On the day of her departure, Mu Jingqing cleared out all her belongings, restoring the bedroom to how it had been on her first day there. She still remembered the exact arrangement of Qu Hua’s clothes in the wardrobe, and the paper crane tucked away in one corner—certainly not folded by Qu Hua himself, but likely a gift from some young woman. She returned his teaching materials to his desk, having added notes to the unfinished chapters to help him understand them better.
Mu Jing was escorted to the station by her mother-in-law, with attendant Xiao Qin and the driver loading several large suitcases onto the train. They placed her luggage directly in the sleeper compartment, though she wasn’t sure who had instructed them to do so. Most of the luggage contained items from her mother-in-law, who claimed they were prepared by Qu Hua. She didn’t believe it, suspecting her mother-in-law had purchased them herself. Although she knew her mother-in-law’s kindness stemmed from her being her son’s wife rather than being Fang Mu Jing herself, the sight of the jam in her luggage still moved her. It reminded her of her mother who, despite her generally casual approach to life, always bought two jars of jam from the store before her daughter’s travels.
On the platform, Mu Jing’s tears fell. Her mother-in-law noticed and offered her a handkerchief. “Why don’t you stay?”
Her mother-in-law had misunderstood her tears as reluctance to leave.
“You should head back now. The train’s about to depart.” Though she had always viewed her marriage to Qu Hua as a mutual arrangement of convenience, her mother-in-law’s kindness made her feel undeserving. She bid farewell to her mother-in-law and boarded the departing train, deliberately avoiding her mother-in-law’s gaze as she waved goodbye.
Holding the ticket Qu Hua had bought her, she gazed out the window. During her last train journey, her brother hadn’t yet recovered his memories, and she had been working in a field that didn’t suit her. Qu Hua had been the only bright spot in that dreary journey. But he hadn’t given her the chance to fall in love with him before investigating her background. Looking back now, she was grateful he hadn’t given her that chance.
The sunlight was beautiful today, streaming through the glass onto her face. She felt an unprecedented sense of lightness. Dealing with Qu Hua had been exhausting.
However, her relief was short-lived as she caught a glimpse of a familiar face in the window’s reflection.
After just one day apart, she had lost her experience in dealing with him casually. She faced the window, pretending not to notice him.
Fifteen minutes passed with both of them maintaining their silence, neither speaking first.
Finally, Mu Jing decided to break the silence, curious about why he had boarded the same train. But before she could turn to ask Qu Hua, he had already drawn the curtain.
Qu Hua had worked the night shift yesterday, consulting with other departments and performing urgent surgeries in his department. At four in the morning, they had received a critical patient, and the surgery had lasted four hours. He had been so exhausted that he had tried to let the assistant remove his gloves, but finding it too slow, had done it himself.
He fell asleep on the bed before Mu Jing could ask why he had come. When he awoke and pulled back his curtain, he found the opposite curtain drawn.
Neither spoke throughout the journey.
When the train arrived, Mu Jing went to retrieve her luggage from the rack. With all her possessions plus her mother-in-law’s gifts, she had three large suitcases and one small one. She couldn’t imagine how she would transport everything to the school; even getting them down from the rack seemed daunting.
As she struggled with the luggage, a familiar pair of hands grabbed the handle, easily lowering it to the ground. These hands proceeded to bring down all four of her cases.
Before Mu Jing could thank him, Qu Hua asked, “Any more luggage?”
“No, that’s all.”
As Mu Jing considered how to carry the cases down, Qu Hua had already picked up the three large ones and descended ahead of her. Mu Jing followed with the small case, catching up to say, “Let me take one.”
“You can’t manage it.”
Mu Jing reached for one, their hands touching briefly before she withdrew hers. “Thanks, but you don’t need to help. Go attend to your business. Why such a rushed business trip?” He had been on the night shift just yesterday.
Qu Hua didn’t deny it was a business trip. “It’s not urgent. I’ll take you to the school first.”
He walked ahead carrying the large suitcases, with Mu Jing following behind.
A teacher from the branch school had come to meet Mu Jing at the station, bringing a tricycle. The vehicle couldn’t accommodate both people and the large suitcases. As Mu Jing hesitated, Qu Hua told her, “I’ll deliver them to you later. Wait for me at the entrance when you arrive.”
From his tone, the receiving teacher assumed Qu Hua was Mu Jing’s husband, and the large suitcases were probably his contribution.
Sitting in the tricycle with her colleague, Mu Jing observed the small town’s scenery, resisting the urge to look back. She hoped Qu Hua was truly here on business, though her heart suggested otherwise. She watched the clouds drift across the sky, changing position moment by moment.
“Your husband is very considerate.”
Mu Jing smiled, her silence appearing as confirmation to others.
She was dropped off at the school gate. The branch school building had been partially constructed by the teachers and students themselves. Though it couldn’t compare to her alma mater, it had its charm. She waited at the entrance for Qu Hua. When he arrived, she reached for one of the cases, saying, “Let me carry it for a while. You can take it back if I can’t manage.” She intended to carry one large and one small case, but Qu Hua took the small one from her. With her new colleague watching, she couldn’t insist further.
Previously, when they were together, Mu Jing had usually done most of the talking, either making perfunctory conversation or giving lectures. Now, with his silence, there seemed nothing to say. The receiving teacher spoke more, explaining how many teachers at the branch school faced long-distance relationships with their spouses, and how spousal support was crucial for settling into work here. Turning to Mu Jing, he added, “It’s rare to find such a considerate husband like yours.”
Due to Mu Jing’s numerous belongings, she was first shown to her accommodation. Housing was tight at the school, with some teachers sharing bunk beds with students. Mu Jing’s assigned dormitory was relatively good—a double room shared with another female teacher who had also transferred from the main school, leaving her husband and children behind.
The female teacher felt somewhat envious of Mu Jing, having heard she had volunteered for the transfer with her husband’s support. She had come alone years ago with just one suitcase, leaving her child with her husband. For two years now, they’d been trying to get her transferred back. She didn’t think her husband was particularly inadequate; the difference simply lay in having children versus not having them. After introductions, she tactfully left the room to give Mu Jing and her “husband” some privacy. Before leaving, she informed Mu Jing that hot water would be available in fifteen minutes, but she could use some from her thermos for now. The cafeteria was straight ahead and left.
Alone in the room, Mu Jing cleaned a chair for Qu Hua, but he remained standing. She found her water cup in her luggage, poured him water from the thermos, and then filled a white basin with some water. She wrung out a towel and offered it to Qu Hua to wipe his hands, which showed marks from carrying her suitcases. He accepted and cleaned his hands.
“Sit here for a while. I’ll go get water.” She took both her and her roommate’s thermoses to fetch hot water, unable to think of anything else to say. Qu Hua took the thermoses from her hands. “I’ll go.” Before Mu Jing could react, he had left the dormitory, leaving her alone.
Dusk was falling as Mu Jing looked out the window. If Qu Hua was here on business, surely he had accommodation arranged. He’d been busy all day and hadn’t eaten. She considered inviting him to eat at the cafeteria before letting him leave, but before she could decide, he returned with the water. He set down the thermoses and pulled out an envelope for Mu Jing. “Go have your dinner.” Without even saying goodbye, he left.
Mu Jing opened the envelope to find national grain coupons and a stack of ten-yuan notes.
She caught up with Qu Hua and tried to return the envelope. “Take it back. I have savings, and there’s not much to spend money on here anyway.”
“Keep it. It’s of no use to me.”
Night had fallen. Mu Jing looked up at the clouds in the sky, and finally said to Qu Hua, “At least eat before you go.”