Coming out of a large bank, Zhou Jiao nodded slightly to a petite girl in the coffee shop opposite, then took a roundabout route, removed her disguise, and came back to the coffee shop within five minutes.

Walking briskly in the country known as the Peace Capital, no amount of chocolate or condensed milk cheese could stir any longing in Zhou Jiao. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

... She missed home.

She missed the three important men in her life, missed all her family and friends, missed her familiar homeland. Whenever she saw black-haired, yellow-skinned pedestrians on the street, she wanted to give them a hug.

It was already the hot summer season, having left in May, missing a father and daughter’s birthday. She wondered if her dad ate more of the noodles she had left.

"Here..." Hu Xiaohui’s eyes lit up as she saw Zhou Jiao enter from under the cover of an umbrella next to a small round table. Looking closely at Zhou Jiao’s smile, she knew she had succeeded.

Zhou Jiao shot her a sideways glance. She had worked hard, carefully doing bank transactions with foreigners, and Hu Xiaohui just had to watch from here—it was truly unfair!

This time she had two companions, but one was off handling other affairs, leaving Hu Xiaohui to accompany her. Yet, this girl ignored the rules, hiding in the opposite coffee shop for afternoon tea.

But this also showed she trusted herself, which pleased Zhou Jiao. Otherwise, with someone tailing her from two hundred meters away every day, how could she seize the opportunity to withdraw money?

During this time, she passed through two countries and withdrew almost everything from several bankbooks; looking forward, even if she can’t go abroad again, her money won’t be embezzled by foreigners, which satisfied her greatly.

"Do you think your dad knows about this? Is his salary enough for you to have afternoon tea?"

Hu Xiaohui chuckled, "I just ordered a glass of plain water, and look, that waiter keeps looking at me."

Never judge a book by its cover.

This guy has many masks—such shameless behavior is no surprise to Zhou Jiao now. She recalled how Shi Dashen assured her that the girl’s combat skills could protect her, so she could confidently accompany her. Observing the girl’s petite figure, she was secretly amazed.

"Poor people lack courage. Someday when this old lady has money, she’ll beat them with it."

Zhou Jiao gestured for her to lower her voice. This girl could converse quietly moments ago, yet when excited, her voice immediately escalated. As for her talk of beating people with money?

Better to rest! Even though she quietly withdrew a lot of money, she dared not easily flaunt it. Here, big tycoons are common; withdrawing tens of thousands at a bank wouldn’t even garner a second glance.

"You should think about happy things. Look at the religious days when you can eat and drink for free—isn’t it great? Also, people from every country are here, allowing us to meet people from around the world. Isn’t that exciting?"

Hu Xiaohui disdainfully asked, "Who was it that said they missed home yesterday?"

Zhou Jiao looked at her resentfully. She really couldn’t play along; was it necessary to poke people’s hearts like that!

Hu Xiaohui gleefully watched Zhou Jiao.

Truth be told, she quite admired this girl. Facing sudden environmental changes without a hint of anomaly, she persisted with eating the worst bread, living a life like a monk.

Thinking about it, she said earnestly, "We’re leaving soon; do you want to buy something to take back? I have some money left."

Zhou Jiao glanced gratefully at her; she had never lacked money, but she was still moved by the other’s good intentions.

She shook her head and smiled, "No, things are too expensive here."

Hu Xiaohui secretly sighed. The prices were indeed outrageous! In Beijing, top-grade cabbage costs just over 2 cents per pound, some fourth-rate vegetables less than 1 cent. Even dining in a restaurant is considered luxurious at over five bucks. And here, even the barely edible cheese fondue is absurdly expensive, multiplied many times over.

"Enough, don’t sit anymore, let’s go back to join the others." Zhou Jiao said to her with a smile, pulling her up as the two of them headed out.

Regarding Hu Xiaohui and the companions who came with her, Zhou Jiao understood their thoughts well. No matter how much they disguise it, there’s still envy and longing in their hearts for this lifestyle.

Yet if really leaving them here, presumably none would agree. Besides family being back home, there’s greater discomfort. Surviving in this country compared to Su Country is even harder.

There are too many language varieties; communication is not smooth. The cuisine’s taste is entirely different, making acceptance impossible. And finally, the xenophobic sentiment of locals is too strong, seeing those Chinese living here know what it’s like to be second-class citizens.

Zhou Jiao experienced everything outside, and she really didn’t want to stay abroad any longer. It’s better to go home, better to be in one’s own country.

Yet, thinking about these months of travel, she felt the trip was worthwhile. Besides material gain, her soul was cleansed and enriched with insights.

Hu Xiaohui looked at the cars on the street and the shops lining the street with a sigh, "When will our place develop like this?"

"It will. It’ll be better than here!"

Hu Xiaohui held Zhou Jiao’s arm, and the two exchanged a knowing smile.

In the summer of this country, the weather is not scorching; the two young women, arms linked, wearing short-sleeved shirts and trousers, stood out strikingly against a backdrop of multi-colored skirts on the sidewalk.

Occasionally, golden-haired, blue-eyed young men shrugged at them, luckily not trying to strike up a conversation.

Hu Xiaohui despised the foreigners’ bare chests and naked legs, whereas Zhou Jiao, as an anomaly, dared not make a spectacle of herself with such attire.

A black car stopped in front of them to the left; Zhou Jiao glanced at it, not caring, thinking the owner was shopping, and continued chatting idly with Hu Xiaohui.

A middle-aged Asian man stepped off the car onto the sidewalk, smiling as he walked toward them.

Hu Xiaohui cautiously pulled Zhou Jiao a step forward. If one observed carefully, they would notice her right hand already clenched into a fist.

"Miss, are you Chinese?"

Zhou Jiao sized up the man, then glanced at the black car in front, cursing inwardly: You’re the miss, your whole family’s the miss! But her face still broke into a smile, nodding.

The man immediately switched from French to a Jiangnan-accented Mandarin and asked, "Could we talk on the car?" Seeing their angry expressions, he quickly added, "Don’t misunderstand; there’s an elderly lady who’d like to meet you."

Zhou Jiao frowned. Who could this person be? Not stepping out of the car, expecting her to go forward for a meeting—with such airs! It’s been a while since anyone dared speak to her this way; she was truly unaccustomed!

The middle-aged man rushed to suggest, "Or perhaps you could follow me..."

Just then, an elderly lady with a head of silver hair descended from the car and walked toward them. Zhou Jiao shook her head, "No need for me to go; she’s coming."

Hu Xiaohui worriedly asked, "Do you know her?"

"I don’t!"

Zhou Jiao replied while scrutinizing the approaching elderly woman. As the woman got closer, her face increasingly full of shock; Zhou Jiao thoughtfully pursed her lips.

——Another of Grandma’s acquaintances!