Before going to Australia, Jiang Mu worried whether Chris’s family would accept her, but those concerns vanished once she arrived. Chris had one son and two daughters who, along with their families, had put aside their work to welcome her in Melbourne as soon as she arrived in Australia. Each of them had carefully prepared gifts, welcoming this new sister who had come from afar into their big family. They gave Jiang Mu the warmest hugs, and even Chris’s toddler grandson joined in, which helped ease her apprehensions and worries.

The first three months in Australia were challenging for Jiang Mu. Having never lived abroad before, she struggled with the language environment, dietary habits, and building a new social circle. During that time, she still kept in touch with Jin Chao, frequently messaging him with her complaints and sharing both her joys and sorrows. Jin Chao would chat with her whenever he had time. When she missed him terribly, she would insist on video calling to see his face, though it always took one or two days, sometimes even three days of persistent pleading before he would agree. Once connected, she couldn’t bear to hang up as she gazed at him through the screen. When she first arrived in Australia, her world still revolved entirely around him, but as her classes became increasingly demanding after the semester began, their communication gradually decreased.

Jiang Mu studied Natural Sciences, focusing on physics and astronomy. Due to the language barrier, the first year of study was extremely challenging for her. She often couldn’t understand the specialized terminology used in class, sometimes feeling as though entire lectures were incomprehensible, which required extensive additional time after class. Her university was in Canberra, and she spent most of her time in the library or quiet cafes, repeatedly reviewing and studying content she hadn’t grasped in class. Every month, she would take a one-hour flight to Melbourne on a weekend to spend a brief but happy holiday with her mother at Chris’s house.

After several months, she gradually adapted to life there, made some good roommates, and even began to understand the once-difficult technical terms. Everything fell into place imperceptibly. She was no longer as chaotic as when she first arrived in Australia and handled many challenging situations with much more composure.

In her sixth month abroad, Pan Kai forwarded her a news article: The General Administration of Customs, with support from multiple regional anti-smuggling bureaus and local public relations departments, had cracked a case involving smuggled auto parts worth 800 million yuan. The list of suspects included Wan and several of his nephews and subordinates.

When she saw this news, Jiang Mu couldn’t calm down for a long time. She understood how many civil servants and ordinary informants had risked their lives to crack this case. That day, she messaged Jin Chao asking if everything was finally over.

Later that evening, Jin Chao replied, telling her he planned to leave Tonggang and might try his luck somewhere far away. He wouldn’t be using this phone number or WeChat account anymore. Jiang Mu understood his meaning – he wanted to make a clean break from the past. Finally, Jin Chao told her he would contact her after he settled in his new location.

Afterward, Jiang Mu continued her studies while waiting for his message. This wait lasted six months, but Jin Chao never contacted her again. His old number became inactive, and his WeChat account was deleted. During the summer break of her second year, Jiang Mu found numerous reasons to return home. Although Jiang Yinghan didn’t entirely approve, she let her go.

When she returned to Tonggang, her emotions were mixed. This time, Jin Qiang personally picked her up from the station. On the way home, she asked about Jin Chao’s situation, but Jin Qiang was vague, only saying that Jin Chao had gone elsewhere to work, without specifying where or what he was doing. At home, when Jiang Mu asked her father for Jin Chao’s contact information, wanting to call him, Jin Qiang hemmed and hawed, saying he didn’t have it. Jiang Mu couldn’t understand what her father meant.

After dinner that evening, Zhao Meijuan pulled her aside and explained that Jin Chao had left for another city several months ago. When he left, he told Jin Qiang that if he settled down, he might never return to Tonggang. She added that since he wasn’t Jin Qiang’s biological child and had lived independently for many years, they hadn’t taken much care of him. They had no position to influence his decisions, whether to leave Tonggang or not return and hoped Jiang Mu would understand. Finally, she advised that since Jiang Mu was studying abroad, she should focus on her studies – everyone has their path, and one shouldn’t force things.

During this return home, Jiang Mu’s stay was brief. She visited Tongren Li again, but in just over a year, the signs for Feichi and Golden Triangle Pet Shop were gone. The space had been leased and converted into a fast-food restaurant, making the past seem like a dream. She contacted San Lai; Lightning was never found, and after closing the pet shop, San Lai left Tonggang. He also said he hadn’t been able to contact Jin Chao for a long time.

It seemed that after she left, everyone’s life had turned upside down. The Earth kept spinning; no one stayed in place. Before leaving this time, Jiang Mu had many conversations with her father. She urged him to take Jin Xin to see a psychologist, arguing that while Jin Xin was still young, she couldn’t disconnect from society out of fear of facing the outside world. It would only become harder to overcome as she grew older. Jiang Mu wasn’t sure if Jin Qiang would listen, but she only hoped this half-sister would have an easier future.

Leaving this land again, carrying disappointment and regret, her heart full of concern, she had to return to her path, charging toward the future without pause. After returning to Australia, life resumed its regular rhythm. As she spent more time with Chris, Jiang Mu gradually discovered how different he was from her father. For instance, he was always patient with her mother, listening attentively when she complained, and although he would occasionally give Jiang Mu a helpless wink, he would always wait for Jiang Yinghan to finish before trying to communicate with her. He would order beautiful flowers for her mother on both major and minor holidays, remember everyone’s birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions, and invite family members over for meals in advance.

Whenever Jiang Mu visited Chris and her mother’s house, there were always fresh flowers, spotlessly clean windows, and soft white carpets, and everything was consistently orderly no matter when she visited. Gradually, she stopped obsessing over her parents’ divorce decision. After spending a year in Tonggang and another year with her mother, she gradually realized there wasn’t so much right and wrong – life is long, and everyone stumbles forward until they meet the right person.

Chris’s wife had passed away early, but his children were very filial to him and equally kind to Jiang Yinghan, often bringing her favorite fragrances and decorations when they visited home, and frequently sending treats to Jiang Mu in Canberra. Before Thanksgiving, Jiang Mu practiced cooking Chinese dishes to treat them. Her Australian siblings praised her culinary skills, asking if she cooked often. Before going abroad, she hadn’t even prepared a complete meal, but people changed – she used to be such a picky eater, but later, with no one to pamper her, she learned to eat everything while studying abroad alone.

In her teens, she refused to wear glasses for the sake of appearance, but later she started wearing them and grew out her hair, gradually shedding her girlish innocence to become more mature, sophisticated, and independent. However, she never returned to China again.

She had suitors, both foreigners and Chinese, and even Chris’s youngest daughter’s friends asked for her contact information. She didn’t intentionally isolate herself and tried dating some boys and going out for meals. But she always found it difficult to get into the right mindset, unconsciously comparing these boys to Jin Chao, though she knew it wasn’t right. Her thoughts were beyond control – during meals, they wouldn’t cut tough beef for her as Jin Chao did; while shopping, they wouldn’t match her pace as Jin Chao did; even when she was exhausted, they wouldn’t notice and would still want to play basketball.

She knew these weren’t major issues and weren’t reasons to reject someone, but she stubbornly felt that no man was as good as Jin Chao, and she didn’t want to settle. In her sophomore year, she met Gu Zhijie through the Astronomy Enthusiasts Association. It was quite fateful – they attended the same university and studied similar majors, though Gu Zhijie had just come from China for graduate studies after completing his undergraduate degree at Nanjing Aeronautics and Astronautics University. When Jiang Mu learned he was from NUAA, she was incredibly excited.

If she hadn’t suddenly learned of her mother’s illness that year, she would likely have gone to NUAA too. Missing that chance had always been a regret, so learning that Gu Zhijie had graduated from NUAA made her feel especially close to him. Even more coincidentally, they were both from Jiangsu – one from Suzhou, one from Huai’an – meeting in a foreign country felt like they should have met long ago.

Their second meeting was in the university library. Jiang Mu was taking notes when Gu Zhijie saw her and came to sit opposite her. Jiang Mu didn’t look up, staying focused until Gu Zhijie leaned over and joked, “You’re studying so diligently, truly a good seed of the motherland.” Jiang Mu looked up, saw it was him, and smiled. That’s when they finally exchanged contact information.

As he was leaving after borrowing books, he stared at her fountain pen and suddenly asked, “May I see it?” Jiang Mu lowered her eyes and handed him the silver fountain pen. Gu Zhijie took it and examined it closely. Jiang Mu asked, “Do you know about fountain pens?”

Gu Zhijie smiled as he returned the pen and asked, “A gift from someone?” Jiang Mu took the pen back and said bitterly, “From an ex-boyfriend.”

“You dated for a long time?” Jiang Mu’s expression froze for a moment before she told him, “One week.”

Gu Zhijie was surprised: “He gave you this fountain pen after dating for just a week? The Tianguan’s emblem is gold-plated, so is the nib, with arrow feathers – your ex must have been quite wealthy?”

Still, waters run deep, and seasons come and go. Jiang Mu gazed at the falling leaves outside the window, lost in thought. He wasn’t wealthy – he had simply given her his best when times were hardest.