To please others? It's better to please yourself.

As Xu Jing'an counted the days on her fingers, she muttered, "There are quite a few good days; the 24th, 26th, 28th, and 30th are all easy to travel on. But the earlier ones are a bit early..."

Shen He, unfazed, asked, "Are you sure? Director Qiao is waiting!"

Last time, Shen He had to ask Director Qiao for a favor to get a hard sleeper ticket. This time, before Shen He could even speak, Director Qiao took the initiative to ask.

Having enjoyed a relaxing summer vacation, Xu Jing'an felt quite at ease. "The 28th is fine, the date is perfect, not too early or too late."

Shen He: "I'll talk to Director Qiao first thing tomorrow morning and try to finalize this as soon as possible. Do I still want the upper bunk?"

The upper bunk is indeed inconvenient for movement, but it's hard to say what other problems might arise after surviving this near-death experience. Xu Jing'an thought for a moment: "This time, let's try the middle bunk first."

"By the way, how's Lao Yao?"

Shen He continued, "I've recovered quite a bit after resting for so long. It's just that I injured my lower back, which has affected me somewhat." At this point, Shen He's expression stiffened slightly.

When a group of people visited Lao Yao in the hospital, Director Qiao was initially quite saddened for the old comrade, since he had injured his back.

To everyone's surprise, Old Yao's wife waved her hand and said, "What's there to be sad about? It's not a big deal. Being alive is the most important thing!"

When everyone heard this, they all thought that Lao Yao was very lucky to have such a loving wife.

But Old Yao's wife immediately chimed in, "At his age, it doesn't make much difference whether he gets injured or not, and he doesn't need to!"

The ward fell silent instantly.

Looking at Old Yao lying on the hospital bed, his face full of wrinkles, Qiao Fengchun asked, "I remember Old Yao is only fifty-four this year, isn't he?"

Old Yao's wife: "Yes!"

Qiao Fengchun, still unwilling to give up, said, "Let's give it to Lao Yao to nourish him!"

If he were to admit it in front of everyone, what would Yao Ming, who is two years older than him, do?

Xu Jing'an packed her things again and was seen off onto the train by Shen He.

The train journey revealed a diverse range of human experiences, and Xu Jing'an remained as low-key and cautious as ever. This time, the train did not experience significant delays, arriving at its destination during the daytime.

Xu Jing'an boarded the school bus again and returned to her dormitory.

The dormitory was dusty because it had been empty for a long time. I swept the floor, wiped the beds, and put everything back in its place. I also took apart the quilts and mattresses that were stored in the dormitory, washing and airing what needed to be washed and what needed to be aired.

After tidying everything up, Xu Jing'an put the rice bowl in a cloth bag and carried it to the post office.

"Jing'an's here? Did you just arrive today?"

As soon as Xu Jing'an entered, Xiao Tang from the post office greeted her. After all, in this day and age, someone who could spend half of their monthly allowance on the post office was practically a celebrity.

With no one around, Xu Jing'an smiled and said, "That's why I always say that we women are the most considerate of each other."

After making the phone call and sending a letter to let her know she was safe, she took out a handful of walnuts from her cloth bag.

"Come and try it, it's nothing special, just some local specialties."

Xiao Tang didn't stand on ceremony, took one, placed it behind the door, and squeezed it open. "You still complain? You've got a big appetite!"

Xu Jing'an continued, "Our city, H, is located on a plain and is an old revolutionary base area. We do have a few local specialties that we can be proud of. But when the weather gets hot, they become difficult to carry around."

"If you ever have the chance to visit us, I'll treat you to Guo Ba Huoshao! Even Premier Zhou Enlai said it was delicious after trying it!"

Xiao Tang may never go to H City in his life, but after hearing Xu Jing'an's warm and sincere words, his smile became even brighter!

The two, who hadn't seen each other for a long time, chatted animatedly for quite a while.

Xu Jing'an glanced at the sky: "I need to go get some food, or there won't be much left!"

Xiao Tang hurriedly said, "You go ahead! I was about to leave work too."

Xu Jing'an waved and walked straight towards the cafeteria.

A good night's sleep.

The next day, Xu Jing'an got up early and started getting ready. To be honest, despite being in Beijing for so long and having time off every week, she hadn't left the campus once.

No, I wouldn't dare!

Fortunately, the campus is large enough to meet most of the necessities of life.

Xu Jing'an slung her backpack over her shoulder, put on her sandals, and strolled leisurely toward Yan Garden.

The roar of the diesel engine could be heard from afar. A yellow-roofed Skoda, half painted crimson, pulled up to tow a trailer.

The former Route 32 has now been renamed Route 332. The entire journey from the zoo to the Summer Palace costs only two cents, and it circles half of the Yan Garden.

This bus departs from the suburbs and is a sightseeing bus, so many of the passengers are tourists.

As soon as the doors opened, a ticket seller carrying a brown leather wallet got off the bus with the crowd and then quickly joined the boarding crowd to sell tickets.

Xu Jing'an squeezed into the crowd to queue for the bus and found a seat. Only then did she look up and curiously examine the bus of this era.

The carriage was beige, with reddish-brown seat surfaces and backs; I touched them and they were genuine leather. No wonder they were so comfortable!

The paint on the armrests on the seat back was worn away, revealing the shiny iron pipes underneath.

Another row of solid wood strips was laid on the floor of the carriage, about 5 centimeters apart. Many people had half of their feet on the wooden strips and the other half leaning into the grooves.

The ticket seller shouted, "5 cents for 5 stops or less, 10 cents for 6 stops or more!" He unscrewed the ticket holder, revealing tickets ranging from a few cents to 10 cents.

Xu Jing'an spent the whole day following the crowds, walking around and looking at things. Taking advantage of the fact that school hadn't started yet, she leisurely strolled around Beijing.

……

Northwest

At this moment, Xu Jianguo and Xu Duoduo are facing a life-or-death test. For the first time, they are truly experiencing the fear of the desert.

Xu Jianguo looked up in despair at the distant sky, where a dark sandstorm was pressing in like a giant wave.

"It's over, Duoduo, today is the end of our lives."

Xu Jianguo felt weak all over, his heart trembling. Xu Duoduo didn't say anything, but picked up two gauze scarves, handed one to Xu Jianguo, and quickly wrapped her own head up with them.

"Xu Jianguo, I, Duoduo, have never believed in fate. I've known since I was a child that only by fighting and grabbing with all my might can something be mine."

"As long as I haven't breathed my last, no one can make me give up." After saying that, he rushed into the dugout next to him.

After hearing this, Xu Jianguo calmed himself down, quickly tidied himself up, and rushed into the dugout. The two of them lay down together in the dugout, slowing their breathing.

The sandstorm swept in quickly, burying them in the blink of an eye. The two could only lie on the ground, shaking incessantly. Sand fell off and then covered them again, and they shook themselves off again and again.

It took a full five hours for the desert to calm down.

The two survivors didn't rest. At daybreak, they went to check on the saplings they had recently planted. Sure enough, the saplings had been covered by sand.

Xu Duoduo and Xu Jianguo quickly dug out the saplings one by one.

We'll have results in about a year, so we absolutely cannot give up halfway! Otherwise, when will we ever be able to get out of this desert?

Driven by sheer determination, the couple replanted each of the trees they had dug up. They went back home, lay down in their dugout, and didn't get up for a whole day!