With three superpowers at his fingertips, he could dominate the 1970s.

As dawn broke, a sliver of pale light appeared in the east.

Jiang Zhiyu's family and Qi Zhengli and his wife had already packed their luggage. Actually, there wasn't much to pack—most of their belongings were in Jiang Zhiyu's space. Jiang Zhiyu simply said that everything was packed, and the other four felt reassured and didn't even ask any questions. The remaining few changes of clothes and miscellaneous items were easily packed into a bundle for each person.

They wanted to leave quietly before the villagers got up.

The sadness of parting is something that only intensifies with each passing moment. I already felt it once last night at the brigade leader's house, and I really don't want to experience it a second time. What I fear even more is that the villagers will try to give them more things—every family in Kaoshantun is struggling financially, and they can't accept anything more from them.

The five people tiptoed out of the inner room.

Last night, for convenience, Qi Zhengli and his wife didn't go back to the cowshed and stayed here instead. The five of them stood behind the door, took a deep breath, and Jiang Zhiyu reached out and pushed open the courtyard gate.

Then all five of them froze in shock.

The courtyard was packed with people.

It wasn't a noisy, chaotic scene—it was completely quiet, not a single person spoke. The men stood on the left, the women on the right, young and old, about thirty people in total, standing silently outside the courtyard before dawn, the dew still visible in their hair in the dim light.

Some people carried baskets, some held cloth bags in their arms, and a few teenagers, rubbing their sleepy eyes, stood drowsily in the crowd, led by adults.

Jiang Zhiyu was taken aback. She thought she had gotten up early enough. But these farmers were up even earlier than her.

As soon as the door opened, Captain Chen walked in first. He wasn't wearing his old military cap today, and his hair was neatly combed, as if he had taken special care of it.

"I knew your family would leave quietly." He glanced at Jiang Boxun, his voice a little hoarse. "We're fellow villagers, after all. We'll see you off; it won't hurt us."

Jiang Boxun smiled helplessly: "I just didn't want to disturb everyone's work... The villagers have it tough too; they worked all day yesterday and got up so early this morning."

Before he could finish speaking, Aunt Wang squeezed in and interrupted him.

"What's so early about it! Farmers get up this early every day!" She shoved a cloth bag into Jiang Zhiyu's hand. "These are some boiled eggs I brought for your journey. Here!"

He then turned and handed another bag to Qi Zhengli: "Old Qi, this bag is for you too! Take it and eat it on the way!"

Qi Zhengli instinctively tried to decline, saying, "No need, no need, the journey won't be long."

"Don't be so polite with me!" Aunt Wang glared at him.

Then she pulled out a bag filled with wild berries, red and green, all washed clean: "These are wild berries the children picked to pass the time on the road."

Jiang Boxun, Su Wanqing, Qi Zhengli, and Liu Hong all quickly declined.

"The journey won't be long, a quick bite will do."

"It wasn't easy for the villagers to collect these eggs; we'll take them back for our children to eat."

Team Leader Chen's face hardened: "What? You think our farmers' stuff is no good?"

Upon hearing this, the four immediately shut their mouths and obediently accepted the items.

"That's more like it!" The team leader's expression softened a bit. He turned to look at Jiang Zhiyu, "Little Jiang, you brought such a big tractor to our team. Without you, we don't know when we would have been able to apply for one."

He paused, then lowered his voice: "Even though you've left, the gates of our Kaoshantun village will always be open for your family. If you're tired of staying in the city, come back to Kaoshantun and stay for a while longer."

Jiang Zhiyu nodded.

She actually really liked this place—not because it was particularly nice, but because it had mountains and forests. She loved going into the woods, loved the quiet of being enveloped by vegetation, a habit she developed in the apocalypse that she couldn't shake no matter where she went.

Other villagers also came forward one after another.

Some grabbed a handful of dried hazel mushrooms, some stuffed a small bag of wood ear fungus, and some held some dried fruit—all picked from the mountains and dried at home, not worth much money, but they were the best things they could offer.

They didn't talk much, and their language was simple and unpretentious.

"Take it."

"Eat on the way."

"Don't be disgusted by it."

After they finished, they left without waiting for them to say anything, and turned back into the crowd.

They continued until the five people were completely stuffed with things—bags hanging on their heads, slung over their arms, stuffed in their pockets—and there were still many things left in the hands of the villagers that they hadn't given away.

Jiang Zhiyu immediately spoke up: "Uncles and aunts! On behalf of my parents and godparents, thank you all!"

She looked around and said in a clear voice, "This is really enough. Everyone can take the rest back. I didn't do anything special, just a tractor."

She paused, looked at those simple, dark-skinned faces, and added:

"If there are any good policies from above in the future, I will try my best to advocate for our Kaoshantun village."

The villagers' eyes lit up immediately when they heard this.

They said that Xiao Jiang, the educated youth, was a capable person! Just having a tractor was impressive enough, and when they heard that there might be even better things waiting for him in the future, they all grinned.

The sadness from before had faded considerably, and a glimmer of hope appeared in her eyes instead.

When we arrived at the village entrance, Uncle Zhang was already waiting there with his oxcart. The old ox stood in the morning mist, slowly chewing grass, its tail swishing idly.

When Uncle Zhang saw Jiang Zhiyu, he grinned, then quickly closed his mouth again, afraid that he would burst into tears if he opened his mouth.

This kid is very capable and generous; he always brings him nice things. Now that he's leaving, he's really reluctant to let him go.

Jiang Zhiyu walked over, put the things in the car, and glanced back at Uncle Zhang: "Uncle Zhang, let's go."

Uncle Zhang nodded without saying a word, and patted the cow's back hard.

"drive--"

The oxcart creaked and groaned as it started to move.

Behind him, the villagers stood at the village entrance. Some waved, some wiped away tears, some shouted "Have a safe journey," and some just stood quietly, watching the oxcart go further and further away.

Jiang Boxun sat in the car, never turning around.

Su Wanqing glanced back twice, then turned back and lowered her head.

Liu Hong leaned on Qi Zhengli's shoulder, silently shedding tears.

Jiang Zhiyu sat at the back of the cart, watching Kaoshantun grow smaller and smaller in her sight. She suddenly remembered that when she first came to Kaoshantun, she also came by oxcart and entered through this road.

At that time, she was apprehensive and worried; now, she has returned victorious with her mission accomplished.