The beloved but ungrateful girl is reborn: This time she has truly changed.

"I'm afraid of wasting time."

Qi Zhuangzhuang rubbed his hands together as he spoke, "Mom, is breakfast ready? I'm starving!"

"Alright, alright!" Chen Hongxia brought out two large bowls of wontons. "Eat them while they're hot."

The brother and sister sat at the table, each with a bowl.

The wonton wrappers are thin and the filling is tender. The soup is sour and spicy, and the aroma of white pepper hits your nose, making you feel warm all over.

Qi Weiwei took a sip of the soup, which was so hot that she gasped for breath, but her heart felt warm.

It was already 6:30 when we finished eating.

Qi Zhuangzhuang picked up two suitcases—one for Qi Weiwei and one for himself.

Chen Hongxia handed Qi Weiwei another cloth bag: "These contain apples and biscuits. Eat them when you get hungry on the road."

Qi Chou also came over, brought in two boxes of dumplings from the windowsill, wrapped them in a towel, and handed them to Qi Zhuangzhuang: "When you eat them at noon, scald them with boiling water before eating."

"Okay, Dad." Qi Zhuangzhuang took it, made sure he saw the opening, and stuffed it into his suitcase.

The family went out.

It was still dark, and the alley was quiet, with only a few chimneys emitting wisps of smoke.

A thin layer of frost had formed on the ground, and it crunched when you stepped on it.

When I arrived at the bus stop, there were already quite a few people waiting for the bus.

On a crisp winter morning, people's breath turned into white mist as they hunched their shoulders, stamped their feet, and waited for their ride.

The car arrived, the door opened, and the crowd surged forward.

Qi Weiwei was jostled and pushed around.

Qi Zhuangzhuang, carrying two suitcases in one hand and protecting her with the other, managed to squeeze a path through the crowd.

Once on the bus, it was packed with people, with almost no room to stand.

Qi Zhuangzhuang spotted an empty seat in the corner, strode over, put his suitcase down, and turned to Qi Weiwei, saying, "Weiwei, come on, sit down!"

An elderly woman nearby was a step too slow and missed out on a seat. She glanced at Qi Weiwei resentfully and muttered, "Sigh, young people these days don't know how to respect the elderly!"

The old woman looked to be in her sixties, with arms thicker than Qi Weiwei's legs, a ruddy complexion, and a strong voice; she seemed much more energetic than Qi Weiwei.

Qi Weiwei didn't care and plopped down, saying, "Thanks, brother."

Qi Zhuangzhuang stood next to her, shielding her with his body to prevent her from being squeezed.

The brother and sister looked at each other and smiled.

When she was little, Qi Zhuangzhuang would save her a seat like this when he took her to school.

Back then, buses were crowded, and he was always the first to rush on, saving her a good seat, then standing next to her and helping her carry her schoolbag.

She was one of the few children who had an older brother escorting her to school, and because of this, she was often teased by other children in her class.

The feeling of having someone to rely on is so familiar, yet so strange.

In her past life, she was always alone, struggling through thick and thin.

The business world is a cutthroat arena; I've endured all sorts of hardships, from negotiating and signing contracts to chasing payments.

Back home, she was met with Tang Aijun's endless criticism.

She also has two "sons" who only treat her well when they need money.

She's like a spinning top, constantly turning, but she doesn't know for whom she's turning.

And now, her older brother is right beside her, using his broad shoulders to shield her from the throngs of people.

This feeling is wonderful.

After a bumpy ride, the bus arrived at the train station.

Qi Zhuangzhuang, carrying a suitcase, led Qi Weiwei through the crowded throng to the ticket gate.

He took out his platform ticket, and the two of them successfully entered the platform.

The train had stopped on the tracks; the green carriages had a thin layer of frost on the windows.

Passengers carrying large and small bags rushed to board the bus.

Qi Zhuangzhuang found carriage 03 and helped Qi Weiwei board the train.

The carriage was filled with a mixed smell—the smell of coal smoke, sweat, food, and cheap tobacco.

The seats were for three people. Qi Weiwei was by the window, and a middle-aged woman was already sitting next to her, holding a child in her arms.

Qi Zhuangzhuang's seat was on the other side of the aisle, also by the window.

"Weiwei, sit down." Qi Zhuangzhuang placed her suitcase on the luggage rack, then took out a few old newspapers and spread them on her seat. "Make it clean."

Qi Weiwei sat down and watched her older brother busy himself with various tasks.

He was tall, which made him look a little cramped in the narrow carriage, but he was quick and efficient, and soon everything was arranged.

The train let out a long whistle and slowly started moving.

The platform outside the window moved backward, faster and faster.

As Qi Weiwei watched the familiar city gradually recede from the window, a complex feeling welled up inside her—a reluctance to leave home, apprehension about the future, and a resolute determination to burn her bridges.

The journey takes more than four hours, which is neither long nor short.

Qi Weiwei leaned against the window, watching the scenery rushing by outside.

The fields were barren, the trees were withered, and occasionally a few low farmhouses would flash by, with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys.

The sky was leaden gray, like a huge, dirty rag.

Around 11 a.m., Qi Zhuangzhuang got up and went to the connecting area between the carriages to get hot water.

There was a small stove burning coal, and a semi-fixed kettle was bubbling and steaming.

He filled a teacup with boiling water, opened the lunchbox containing dumplings, and carefully scalded it twice with the boiling water—once on the outside of the lunchbox, and once pouring the dumplings into the lunchbox, shaking it, and then pouring the water out. Only then did he pour the dumplings into the lunchbox lid and hand it to Qi Weiwei.

"Be careful, it's hot," he said.

The dumplings were still hot, steaming.

Although the dough was a bit sticky, the taste remained the same; it still tasted like the ones Dad made.

Qi Weiwei picked one up and put it in her mouth.

It's piping hot, just like it was freshly cooked.

The child in the arms of the middle-aged woman across the way saw the dumplings, stared at them longingly, and smacked his lips.

Qi Weiwei smiled, picked up two dumplings, and handed them over: "Give these to the child."

"Oh dear, I can't accept this..." the woman declined.

"It's okay, we brought plenty," Qi Weiwei said.

The woman then took the food, thanked her repeatedly, and fed it to her child.

The child ate with great relish, his eyes squinting.

Qi Weiwei's heart softened as she looked at it.

If her daughters were here with her, they would be this age by now, right?

Are they... doing well?

Do you have dumplings?

Are they... still alive?

Thinking of this, her heart clenched again.

The train finally slowly pulled into Huluxian Station.

"We've arrived at Huluxian County! Passengers getting off, please prepare!"

The train conductor's voice came through the loudspeaker.

Qi Weiwei stood up and stretched her legs, which had gone numb from sitting.

Qi Zhuangzhuang had already taken the suitcases off the luggage rack, one in each hand, and was standing in the aisle waiting for her.

The car door opened, and a blast of cold air rushed in.

Qi Weiwei shivered and quickly wrapped her scarf around her neck and put on her gloves.

After getting off the train, the platform was bustling with people and noisy.

The cries of vendors, the voices of travelers, and the announcements from the train station blended together.

Qi Weiwei followed her older brother toward the exit, her eyes searching through the crowd—her father had said yesterday that he had called Grandpa Ling, but she wasn't sure if anyone would come to pick her up.

After all these years, they've only been exchanging letters.