"Tangtang, once you get to the Northwest, you have to behave. Don't be willful. Lu Xiao is a good man, so your father and I can rest easy."
"Remember to send us a telegram when you arrive, and write often."
The moment Su Tang opened her eyes, she felt herself being held in an embrace.
It had been many years since she had felt such a warm embrace.
'What's going on? Didn't I just crash in the hospital lounge, exhausted after an eight-hour shift?'
Before Su Tang could speak, a broad hand came to rest on top of her head.
"When things get a little better, we'll bring you back home. Tangtang, you'll always be our precious treasure."
As the man finished speaking, the train's whistle blew. The couple let go of Su Tang, and only then did she get a clear look at them.
The middle-aged woman, who had clearly taken good care of herself, wore a dress and carried herself with grace.
The man was wearing a Mao suit and glasses.
Their hair was already streaked with gray, and their faces were etched with worry.
The man bent down, pressed the suitcase into Su Tang's hand, and said something to her as he leaned in.
After that, they saw her onto the train.
Su Tang was still in a daze after she sat down, and it took her a long moment to finally come to her senses.
She thought she knew where this was.
This familiar dialogue… wasn't it from that 1970s-era novel she'd just finished a few days ago, *Seventies Hot Wife*?
What had drawn her to the book was that a supporting female character shared her exact name, but that character met a miserable end.
Despite being born into a good family, being highly educated, and possessing good looks, she had squandered every advantage she had, ultimately dying a miserable death in a rundown shack.
The original Su Tang's parents were both university professors, true intellectuals.
When Su Tang grew up, they even arranged for her to go study in the UK.
The plan had been for her family to arrange a job for her upon her return, but unexpectedly, her timing couldn't have been worse.
On the day of the Start of Autumn in 1969, Su Tang's parents were suddenly suspended from the university for investigation, and their home was descended upon by numerous officials.
As she watched their belongings gradually disappear from the house, Su Tang began to understand what was happening.
Perhaps sensing an unavoidable crisis on the horizon, they decided to send Su Tang to the Northwest to live with her military husband.
Su Tang's father had arranged this marriage for her a year prior.
It had to be said, if not for this precaution, Su Tang would have likely been implicated as well.
After recalling the book's plot, Su Tang sighed.
The book was about how, in a tumultuous era, the female protagonist Su Xinyao used her own intelligence and ingenuity to ride the tides of the times, forge her own path, and ultimately find success in both her career and her love life.
And the original Su Tang, of course, served as a foil to her cousin, Su Xinyao.
Having been spoiled her whole life, the original Su Tang didn't bother to restrain her willful personality, even after arriving in the Northwest.
She created drama nonstop until she finally picked a fight with Su Xinyao and ended up causing her own death.
Su Tang tightened her grip on the suitcase and turned to look at the scenery outside.
This suitcase contained nothing but money.
It was the Su Family's entire fortune, the very means her parents had left her to survive and build a life for herself.
Unfortunately, the original Su Tang would never understand the great lengths her parents had gone to just to ensure she could live safely.
The original Su Tang only felt that someone of her esteemed background was being forced to marry some country bumpkin who had nothing to his name, and she was deeply resentful.
That's why she looked down on the husband she had never even met.
Of course, it wasn't as if he thought much of her, either.
After quickly running through the plot in her mind, Su Tang leaned back in her seat.
According to the timeline, the turmoil was just beginning, which was how she was able to escape from Shanghai to the Northwest.
The man her parents had arranged for her to marry was named Lu Xiao, and he was stationed in the Northwest.
Lu Xiao's parents owed her father a great debt, so when he approached them about the marriage, they agreed without the slightest hesitation.
It was an arranged marriage, the kind where the two had never even laid eyes on each other.
'But for Lu Xiao and the Lu Family to agree, they probably aren't bad people.'
Su Tang didn't know how she'd ended up in this book, but for now, she couldn't find a way back.
'It's chaotic out there. The only safe place is in the Northwest, by Lu Xiao's side.'
'Once I'm settled, I'll figure out if there's a way to get back.'
As she watched the scenery recede, day gradually bled into night.
Su Tang was exhausted, but she didn't dare sleep. How could she, when she was holding a suitcase full of money?
"Stop that thief!"
Just then, a piercing cry rang out, jolting Su Tang fully awake.
Her hand, gripping the suitcase handle, broke out in a cold sweat.
The next second, a knife appeared right in front of her, aimed straight for her eyes.
But the person in the seat behind her reacted faster, his hand shooting out to grab the thief's wrist.
With a sharp CRACK, the man snapped the thief's wrist. The knife clattered to the floor, and the train marshals arrived swiftly to subdue the culprit.
"Thank you, comrade."
Hearing the marshal's thanks, the man simply replied, "Don't mention it."
His voice was deep and slightly hoarse, but surprisingly pleasant. The brim of his hat, however, was pulled down low, obscuring his face from Su Tang's view.
'I don't remember seeing him when I boarded. Did he get on at a later stop?'
By the time Su Tang snapped out of it and thought to thank him, he was already gone.
'He got off the train before I did. I guess his destination wasn't the Northwest. We probably won't meet again.'
Su Tang settled back into her seat, clutching the suitcase tightly to her chest.
The train rumbled on, CLACKETY-CLACK, toward the Northwest.
The journey from Shanghai to the Northwest was a long one, and Su Tang felt like her backside had gone completely numb.
She only managed to doze off for short stretches, never daring to fall into a deep sleep.
Fortunately, there were no further incidents, and she arrived safely in the Northwest.
Not many people got off at this stop. Most were women, some with a child or two in tow.
As she disembarked, Su Tang helped a woman carrying an infant with her suitcase.
"Are you headed to the family quarters, too?"
She hadn't expected to see her again, but they ran into each other at the same exit.
Zhang Cui smiled, hitching the baby higher in her arms as she asked the question.
Su Tang nodded. She didn't know the way; her parents hadn't given her any instructions when they put her on the train.
The book hadn't mentioned this part, and she had been worrying about how she was going to find her way.
"My husband has someone coming to pick me up. If you don't have a ride, you can come with us."
Zhang Cui said generously, and Su Tang's eyes instantly lit up.
'There really are a lot of good people in this era.'
She got into a car with Zhang Cui. It was only on the way that Su Tang learned Zhang Cui's husband was stationed at the same post as Lu Xiao.
So, in a way, they were connected.
As they drew closer to their destination, Su Tang couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
'The book barely mentioned Lu Xiao, other than to say he was cold and not very considerate.'
'But he did step in to save the original Su Tang's life when she was about to get herself killed.'
'He... probably won't be too hard to get along with, right?'
When they arrived at the entrance to the family quarters, Su Tang got out and helped Zhang Cui with her suitcase. Before she could even react, a rotten egg was thrown at her.
"Wicked woman! You're not welcome here!"
"We don't want some pampered princess here. Get out!"