Lin Xiaoxiao thrived on competition—it brought out her fighting spirit. Sometimes she wondered if she'd been a gamecock in a past life.

So, seeing Xiao Yan in high spirits only made Lin Xiaoxiao more determined to study harder and outperform her. She couldn't embarrass the time-traveler community, after all.

Xiao Yan, for her part, was elated. She'd heard the confirmed news at noon: the college entrance exams were really coming back. All her recent efforts hadn't been in vain. Since things with Zhou Huai'an were hopeless, she had no intention of staying in this backwater. If she could test into university, she could leave for good.

What worried her was the rumor that educated youths like her would need a referral from the commune to register—there might even be a quota. They wouldn't let everyone take the exam.

Xiao Yan decided that once the policy was official, she'd ask the director for a referral letter. She was on good terms with him, and she was the only one at the clinic who'd even finished a year of high school. Surely the spot would be hers?

In her good mood, even Lin Xiaoxiao seemed less irritating. "About what the director said this morning," Xiao Yan said, almost pleasantly, "I hope you're taking it seriously. If you don't know the song, you'd better learn it. We're representing the clinic—we can't be a laughingstock."

Lin Xiaoxiao didn't bother arguing. "Don't worry, I can handle it."

Her mother had sent her to every lesson under the sun—voice, instruments, dance, art, even horseback riding and archery. She wasn't a master at any, but she had certificates for all of them. Impressing Xiao Yan would be easy.

Xiao Yan looked skeptical. "You're sure? Don't overestimate yourself."

She'd never even heard Lin Xiaoxiao hum.

Lin Xiaoxiao smirked. "Worry about yourself. Don't chicken out when the time comes."

Xiao Yan huffed, grabbed her patient files, and marched off to schmooze with the director.

That evening, Zhou Xiaoling heard Zhou Huai'an was going to Beijing and showed up with a watermelon. Lin Xiaoxiao had to laugh. "Quite the farewell gift. You always bring a watermelon."

Zhou Xiaoling grinned. "The production team grew them. They're sweet and cheap—way cheaper than in town." She craned her neck looking around. "Where's my brother? Not back yet?"

"Not yet. Probably got held up."

Xiaoling filled a bucket with cool water and plunged the watermelon into it. After a day in the sun, the fruit was unpleasantly warm inside.

Lin Xiaoxiao brought out a stool, and the two sat by the faucet chatting.

Xiaoling was envious Zhou Huai'an got to go to Beijing. "I want to go home too, but I've used all my leave. I won't get another 45 days off till next year. You should come with me then."

Lin Xiaoxiao brought up the exams. "Your brother says they're reinstating the entrance tests this winter. I'm going to try. What about you?"

"Oh, no," Xiaoling said quickly. "Maybe a few years ago, right after school, but now? I've forgotten everything. I'm not embarrassing myself. Besides, I'm happy where I am."

"That's a shame," Lin Xiaoxiao said. "I want to test into a university in Beijing. It'd be fun if we both went."

Xiaoling gave her a curious look. "If you go to school in Beijing, what about my brother? You'd be apart for years. What if you stay there? Would you even want him anymore?"

Lin Xiaoxiao paused. "There are winter and summer breaks. I could visit."

It hadn't really hit her—if she got in, she and Zhou Huai'an would be living separately. With travel so difficult and letters taking weeks, would they grow apart?

And if she was pregnant... going to class with a baby? The picture in her head suddenly didn't look so perfect.

Xiaoling thought she was being naive. "It takes four or five days by train. If snow blocks the roads in winter, you can't come back at all."

Once again, Xiaoling had dampened her mood.

Oblivious, Xiaoling went on, "You know, some women who returned to the city in the past few years divorced their rural husbands. And some men left their village wives and kids behind too."

Lin Xiaoxiao was quiet for a moment. "Well... I'd never leave your brother."

It wasn't like men like Zhou Huai'an—good-looking, fit, capable—were easy to find.

Xiaoling laughed. "I didn't mean it like that! I'm just gossiping. It's just so far—you'd definitely miss him."

Lin Xiaoxiao pouted. "Why assume I'd miss him? What if he misses me?"

"No way," Xiaoling shook her head. "With his personality? I can't imagine him missing anyone."

Lin Xiaoxiao thought privately that if Zhou Huai'an didn't miss her, she certainly wouldn't miss him.

...To her surprise, Zhou Huai'an told her that evening he'd already booked a train ticket for three days later. He'd be leaving for the city early the day after tomorrow.

Even Xiaoling thought it was sudden. "So soon?"

Zhou Huai'an glanced at Lin Xiaoxiao. "I'll be back by early September."

Xiaoling took the hint—they'd want time alone before he left. She stayed for dinner, then made herself scarce.

Lin Xiaoxiao followed Zhou Huai'an like a shadow as he washed the dishes, then out to the garden to weed. She crouched beside him, feeling unexpectedly sad.

He was the first person in this world who'd truly been good to her. She'd depended on him from the start.

Zhou Huai'an turned over a patch of soil, clearing out the weeds. He noticed her sulking quietly at the edge of the plot.

"I've prepared the soil," he said softly. "It'll be autumn soon. You can plant cabbage seeds in a few days. If you're not sure how, ask Hongmei or Zhong Zhiguo's wife."

Lin Xiaoxiao nodded listlessly. "Okay."

He crouched in front of her, studying her face. Unable to help himself, he gently pinched her cheek. "I'll come back as soon as I can. Tomorrow I'll chop more firewood and get more coal. If it gets cold, remember to close the stove vent."

She glared. "You're so annoying. You're not leaving till the day after tomorrow—why say all this now?"

Zhou Huai'an smiled. faint creases forming at the corners of his eyes. The evening light caught in them, warm and tender. "Think about what you'd like from Beijing. I'll bring it back for you."