On the day of her departure, Mu Jing cleared away all her belongings, restoring the bedroom to how it had been on her first day there. She still remembered the arrangement of Qu Hua's clothes in the wardrobe, and the paper crane tucked in one corner—certainly not folded by Qu Hua himself, but likely gifted to him by some young girl. She returned the Lecture Notes Qu Hua had given her to the desk, adding annotations beside the chapters he hadn't covered to help him understand.
Mu Jing was escorted to the station by her mother-in-law, with orderly Xiao Qin and the driver loading her several large suitcases onto the train. Xiao Qin and the driver directly placed her luggage in the sleeper carriage, though it was unclear who had informed them. Most of the luggage contained items her mother-in-law had given her, claiming they were prepared by Qu Hua. Mu Jing didn't believe it, suspecting her mother-in-law had purchased them instead. Though she knew her mother-in-law's kindness stemmed from her being her son's wife, not because she was Fang Mu Jing, she was still moved when she spotted jars of jam in the luggage. It reminded her of her own mother, who, despite her generally casual approach to life, always bought two jars of jam from the store before her long trips.
On the platform, Mu Jing shed tears. Her mother-in-law noticed, handing her a handkerchief to wipe her eyes, and said, "Why don't you just stay?"
Her mother-in-law mistakenly thought she was reluctant to leave.
"Please go back, the train is about to depart," Mu Jing replied. She had always viewed her marriage to Qu Hua as a transaction of mutual needs, but faced with her mother-in-law's kindness, she couldn't help feeling undeserving. After bidding farewell, she turned and boarded the train just as it was about to pull away. Once on board, she waved to her mother-in-law, deliberately avoiding her gaze.
Clutching the ticket Qu Hua had bought for her, she gazed out the window at the passing scenery. On her last train journey, her brother hadn't yet regained his memory, and her job hadn't suited her strengths—Qu Hua had been the only bright spot in that bleak trip. But he hadn't given her the chance to fall in love with him, immediately investigating her background instead. Looking back now, she was grateful he hadn't offered that opportunity.
The sunlight was brilliant today, streaming through the glass and warming her face. She felt an unprecedented sense of relief. Dealing with Qu Hua had always been exhausting.
But the relief was short-lived. In the window's reflection, she glimpsed a blurry face.
After just one day apart, she had already lost the knack of pretending indifference. Facing the window, she acted as if she hadn't seen him.
Fifteen minutes passed with Mu Jing still watching the scenery outside. Neither of them broke the silence.
Eventually, Mu Jing decided to speak first, burning with curiosity about why he had boarded the same train. But when she turned to ask Qu Hua, he had already drawn the curtain shut.
Qu Hua had been on night shift the previous day—consulted by other departments and urgently needed for surgeries in his own. A critically ill patient arrived after 4 a.m., and the surgery lasted four hours straight. Exhausted, he stretched out his hands for his assistant to remove his gloves, but growing impatient, he took them off himself.
He didn't wait for Mu Jing to question his presence before lying down on the berth and falling asleep. When he woke and pulled back the curtain, he found the opposite one drawn.
Throughout the journey, neither of them spoke a word.The train arrived at the station, and Mu Jing went to the luggage rack to retrieve her belongings. She had brought all her possessions, plus the various packages her mother-in-law had given her, filling three large suitcases and one small one. She couldn't imagine how she would manage to transport them to the school; even taking them down from the luggage rack felt strenuous.
As she struggled to lower her luggage, a familiar pair of hands grasped the handle of her suitcase and effortlessly placed it on the ground. These hands proceeded to take down all four of her suitcases one after another.
Before Mu Jing could even say thank you, Qu Hua asked, "Is there any more luggage?"
"No."
Mu Jing was still contemplating how to carry the suitcases down when Qu Hua had already picked up the three large ones and started ahead of her. Mu Jing grabbed the small suitcase and hurried after him, saying, "Let me take one more."
"You can't handle it."
Mu Jing reached to take one from his hands, and their fingers brushed against each other. She quickly withdrew her hand. "Thank you, but don't worry about me. Go attend to your own matters. Why is this business trip so urgent?" Just yesterday, he had been on night duty.
Qu Hua didn't deny the business trip. "It's not urgent. I'll take you to the school first."
He walked ahead, carrying several large suitcases, while Mu Jing followed behind.
The Branch Campus had sent a teacher to pick up Mu Jing at the station. The teacher had arranged for a three-wheeled vehicle, but aside from the two of them, there was hardly any room left for the large suitcases. As Mu Jing hesitated, Qu Hua said to her, "I'll bring them over later. If you arrive first, wait for me at the entrance."
The teacher picking up Mu Jing inferred from his tone that Qu Hua was her husband and that the large suitcases were likely brought by him.
Mu Jing and her colleague sat in the vehicle, observing the scenery of the small town. She resisted the urge to look back. She desperately wished Qu Hua was here on a business trip, yet she felt there might be another reason. She looked up at the clouds in the sky, watching them drift from place to place.
"Your husband is so considerate."
Mu Jing smiled, which to outsiders seemed like an acknowledgment.
She was dropped off at the school gate by the three-wheeled vehicle. The Branch Campus buildings were not all constructed at once; many were gradually built by the teachers and students themselves. Though far inferior to her alma mater, it held a unique sense of familiarity. She got off the vehicle and waited for Qu Hua at the entrance. When Qu Hua arrived, she reached for one of the suitcases in his hand. "Let me carry it for a while. If it's too much, you can take it back." Mu Jing had intended to carry one large and one small suitcase, but Qu Hua took the small one instead. With her new colleague watching, Mu Jing didn't feel comfortable arguing with him.
In the past, when they were together, Mu Jing was usually the one who talked more—either perfunctorily or lecturing him. Now that he wasn't initiating conversation, silence hung between them. The teacher who had picked her up did most of the talking, mentioning that many teachers at the Branch Campus faced long-distance relationships with their spouses and that spousal support was crucial for working peacefully here. Turning to Mu Jing, he added, "It's truly rare to find someone as considerate as your husband."
Because Mu Jing had so much luggage, the person picking her up first took her to her accommodation. The school dormitories were in short supply, with some teachers even sharing bunk beds with students. The room assigned to Mu Jing was relatively good—a double room shared with another female teacher who had also been transferred from their original school, leaving her husband and children behind.The female teacher felt a hint of envy upon meeting Mu Jing. She had heard that Mu Jing had volunteered for the transfer, and her husband seemed very supportive. Back when she had come alone, she had only carried a single suitcase. Her child was being cared for by her husband, who had been urging her to transfer back for the past two years. She didn’t think her husband was inadequate—it was just that having a child made all the difference. After getting acquainted with Mu Jing, she tactfully stepped out to give Mu Jing some privacy to talk with her husband. Before leaving, she told Mu Jing that hot water would be available at the school in fifteen minutes, so Mu Jing could fetch some for the evening. She also mentioned that there was water in her kettle if Mu Jing wanted a drink, and pointed out that the cafeteria was straight ahead, then a left turn.
Alone in the room, Mu Jing wiped a stool clean for Qu Hua to sit on, but he remained standing. She rummaged through her suitcase for her cup, poured water from the kettle, and handed it to Qu Hua. Then she took out a white porcelain basin, poured some water into it, dipped a towel in, wrung it out, and offered it to Qu Hua to wipe his hands—they were marked with red lines from carrying her suitcase. Qu Hua accepted it and cleaned his hands.
"Stay here for a bit. I’ll go get water." She picked up her own and her roommate’s kettles, planning to fetch hot water, unsure of what else to say to him. Qu Hua took the kettles from her hands. "I’ll do it." Without giving Mu Jing a chance to react, he left the dormitory, leaving her alone inside.
Dusk was approaching. Mu Jing gazed out the window, wondering if Qu Hua had a place to stay if he was on a business trip. He had been busy all day and hadn’t eaten yet. She considered inviting him to have a meal at the cafeteria before he left, but before she could decide, Qu Hua returned with the kettles. Setting them down, he pulled out an envelope and handed it to Mu Jing. "Get something to eat." Without even saying goodbye, he turned and walked out.
Mu Jing opened the envelope to find national food coupons and a stack of ten-yuan bills inside.
She chased after Qu Hua and returned the envelope to him. "Take it back. I have savings, and there’s not much to spend money on here anyway."
"Keep it. It’s no use to me."
Night had fallen. Mu Jing looked up at the clouds in the sky and finally said to Qu Hua, "Have a meal before you go."
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