Xia Xiaolan had no idea how many people were thinking of her after the Jiangcheng symposium. Mao Kangshan was looking for her, as were the teachers from the Architecture Department. However, she and Zhou Cheng were happily traveling from Jiangcheng to Shanghai, eating and having fun, so naturally, everyone’s attempts to find her were in vain. Although there was a phone at her home, with Grandmother Yu and Liu Fen taking calls and relaying messages to Pengcheng, Xia Xiaolan wasn’t even in Pengcheng.

Zhou Cheng had taken quite a long leave this time, which puzzled Xia Xiaolan, but he explained it matter-of-factly: “You might get selected for the exchange program to study abroad any day now, so I’m going to use up next year’s leave in advance.”

It was very difficult for someone of Zhou Cheng’s status to go abroad! If Xia Xiaolan wasn’t in the country, what use would his leave be? Except for keeping the necessary days to visit family, Zhou Cheng wanted to use up all his other leave days in advance.

“There’s still no news about it, so I probably won’t be going this year. Maybe it’ll be in the second semester of sophomore year. If you use up all your leave now, won’t we miss spending Spring Festival together again?” Xia Xiaolan raised a valid possibility.

For two consecutive Spring Festivals, Zhou Cheng had no leave. Shouldn’t he spend this third Spring Festival with his wife?

“I understand. I’ll take that possibility into account and keep a few days of leave just in case.”

In Shanghai, besides sightseeing with Zhou Cheng, Xia Xiaolan also toured around the city’s outskirts. Shanghai in 1985 was already very lively. Due to its special geographical location and historical circumstances, Shanghai has long been one of China’s major cities since modern times. The most fashionable things weren’t found in Guangzhou or Beijing but in Shanghai.

When Zhou Cheng asked what she liked, Xia Xiaolan stared at the vast farmland in Pudong, drooling.

Good heavens!

In 1985, Pudong hadn’t yet become a district of Shanghai. Pudong County had been established in 1958, only to be abolished in 1961, just three years later. Last year, Lujiazui, which would become one of China’s most influential financial centers in the future, had just been incorporated into the Huangpu District.

Pudong New Area? It didn’t exist yet. People hadn’t even heard of it. Shanghai residents still considered Pudong to be countryside. There was even a saying: “Better a bed in Puxi than a room in Pudong!” Shanghai locals wouldn’t choose Pudong for marriage and housing… Who could have imagined that in just five years, by 1990, the State Council would decide to develop Pudong, and in 1992 the Pudong New Area would be officially established. Those who owned property in Pudong would later live comfortably just from the demolition compensation.

Now, vast farmland stretched out before Xia Xiaolan, beckoning to her. It was like seeing banknotes flying everywhere, tempting her.

Zhou Cheng didn’t understand why his wife was drooling at the farmland. The fields were full of rice ready for harvest, golden rice ears bending the stalks, admittedly an appealing sight.

“What would you like to eat for lunch?”

Xia Xiaolan gave Zhou Cheng a strange look. She had been imagining the future, why talk about food?

“Are you already hungry?”

Zhou Cheng shook his head, “I thought you were hungry, otherwise why would you be drooling at rice paddies?”

Xia Xiaolan wiped her mouth, realizing there wasn’t any drool – Zhou Cheng had tricked her.

“You don’t understand, I wasn’t drooling at the rice, I was—”

“There’s a lot I don’t understand, you can tell me.”

Xia Xiaolan hesitated.

She could tell Zhou Cheng to buy more houses in Beijing, and when property prices soared later, it would just seem like Xia Xiaolan had good foresight. But she couldn’t explain to Zhou Cheng how this wasteland in Pudong would become worth its weight in gold. The national policies hadn’t even been announced yet. Pengcheng’s future development made sense because it had been designated as a Special Economic Zone, so gold rushers knew to flock there.

But Pudong? There wasn’t even a hint of supporting policies yet. How could Xia Xiaolan justify such prescience?

Being three steps ahead of others showed capability, but being ten steps ahead made one seem supernatural.

Xia Xiaolan only wanted to be Zhou Cheng’s girlfriend, and eventually his wife – she didn’t want to play the role of a prophet in front of him.

She wanted Zhou Cheng’s love, not his fear.

With her thoughts clear, Xia Xiaolan knew she couldn’t continue the previous topic. She said vaguely, “If I explain it to you, wouldn’t that be cheating? Whatever I’m thinking, you’ll have to guess yourself!”

Naturally, they returned to their hotel without him figuring it out.

When they got back, the front desk called out to them.

“Mr. Zhou from Room 503? There’s a message here for you.”

Xia Xiaolan had a feeling this wasn’t an ordinary message. Their trip hadn’t been announced to anyone, so who would know which hotel they were staying at? Unless Zhou Cheng had contacted someone himself. Since they weren’t married, they naturally slept in separate rooms, and Xia Xiaolan wasn’t sure if Zhou Cheng had contacted anyone.

The envelope contained just one sheet of paper, which Zhou Cheng read and then burned.

“It’s from Third Brother Pan. He’s in Shanghai and wants to see me… Xiaolan, would you like to come along?”

Zhou Cheng had initially planned to meet Pan Baohua alone.

But then he thought that not telling Xiaolan might make her worry.

Being open about it would prevent her from overthinking.

Xia Xiaolan nodded.

So that afternoon, she met Third Pan.

“Third Brother, long time no see!”

Pan Baohua wore a camouflage short-sleeve shirt, had shaved his head bald, and was driving the same Polonez that Xia Xiaolan had seen when she first met him.

The small car with its bold driver created an inexplicable cute contrast.

“Nice to see you, sister-in-law. Cheng, let me tell you something – you should have been taking your sister-in-law around more often. You only have your face to attract girls with, and when you get busy with work you forget everything else. Besides Xiaolan who doesn’t mind being with you, where else could you find such a good partner?”

Xia Xiaolan’s eyes nearly popped out.

She had always thought Third Pan was a man of few words, but not.

Pan Baohua could be quite talkative, it just depended on who he was talking to.

He must be close to Zhou Cheng!

“I’ll go buy some food for you both. Third Brother, is there anything you don’t eat?”

Pan Baohua shook his head: “Thank you, sister-in-law. I’m not picky, anything filling will do.”

Xia Xiaolan was just making an excuse to give them space.

Once she left, Pan Baohua’s expression immediately turned serious: “Cheng, I know everything now. This is my business, you shouldn’t have kept it from me. I know you’ve been unsettled these past two years, still thinking about clearing my name, but there’s no need. What happened at the unit is in the past, I’m doing very well now!”

Zhou Cheng didn’t believe a word of it.

“Third Brother, you’re worried the Jiang family will cause trouble for me! If you had forgotten about what happened at the unit, you wouldn’t be the Third Brother I know.”

Pan Baohua pulled out cigarettes from his pocket and tossed one to Zhou Cheng.

They lit their cigarettes, both remembering their times on missions together. At the front, cigarettes were scarce commodities. The closest allies would squat in trenches during breaks in fighting, passing around a single cigarette among many people. When it came back around, often only the butt remained – the last person would take one deep drag before it burned out completely, and that’s when Pan Baohua would start cursing.

Zhou Cheng originally didn’t smoke – he was still young when he started working.

Smoking was taught by Pan Baohua, as were many other things. Just as Zhou Cheng never forgot to pull Kang Wei along when making money, Pan Baohua would always make Zhou Cheng run ahead even when escaping.

Because Zhou Cheng was the newcomer he had brought in, he had brought Zhou Cheng to the front, so he was responsible for Zhou Cheng’s life!

“Cheng, now that we’ve had our smoke, let me be completely honest with you. Whether I can return to the unit or not doesn’t have much to do with Jiang Wu. Do you think the Jiang family is all-powerful? If they wanted to destroy me, would I just submit without fighting back?”