Chapter Fifty-Three: The Mission

This year, the usual routine of visiting the village to pay New Year’s respects was omitted. Knowing that Wu Tong would soon depart for the capital, on the first day of the lunar year, the family of three visited the Jin household to celebrate the New Year. Jin Yongqing insisted that the child stay with them for a while. Most of the time, Tongtong was upstairs studying with Jin Xin; the Jin family had few visitors, allowing the children some much-needed peace and quiet. After the first two days, the Wu household would no longer be so tranquil.

Their daughter’s residence was rather small, so the comings and goings inevitably disturbed Tongtong. With the child away from home, it was easier to manage. Wu Jingzhong planned to book a ticket for Wu Tong to leave for the capital on the sixth day of the New Year. Once Wu Tong was settled, he would rush back overnight for work; if time did not permit, he would request a day off. Because of Wu Tong’s outstanding academic performance and the knowledge that he would be sent to the capital after the holiday, the bureau’s leadership specifically instructed him to take good care of Wu Tong, granting him every convenience.

After so many years, it was remarkable that such a small county town as Xincheng produced a child as exceptional as Wu Tong—especially as the child of a bureau member. The leaders at the Agriculture Bureau felt proud enough to speak louder about it when outside.

Yet Wu Tong did not want her father to bear such hardship and argued reasonably to go to the capital on her own.

“You’ll definitely see me off to the train here, and the train is direct. I won’t get off midway. When I arrive, I’ve asked Teacher Li—there’s a bus that goes straight to the university. Teacher Li said he would meet me and take me to Peking University. Dad, you really don’t have to wear yourself out for this!”

Teacher Li had specially inquired about her departure date after the holiday and requested in advance that she notify him once her ticket was booked, so he could pick her up. Such thoughtful responsibility was impossible to refuse. Having corresponded frequently with Professor Li Yisheng, Wu Tong now addressed him as “Teacher Li,” foregoing the formal title. It was almost certain—if Teacher Li had no objections—that he would be one of her advisors after she entered university.

“Tongtong, your father’s work schedule is inconvenient. I’ll take you,” Jin Yuan interjected. For each stage of Tongtong’s education—kindergarten, elementary school, middle school—he had personally escorted her. Now, she was going thousands of miles away to study in the capital, and with university starting in September, he couldn’t miss this occasion.

“Uncle, don’t complicate things. When September comes and the weather is warm, you can bring the whole family to see me off—I have no objections! We could even tour the capital together!” Wu Tong was exasperated; she hadn’t even finished reassuring her parents, and now her uncle wanted to join in, as if one gourd was pressed down and another floated up.

“I’m old enough now and have traveled several times. I know all the precautions and can act independently. Just trust me to go on my own!”

“Let’s listen to Tongtong,” Jin Yongqing finally decided, approving Wu Tong’s plan.

To be honest, none of them ever expected to raise such an outstanding child. Tongtong’s excellence was the result of her own efforts, not exceptional parenting. In the future, the child might go even further, and as they gradually grew older, rather than entrust her to others, he preferred to build her independence now. At least for now, she was still within the country, where public safety was reliable, and they could even ask the train police to look after her on the journey north.

Originally, they hadn’t considered the possibility that she would study abroad, but barring any surprises, this summer Tongtong would compete overseas. Even with a teacher leading the team, being abroad required her to be capable of taking care of herself, just in case.

The deeper the love, the further the foresight!

At noon on the sixth day of the New Year, after an early lunch, Jin Yuan drove Wu Jingzhong and Wu Tong to the neighboring Yingzhou City airport. They had booked tickets for a flight to the capital at two thirty in the afternoon.

Wu Tong slapped her forehead, realizing she’d forgotten the closest airport was right here.

She had planned to take the train, as there were several direct routes to the capital, and a sleeper berth on the six-thirty morning train would arrive in about ten hours, just before five in the afternoon. The train was already a convenient mode of travel. Nowadays, high-speed rail was only available in the most prosperous cities. Wu Tong remembered that it would be another two years before the provincial capital’s high-speed rail opened, as it was still under construction.

The Central Plains airport was in Shangdu, and a round trip would take eight or nine hours—too exhausting.

Upon arriving at Yingzhou Airport, Wu Tong discovered its long history, established in 1931, renovated and expanded after the founding of the country, and reopened to flights. Yingzhou was only about an hour from home, making future returns more convenient.

In her past life, with limited income, flying was a rare option. Now she was excelling academically and had achieved some minor successes, but her life experience still lagged behind that of her father and uncle.

Aside from the books she chose herself, Wu Tong’s luggage was selected and reselected by her family, whittled down to two large suitcases. They limited it to two to spare her the effort, and the suitcases were specially chosen for their four universal wheels, making them easy to push and effortless to handle.

If it wasn’t for the winter in the capital being colder than at home, Jin Yu and Xu Meifeng would have packed fewer clothes, as winter attire took up too much space.

“It’s cold, so dress warmly. Be sure to eat on time, don’t lose track of time while studying. If you want anything, don’t worry about the expense—buy it at school. If you can’t find it, call us and we’ll send it to you!” Taking the train to deliver it was possible, too.

Before she left, Jin Yu and Xu Meifeng repeated their advice over and over. Home is good for a thousand days, but travel is hard for a single day. The child had never lived away from home for an extended period, so how could they be at ease?

“Dad, Uncle, I’m heading into the waiting area now. Be careful on your way home. By the time you reach home, I’ll probably have arrived in the capital. I’ll let you know when I land!”

At the airport, Wu Jingzhong and Jin Yuan accompanied Wu Tong as she completed the check-in procedures and received her boarding pass. Neither of them had much experience flying, though they had traveled for business; together, they managed to get everything done smoothly.

As boarding time approached, Wu Tong hugged her father and uncle in turn.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can!” The pursuit of study meant she would inevitably be far from home, but she could always return frequently. She would work hard for scholarships, so her earnings could keep pace with her travel expenses.

“Next month is the auto show in the capital—I’ll come to see you!” Jin Yuan patted Wu Tong’s head, nearly moved to tears. How quickly time had flown—once a baby cradled in his arms, she was now a tall young woman, old enough to spread her wings and fly from home in search of knowledge.

“All right, Uncle, I’ll wait for you to treat me to something delicious!” Being needed by her family brought them joy, so Wu Tong smiled and assigned her uncle a task.

Sure enough, Jin Yuan immediately perked up.

“Good, no problem! Wait for your uncle to treat you in the capital!”