Chapter 93: Return to the Eastern Sea

Farewells were made to friends, to the land of their birth, and to memories long past. The wind was biting cold, the road winding and treacherous. Yet all this was for the sake of returning to the homeland that haunted their dreams.

Bathed in the glow of morning, adorned with dewdrops, today they would begin their homeward journey.

Mother! We have come home.

Delicate, crystalline snowflakes drifted gently from the sky, spreading a white carpet over the earth. At the entrance to Snow Village, the simple villagers had gathered, their faces etched with heartfelt reluctance. Today, the children from the city would be leaving. In these short two days, the people of Snow Village had already come to see them as their own. Their sudden departure felt, to the villagers, as though family were setting off on a long journey, and so the entire village came to see Xiao Lin and his friends off.

“Brother Xiao Lin, you must visit Snow Village again when you have time. There’s still so much we haven’t explored,” said Er Pang, eyes rimmed with red.

Xiao Lin raised his hand and gave Er Pang a firm pat on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. I will. I’ll come back next summer to catch fish with you.”

“It’s a promise.” Er Pang raised his hand and high-fived Xiao Lin.

“Linlin, take care on the road, and look after Ya Tou,” Grandma Xiao said with concern. She herself would not be returning just yet; she was staying in Snow Village for the New Year, and would take the bus back to Beijing after the festivities.

Glancing at Wang Yuqing by his side, Xiao Lin nodded. “Don’t worry, Grandma, I will.”

“Thank you, Grandpa Cui. The sausage you gave us is delicious!” Tan Linlin said, holding a sausage in one hand and a wild fruit in the other, chatting with Grandpa Cui as she ate. Behind her, Xu Tong struggled with two bulging bags, a huge backpack on his shoulders filled to the brim with local specialties gifted by the villagers.

At that moment, the bus hissed to a stop at the entrance to the village.

“The bus is here. It’s time for us to go.” Xiao Lin looked at his grandmother, at Er Pang, and at the villagers who had come to send them off. His eyes were filled with longing and attachment. The villagers reluctantly helped them onto the bus, and even as the bus drove away and disappeared from sight, they stood in place, watching, only slowly making their way back into the village.

“Xiao Lin, these villagers are truly wonderful. They feel like family to me,” Wang Yuqing said, her voice tinged with sadness, moved by the sincerity of the Snow Village people.

Xiao Lin stroked Wang Yuqing’s hair and sighed gently, saying nothing. He had grown fond of this simple gesture, which warmed his heart, and Wang Yuqing seemed to enjoy it as well—she nestled against him like a small bird, now that Grandma Xiao was gone and the two of them no longer needed to be so reserved.

Wang Yuqing looked down at the green jade bracelet on her wrist, wondering how she would explain it to her mother when she got home. Anyone with an ounce of knowledge could tell it was valuable, but what mattered to her was not its worth, but its meaning. Grandma Xiao’s willingness to give her the bracelet was a sign of acceptance, a tacit acknowledgment of her relationship with Xiao Lin.

“These bracelets are a pair, passed down through generations in my grandmother’s family. The other one is with my mother; Grandma gave it to her when my parents married. Now she’s given this one to you—clearly, she already sees you as her granddaughter-in-law,” Xiao Lin said with a chuckle, pinching Wang Yuqing’s cheek. “My grandmother really is something. We’re not even married, and she’s already entrusted you with such a precious heirloom. She’s not afraid that we might…”

“Might what?” Wang Yuqing sat up, pouting at Xiao Lin. “Is this guy thinking of breaking up with me or something?”

Seeing her so worked up, Xiao Lin grinned sheepishly. “Nothing, nothing. We’ll be just fine. Grandma made the right decision giving you the bracelet.”

“Hmph, that’s more like it.” With a little huff, Wang Yuqing snuggled back into his arms like a kitten.

Meanwhile, Xu Tong was busily handing snacks to Tan Linlin. For her, traveling by bus was dull—unless there was food. She ate contentedly, though it meant Xu Tong had to constantly fetch her snacks and clean up her leftovers.

More than two hours later, the four finally arrived at the bustling train station in Qiqihar. Seeing the sea of people, they couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer size of their homeland.

After a brief discussion, Xiao Lin and Xu Tong went to buy the tickets, while Wang Yuqing and Tan Linlin stayed outside to watch their luggage.

“Yuqing, where did you put that pair of wild finches? Let me feed them,” Tan Linlin said, still chewing on a half-eaten sausage, her appetite for food now turning to the birds.

“They’re not just wild finches, you know. That’s so crude. They’re lovebirds—the sacred birds of Snow Village. And you don’t need to feed them; I already did before we left,” Wang Yuqing replied, unwilling to let Tan Linlin handle her beloved birds, knowing her unpredictable nature.

“Alright, alright, lovebirds it is, my talented friend. But where did you hide them? Let me have a look,” Tan Linlin insisted, rummaging through Wang Yuqing’s bags. She searched and searched but found nothing, finally pouting in disappointment.

Amused by her antics, Wang Yuqing covered her mouth to suppress a giggle. She patted a small cardboard box beside her. “Linlin, I put the lovebirds in here.”

At once, Tan Linlin peered inside. The box wasn’t large, but it was sealed. Instantly alert, Tan Linlin said, “Yuqing, you’re not going to suffocate the birds in there, are you?”

“Of course not. Xiao Lin helped me with this. We left air holes in the box,” Wang Yuqing replied, pointing to the tiny holes.

“Fine,” Tan Linlin grumbled, propping her chin on her hands and gazing absentmindedly at the crowd.

Over half an hour later, Xiao Lin and Xu Tong returned, sweating despite the frigid winter—a testament to the crush at the train station.

“We managed to get tickets, but all the high-speed and express trains to Donghai are sold out. I could only get regular seats,” Xiao Lin said, holding two tickets in his hand, a note of resignation in his voice.

“It’s fine, as long as we have seats,” Wang Yuqing said understandingly.

“And you? Don’t tell me you also got regular tickets,” Tan Linlin said sharply to Xu Tong, her look suggesting dire consequences if he had.

“No, no. The tickets were gone, but by luck, two tickets to the capital were returned and I snapped them up,” Xu Tong replied, beaming.

The four were not traveling together—Xiao Lin and Wang Yuqing were headed to Donghai, while Tan Linlin and Xu Tong were bound for the capital. Shouldering their luggage, the four made their way with difficulty toward the waiting room.