The sky collapsed, and in the blink of an eye, I found myself transported to Nanluoguxiang.

At eight o'clock in the evening, it was completely dark, and Li Kaixin was taken to the alley entrance by a military jeep.

He first turned into courtyard number 93, briefly greeted his parents, and then turned back to courtyard number 94 across the street.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, Lu Chunhua from across the street pushed open her door and rushed out, hurriedly calling out to him:

"Happy, happy, don't go yet, I have something to tell you!"

"What's wrong, Aunt Lu?" Li Kaixin stopped and turned to look at her.

Lu Chunhua subconsciously looked around to make sure there was no one in the courtyard or alley before speaking again:

"Kaixin, a lot of soldiers have come to the compound looking for you these past two days."

"I understand." Li Kaixin smiled faintly, her tone relaxed. "Aunt Lu, is there anything else?"

"No, that's all." Lu Chunhua shook her head gently, then hesitated for a moment, and couldn't help but ask again:

"Kaixin, so many soldiers have come looking for you, aren't you scared?"

Although soldiers often come to see Li Kaixin, there have been far too many these past two days, making him feel a little uneasy.

Li Kaixin felt a warmth in her heart upon hearing this and quickly explained, "Aunt Lu, don't worry, they all came to me for help."

"Oh, I see. Then I'm relieved." Lu Chunhua breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

"Kaixin, I won't bother you anymore. You should get some rest."

"Okay, Aunt Lu, you should get some rest too." Li Kaixin replied with a smile and turned to walk into her room.

......

The next day arrived in the blink of an eye, and Li Kaixin arrived at the entrance of the transportation station.

I saw Director Xie and Zhou Zhiming standing together, waiting for someone.

"Master, you've finally arrived!" Zhou Zhiming ran up to Li Kaixin as soon as he saw him. "Director Xie and I have been waiting for you for ages."

Li Kaixin parked his bicycle and asked, puzzled, "Uncle Xie, what did you want to see me about?"

"Of course it's good news!" Director Xie stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder, then said, "Come on, Kaixin, let's go into the office and talk to you there."

The three of them went into the office together and sat down.

Director Xie took an envelope from his drawer and handed it to Li Kaixin. "Kaixin, this is a letter of commendation from above. Take a look at it yourself."

Li Kaixin took the envelope, opened it, glanced at it, and then casually placed it on the table.

After seeing that he had finished reading, Director Xie continued, "This case has been closed in Changbai County. The main culprit, Hu Jiahao, has been sentenced to death by firing squad."

As soon as he finished speaking, the office fell silent.

"Uncle Xie, is the verdict so quick? Shouldn't the police officers ask him if he has any accomplices?" Zhou Zhiming, who was sitting next to him, couldn't help but ask, breaking the silence first.

"The police interrogated him that very night."

As Director Xie answered, his expression turned unusually angry. "This isn't the first time Hu Jiahao has done this. In the last few months alone, he has murdered no fewer than ten drivers."

After saying that, he slammed his hand on the table, making the documents on the table tremble.

Zhou Zhiming, who was standing to the side, was not frightened by the commotion. Instead, he joined Director Xie in righteous indignation.

"Uncle Xie, this kind of person deserves to be shot; he should be torn to pieces!"

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore."

Director Xie sighed, then took out another envelope from the drawer. "Kaixin, this is the money you made from selling the mountain products. It's a total of eight hundred and eighty-four yuan. Here you go."

"Okay, Uncle Xie!"

Li Kaixin nodded, took the envelope but didn't open it, and put it directly into his pocket.

Seeing this, Zhou Zhiming quickly stepped forward, a fawning smile on his face:

"Uncle Xie, what about the money I got from selling the ginseng...?"

"You'll get your share!" Director Xie said with a laugh, then pulled out an envelope and handed it over. "Here you go, it's two hundred and ten yuan in total."

Zhou Zhiming quickly took the envelope, tore it open, and counted the money inside several times before putting it down.

"Look at you, do you think I'd be short of money?" Director Xie glared at him irritably.

"You're wronging me. I was just worried you'd give me too much!" Zhou Zhiming chuckled, carefully putting the money into his pocket.

Li Kaixin, standing to the side, shook his head helplessly at his apprentice's pathetic state.

Immediately afterward, Zhou Zhiming spoke up again: "Uncle Xie, if there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

After saying that, he turned around and walked towards the door.

"What's your rush!"

Director Xie quickly stopped him, "I called you here today for more than just this."

Zhou Zhiming stopped in his tracks, turned around, and asked with a broad smile, "Uncle Xie, is there anything else you need?"

"It's not really about giving orders."

Director Xie said calmly, "You should take your driver's license test tomorrow along with the other apprentices at the station!"

"What!" Zhou Zhiming exclaimed in surprise, then hurriedly waved his hands, "Uncle Xie, I can't do it, my skills aren't up to par yet!"

"Don't try that on me, kid. There's no room for negotiation on this." Director Xie glared at him.

Seeing that he couldn't refuse, Zhou Zhiming's eyes darted around, and he instantly came up with an idea.

"Okay, but we have a deal, you can't blame me if it doesn't pass."

"Try failing one of them!"

Director Xie sneered, "Believe it or not, I'll transfer you to a sweeping job."

Zhou Zhiming, still somewhat unwilling to give up, continued to probe: "Uncle Xie, what if I make a mistake..."

"Is there any chance of anything going wrong?"

Director Xie interrupted him directly, and began to speak earnestly:

"Zhiming, you've been learning to drive with Kaixin for almost a year now. If you still can't pass your driving test, can you really call yourself his apprentice?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhiming's head drooped instantly.

Seeing this, Director Xie softened his tone:

"Zhiming, this is a decision made by the station, there's nothing I can do about it."

"Think about your mentor. If you keep putting off the exam, what will people think of him?"

Li Kaixin, who hadn't said much before, finally spoke up:

"Alright, Zhiming, stop looking so gloomy. Director Xie was just trying to scare you."

The moment the words left his mouth, Zhou Zhiming finally raised his head, his gaze becoming unusually firm:

"Master, Uncle Xie, don't worry! I'm sure I'll pass the test tomorrow."

He could delay being promoted, but he would never do that if it tarnished his mentor's reputation.

"Zhiming, that's more like it."

Director Xie nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this.

"Go and prepare yourself. Meet at the station at eight o'clock tomorrow morning."

Zhou Zhiming didn't want to stay any longer, so he responded and turned to leave.

Seeing this, Li Kaixin also said goodbye to Director Xie.

After the two of them left the office, Director Xie couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"You little brat, I can't handle you."

He knew perfectly well that Zhou Zhiming's refusal to get a driver's license was simply because he wanted to keep following Li Kaixin.

However, there was no other way this time.

The station was in a hurry to expand its recruitment, but there weren't enough instructors, so forcing him to get his driver's license was a last resort.