After the Southwest War, the people's livelihood and economy recovered faster than expected.
More than 50 strongholds in the Southwest had been fully opened to traffic, and the strongholds were also fully opened to the public. Just like Luoyang City, stronghold residents and refugees could travel to any stronghold as long as they had a trade or work visa.
The Kyung Clan encouraged residents to do business by reducing taxes. When residents started moving between the various strongholds, the stagnant Southwest finally became a little more lively.
Even though Stronghold 88 had just experienced a war, it still looked like it was thriving.
Ren Xiaosu and Yang Xiaojin found a hotel to stay the night. It was still the two of them in two rooms.
In the evening, Yang Xiaojin went back to her room early to sleep. If it were in the past, the two of them might have had a lot to talk about.
At the house on East Tranquility Road, the two of them chatted through the wall until late at night.
But now, they seemed to be talking a lot less to each other.
Ren Xiaosu stayed alone in his room and let his imagination run wild. When he was alone, the first thing he thought of was whether Yang Xiaojin would treat this trip to Stronghold 88 as their last time together before they parted ways.
He felt that Yang Xiaojin's attitude toward their relationship must have changed. Otherwise, why didn't Yang Xiaojin activate her passcode door at her house in Stronghold 144?
Ren Xiaosu had thought he might have been overthinking things, but … the passcode door would not lie.
Thinking of this, Ren Xiaosu did not know whether to laugh or cry. Who said that someone else's passcode door had to be the same as his?
After letting his imagination run wild all night, Ren Xiaosu finally fell asleep.
The next day, when Yang Xiaojin knocked on the door and woke him up, Ren Xiaosu had a rare look of exhaustion on his face.
"Didn't sleep well?" Yang Xiaojin asked, "Why don't you sleep a little longer?"
"There's no need." Ren Xiaosu said, "I'll accompany you wherever you want to go."
"Let's go." Yang Xiaojin led the way in front. "You tore up the suit I bought for you in Winston City. I'll get a few more custom-made for you."
Ren Xiaosu was stunned. "Wait, how did you know I tore up my suit? Were you there at the time?"
"Of course." Yang Xiaojin gave him a sidelong glance. "You did well."
Ren Xiaosu had already learned from Zhang Xiaoman that Yang Xiaojin and Zhou Yingxue had set off earlier than Big Bluff and the others. But in the end, it was Yang Xiaojin and Big Bluff who arrived at Ghent City together.
Ren Xiaosu did not ask Yang Xiaojin when she arrived. But from the looks of it, she had been lying in ambush ever since she arrived. She even witnessed him thrashing the Berkleys at Winston's manor.
And by saying that he did well, she was probably praising Ren Xiaosu for not having any interactions with other members of the opposite sex along the way?
When Ren Xiaosu thought of this, he broke out in a cold sweat.
"When did you start following me?" Ren Xiaosu asked cautiously.
Yang Xiaojin said calmly, "Make a guess."
Ren Xiaosu could not tell what she had seen or not seen at all.
The more he thought about it, the more Ren Xiaosu was scratching his head.
The streetcars in the stronghold buzzed by as the early risers took them to work. Yang Xiaojin took Ren Xiaosu on Route 12 with ease. The two of them sat on the streetcar and headed for Shunjiang Road.
Yang Xiaojin said, "I didn't have time to show you around when you first came to Stronghold 88."
"Is the clothing store on Shunjiang Road?" Ren Xiaosu asked.
"Yes." Yang Xiaojin nodded. "In the past, our family always had our clothes custom-made at Shunjiang Road. But at that time, it was the tailors who would come to our house to measure our height and girth. I only went there occasionally. It's a tailor's shop owned by a husband and wife. My father is very familiar with them. Every time that woman measures my clothes, she'll always say with a smile, 'Xiaojin has grown taller again.' When I was young, I was a little disobedient. So in order to make me obediently stand there and measure my clothes, she'd even bring a few pieces of candy over. "
Ren Xiaosu suddenly felt that their trip to Stronghold 88 was like helping Yang Xiaojin recall her past life. They were going to walk the path she had taken and meet the people who had appeared in her life.
At some point, Ren Xiaosu felt a little grateful to Yang Xiaojin's parents. From the cap-wearing girl's description, he could tell that her parents were very gentle. To be able to have such warmth in the Yang Clan Consortium, she was probably an anomaly in the Yang Clan.
If Yang Xiaojin were as cold as the rest of the Yang Clan, the two of them would not have had their current relationship.
On the streetcar, the two of them sat in the double seats in the back. The morning breeze that was not too hot yet poured in through the windows, causing Yang Xiaojin's short hair, which was almost at the level of her chin, to sway slightly behind her.
Then Yang Xiaojin rested her head gently on Ren Xiaosu's shoulder and did not say anything.
This atmosphere suddenly made Ren Xiaosu feel like the silence between a long-distance couple before they were about to part ways before The Cataclysm. This made him even more flustered.
His heartbeat started to change, and even his breathing was affected. When Yang Xiaojin sensed this, the corners of her mouth curled up again under her cap.
"Let's get off." Yang Xiaojin got up and got off the car. Ren Xiaosu followed behind as he stared at the name of the tailor's shop in a daze.
Peace Tailor's Shop. The word "peace" seemed abnormally prominent and beautiful in this era.
When Yang Xiaojin pushed open the door, it collided with the wind chime on the door frame, producing a series of melodious chimes. Mixed with the creaking sound of the wooden door being pushed open, it sounded like a greeting.
There was only a middle-aged woman at the door who was holding a tape measure in her hand and measuring the fabric. She greeted her warmly without even looking up, "Welcome."
Yang Xiaojin stood still but did not say anything. When the middle-aged woman looked up and saw that it was her, she was stunned. Then her eyes reddened. "It's Xiaojin. It's good that you're fine, it's good that you're fine! I haven't seen you since the incident at the stronghold. You must have had a hard time after leaving Stronghold 88! "
Yang Xiaojin smiled and said, "I'm fine."
She took off her cap, and the middle-aged woman gently stroked her head. She smiled with tears in her eyes and said, "Xiaojin, you've grown taller again."
"Mhm." Yang Xiaojin said, "You've grown another centimeter taller."
Actually, most people would not be able to detect a difference of one centimeter if there was no reference. These words and the stroking of her head were more like a show of mutual understanding.
At this moment, the middle-aged woman looked at Ren Xiaosu. She hesitated for a moment before asking with a smile, "Are you that Young Marshal from the Northwest Army? I saw you in the booklet that ranked the supernatural beings. At that time, I was thinking that perhaps only someone like you would be worthy of Xiaojin. But I have to remind you that you must treat Xiaojin better."
The middle-aged woman did not care about what a supernatural being was like at all. She had only bought the booklet because she heard that Yang Xiaojin was listed in it.
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