“It doesn’t have much to do with him. I like my work here.” Mu Jing thought that her mother must believe she wasn’t transferring back because of a man. She worked hard not only to realize her value but also to dispel her mother’s notion. If she stayed here only for Qu Hua, not only would her mother look down on her, but she would also look down on herself.

“There’s nothing wrong with trying different things when you’re young. You don’t need to be so determined. Even if Qu Hua wants to stay here, you can transfer first. If living apart hinders your relationship, it only proves your relationship is too fragile.”

“Do you think I’m staying here just because of Qu Hua? If my work here doesn’t go well, I would transfer.”

Teacher Mu had only met Qu Hua once. She understood why Mu Jing would choose him; such a person could often provide a shoulder to lean on in difficult times, while gentle people might reveal their indecisiveness when facing problems. But at the same time, she also knew that Qu Hua and Mu Jing weren’t suitable for each other. However, she couldn’t control her daughter, just as her daughter couldn’t control herself. She could only tell her daughter to always put work first and that there would always be a room for her at home.

The driver returned to pick them up, this time accompanied by Qu Hua’s mother, who had come specially to invite her in-laws over for dinner. Seeing that her daughter refused to transfer and would continue living with Qu’s family, Teacher Mu was very considerate in her words to her in-laws. Since the in-laws had come to invite her, she called Fei Ni to come along too. If she hadn’t known beforehand that Fei Ni was her in-laws’ daughter-in-law, she would have thought it was a mother bringing her daughter.

Old Qu and Old Fang were both absent, but the two families got along quite harmoniously that evening.

One more stop until the terminal station. The mother and daughter sitting in Fang Muyang’s seat were about to get off the train. They had seen Fang Muyang and Qu Hua talking earlier and thought they knew each other, so they asked where Fang Muyang had gone, wanting to invite him back to continue sitting there. Qu Hua said he didn’t know. If he mentioned that Fang Muyang was on the train roof, it might deepen their guilt; after all, not many people would consider lying on the train roof as enjoyable, just like his brother-in-law did. The little girl called Qu Hua “uncle,” and she asked the uncle to give the two candies in her hand to the “big brother” from earlier. For her, someone a bit serious was an uncle, while someone who had nothing to do with seriousness was a big brother.

As the train headed toward the terminal station, Fang Muyang returned to the carriage. Qu Hua passed him the two candies from earlier, and Fang Muyang graciously indicated that the candies were now his.

Fang Muyang couldn’t quite imagine the person before him eating candy. His father was resting in the sleeper carriage, so naturally, he didn’t want to disturb him and continued sitting in his carriage.

He saw Qu Hua reading a statistics book and casually mentioned his sister, who was in the mathematics department, as well as the purpose of his trip. As he spoke about Mu Jing, he observed Qu Hua’s expressions. It was a very calm face, only showing a momentary change when he mentioned that his parents wanted his sister to return and that they were keeping a room for her at home.

Fang Muyang asked Qu Hua, “Do you think my sister will agree to transfer back?” He now had a pen in his hand, and Qu Hua’s expression was replicated onto his paper.

Qu Hua threw the question back to Fang Muyang, asking what he thought.

Fang Muyang said that as long as his sister liked her current life, it didn’t matter where she was or whether she transferred back. But his parents weren’t sure if his sister was doing well and would only be at ease if she were by their side. If his brother-in-law didn’t want his sister to transfer back, he would need to find a way to prove himself reliable.

When Old Fang came from the sleeper carriage, the drawing was already completed. Fang Muyang decided to give this drawing as a gift to his sister.

Old Fang came over and introduced his son and son-in-law to each other. Both parties seemed unsurprised by each other’s identities. To pave the way for his future son-in-law to leave his hometown, Old Fang had, during his earlier private meeting with his son-in-law, strongly praised his son, saying he had always been independent and wouldn’t change his stance just because of what his parents said.

Fang Muyang’s current behavior confirmed Old Fang’s earlier praise.

In a conversation with only two people, one person must respond to the other. Now with three people, the obligation to respond was reduced. Old Fang had intended to converse with his son and son-in-law, but it turned into a one-sided talk. His son-in-law was reading a book, his son was drawing, and comparatively, his son-in-law showed him a bit more respect than his son did.

As the train was about to arrive at the station, a patient’s family member from the sleeper carriage found Qu Hua and asked if he knew Dr. Qu Hua. If he did, could he help contact Dr. Qu, as he wanted Dr. Qu to operate on his father? Probably feeling it wasn’t appropriate to trouble a stranger, he also took out a small gift from his luggage bag. Qu Hua told the family member to go directly to the hospital today, as Dr. Qu had clinic hours this afternoon.

Old Fang hadn’t expected his son-in-law to be so busy, returning from aid work and immediately plunging into work without a day’s rest. Indeed, he was his daughter’s husband, exemplifying the Fang family spirit. Even the most unruly son in their family would behave on the train.

As soon as the train arrived at the station, Fei Ni spotted Fang Muyang. Her smile appeared uncontrollably. She waved to him, but seeing her father-in-law and brother-in-law standing nearby, her smile became a bit more subdued. She quickly walked up to them, greeted her father-in-law and brother-in-law, then consciously stood next to Fang Muyang. Occasionally, while walking, she would reach over to brush off dust from his body, dust that seemed to come from nowhere.

Compared to them, her second sister and brother-in-law seemed almost like strangers rather than spouses. They only looked at each other for about ten seconds when they first saw each other, and afterward, Mu Jing’s attention was focused on her father and brother, not looking at Qu Hua again.

Old Fang had thought that even though they had arrived, they should still wait at the guesthouse for his in-laws to come visit. He had wanted to insist on waiting at the guesthouse, but upon hearing that his wife was at Qu’s home, he quickly relented.

Qu Hua couldn’t return home with Mu Jing because he had matters waiting for him at the hospital. Before he even came back, the hospital had sent him an urgent telegram asking him to come to the hospital immediately upon his return. There was a difficult case waiting for him that had undergone several consultations without results. He also had an outpatient clinic in the afternoon, and during his year-plus of aid work, patients had been disappointed at not being able to see him in his clinic.

He had originally planned to go home after resolving the hospital matters, which is why he hadn’t told Mu Jing about his return today. His parents-in-law were at his home, preparing to transfer his wife away, and he couldn’t go home but had to work.

When Qu Hua said he had to go to the hospital right away, Mu Jing hesitated for only a few seconds before saying that work was important.

Qu Hua had planned to take a public bus directly to the hospital, but Fang Muyang asked the driver to take Qu Hua to the hospital first, and incidentally let his father see his brother-in-law’s workplace.

The car was somewhat cramped with five people, so Fang Muyang volunteered to take a public bus directly to Qu’s home, taking the opportunity to see the street scenery. Fei Ni, of course, wanted to go with him. They left quickly but walked slowly toward the bus stop. Fei Ni looked at the dust on her fingers that she had brushed off from Fang Muyang. “How did you get this on the train?”

Fang Muyang held Fei Ni’s fingers. Seeing that everyone around was busy with their affairs and had no time to look at them, Fei Ni allowed him to hold her hand.

Fang Muyang took out the drawing he had made to show Fei Ni.

Fei Ni looked through it. “You didn’t draw this on the train roof, did you?”

Fang Muyang poked Fei Ni’s palm with his finger. Fei Ni quickly pulled her hand away from Fang Muyang’s grasp. “There are so many people on the street.”

“I brought our marriage certificate. If needed, I can show it to everyone.”

Fei Ni snorted. “You didn’t sleep up there last night, did you? You bought a ticket.”

“I don’t like being in the carriage. The journey is too long.” Fang Muyang didn’t mention giving up his seat to others. “Next time we take the train, you stay in the carriage, and I’ll play the violin outside for you to listen. How about that?”

Fei Ni imagined such a scene and thought it would be quite nice. “Forget it, it’s too dangerous. When I get my writing fee, I’ll also treat you to a plane ride.”

Fang Muyang never refused Fei Ni’s “sponsorship” of him. He readily agreed and began to think about where they should go next.

The two dawdled to the bus stop. While waiting for the bus, Fang Muyang showed Fei Ni the gift he had prepared for his sister.

Fei Ni looked at her brother-in-law in the drawing. Her attention had been entirely on Fang Muyang earlier, and she lacked a clear impression of her second sister and brother-in-law’s meeting at the station, only remembering Fang Muyang looking at her smile. Now that she finally had leisure time to think about other things, she asked Fang Muyang how he had met her brother-in-law. Even on the same train, a chance encounter wasn’t that easy.

Fei Ni suddenly said, “Isn’t it a bit inconsiderate to leave our dad with my second sister and brother-in-law?”

Mu Jing hadn’t expected Qu Hua to be on the same train as her father. Neither of them was a good conversationalist outside their profession, but with Old Fang there, the car didn’t seem silent.

Mu Jing and Qu Hua sat next to each other. The last time they were this close was a year ago.

Old Fang spoke to his daughter sometimes and to his son-in-law at other times. Until Qu Hua got off at the hospital entrance, Mu Jing and Qu Hua hadn’t exchanged a single word. Occasionally, they would glance at each other but never maintain eye contact. Mu Jing watched Qu Hua get out of the car, but she didn’t see him enter the hospital before the car drove away.

With her father present, she never looked back.

By dinnertime, Qu Hua still hadn’t returned.

The last time Mu Jing went home, she had brought gifts from her in-laws to her parents. Though Old Fang was dissatisfied with his in-laws, he had also prepared gifts this time. One of the gifts for his father-in-law was his newly published book, complete with his signature. This book was of great significance to him; his daughter-in-law had done the preliminary organization, the illustrations were drawn by his son, it was the crystallization of their family’s work, and in the afterword, he had specifically thanked his wife. Old Qu, under Old Fang’s expectant gaze, skimmed through the entire book and finally commented that the illustrations weren’t bad. Old Fang almost couldn’t keep his composure, thinking to himself that indeed, rotten wood cannot be carved.

When Old Fang and Old Qu met, they silently exchanged their mutual disdain. They had heard of each other before meeting. Old Fang looked down on Old Qu for being crude and uncultured, while Old Qu despised Old Fang for being too naive and only capable of armchair strategies. Meeting in person only deepened these negative impressions. At the same time, they both felt it was a good thing that children were unlike their fathers. Old Qu not only thought that Old Fang’s son was unlike him but also that his daughter was unlike him. His daughter-in-law’s work directly impacted social production, whereas he couldn’t see what social benefit Old Fang’s work produced. However, out of respect for his daughter-in-law, Old Qu did not mock Old Fang to his face.

Although painting also didn’t produce much practical benefit, Old Qu believed that Fang Muyang was much more valuable than his father. Old Qu himself couldn’t paint, but he prided himself on writing fluent articles, so he believed writing articles was easier than painting. He had seen Fang Muyang’s labor drawings in an art exhibition compilation and immediately noticed that Fang Muyang had good observation skills and must have had labor experience. Old Qu didn’t think becoming a painter was the best choice for Fang Muyang; he felt that Fang Muyang had been held back by his father and should interact more with other people, like himself. He advised Fang Muyang to stay longer during the summer vacation, experience a different life, and perhaps discover what suited him best.

Old Fang felt somewhat unhappy that his son got along so well with his in-laws. His rebellious son had lived with him for so many years and understood him too well, to the point of losing curiosity, and instead had more to talk about with outsiders. He thought to himself that if his rebellious son were Old Qu’s son, within three days, he would definitely not have a word in common with Old Qu, and might even have more to chat about with him. He also got along well with his son-in-law, but unfortunately, his son-in-law wasn’t present. Old Fang missed his son-in-law.

During the meal, Old Fang slightly mentioned the matter of having Mu Jing and Qu Hua transfer jobs, implying throughout that the working environment back home was better. Surprisingly, Old Qu didn’t contradict him this time but continued his line of thought, saying that the harsher the conditions, the more the children were needed to build.

This statement left Old Fang speechless. He even wanted to say, what does this place have to do with hardship?

Old Fang said he wanted his daughter to be closer to him for better care. Old Qu said they treated Mu Jing like their own daughter, that he had always wanted a daughter, and now his wish had been fulfilled. He asked Old Fang in return, Don’t you treat your daughter-in-law the same as your daughter? Even if Fei Ni weren’t here, Old Fang couldn’t say he treated his daughter-in-law differently from his daughter, especially with Fei Ni sitting right there. Old Qu told his daughter-in-law that if there was anything she wasn’t satisfied with, she should speak up directly. Mu Jing said there was nothing she was dissatisfied with.

Qu Hua’s mother was also puzzled by how restrained her husband was being today.

Old Fang couldn’t find a better reason and fell into rare silence. Teacher Mu certainly had better reasons, but she knew her daughter had no intention of transferring now, and saying anything would only add to her daughter’s troubles, so she maintained a timely silence.

The mother-in-law served food to Old Fang. When the food reached Old Fang’s plate, Fang Muyang very considerately said to Old Fang, “You’re allergic to this, why don’t you give it to me?”

Old Fang finally had a moment of triumph at the dinner table. No matter how well his rebellious son got along with others, he still remembered his father’s dietary restrictions.

He had forgotten that when he used to take his son out to eat, Fang Muyang would deliberately order dishes he couldn’t eat so that he could eat more himself. That’s why the impression was especially deep.

Old Fang had been waiting for his daughter to take a stance. Seeing that his daughter had no intention of transferring back, likely because Qu’s family treated her well, though dissatisfied, Old Fang put on an elegant face again and conversed cordially with his in-laws, considering that his daughter might continue living here in the future.

The two men, for the sake of their children, endured each other’s company and appeared quite harmonious on the surface.

After dinner, Qu’s family prepared guest rooms for the in-laws. Old Fang insisted on returning to the guesthouse, subtly hinting that Old Qu should visit him tomorrow, saying he would reciprocate the invitation when Old Qu came over.

Fang Muyang and Fei Ni had also prepared gifts for everyone. Fang Muyang’s gift to Mu Jing was a painting. Before returning to the guesthouse, Fang Muyang gave the painting to his sister. Mu Jing noticed that Qu Hua’s expression in the painting seemed somewhat unfamiliar.

“When I was drawing this, I told him that there would always be a place for you at home.” After saying this, Fang Muyang immediately added, “You can come back whenever you want.” Come back now if you want to, or don’t if you don’t want to.

Mu Jing pointed out a small error in Fang Muyang’s painting, saying that Qu Hua’s eyes looked a bit strange, clashing with his overall face. This wasn’t the kind of mistake her brother would make.

Upon hearing this, Fang Muyang exchanged a glance with Fei Ni. This flaw was intentional. Fei Ni hadn’t noticed any problems with the painting at all, not because her appreciation was inferior to Mu Jing’s, but because Fei Ni’s attention to Qu Hua was far less than Mu Jing’s. She couldn’t tell any difference between the person in the painting and the real Qu Hua.

Back in their room, Fei Ni asked Fang Muyang, “Do you think my sister will agree to transfer back?”

“I think the same as you.”

Qu Hua wasn’t scheduled for the night shift. After washing his hands, the orthopedic director sent someone to invite him for a consultation. The young doctor who came to invite Qu Hua was surprised when the workaholic Dr. Qu said he couldn’t come and to find someone else. No amount of pleading worked. When he went back and relayed Qu Hua’s message to the director, the director showed no understanding and continued to urge him to find Dr. Qu. The young doctor could only steel himself to go find him again. It was the first time he had seen Qu Hua so visibly emotional, his face writing: “Get lost quickly!” But he couldn’t leave, could only humbly repeat the director’s words, lowering his head as he waited for Qu Hua to refuse him again. However, this time Qu Hua surprisingly agreed.

He was supposed to lead Qu Hua there, but instead, he found himself walking behind him, having to jog to keep up with Dr. Qu. What could he do when his legs were so much shorter than Qu Hua’s?

The surgery lasted until one in the morning. Qu Hua had been on the train for a long time, returned to work continuously, and by the end of the surgery, his inner clothes were completely soaked. A doctor from another department collapsed directly in the operating room, while Qu Hua, the shining star among the hospital’s young doctors, could still walk briskly out of the operating room after such long hours of work, truly deserving to be called fleet-footed.

At this hour, there were no more public buses. Qu Hua borrowed a bicycle and rode directly home. There were many stars in the sky, but he didn’t have time to look at any of them.

He rode very fast, but his footsteps slowed down when he reached the bedroom. Opening the door, he found Mu Jing writing something at her desk.

Besides her ideals, she also wanted to prove to her mother that she wasn’t staying here just for a man, that she would achieve success wherever she was.

Qu Hua walked up behind Mu Jing, and only then did she realize someone had entered the room. Without turning around, she knew who it was. Without even looking at Qu Hua, she took a cup to pour water for him.

Qu Hua turned Mu Jing’s face toward him, forcing her to look at him. The last time they had met was a year ago, when Mu Jing had shared a mooncake with him before leaving to catch a train. He hadn’t even had a proper look at her then. This time, they had more time. His glasses moved closer and closer to Mu Jing’s face as she observed him, too. That kind of scrutiny seemed like an assessment, evaluating whether he was worth her staying here to continue living with him. This scrutiny contained both examination and challenge. Qu Hua kissed Mu Jing’s mouth, kissing her forcefully, giving her no room to refuse.

And Mu Jing seemed not to want to refuse.