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

After the storm of the substitution case subsided, several female educated youths in Kaoshantun couldn't sit still anymore.

Zhang Chong slammed his acceptance letter on the table. "I've made up my mind. I'm leaving tomorrow, heading straight to Kyoto."

Li Hongmei was taken aback. "So urgent?"

"We have to go sooner or later." Zhang Chong deftly stuffed his bedding roll into a snakeskin bag. "The captain gave us the letter of introduction, so we have plenty of time. We'll go straight to report for duty and settle in first."

The four girls got together and discussed it, and packed their luggage that very night.

The next morning, before dawn, they boarded a green train heading south.

The carriage was packed with people, and passengers carrying burlap sacks stood in the aisle. Four girls squeezed onto a hard seat, their luggage crammed into the overhead racks and under their feet, piled high with bags and packages.

The train rattled along, leaving the icy, snow-covered Northeast plains. The snow gradually thinned along the way, and the scenery became increasingly lively as it headed towards the capital.

Li Hongmei leaned against the car window, gazing absently at the receding scenery.

Song Laidi nudged her arm. "Sister Hongmei, what are you thinking about?"

Li Hongmei looked away, smiled, and said, "I didn't tell my family I got into university this time."

The carriage was silent for a moment.

"When I first went to the countryside, they sent me a dollar or two for the first two years, but then they stopped sending me anything and started asking me to send food home instead." Her voice was calm, as if she were talking about someone else's story. "I'm the eldest, and I have a younger brother. A couple of years ago, they even asked me to find a woman from the countryside to marry so they could give my brother a dowry, but our family isn't poor."

She paused, then turned her gaze back to the window. "Let's call this marriage off."

Song Laidi grabbed her hand, her eyes instantly reddening. "Sister Hongmei, I'm even worse off than you. You can tell just by my name, Laidi. My grandma was incredibly sexist, favoring boys over girls. For me, going to the countryside was a relief, you know? At home, I couldn't even get a full meal, but at least in the village I could earn work points."

Zhang Chong tossed the sunflower seed shells on the ground, slapped the small table, and said, "Hey, sisters, we're going to build our futures here, why are you all looking so gloomy! Now we've all been admitted to our dream universities, and in a big city like Beijing no less. Who can say we won't be the most successful members of our families in the future? It's a good thing for you to break free from those kinds of families as soon as possible."

She patted her chest confidently, "I'm different. My parents spoil me rotten, and they're quite helpless with my personality. From now on, I'll protect you all. Don't forget, we have Jiang Zhiyu protecting us in Kyoto."

Upon hearing this, the other three people fell silent.

Zhang Chong lowered his voice, "Although I don't know her exact identity, just think about it, my spot was taken, and she was able to find out for me. Just imagine how influential she is."

Li Hongmei nodded. "That makes sense. We should try not to trouble her this time; she's already helped enough."

"Exactly. You only have one true benefactor in your life. She was willing to give us a few pointers, and that brought about such a big change in us."

Song Laidi gripped the hem of her clothes tightly. "We can't keep troubling her like this. We only have a living allowance now, and we haven't paid back the ration coupons we owe her."

Zhang Chong crossed his legs. "Once we make money, we'll return everything she sent us, one by one. We know she doesn't need it, but whether we return it or not is another matter."

"Just for the help she gave us, I can never repay her in this lifetime." After Li Hongmei finished speaking, the other three nodded in unison.

...

The train traveled for a full day and night, and arrived at Kyoto Station in the afternoon.

When the four people, carrying large and small bags, squeezed out of the station, they were stunned by the dense crowd and the constant flow of buses in front of them, except for Zhang Chong.

The streets are filled with tall buildings, bicycles, and pedestrians wearing polyester shirts. Compared to the mud-brick houses and cow dung smell of Kaoshantun, it's like two different worlds.

Song Laidi murmured to herself, "Is this what a big city is like? Can I really go to school in a city like this in the future?"

Zhang Chong patted her on the shoulder, "Don't worry, we'll be studying here from now on. Let's go find a guesthouse to stay in."

They registered at a guesthouse near the station, and the four of them squeezed into one room. After putting down their luggage, they discussed going out to shop.

"Zhang Chong, do you think this dress is pretty?" Li Hongmei pointed to a floral dress at the department store counter. "Zhiyu would definitely look good in it."

Zhang Chong looked closely, then shook his head. "Zhiyu rarely wears skirts. You know her personality. Let's buy her some food instead."

The group circled around a few more times and finally pooled their money to buy a box of Beijing-style pastries, two bottles of hair oil, and two boxes of face cream, all neatly wrapped in red paper.

Back at the guesthouse, they opened the huge snakeskin bag they had brought from the countryside, which was filled with local specialties prepared by the villagers of Kaoshantun: dried wild mushrooms, sun-dried wood ear fungus, homemade pickled vegetables, a jar of free-range eggs, and a bag of freshly milled millet that the brigade leader had specifically instructed them to bring.

The four of them carried large and small bags, asking for directions as they walked toward Jiang Zhiyu's courtyard.

Before they even reached the alley entrance, they were stopped by several soldiers on guard.

"Stop right there, what are you doing?"

Zhang Chong quickly handed over the letter of introduction, "We're looking for Jiang Zhiyu; we're her friends from Kaoshantun in Northeast China."

The soldier flipped through the letters of introduction and questioned each of them about their names and origins before waving them off.

The four girls looked at each other, feeling a little apprehensive.

After finally reaching the gate of the courtyard, before I could even raise my hand to knock, several soldiers in black civilian clothes emerged from both sides of the gate, blocking my way completely.

"Who are you looking for?" the leader asked expressionlessly.

Zhang Chong answered honestly, "We're looking for Jiang Zhiyu."

"Where did she come from? What do you want with her?"

"I was a sent-down youth from a mountain village in Northeast China. I went to the countryside with her. She told us to come to Beijing to find her after we passed the university entrance exam."

The man glanced at them a few times before turning around and knocking on the courtyard gate.

Zhang Chong patted his chest and muttered to himself, "Have we entered some kind of military control zone? We've already been questioned twice."

Li Hongmei tugged at her sleeve, "Zhiyu is really amazing."

...

The courtyard gate opened from the inside.

Song Yanzhou, wearing a gray sweater, stood at the door and immediately spotted Zhang Chong, who was at the head of the group.

"Commander Song!" Zhang Chong exclaimed in surprise, "Long time no see!"

"Long time no see." Song Yanzhou stepped aside to make way for the doorway. "Come in quickly, Zhiyu is inside."

The four girls filed in, and were stunned as soon as they entered the courtyard.

The courtyard wasn't large, but it was exquisitely maintained. A row of holly bushes along the wall was neatly trimmed, a grape trellis stood in the corner, a pot of tea and several cups were placed on the stone table, and a small stove next to it was warming something in a jar, wafting a faint aroma of red dates.

Then they saw Jiang Zhiyu.

She was leaning against a wicker chair under the grape trellis, covered with a thin blanket, holding a book in her hands, when she heard the noise and looked up.

The four girls' eyes all fell on her obviously protruding belly, their mouths agape.

Jiang Zhiyu glanced back at her reflection and chuckled. "What's wrong? Shocked?"

Zhang Chong reacted the fastest, rushing to her and grabbing her hand. "Sister, you're pregnant! Oh no, I, the godmother, haven't prepared anything for the baby!"

The three behind them realized what was happening and chimed in, "We didn't buy anything else, we were too busy bringing you pastries and face cream!"

Jiang Zhiyu smiled and waved her hand, "Sit down, sit down. What's the point of buying anything? You can buy it for the child after you have jobs. Right now, your studies are the priority."

Song Yanzhou had already gone into the kitchen and brought out a plate of sliced ​​fruit and four glasses of cold water, inviting them to sit down.

With tears in her eyes, Li Hongmei took Jiang Zhiyu's hand and said, "Zhiyu, thank you."

Jiang Zhiyu squeezed her fingers, "What are you thanking me for? You got in because of your own abilities."

Zhang Chong placed the snakeskin bag on the table. "Stop being sentimental. Come and see what we brought you. This is a token of the village's goodwill."

Song Yanzhou came over to help unpack the bag. Seeing the dried mushrooms and free-range eggs inside, he smiled and said, "You've brought the whole village here."

Song Laidi squatted on the ground, taking things out one by one. "This pickled vegetable was made by Aunt Liu; she said Zhiyu would definitely like it. This bag of millet was personally selected by the brigade leader; he said freshly milled millet is the most nourishing. And these free-range eggs—Aunt Zhao saved them up for half a month, not eating a single one."

Jiang Zhiyu felt a warmth in her heart as she looked at the things, but deliberately put on a stern face, "You brought so much stuff, it must have been so heavy on the way here. Didn't I say that just having people come was enough?"

"That won't do." Zhang Chong leaned back in the rattan chair. "You've given us more than just these things; we can pay you back slowly later."

Song Yanzhou stood to the side watching the chattering girls, smiled and shook his head, then turned and went into the kitchen. "You guys chat for a bit, I'll go prepare dinner. Everyone's here today, so we should cook a proper meal."

Zhang Chongchong gave him a thumbs-up as he walked away, "Then I'll be waiting to try Commander Song's cooking."

Jiang Zhiyu leaned back in the rattan chair, looking at the four girls who had traveled all the way from Northeast China by train. Their eyes were bright and sparkling, a stark contrast to their timid demeanor when they first arrived in Kaoshantun, much like the current state of China.