Chapter 131

Shaw and Carman arrived at the train station to pick up Summer, riding a tricycle. Shaw placed the travel bag he was carrying onto the tricycle. 

Summer took off her backpack and placed it next to the travel bag. Shaw rode the bike in the front while Summer and Carman sat in the back, each on one side. The three of them enjoyed the autumn evening breeze as they chatted and headed home.

The conversation mainly revolved around Summer recounting her experiences in the countryside to Shaw and Carman. Although Summer had exchanged letters with her family every month while she was in the countryside, the letters had their limitations. She could only convey so much, often focusing on the highlights and avoiding the unpleasant details. Therefore, there was still a lot left to share in person.

Halfway through the ride, Shaw, puzzled, turned around and asked Summer, "Didn't Henry come back with you this time?"

His confusion wasn't because Henry didn't return with Summer; after all, the opportunity to return to the city was very rare. What puzzled him was that Summer hadn't mentioned Henry once during their conversation. She hadn't even written about him in her letters, even though she had insisted on going to the countryside for him, claiming she wanted to contribute to rural development and train herself. After her initial letter home mentioning Henry, she never brought him up again.

Summer had intentionally avoided the topic of Henry, but she knew it was inevitable. She and Henry had been as close as siblings, so it was impossible to completely avoid mentioning him. Hearing Shaw's question, she casually replied, "No, our group only had two spots to return to the city, and he didn't get one. He can't come back for now."

If he didn't take the college entrance exam or failed it, he would have to stay in the countryside for another year until the big return of the educated youth at the end of next year. In the novel, she returned to the city with him during that big return.

Carman was also curious. She turned to Summer and directly asked, "Did you and Henry have a falling out? You never mentioned him in your letters, and he didn't mention you either."

Summer avoided mentioning Henry in her letters to prevent Shaw and Carman from worrying about her. Now that she no longer had those concerns, she straightforwardly said, "We didn't just fall out; we broke off completely."

Shaw and Carman were both taken aback by her words.

Carman, with a worried expression, asked, "You were so close since childhood, always following him around. What happened in the countryside? Didn't he take care of you?"

Summer sneered, "Take care of me? He was more likely to get me into trouble."

Carman frowned and asked, "What do you mean?"

Summer explained, "Shortly after arriving in the countryside, he started dating one of the other girls in our group. I was given the opportunity to teach at the local school, but he pressured me to give it up for his girlfriend..."

Summer recounted what had happened in the countryside.

Shaw and Carman were furious after hearing her story.

Shaw angrily said, "That ungrateful brat. He promised me he'd take good care of you when you went to the countryside. Instead, he tried to bully you with others!"

Summer continued, "He even used your words against me, saying that you entrusted me to him, so I had to obey him. If I did, I'd end up doing all the hard work at the camp. Those people didn't know how to do anything and were extremely lazy, always avoiding work."

Carman added, "We took care of him so much, and this is how he repays us."

Living in the same neighborhood, they often helped each other out. Their family had always gone out of their way to look after Henry because Summer liked him. Now, seeing how he treated her, they felt like they'd been played for fools.

Summer reached out to hold Carman's hand and said, "It's also my fault. I was like a fool, always thinking about him. But after this experience in the countryside, I've seen through him completely. So, I worked hard every day to secure one of the first spots to come back."

Carman patted her hand, "It's good that you're back. Don't be foolish again. We were so worried you might stay in the countryside forever."

Summer promised, "I won't make that mistake again!"

Seeing that Summer had truly changed her mindset, Shaw and Carman felt relieved.

Shaw added about Henry, "He was always unreliable, hanging out with Gabe and Charlie, causing trouble all over town. They should stay in the countryside longer to fix their bad habits."

Carman, not wanting to discuss Henry further, said, "If he didn't see us as family, why should we care about him?"

She then turned the conversation back to Summer, ignoring anything more about Henry.

They continued chatting and laughing as they rode the rest of the way home. When they reached their familiar street, a sense of coming home washed over Summer.

During the day, she would have seen familiar faces in the neighborhood. Now it was late, and the street was quiet, with everyone asleep. Most of the houses had their lights off.

The silence made them speak softly as they entered their gate. The familiar red door and stone lion statues brought a sense of security to Summer.

Despite being away for so long, there was no unfamiliarity in returning home.

Summer and Carman got off the bike and pushed open the door. Shaw pushed the tricycle into the yard, parked it, and carried the travel bag inside.

Summer's home had two courtyards. The front yard had a building that once housed a small restaurant. They had closed it down, and the signboard was still there.

They walked through the back courtyard, where the main living area was. Summer's family lived in the largest house, with the east wing housing Henry's family and the west wing occupied by the Jiang family.

The other families were asleep, with no lights or sounds. Summer followed Shaw and Carman into their house. Carman took the travel bag and led Summer to her room.

Carman had prepared a new set of bedding and curtains for Summer, giving the room a fresh look and a pleasant scent. Summer couldn't help but exclaim, "It's so good to be home!"

Carman replied, "Of course it is."

Leaving home and family to live in the countryside was tough. Nothing could compare to the comfort of being home.

Summer took a deep breath, feeling relaxed and content. Carman, curious about the heavy backpack, asked, "What's in your bag? It feels heavy."

Summer placed the backpack on the desk and opened it, showing Carman, "On our way back, many villagers came to see us off and filled my bag with eggs. I couldn't eat them all, so I brought them back."

Carman was surprised, "The villagers treated you so well?"

Summer smiled, "Yes, they did. My time there wasn't too hard because they took good care of me."

She reached into the bag and pulled out a purse, showing it to Carman, "I also saved a lot of money. I have over two hundred dollars here."

Carman was shocked, "How did you save so much?"

Summer explained, "I earned five dollars a month as a teacher and sold eggs at the market. Plus, you sent me money even when I told you not to. The main thing was running a food stall..."

Summer hadn't mentioned running the stall in her letters to avoid worrying Shaw and Carman. Now, she explained how she had managed to earn money.

After hearing the story, Carman felt both proud and sad. Her daughter had grown up so much, handling big responsibilities on her own.

Carman held Summer's hand, "You've been through a lot."

Summer smiled, "It wasn't too bad. I enjoyed making money and felt respected by the local officials. It was fulfilling."

Carman was relieved and proud. Shaw came in, saying, "Dinner's ready. Come eat."

Carman laughed, "You wouldn't believe it, but our daughter is amazing. She didn't just survive the countryside; she thrived and brought home a bag full of eggs and over two hundred dollars!"