In 1983, traveling long distances wasn’t easy.

Shangdu and Yangcheng were over a thousand kilometers apart. Direct trains between the two weren’t always available— not even once a day. 

But Yangcheng was a major southern city, and Shangdu was a key railway hub in central China. Besides direct trains, there were also passing trains from other departure stations. Shangdu’s rail network was well-developed, but Anqing County didn’t even have a train station.

The distance between Anqing and Shangdu was short. If there had been a train line, Xia Xiaolan’s business would’ve been far easier. 

She wouldn’t need to rely on bicycles. Short-distance tickets weren’t expensive… the real cost was long-distance travel. 

For Zhou Cheng, driving her to Shangdu was much faster.

At Shangdu Railway Station, things looked shabby compared to modern standards, but the crowding was even worse. In another thirty years, travel would be easier, there's highways, private cars, even cheap flights.

Zhou Cheng told Kang Wei to stay in the car while he and Xia Xiaolan entered the station. Inside, it was pure chaos. There are people carrying huge bundles, families pushing through, chickens and ducks squawking, feces sometimes spilling onto the ground. 

Arguments everywhere, pickpockets lurking, scams unfolding. The air was thick with sweat, smoke, pickled food, and animal smell. Xia Xiaolan instinctively held her breath.

Zhou Cheng stayed close, protecting her from bumping crowds and slippery floors. Even though it was almost November, they were both sweating by the time they reached the ticket hall.

A woman carrying a child shoved past, nearly knocking Xia Xiaolan over. She stumbled and Zhou Cheng immediately caught her arm.

“ Stay close. Don’t get lost. ” His grip shifted naturally from her arm… to her hand.

Her hand wasn’t delicate like a pampered girl’s, but Zhou Cheng didn’t care. He had no comparison. He only knew one thing… her hand fit perfectly in his.

Everything around them faded. The noise, the crowd all gone. All he could hear was his own heartbeat.

Thump. Thump. Thump-thump-thump.

Like war drums.

Even someone as calm as Zhou Cheng, who could stay steady under gunfire, was now completely overwhelmed by adrenaline.

What was love? He didn’t know. He only knew he was drowning in an intense, unfamiliar pleasure.

Just holding her hand… and yet not just that. His palm was slightly sweaty. Xia Xiaolan noticed too, and suddenly he  felt a little awkward.

So he was nervous too? That realization made her nervous as well. She had the mind of an adult, but not much real experience in relationships. Her past-life romances had all ended badly. Even she felt unfamiliar with this kind of simple, pure attraction.

Zhou Cheng was bold enough to seize the moment, but also so nervous his palm was sweating. 

Brave, yet pure. Which one was the real him? Even she felt a strange stir in her heart. 

Zhou Cheng pulled her into the ticket office.

“ Comrade, any tickets to Yangcheng today? ”

“ Shangdu to Yangcheng? There’s a 6 p.m. train. Bring your introduction letter. ”

Xia Xiaolan reached for it, but her hand was still held by Zhou Cheng. He hesitated, clearly reluctant, before finally letting go, feeling a sudden emptiness.

The clerk glanced at the document.

“ Hard seat, 25 yuan 60 cents. ”

“ Any sleeper berths? ” The ride would take over 30 hours. Zhou Cheng wanted her to travel comfortably.

“ No sleepers. Take it or leave it. Next! ”

Sleeper tickets were almost impossible to get without connections. Rail resources were tight in this era.

“ Comrade, one hard seat. ”

Xia Xiaolan handed over the money directly.

A hard seat was already better than I expected. Some people even stood for 30+ hours. This ticket alone cost more than half a month’s salary for an ordinary worker.

After buying the ticket, they pushed out of the station.

Kang Wei had never left the truck. “ Got the ticket? ”

“ Yeah. Hard seat to Yangcheng, 6 p.m. Two hours left before departure. ”

“ Hard seat? ” Kang Wei blinked, then suddenly said, 

“ Good, I need the toilet. ”

He slipped away, leaving only the two of them again. Zhou Cheng opened the car door. 

“ Xiaolan, come in. I’ve got something for you. ” He handed her a small flashlight.

It looked nothing like the bulky metal ones of the time that are compact, sleek, black plastic, almost futuristic.

“ This is…? ” No way. Did this already exist in this era?

Zhou Cheng demonstrated. “ Two buttons. Green is normal light. Red triggers a high-voltage current. Touch a person for up to three seconds. It can knock an adult unconscious. ”

This wasn’t a flashlight. It was a stun device. It was almost exactly like something from the future.

Xia Xiaolan’s surprise didn’t escape him.

“ Don’t be afraid. Hold the handle properly. It won’t shock you. ”

This wasn’t civilian tech. Even getting it required Zhou Cheng to pull strings. Devices like this would never be openly distributed.

In 1983, even local militia units might still use firearms. Police forces didn’t have equipment like this yet. The closest thing was a bulky electric baton… but that would be too obvious to carry.

This compact version was far more practical.

To Xia Xiaolan, it felt like a heavy piece of Zhou Cheng’s concern. 

Then he added casually:

“ In Shanghai this summer, they started using a new communication device, it's like a small box, instant communication. If Henan gets it too someday, we can contact each other anytime. ”

Shanghai already has that? 

Xia Xiaolan froze.