Reborn in 1977, I will no longer be my brother's blood bag.

"I wasn't asking about the company."

The sound of iron spoons clattering against pots could be heard from the entrance of the cafeteria.

The head chef leaned out halfway.

"Are you still going to eat? Stand there a little longer, and I'll scrape the bottom of the pot for you."

Lin Xiuhe turned and walked inside.

"eat."

Zhou Zhiyuan remained standing in the same spot.

Li Mingyuan walked past him.

"Let's go. Even if the food at the factory is terrible, it's better than going hungry."

The three people entered the cafeteria.

All that's left at the window are potatoes and cabbage.

The head chef served everyone a lunchbox and used a spoon to scrape the edge of the pot.

"The meat was all eaten by the people in front. Don't bother looking, it won't grow back."

The factory manager sat by the window, with an extra half-eaten steamed bun in his lunchbox.

He broke off a piece, still muttering "Unit No. 3" under his breath.

"Stop on Monday, and start again on Wednesday night. Anyone who drags it out until Thursday, the workshop foreman can set up a makeshift shelter outside my door."

Lao Guo sat at another table.

"He really went. Don't let him sleep in there. He snores so loudly the whole hallway can hear him."

"Eat your food."

The factory manager stuffed the steamed bun into his mouth.

As soon as Lin Xiuhe sat down, Li Mingyuan placed the research institute's confirmation form on the corner of the table.

"There are two places that need to be filled in later."

Zhou Zhiyuan glanced at the table.

"Let her eat first."

It's due tomorrow.

"She can't run away."

Li Mingyuan raised his head.

"I didn't say I'd write it now."

Lin Xiuhe tapped the lunchbox with her chopsticks.

"If you keep arguing, you two will write it for me."

The head chef walked by carrying a rag.

"It takes three people to discuss one form? Even our cafeteria's loss reporting isn't this complicated."

The people at the next table laughed.

Li Mingyuan took the confirmation form back.

Zhou Zhiyuan broke open his own steamed bun and put half of it on Lin Xiuhe's lunchbox lid.

"You didn't eat much this morning."

"Have you eaten?"

"I drank a bowl of porridge."

"I saw it."

Zhou Zhiyuan looked up.

When did you see it?

"You're squatting at the entrance of the guesthouse drinking porridge, while I'm passing by on the other side of the street."

Li Mingyuan's chopsticks, which were picking up potatoes, stopped in mid-air.

"Did you meet this morning?"

"I didn't see him." Lin Xiuhe took a bite of her steamed bun. "I saw him, but he didn't see me."

Zhou Zhiyuan said, "Why don't you just shout it out?"

"You were squatting there, holding your bowl, looking quite content. What do you want?"

Upon hearing this, the factory manager turned around with his lunchbox in hand.

"Xiao Zhou eats his breakfast squatting by the door? The training center doesn't even provide a chair?"

"We went too late, it was full."

"Come eat at the factory next time. We don't have much else, but we have enough stools."

Section Chief Gao was undermining him from the sidelines.

"The cafeteria meal tickets aren't given away for free."

"Put it on my tab."

Accountant Liu immediately looked up.

"You still owe two meals from last month."

The factory manager turned back with his lunchbox in his hand.

"Even food can't shut you up."

This table finally quieted down.

Halfway through the meal, Li Mingyuan asked again, "How are you going to the factory on Monday?"

"Take the first bus."

"The research institute's car passes by the school gate at 6:30."

Zhou Zhiyuan said, "The training center also has vehicles."

Lin Xiuhe raised her eyelids.

"I'll go myself. It'll save you from arguing at the door before the car even leaves."

Both of them stopped talking.

After finishing his meal, Li Mingyuan went to the research institute.

Zhou Zhiyuan accompanied her to the station.

People leaving get off work crowded under the bus stop sign, carrying lunch boxes, vegetable baskets, and old net bags used for holding coal briquettes.

When the wind blows, the metal sheet on the bus stop sign creaks.

Lin Xiuhe was at the end of the line.

Zhou Zhiyuan stood beside her.

She asked, "Does what you just said still count?"

Which sentence?

Stop pretending to be confused.

He looked at the factory buildings across the street.

"Li Mingyuan has even started asking where you'll be living from now on."

"Let him ask if he wants."

"Aren't you annoyed?"

"Why should I bother when someone is helping me?"

Zhou Zhiyuan stuffed the meal ticket back into his pocket.

"I'm annoyed."

Lin Xiuhe turned her face away.

"What's bothering you?"

"He's always by your side."

The people in front squeezed back a step.

Zhou Zhiyuan raised his hand to block the vegetable basket that was crashing into him.

Lin Xiuhe looked at him.

"He was always there when I was in class or working on projects."

"I used to be too far away to see."

"Now that you've seen it, you're not happy?"

"Um."

The bus turned from the street corner.

The ticket seller stood by the door and shouted, "Enter through the front door! Move in!"

The crowd began to move.

Lin Xiuhe was pushed forward, and turned around to ask:

"So what do you want to do?"

Before Zhou Zhiyuan could speak, the aunt behind him urged him on.

"Young man, don't block the door when you're seeing someone off."

Lin Xiuhe got into the car.

Before the car door closed, Zhou Zhiyuan took two steps forward to catch up.

"I'll go to the school gate on Monday."

I said I would take the bus.

"I know."

The car drove away, but he was still standing there.

Lin Xiuhe looked at him through the glass for a while before turning back.

The next day, Engineer Zheng came to the school to provide supplementary suggestions.

An extra line of text appeared in the "receive intention" section.

After the trial modification of Unit 3 at Beicheng Plant was completed, it was assigned to the equipment application group based on the results.

The salary and the position are still vacant.

The dormitory only registered two beds initially; the allocation will be made after graduation procedures are completed.

The deputy director said in Professor Chen's office, "Leave the salary and position information blank for now. Fill them in after the third machine finishes running, to avoid having to make changes repeatedly."

Lin Xiuhe folded the paper.

"The machine hasn't even started yet, so there's no point in writing it down."

Professor Chen sat by the window revising the materials.

"If she really liked listening to empty talk, you would have lured her away the last two times."

The deputy director, after being rebuffed, picked up his teacup and drank some water.

Li Mingyuan walked in carrying the documents.

Engineer Zheng handed him another copy of the acceptance opinion.

"You two work with the North City Plant first. Once you finish Unit 3, we'll see how to divide the work among the rest."

Li Mingyuan flipped through it.

"Should I organize the data?"

"You're familiar with the previous records, so continue."

"OK."

The deputy director asked, "Any objections?"

"no."

He put the paper into the materials.

"Lin Xiuhe is familiar with the site. I work with her, which saves us the trouble of re-grinding."

Professor Chen looked up.

"You weren't always this considerate."

"I didn't give it up either."

"What's it called?"

"She does her thing, I'll do mine. We'll fight for what we deserve."

Lin Xiuhe leaned against the table.

"Did you hear that? Don't think he's changed his temper."

Li Mingyuan laughed and said, "You haven't changed either."

After leaving the office, the two walked together toward the laboratory building.

As I passed by the female staff dormitory, several quilts were drying in the sun outside the door.

Li Mingyuan pointed in that direction.

"I asked yesterday. Newcomers will be staying in four-person rooms first, there aren't many beds available."

"Engineer Zheng has already given his name."

"Lower bunk beds are not guaranteed."

"You can sleep on the top bunk too."

"Isn't it troublesome for you to get up and down the stairs to get a drink of water at night?"

Lin Xiuhe slowed down.

"You even remember this?"

"I used to get up in the middle of the night to get water while working on projects, and I bumped my head on the corner of the table twice."

Why don't you remember anything good?

"I've noted that down too."

"What should I remember?"

Li Mingyuan took a few steps forward while holding the documents.

"It's nothing."

Students carrying blueprints ran through the corridor.

Li Mingyuan made way for the person before continuing, "My mother knows you."

Lin Xiuhe looked at him.

"How did you know?"

"She asked me who I would be working with when I went to the research institute."

"What did you say?"

"It's probably you again."

"She still cares about this?"

"She was afraid that I had a bad temper and wouldn't get along with anyone for long."

Lin Xiuhe laughed.

That's not wrong.

Li Mingyuan also smiled.

He spoke only when they reached the top of the stairs: "If I really get into the institute, I still want to be in the same group as you."

"Just for the sake of doing a project?"

Li Mingyuan switched the documents to his other hand.

"Not entirely."

He stopped.

"Don't answer yet."

Lin Xiuhe looked at him.

"I'll ask you again after Unit 3 is finished."