78: Bringing his wife and children to Harbin Institute of Technology

The next morning, Ye Bingwen took Zheng Shuyun and his daughter Ye An'an to Ping'an County.

Cai Xun and Ma Kui were already waiting at the station.

"Have you packed all your luggage?" Cai asked.

"I've brought everything." Ye Bingwen nodded. "It's just that I'm sorry to have troubled the two teachers, who went out of their way to wait for us."

"Don't mention it," Ma Kui said with a smile. "You're a student that both our departments are vying for, so we have plenty of patience."

Ye Bingwen was taken aback. "Two departments?"

Cai Xun and Ma Kui exchanged a glance and both smiled.

"It's like this," Cai Xun explained, "Your grades are too good; both Lao Ma and I want you. Mechanical Engineering or Mathematics, you can choose."

Ye Bingwen pondered for a moment, "Could we have both?"

Cai Xun and Ma Kui were both taken aback.

"You mean... a double degree?" Ma Kui asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yes." Ye Bingwen nodded. "I know there's no precedent for this in China right now, but I am indeed interested in both majors. Mechanical engineering is my field, but mathematics is fundamental, and mastering it will also help with mechanical engineering."

Cai Xun frowned. "This... I need to go back and discuss it with the school."

"No need to discuss it." Ma Kui waved his hand. "I agree. As long as Director Cai has no problem with it, I can get you an auditing student status. You can major in mechanical engineering and minor in mathematics. You'll take the exams as usual, and if you pass, you'll get credits."

Cai Xun thought for a moment, "Okay, it's settled then. But you still need that position in the publicity department. Your wife's job problem needs to be solved."

"Thank you both, teachers," Ye Bingwen said sincerely.

Zheng Shuyun listened with tears welling up in her eyes. She knew that Ye Bingwen had done all of this for her and the child.

The group boarded the train and found a window seat.

The trains in 1978 were still the old green ones, and the carriages were packed with people. The air was thick with the smells of sweat, cigarettes, and all sorts of other indescribable odors.

Ye Bingwen held Ye An'an in his arms. It was the little girl's first time riding a train. She looked around curiously, her bright black eyes darting around.

"An'an, be good, Daddy will take you to see the big city," Ye Bingwen coaxed softly.

Zheng Shuyun leaned against him, watching the scenery outside the window slowly recede, feeling both expectant and uneasy.

After the train started moving, the carriages gradually became lively.

Some people were playing cards, some were chatting, and some were dozing off in their chairs.

Ye Bingwen was resting with his eyes closed when he suddenly heard a commotion not far away.

"Stop thief! Someone's stealing!"

A middle-aged woman's shrill voice rang out.

Ye Bingwen opened his eyes and saw a thin man squeezing through the crowd and running towards the other end of the carriage.

Several passengers tried to stop him, but he skillfully dodged them all.

Ye Bingwen frowned and was about to stand up when he noticed out of the corner of his eye that another man was quietly approaching him.

The man's gaze was fixed on Ye An'an in his arms.

Ye Bingwen felt a chill run down his spine.

He had seen online in his previous life that some people in this era specialize in stealing children and selling them to remote mountainous areas.

I never expected to run into him today.

The man drew closer and closer, reaching out to hug Ye An'an.

Ye Bingwen suddenly stood up and kicked the man in the stomach.

"what……"

The man screamed and collapsed to the ground, clutching his stomach.

The carriage fell silent instantly, and everyone turned to look in their direction.

"Bingwen!" Zheng Shuyun exclaimed in surprise.

"Don't be afraid." Ye Bingwen handed the child to her. "Keep an eye on An'an."

He walked over and stepped on the man's chest. "What do you want?"

"I...I didn't do anything..." The man's face turned pale with pain. "I was just passing by..."

"Just passing by?" Ye Bingwen sneered. "You've been staring at my daughter for ages, do you think I didn't see her?"

At this moment, the thief in front was also caught by the passengers, and several helpful people brought him over.

"This guy stole that woman's wallet," a young man said.

The person who was stepped on by Ye Bingwen looked even uglier.

Cai Xun and Ma Kui also gathered around. Ma Kui took a closer look and exclaimed in surprise, "These two are in cahoots! The one who stole the things earlier deliberately made a commotion to attract everyone's attention, and this one took the opportunity to steal the child!"

The carriage immediately erupted in chaos.

"That's outrageous! They even steal children!"

"Kill them!"

"Call the police! Hand them over to the police when we arrive at the station!"

Ye Bingwen bent down and grabbed the man by the collar. "Where are you from? How long have you been doing this?"

The man trembled, "I...I'm just a errand boy, please spare my life, brother..."

"Spare me?" A fierce glint flashed in Ye Bingwen's eyes. "Do you know the consequences of stealing a child? A stolen child destroys a family!"

He grew angrier the more he thought about it. He had heard of such things in his previous life, but this was the first time he had experienced it firsthand.

The thought that if he had reacted any slower, Ye An'an might have been stolen away filled him with a nameless anger.

"Bang!"

Ye Bingwen punched the man in the face.

"Bingwen!" Zheng Shuyun quickly pulled him back, "Stop hitting him, stop hitting him..."

Cai Xun also came up to persuade him, "Bingwen, calm down. Hitting someone is wrong. Hand it over to the police when we get to the station."

Ye Bingwen took a deep breath and released his grip.

The man lay sprawled on the ground, blood trickling from his mouth, but no one showed him any sympathy.

The passengers in the carriage applauded and cheered.

"Good job! People like that deserve to be beaten!"

"Well done, comrade!"

"He looks like a responsible and good father!"

Ye Bingwen returned to his seat and hugged Ye An'an tightly.

The little girl, unaware of what was happening, was still giggling.

Zheng Shuyun held his hand and whispered, "It's alright, it's alright..."

Ye Bingwen nodded, but he was still feeling lingering fear.

If he hadn't seen it, if he had reacted a little slower...

He dared not think any further.

Ma Kui walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "Young man, you reacted quickly. If it weren't for you, this child might have been stolen."

Ye Bingwen gave a wry smile. "Teacher Ma, I'm just an ordinary person. I've just been lucky."

"Luck is also part of skill," Ma Kui laughed. "But that kick you just made isn't something an ordinary person could do."

Ye Bingwen paused for a moment, then explained, "I've done farm work in the countryside, so I'm stronger."

Ma Kui nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

The train continued on its way to the next station, where several policemen boarded and took the two thieves away.

The carriage returned to calm, but the discussion about Ye Bingwen did not stop.

"Is that young man a college student?"

"It seems so. I heard he got into Harbin Institute of Technology."

"No wonder he's so successful; he's clearly not an ordinary person."

Hearing these comments, Ye Bingwen touched his nose somewhat embarrassedly.

Zheng Shuyun leaned on his shoulder and whispered, "Bingwen, you were really amazing today."

Ye Bingwen smiled. "Protecting your wife and children, isn't that what you should do?"

Zheng Shuyun blushed and didn't say anything more.

The train traveled through the night, and it was pitch black outside the window.

Ye An'an fell asleep in Ye Bingwen's arms, a sweet smile on her little face.

Ye Bingwen looked at his daughter and made a silent vow in his heart.

No matter what happens in the future, he will protect this family.