A young boy from the 1970s, separated from his family, fled famine and led his younger brother into

"Dad, we got the tickets! It's the 112 express train at 3:15 PM today, directly to Harbin! Two lower berth sleeper tickets!"

Less than ten minutes later, Zhao Weidong came running back, panting, clutching two light pink cardboard train tickets that smelled of ink.

Those two small cards in the 1970s were not only proof of travel, but also symbols of status and position. In particular, the words "sleeper berth" drew envious glances from the surrounding crowd.

"Okay!" Zhao Jianguo nodded in satisfaction. He took the ticket and personally handed it to Su Nianci.

Looking at the two train tickets that could change their fate, Su Nianci was filled with mixed emotions. She didn't immediately reach out to take them, but instead looked up at Zhao Jianguo and said earnestly, "Uncle Zhao, we can't take these tickets for nothing. Please tell me how much they cost, and I'll pay you."

As she spoke, she took out all her possessions from her pocket—including the money she earned from storytelling, the money given to her by Sister Zhang, and the money left by Lin Wenjun, totaling eight yuan and seventy-six cents—and held it in her palm.

Although she knew that this amount of money wasn't even enough for a hard-seat ticket, let alone a sleeper ticket, she had to put on this show.

This concerns her principles and bottom line. She can accept help, but she will never accept charity without a reason.

Looking at the small pile of crumpled bills and coins in Su Nianci's palm, and then at her clear yet determined eyes, Zhao Jianguo was once again deeply moved.

This child is poor, but he has backbone!

He laughed heartily, pushed Su Nianci's hand back, and said cheerfully, "Nianci, what are you doing? Why are you being so calculating with your uncle?"

His smile vanished, replaced by a serious expression: "I have three points to tell you."

"First of all, this ticket isn't a free gift. It's a small token of gratitude for saving my grandson's life! If you refuse it, it means you look down on me, Zhao Jianguo, and that you think my grandson's life isn't worth these two tickets!"

"Secondly," he pointed to Su Nianci, "you are a descendant of martyrs! You are the bloodline of a national hero! It's not easy for the country to cultivate a hero, and protecting the descendants of heroes is our inescapable responsibility as local officials! Ensuring that you and your brother reach your destination safely is my duty as a Party member!"

"Well," his voice softened, filled with the affection of an elder for a younger, "I'm decades older than you, so I'll take the liberty of calling you my niece. You call me Uncle Zhao. Isn't it only natural for an uncle to buy two train tickets for his niece to go and visit her relatives?"

His words were well-reasoned, sincere, and perfectly blended national righteousness with personal feelings, leaving no room for rebuttal!

Upon hearing this, Su Nianci's eyes welled up with tears. She knew that if she insisted on paying, she would appear pretentious and ungrateful.

She sniffed, put the money back in her hand, and then bowed deeply to Zhao Jianguo.

"Thank you... Uncle Zhao!"

That "Uncle Zhao" was a heartfelt address.

"That's right!" Zhao Jianguo laughed heartily. He patted Su Nianci's head, then took out the wad of money from his pocket, pulled out three "big unity" bills, and stuffed them into Su Nianci's pocket without saying a word.

"You must accept this thirty yuan!" He pressed down on Su Nianci's hand, which was trying to resist, and said in an unquestionable tone, "This has nothing to do with repayment! It will take several days by train from here to Harbin! You two siblings will need to eat and drink on the way, right? When you get to Harbin, you won't know anyone. What if... what if you can't find your Uncle Lu? You'll need money to survive! This is emergency money from your uncle, for you to live on! If you don't accept it, you're not valuing your own life, and you're letting your father down in heaven!"

He had said all that, and Su Nianci knew she could no longer refuse.

Thirty yuan!

This sum of money, plus the eight dollars she already had, amounted to nearly forty dollars! In the 1970s, this was an enormous sum that could allow someone to make a living!

She clutched the money in her pocket tightly; the heavy feeling finally put her anxious heart at ease.

I have the travel expenses. I also have the emergency funds.

She has finally conquered the last and most difficult obstacle on the way to the north!

"Alright, it's still early." Zhao Jianguo glanced at his watch. "You haven't had breakfast yet, have you? Weidong, take Nianci and her brother to a restaurant! Get them something good! Make sure they're well-fed and satisfied before we set off!"

"Yes, Dad!" Zhao Weidong replied immediately.

And so, amidst the envious and admiring gazes of the crowd, Su Nianci and Xiao Shitou were once again led by Zhao Weidong into that state-run restaurant.

This time, she was no longer the "little beggar" who rushed in to escape being hunted down.

She was treated as an honored guest by the son of a city government official, known as the "little miracle doctor."

The restaurant staff, including Sister Zhang from before, were stunned by the scene. When they learned that Su Nianci was the "little miracle doctor" who had saved Mayor Zhao's grandson yesterday, their attitudes instantly did a complete 180-degree turn.

Warm, thoughtful, and meticulous.

Meat buns, white rice porridge, fried dough sticks, boiled eggs... a lavish breakfast filled the entire table.

Su Nianci didn't stand on ceremony. She knew she would need plenty of energy to face the unknown journey ahead. Both she and Xiao Shitou ate until their bellies were round and full.

After finishing their meal, there were still several hours before the train departed. Zhao Weidong wanted to take them to his home to rest, but Su Nianci politely declined.

She didn't want to get too involved with these "big shots." She needed to use her connections wisely.

She chose to return to the waiting room and stay with Wang Dazhu, Li Daquan and their family.

When Li Daquan and his wife saw the sleeper ticket in Su Nianci's hand, their eyes turned red with envy.

"Oh my goodness! A sleeper ticket! I've never seen a sleeper ticket before!" Li Daquan's wife exclaimed in amazement, genuinely happy for Su Nianci. "Nianci, good people are truly rewarded!"

Wang Dazhu, however, seemed preoccupied. He pulled Su Nianci to a secluded corner, lowered his voice, and solemnly asked, "Nianci, tell me the truth, what exactly is Lu Zhenhua's position in the army that you're looking for in Harbin?"

She knew the veteran was worried about her. He was worried that she had traveled a long way only to find no one, or that she had found someone but they couldn't help her.

After thinking for a moment, she decided to reveal some information to reassure the veteran and, incidentally, extract some more crucial information from him.

"Uncle Wang, I'm not quite sure what Uncle Lu's position is now." Su Nianci's face showed a somewhat confused expression. "I only heard my father mention it once before, saying... saying that Uncle Lu is a pilot. It seems... it seems he's also some kind of... some kind of 'division commander'?"

She deliberately made the word sound somewhat uncertain.

However, it was this uncertain word that caused Wang Dazhu's pupils to shrink to their maximum size in an instant!

"Commander...Commander?!" His voice was shrill with shock! He grabbed Su Nianci's shoulder and cried out, "Which 'commander' are you talking about?! The 'commander' of teachers, or...or the 'commander' of thousands of troops?!"

Looking at the veteran's horrified expression, Su Nianci already knew the answer in her heart.

But on the surface, she still had a frightened and innocent expression. She timidly stretched out a finger and drew a symbol commonly used in the army to represent a "division-level unit" on her palm.

That symbol was something she had seen in military documents in her previous life.

Upon seeing that symbol, Wang Dazhu's body was struck as if by lightning, and he froze on the spot!

His mouth was agape, and his eyes were bloodshot, filled with an almost manic, incredulous fervor!

He stared intently at Su Nianci, his lips trembling for a long time before finally squeezing out a few words through gritted teeth:

"Air Force... Air Force... Independent Division... Division Commander?!"