As Zhao Nuanyue ate, she listened to Yang Guanghui and Hua Yusen chat. She had just finished when she heard voices outside—Li Qiong and Wang Yuan had returned together. Seeing them walking side-by-side, talking and laughing, the trauma from before the New Year seemed to have been washed away by the holiday cheer.
"Wang Yuan, Li Qiong, how did you get back? Did you walk?" Zhao Nuanyue asked, surprised. Both of them were carrying large packs, and with no one to pick them up, she knew it was impossible for two young women to walk such a long way.
Li Qiong shook her head. "Walk? It would take us more than a day to get here. After we got off the train, we ran into some young people from Yangliu Village. We all chipped in to rent an oxcart and came back together."
