Departure

Mo Jingchun had bought a high-speed rail ticket for the 10:31 a.m. train to Capital City on the 30th. When Grandpa had asked a few days earlier, Mo Jingchun had casually told him.

A little after five in the morning, Mo Jingchun shut off the power, locked the front door, pushed the Baby Carriage with one hand, pulled a suitcase with the other, and left home with a backpack weighing more than twenty pounds on his back.

By late September, the sky was already bright after five. With the mountains at his back, the morning air was somewhat damp, and the roadside weeds were covered in dew.

Mo Jingchun's home stood alone, with the nearest neighboring household over two hundred meters away. Fortunately, after walking a little farther, the houses became more numerous.

The heavy suitcase rumbled over the concrete road, its sound carrying far into the distance. Candy, in the Baby Carriage, still had sleepy eyes.

When they reached the entrance to Grandpa's courtyard, Mo Jingchun saw Grandpa sitting on a little wooden stool by the door, changing his shoes. Aunt, her hair already completely white, stood beside him and kept urging him on.

Mo Jingchun stopped and called out to them, "Grandpa, Aunt."

"You're here?"

"Wait for me. I'll go to your Fourth Uncle's place with you."

"Mm, alright." Mo Jingchun nodded and silently stood outside the courtyard without going in.

Although Grandpa Mo Changyou was already in his sixties, he remained fairly healthy. Aunt, on the other hand, was in poorer health and had developed all sorts of minor ailments.

Less than two minutes later, Grandpa came out with Aunt, carrying a plastic bag.

Mo Jingchun recognized at once that the bright red plastic bag held a forty-nine-shot firework.

Mo Changyou walked over and, without a word, took the suitcase from Mo Jingchun's hand.

"Let's go."

As they walked, Mo Changyou instructed, "Xiao Chun, once you get into your Fourth Uncle's car holding your younger sister, don't get out again. It's for good luck."

Mo Changyou seemed worried that Mo Jingchun might misunderstand, so he explained.

"For years now, whenever a family has a child get into college, this is how they send them off."

"Don't worry. Your uncles and I will take care of the neighbors who come by. Just stay in the car and don't get out."

Mo Jingchun did not know much about the customs at home. Whenever Grandpa said something, he simply nodded.

Fourth Uncle's house was right beside the village road. Before Mo Jingchun and the others even arrived, they could already see quite a few people standing in Fourth Uncle's courtyard.

Mo Changyou pulled Mo Jingchun's suitcase straight to the sedan's trunk. After laying it flat inside, he casually shut the trunk.

Mo Jingchun had barely smiled and greeted the uncles and aunts before Grandpa Mo Changyou pulled him into the car and shut the door behind him.

Not long after, he placed the folded Baby Carriage beneath the space by the rear seats as well.

Through the car window, Mo Jingchun noticed that Grandpa and his brothers each held a pack of cigarettes, handing them out one by one. Fourth Uncle had even put on a suit today, though it was already rather worn.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The fireworks shot into the sky, creating a beautiful sight in midair.

Mo Jingchun looked up at the dazzling fireworks, his expression distant. In his arms, Candy craned her neck, tilted her little head, and kept staring at Mo Jingchun's face with her big eyes.

"Yah yah yah~"

Candy's voice pulled Mo Jingchun's thoughts back from somewhere far away. He thought she had been frightened by the sound of the fireworks.

Soon, Mo Jingchun realized he had overthought it. Candy seemed to have already grown used to the noise. There was not the slightest trace of fear on her face. Not only was she unafraid, but the Little One was even smiling at him.

The instant the Pilot Seat door opened, all the sounds around them became much louder.

"Fourth Uncle."

Mo Chang'an smiled and nodded before turning to pull out his Seat Belt and fasten it.

"Hold your younger sister tight. We're setting off."

The journey from their Hometown to the city's High-Speed Rail Station took a full two and a half hours. It was not especially far, only a little over one hundred kilometers, but the mountain roads were truly difficult to drive. They were all Mountain Roads, and even the Asphalt Road had been rebuilt over the old roadbed.

The road was good, but the car could not pick up much speed.

As the engine started, the white Chery sedan slowly drove out of the courtyard through the crowd.

Once they reached the highway, Mo Chang'an showed no intention of stopping. He simply drove farther and farther away, gradually increasing the speed.

Mo Jingchun looked at the rearview mirror outside the window. He could still vaguely see fireworks bursting in the sky, and even after they had gone quite far, the sounds of fireworks still came from behind them.

A tear suddenly fell onto Candy's face. The Little One instinctively shut her eyes, then slowly opened them again after realizing nothing was wrong.

With his vision blurred, Mo Jingchun had not noticed that his tears had fallen onto his younger sister Candy's face.

The Little One seemed to sense Mo Jingchun's emotional turmoil. She stretched out her chubby little hand, trying to grab his face, but her hand was too short to reach his cheek. With nowhere to put it, she could only wave it through the air.

"Yah yah yah~"

After failing to touch him for so long, the Little One got angry and used all the strength she had to make protesting sounds.

Mo Jingchun lowered his head and lifted his younger sister a little higher. Satisfied at last, the Little One buried her head in his arms.

Outside the High-Speed Rail Station, people came and went. Some stood outside waiting for people who were about to emerge, while others carried their luggage into the station.

"Xiao Chun, Capital City isn't like home. There are many important people there, so don't cause trouble or offend anyone."

"At school, study hard too. Without your family's support, you'll only be able to rely on yourself in the future. Don't forget, you still have a younger sister to raise."

"I understand, Fourth Uncle."

Mo Chang'an waved his hand. "Alright, I won't say any more. I've already told you everything that needs saying. If I keep going, you'll only get annoyed."

"Hurry inside. I'll be going now."

"Mm, alright."

Mo Jingchun watched the white car disappear from sight before turning around and pushing the Baby Carriage, pulling his suitcase as he entered the station to check in.

It had to be said that taking high-speed rail was really convenient now. A swipe of the Identity Card let passengers check in directly, unlike before, when they had to collect their ticket and use both the ticket and Identity Card to enter the station.

On the large screen in the waiting hall, Mo Jingchun found the 10:31 a.m. G021X train bound for Capital City.

"Ticket Gate 3, Platform 2."

After confirming once more that G021X was indeed at Ticket Gate 3, Platform 2, Mo Jingchun looked around and headed toward an empty seat. After all, there was still nearly an hour before departure.

But before Mo Jingchun could reach it, someone else sat down first. Fortunately, there were still several empty seats in the row behind.

Before he had even warmed the seat, his younger sister Candy became hungry and wanted milk.

Contract signed. Handsome Lads and Beautiful Lasses, Request Monthly Tickets and Recommend Tickets.