As the scenery grew increasingly familiar, Wang Qiqi's gaze drifted back to the pile of belongings set aside. She genuinely didn't know what they were going to do next. "This much stuff—how on earth did the three of us manage to load it all yesterday?" Getting it onto the car yesterday had been difficult enough, but now with only two people, it was a real headache. "How about we ask the train attendant if they can find someone to help us carry things?" Qiqi remembered the train station had people who worked like porters.

Han Tao grunted an acknowledgment. "The sausages your best friend Manman's family prepared, the salted meat and dried fish from my mom, and even your aunt packed preserved vegetables—all cured items. I’m genuinely worried..." Eating too much of these things really wasn't great for one's health.

"The sausages and cured pork can be cooked with rice—it tastes amazing. The dried fish is perfect with breakfast, and the preserved vegetables with edamame are the ultimate pairing for congee, plus they can be used for soup..." Wang Qiqi kept listing ways to use everything. "Putting that aside, I’m really worried I won't want to take all this stuff off the train."

"After all, it's the elders' love; not taking it would be too rude." Han Tao also had a headache. Transporting this much luggage out of the station was certainly an issue, but the food was genuinely delicious. Back in the winter, his mother used to cure plenty of fish and meat, and he could still recall the rich flavor of his mother in every bite. Last year, Han Tao hadn't gotten to eat much, which he regretted. He had been thinking about how he’d miss out again this summer since he couldn't go back, and when Qiqi returned for the tomb-sweeping festival in April, the timing was too rushed; Han Tao also had commitments, so only Wang Qiqi went alone, meaning she couldn't bring back much. This time, they could finally enjoy several hearty meals.

"Especially the cured pork your mom made, right?" Wang Qiqi wasn't overly interested in the salted fish or meat; she was keen on the sausages. These were supposedly handmade and rumored to taste incredible—the kind they tasted when visiting Manman's house for New Year’s greetings.

The two of them, after Herculean effort, managed to unload everything from the train. They then found a porter with the help of station staff, and with his assistance, the luggage was loaded into a taxi. "Finally, we can breathe a sigh of relief." Wang Qiqi let out a long sigh as soon as she settled into the cab. "I need a good rest, and then we still have to haul it all upstairs." Qiqi calculated carefully; the cost incurred just for this small amount of stuff was significant. They could have taken a bus and then the subway, but now they had taken a taxi—they dared not look at the meter; the fare would certainly make their hearts pound. Of course, this was minor; what mattered more were the things money couldn't measure: physical stamina, emotions.

"It’s fine, I’ll call Daizi later," Han Tao comforted her. He remembered Daizi had no classes this morning. Normally, he would be holed up at home, either gaming or catching up on sleep. Such a perfect source of labor absolutely could not be ignored. Besides, even if Daizi had objections, they would be summarily dismissed unless he wanted to forgo all this delicious food.

"Daizi has no classes?" Wang Qiqi realized that was right. Daizi was already in his third year of university, so his course load had lessened. "Will Daizi be doing an internship next semester? Where is he planning to go?" In reality, whether Daizi interned or not made little difference; the programming jobs he took on at home earned him more than what he would learn cooped up somewhere. However, if all his classmates went out for internships and he stayed home alone, it might look a bit strange, drawing too much attention.

"He might go to the same place Gong Junyu and the others are interning," Han Tao wasn't entirely sure. "Daizi didn't specify, but it seems his professor recommended a place, and Daizi is having trouble deciding." Given Daizi’s capabilities, he could step into any role immediately without needing the internship unit to assign staff for guidance. "Oh right, Gong Junyu and the others are leaving in July; their visas are almost sorted."

While Han Tao was happy for them, a pang of loss struck him. After all, they had lived under the same roof for over a year, and his own rapid improvement in professional skill, which led to such excellent future opportunities, was inseparable from their guidance back then. If those few people hadn't been so meticulously helpful, he wouldn't have been able to seize the opportunity even when he met JOHN.

Leaving in July—Wang Qiqi recalled the scene when Daizi first brought Gong Junyu and the others out, it felt like just yesterday. How could they all be separating so soon? "They're leaving this year, and Daizi will be gone next year. All gatherings must eventually disperse," Wang Qiqi sighed. "But it’s okay; when we go out later, we can all meet up again."

Han Tao hummed in agreement. "The chance of them returning after they leave isn't very high. Besides, after interning in China for so long, they were quite envious after hearing about my internship experience in the States." Although Han Tao felt he might have embellished his description, or perhaps his team there was just exceptionally good, it also owed much to his continuous online communication with them beforehand, with JOHN acting as the intermediary. Thus, their relationship was good from the start. Would Gong Junyu and the others have had such a good opportunity otherwise? Moreover, exclusionary attitudes weren't nonexistent in the US; sometimes, they were quite severe. It depended on whether they could persevere. Han Tao had faith in Gong Junyu and the others; the last thing overseas Chinese lack is patience. To an employer, a capable subordinate is a good subordinate. "Qiqi, have you considered the issue of whether we will return to China in the future?"

"I don't care; living in the US for a while or living in China is fine," Wang Qiqi was indifferent. Living in the US wasn't necessarily better; her parents were in China, and she couldn't possibly take them with her. Even if Wang Damei were willing, Wang Qiqi worried her parents would scold her in her sleep. "I think children should receive the orthodox education in China." Foreign children have ability and independence, but the problem is they are too independent. Perhaps when they grew old, it would truly be just Han Tao and her relying on each other. However, China's rote-learning education system was not to Wang Qiqi’s liking; the test questions often gave her a headache.

"Okay, we’ll live in both places then," Han Tao draped an arm over Wang Qiqi's shoulder, letting her lean against him.

The two were lost in their little world, oblivious to the driver’s strange look. He thought to himself, who were these two kids in the back? Based on their conversation, going abroad seemed incredibly easy, and everyone around them seemed destined for overseas life. Yet, looking at their clothes, they didn't appear to be from wealthy or official families. The driver kept stealing glances at Wang Qiqi and Han Tao through the rearview mirror the entire ride.

Wang Qiqi noticed the driver's odd behavior but reasoned it was daytime, and he was following the correct route, so she didn't dwell on it. Still, a thought crossed her mind: perhaps the driver talked too much and was slightly unbalanced mentally?

When Daizi, whose real name was Dai Lijun, followed Han Tao to Wang Qiqi's apartment building, he spotted the large pile of luggage from a distance. His first instinct was to turn around and head home. "Um..."

Han Tao saw the kid turn around and immediately knew he was trying to slip away. Hmph, as if it would be that easy. "You can run, but you forfeit your share of the good food." Food was the only way to threaten this kid; nothing else worked for now.

Good food? Dai Lijun felt a stirring upon hearing Han Tao’s words, but the problem was he felt he would have to expend a great deal of physical energy. He weighed the pros and cons mentally. He hadn't completely ruled out not moving the bags and then sneaking over when it was mealtime. Even if Han Tao and Shi Man chased him away, Qiqi absolutely wouldn't do that; she was a kindhearted girl who would never turn away a guest.

"Don't believe me? You can try. If Qiqi sees this much stuff and refuses to help move, and you run away the moment you reach the door, what do you think..." Han Tao murmured menacingly behind Dai Lijun. "If you don't move them, I can move them up myself. Anyway, with so much delicious food, having fewer people to fight over it just makes me happier." Han Tao ignored the conflicted person and strode quickly toward the building, adopting an air of 'I can handle this alone.'

Wang Qiqi waited for a while and finally only saw Han Tao approaching. "Huh? Daizi isn't in the dorm?" She realized she shouldn't have gone to call Daizi; she had wasted a trip. Perhaps Han Tao had already managed to move most of the things by now.

Han Tao picked up two heavy bags, grumbling, "Someone..."

"Han Tao, you brat, you're too fast! I told you to wait a bit..." Dai Lijun wrestled with the decision for a moment, but ultimately, the allure of the food won out. Han Tao was someone who actually followed through on his threats. Fine, he decided to play the Good Samaritan today since he was in a good mood, and also to sneak a peek at how much delicious food Qiqi and the others had brought back this time. If it wasn't good food, he wouldn't have backed out of his plan to skip work, but he could still put in minimal effort. Dai Lijun convinced himself that this was a brilliant idea, so he quickened his pace. Before he even got close, he heard Wang Qiqi asking why he wasn't there, and Han Tao's response was predictable without even listening. "This much stuff, Qiqi, did you raid a store on this trip?"

Although he didn't know exactly what was packed inside those burlap sacks, from the faint outlines, Dai Lijun could tell it was meat—cured pork. "It wouldn't be that cured pork Han Tao's mom made that you brought back last time, would it?" That flavor was excellent, especially when Qiqi cooked it with rice; Dai Lijun was still savoring the memory of that dish.

"Yeah, and the handmade, specially prepared sausages from Manman's mom. They taste absolutely divine. We're making rice with vegetables tonight; invite your Lu Qiaowei over." From Daizi’s drooling expression, Wang Qiqi could tell exactly which dish he was craving. In the end, the outcome was always either him pestering to eat rice with vegetables or Manman wanting it.

"Alright, alright!" Dai Lijun agreed readily, tossing aside his earlier thought of putting in minimal effort. With gourmet food tempting him, and also wanting to stop Han Tao from constantly lecturing him about having energy to work but none to eat, he was genuinely serious about helping.