An Ning took Li Chengze downtown, and they bought quite a few local specialties to take back home.

An Ning wasn’t short on money, and Li Chengze certainly wasn’t either.

When they finished shopping, they were, unsurprisingly, loaded down with bags of all sizes.

Li Chengze, holding a stack of pastry boxes piled higher than his head, struggled to see where he was going.

"Teacher... how can you see the road?"

"Hm?"

An Ning, who was also holding a stack of pastry boxes, realized her slip-up.

She had subconsciously used her spiritual power to see the way.

"I’m relying on memory."

An Ning coolly bluffed, walking ahead under Li Chengze’s admiring gaze.

Thankfully, they didn’t have to carry the boxes like that for long.

An Ning found an extra-large sack, wrote a name on each box, and then packed them all inside.

She hoisted the sack onto her shoulder and carried a huge bag in one hand. Beside her, Li Chengze carried two more bags as they made their way to the train station.

After they bought their tickets and were about to board the train, they were stopped.

"Comrade, please open your luggage. We need to conduct a security check."

"It’s all just pastries inside."

As she spoke, An Ning had already opened the sack.

"What, do we not look like good people?"

An Ning’s quiet mutter made the inspection officer chuckle.

"It’s not that. This is a routine inspection."

The man in the army-green padded coat opened the sack wider and pulled out a box of pastries.

He pulled out another box, and then another.

"Are all of these yours? What are they for?"

An Ning looked at the pastry boxes laid out on the ground. "They’re ours. We bought them to eat back home."

"Is there a problem?"

An Ning didn’t quite understand why they had been stopped.

On the platform, passersby, eager to watch a spectacle, started to form a circle around An Ning.

"Transporting private merchandise on the train is prohibited."

Transporting private merchandise meant smuggling and profiteering.

"We’re not doing that. Look, these pastry boxes all have different names on them. They belong to the two of us. We have a big family, and this isn’t even enough to go around when we get back."

An Ning explained, picking up a box from the ground and showing it to the inspector.

"See? This one is for my cousin, An Guoyang."

"This one is for my cousin, An Guoqiang."

"And this one is—"

"Alright, pack it up."

The inspector believed her. The total volume of her goods was within a reasonable limit.

Li Chengze quickly stepped forward to pack everything up. Then, An Ning lifted the sack with one hand, and they boarded the train together.

The moment they boarded the train, they could feel that the atmosphere was a bit off.

No one was rushing to their seats. Instead, people were pacing back and forth, clutching small items and looking like they were trying to hide something.

An Ning grew pensive.

’The little incident just now must have served as a warning to these people.’

’Transporting personal merchandise for resale has always been forbidden.’

’But when you’re traveling, it’s not completely forbidden to bring a little extra luggage.’

’So there’s a very fine line, and it’s this gray area that allows profiteers to make a fortune.’

An Ning led Li Chengze to their seats. Ignoring everything else, they were just focused on getting home.

’I should probably tell Second Brother that they were inspecting the trains. I wonder if they’re inspecting the roads, too?’

An Ning made a mental note of it. She took out a book for herself and casually tossed Li Chengze a notebook filled with her own notes.

"Read."

"Yes."

Li Chengze obediently took the notebook and began to read.

The journey was still over ten hours long, and this time, they had to sit for the entire trip.

They hadn’t been able to get sleeper car tickets.

By the time they got off the train, their hair was greasy and hanging in stringy locks.

An Ning disembarked, still laden with bags of all sizes. Li Chengze, his eyes heavy with sleep, just wanted to go home and crash.

"Teacher, how are we getting home from here?"

"Little Sis!"

Just as An Ning was about to answer, she heard a familiar voice shouting for his "Little Sis."

She followed the voice with her eyes and saw An Guoqing at the back of the crowd, jumping up and down and waving his hands.

"Little Sis! Little Sis! An Ning!"

"Big Brother! I’m here!"

With the sack still on her shoulder, An Ning hopped onto a large stone and shouted back to her brother.

Once An Guoqing spotted An Ning, he pushed his way through the crowd to get to her.

"Big Brother, what are you doing here?"

"Jiang Xia called home yesterday and mentioned you two. It sounded like you were coming back today, so Mom had me come wait for you. Saves you the walk home."

An Guoqing took the sack off An Ning’s shoulder and the bags from her hands. His tall figure led the way as his booming voice rang out.

"Little Sis, the tractor’s up ahead."

"Oh, by the way, Little Sis, I have to tell you—something amazing happened in our village."

Trailing behind him, An Ning asked curiously, "What amazing thing?"

"Heh heh, the village chief announced it today. He said we’re getting electricity!"

"I’m telling you, everyone’s going to be thanking you when we get back."

An Ning was confused.

"Why thank me?"

By now, they had reached the tractor. An Guoqing set down their things and said, "I’m not too sure myself, but the chief said it has something to do with you."

"You can ask him yourself when we get back."

An Ning nodded and didn’t say any more. She nimbly hopped onto the tractor, ready to head home.

"CHUGGA-CHUGGA-CHUGGA—"

The distinctive chugging of the tractor echoed along the country roads.

An Ning and Li Chengze sat in the trailer.

The floor was padded with straw, and there was even a worn quilt laid out—it was obviously Lin Cuihua’s handiwork.

Sitting in the trailer, An Ning wondered, ’How on earth did Jiang Xia know we were coming back today?’

After a ride of ten-odd minutes, the tractor arrived in Shili Gou.

The tractor made a loud racket as it returned, and Sun Dazhuang came running out as soon as he heard it.

"An Ning, you’re back?"

"Village Chief, I’m back!"

An Ning jumped down before the tractor had even come to a complete stop.

"Whoa, careful now, slow down."

Sun Dazhuang had come to a realization: ’An Ning is more important than our entire village put together.’

"You have to be careful. Don’t go and hurt your head or something."

Sun Dazhuang looked at An Ning, filled with admiration.

’This kid is truly something else!’

"An Ning, on behalf of our whole village, thank you. You go on one trip and you’re already thinking about getting us electricity."

Sun Dazhuang kept repeating his thanks, but An Ning interrupted him. "Village Chief, who called you and told you this?"

"Huh?"

Sun Dazhuang slapped his own forehead. "Look at this memory of mine. It was a Director Hu. He said Director Zhao gave special approval."

"Oh—then that’s right."

An Ning understood now.

’Even though they haven’t started the actual work yet, they’ve given me a gesture of goodwill first.’

’A gesture that starts with running power lines to the village.’

’Not bad at all.’

An Ning was very pleased.

"Village Chief, I’m going to make a phone call."

"Yes, go on. From now on, we won’t charge you for your calls."

"Make as many as you like."

An Ning didn’t stand on ceremony. She said her thanks and went to make the call.

As soon as An Ning entered the telephone room, a piece of candy was pressed into her hand.

"Thank you, Auntie."

"Nothing to thank me for! You saved my life, after all. Go on and make your call. I’ll stand guard outside for you."

Auntie An Qi opened the door and stepped out, leaving An Ning alone in the room.