Departure

After sending off Uncle Zhang and Liu Gang, she returned to her room to start packing her luggage.

She asked Chen Ma to bring over the tokens they had from their childhood, placing them inside a brocade box.

Back then, the two childhood friends had used a jade pendant and a letter as their tokens. They split the jade pendant in half, each child having one part.

She did not expect that one day, she would be like the female lead of a melodramatic drama, searching for her fiancé with a token.

"Miss, for this trip, it's better to bring more clothes and essentials. You'll need them," Chen Ma chattered away, wanting to bring everything possible.

"No need, Chen Ma. I'm just going for two or three days, and I'll be back soon," Xiang Wan replied with a mix of laughter and exasperation as she watched Chen Ma's fervent preparations.

From the items Chen Ma had packed, Xiang Wan selected a few necessary things to put into her luggage, leaving the rest at home.

The next morning, Xiang Wan finished her breakfast and Chen Ma informed that Uncle Zhang was waiting outside.

After checking her house one more time to ensure nothing was left behind, she instructed Chen Ma to load the luggage into the car.

Approaching the door, Xiang Wan suddenly realized she should carry a slightly larger bag so that she wouldn't draw attention if she bought things in the city.

She hurried back to her room, picked out a suitable crossbody bag at the Shop, placed the brocade box with the tokens inside, and bought a few common snacks to put inside. Then, she used a handkerchief to decorate the bag.

When she reached the door, Uncle Zhang stepped forward to open the car door.

"Sorry to trouble you today, Uncle Zhang," she said.

"It's no trouble, no trouble at all." Old Zhang got into the car and handed the train ticket and receipt to her.

They drove towards the train station.

Upon arriving at the station, Xiang Wan saw the bustling crowd inside and felt a bit overwhelmed.

She had thought that with travel restrictions, the station would be less crowded, but there were still so many people. When she realized she would have to navigate through the crowds later, her mood became less cheerful.

As if sensing her discomfort, Old Zhang chuckled and said, "Miss Xiang, we don't need to go through that. Follow me."

Xiang Wan followed Old Zhang to another entrance, where there were two rows of guards standing on duty, saluting Old Zhang.

Following behind, she thought, this must be the VIP treatment. Fortunately, she had asked Uncle Zhang for help; otherwise, she wouldn't know how long she'd have to wait.

They walked through the VIP passage and onto the platform.

"Miss Xiang, this is as far as I can send you," Old Zhang said as he handed the luggage to her.

"Alright, sorry to trouble you, Uncle Zhang." She took her luggage and boarded the train amid the roar of its engine.

When she got on the train, she curiously observed everything around her. She had only seen this type of train in period films before, and this was her first time traveling by train.

There weren't many people on the train and there were still some empty seats. Beside her was a middle-aged woman who was looking at her inquisitively.

"Sister, where are you going?" Xiang Wan asked with a smile.

"Oh, me? I'm going home. I came to the city to visit my child," the woman replied, flattered that Xiang Wan initiated a conversation with her.

"Where do you live?" Xiang Wan asked again.

"My family is in Jin Gang District. My son got into school here and will stay on for his future. I also came to the big city to tour around!" The woman's face beamed with pride when she mentioned her son.

Upon hearing that her son had succeeded in his studies, the other passengers on the train praised him, saying that he was promising and that his family must have raised him well for him to have come from a rural area and succeeded.

"Well, congratulations then!" Xiang Wan hadn't expected to encounter someone from the Jin Gang District who also took the college entrance exam.

"Sister, do you know a person named Huo Xiao? He's also from the Jin Gang District."

"Huo Xiao? His family is really poor." The woman was a bit annoyed at being interrupted while boasting, but she still answered, drawn in by Xiang Wan's good looks.

"Oh, him? He's the illegitimate child of a wealthy family in the city! The family is rich, but they didn't want to accept him, so they sent him to the countryside. They don't care about his food or welfare. How pitiful." The woman's face briefly revealed a hint of disdain when she thought about Huo Xiao's background.

"He also took the college entrance exam, but I don't know if he got in or not. That child worked very hard." The woman sighed.

Xiang Wan thought to herself, of course, he got in. Not only did he get in, but he also became the CEO of a successful company.

"Young lady, are you looking for him? What's your relationship with him?" The woman asked curiously. Xiang Wan's appearance was far from ordinary; she exuded refinement from head to toe, clearly looking well-off.