to go back to the capital."

The moment of parting finally arrived.

Su Nianci's heart sank. These past few days, Lin Wenjun had been like a guardian angel to her and her brother, sheltering them from the storm and offering them selfless care and help. Now that she was leaving, Su Nianci and her brother would once again become two helpless, adrift duckweeds.

Little Stone seemed to sense something too. He put down the half-eaten apple in his hand, gripped Lin Wenjun's clothes tightly with his little hands, looked up, and his big, dark eyes were filled with dependence and pleading: "Sister... don't go..."

"Sister is going home to see Mom." Lin Wenjun knelt down, touched Xiao Shitou's face, her eyes reddening. "Xiao Shitou, be good, listen to your sister, okay?"

As she spoke, she quickly packed her things. Her luggage was simple, consisting of only a canvas shoulder bag.

She stuffed all the remaining national food coupons, a few yuan in change, some biscuits and candies from her bag into Su Nianci's hands.

"Nianci, take these! Don't try to refuse!" She pressed down on Su Nianci's hand, which was trying to refuse, her tone leaving no room for argument. "You have a long road ahead of you. It'll take you several days to get from here to Harbin. You'll need money and food along the way! Listen to your sister, accept them!"

Su Nianci looked at the crumpled money and food coupons in her hand and knew that this was all the savings Lin Wenjun had accumulated through frugality.

She didn't refuse again, but nodded heavily: "Sister Wenjun, I will remember this kindness."

"Let's not talk about this between us." Lin Wenjun smiled, and then she took out two items from the innermost layer of her handbag.

A neatly folded sheet of paper and a beautifully crafted, dark green Hero brand fountain pen.

"Nianci, you must keep this safe!" Lin Wenjun's expression became more serious than ever before.

She unfolded the letter, pointed to the address on it, and said to Su Nianci, word by word, "This is my address in Beijing. My father's name is also on it, Lin Zhenbang. Do you remember it?"

Su Nianci's gaze swept over the address, and she instantly etched it firmly into her mind.

"I've got it."

"Okay." Lin Wenjun picked up the pen again, unscrewed the cap to reveal the golden nib inside. She pointed to an inconspicuous spot on the pen barrel, where two words were engraved in tiny characters—"Zhenbang".

"This pen was a gift from my father. His name is on it." Lin Wen-jun placed the pen in Su Nianci's hand, holding her hand tightly. "Nianci, listen to me. If everything goes smoothly when you get to Harbin and you find Uncle Lu, that would be the best. But if... I mean, in case you encounter difficulties you can't solve, or if something changes on Uncle Lu's side, don't be afraid, and don't try to tough it out."

"Take this pen with you to the capital, find our house at this address, give the pen to the gatekeeper, and tell him you are my sister, Lin Wenjun, and that I sent you. When they see this pen, they will definitely make my father come out to see you."

"My dad... although he's just a cultural worker, he still knows some people in Beijing. Unless it's something catastrophic, he'll definitely be able to help you."

These words, this token, this promise... their weight far exceeds that of ordinary friendship!

This is almost equivalent to entrusting the reputation and power of an entire family to Su Nianci without reservation!

Su Nianci held the pen, still warm from Lin Wenjun's touch, and felt it weigh an inch. She knew Lin Wenjun was leaving her a final, foolproof escape route!

"Sister Wenjun..." Su Nianci's throat was dry. All her words, in the end, turned into just three words, "I... understand."

"Waaah—"

The train let out a long whistle and slowly pulled into the platform of Jeju Station.

"I should go now." Lin Wenjun stood up and gave Su Nianci and Xiao Shitou a final, tight hug.

"Take care of yourself, take care of your younger brother. Remember my words, you must live, live well!"

After saying that, she resolutely turned around, carrying the simple canvas bag on her back, and squeezed towards the door with the flow of people getting off the bus.

Su Nianci, holding Xiao Shitou's hand, stood on the seat and watched through the train window as Lin Wenjun's figure disappeared into the crowded station.

Her heart felt empty, as if a piece had been ripped out.

"Sister... Sister Wenjun... is gone..." Little Stone pouted, tears welling up in his eyes.

Su Nianci patted his head without saying a word.

She carefully placed the pen and the letter with the address on it into her innermost pocket, right next to the letter her father had left behind and the dragon-shaped jade pendant.

The train stopped for thirty minutes, then slowly started moving again.

A new group of passengers boarded the train, bringing with them new noise and smells. The "little hero" aura surrounding Su Nianci and her brother had faded considerably in this new environment.

They turned back into the crowd, those two inconspicuous, ragged children.

After seeing Lin Wenjun off, Su Nianci calmed down. She pulled Xiao Shitou back to sit down and began to review her plans for the future.

However, when she took out all the money Lin Wenjun had left behind and the money she had left before and counted it, her heart sank to the bottom.

All the money added up came to eight dollars and seventy-six cents.

She had just asked the train conductor about the train ticket from here to Harbin, and the cheapest hard seat on the slow train cost nine yuan and fifty cents per person.

Tickets for two people cost 14.25 yuan.

We don't have enough money.

Moreover, it's still far from that.

After seeing off their last guardian, Su Nianci and Xiao Shitou were once again plunged into the most realistic predicament of being penniless.