Summer didn't speak to Logan after that. She obediently sat on the cart, constantly paying attention to the road conditions. Earlier, due to her unfamiliarity with the route and her lack of attention, they nearly tumbled down a slope.
By the time the sun was halfway up the eastern sky, they had driven the donkey cart into the town.
Upon arriving in town, they immediately took care of the official business. After asking for directions, they found the Education Bureau, presented their letter of introduction, explained their purpose, and, with the help of a responsible official, paid the necessary fees and submitted the application forms for school admission.
Once all the paperwork was completed, they received the textbooks. The Education Bureau didn't keep all the fees; they would distribute the funds to the school based on regulations and specific needs.
With the distributed funds, Summer and Logan bought some everyday teaching supplies such as chalk, blackboard erasers, and ink. They had hoped to purchase some sports equipment, but their funds were insufficient, so they had to give up on that.
After finishing up at the school, it was already noon. They neatly placed the textbooks, chalk, and blackboard erasers on the cart. Just as Summer was relaxing, her stomach growled loudly. Logan glanced at her when he heard it.
Catching Logan's gaze, Summer smiled awkwardly and said, "I'm starving."
"Then let's find a place to eat," Logan said, leading the donkey cart forward.
They had gotten up early and had breakfast early, and with all the traveling and errands, they were both very hungry. Logan's stomach hadn't growled, but he was just as hungry.
The mention of food made Summer feel even hungrier. She didn't sit on the cart but walked beside Logan, looking at the signs of the shops along the street.
Seeing a sign that read "People's Restaurant," Summer pointed and said, "There."
Logan saw it too and led the donkey cart over, securing it nearby before they went inside to eat.
The restaurant offered both staple foods and stir-fried dishes. Staple foods required ration tickets, while stir-fried dishes did not. They looked at the menu on the wall. A bowl of plain noodles was nine cents, and a bowl of three-treasure noodles was thirty-five cents. After some hesitation, they both ordered the three-treasure noodles and didn't get any stir-fried dishes.
Because they were starving and looking forward to eating fine white noodles, the wait felt interminable. To distract herself, Summer struck up a conversation with Logan, asking, "I plan to send a letter home after we eat. Do you want to send a letter too?"
This topic was a common one among the young people sent to the countryside. They all shared a longing for home and family.
However, Logan replied emotionlessly, "No."
Summer stared at him, surprised, and asked, "It's been a month since we came here. Don't you miss your family?"
Logan maintained his expression and tone, "No."
Summer was taken aback and then lowered her voice to gossip, "Can I ask why not?"
Logan looked at her, ending the topic with, "No."
Summer: "..."
Fine, if he didn't want to tell, she wasn't that interested anyway.
However, while telling herself she wasn't interested, she couldn't help but recall what she knew about Logan from the novel. Before, when they were in school, she had only had eyes for Henry and never paid attention to Logan, who was in their same class. She knew nothing about his family background.
But there was a simple introduction of him in the novel that seemed to fit. According to the novel, Logan's family was well-off; his father was the manager of a food factory. However, his mother died when he was very young. His father remarried and had another son with his new wife. Because of Logan's strange and sharp personality, his father was always strict and harsh with him, while doting on his younger brother. Logan, disliked by everyone around him, received no warmth from his father, and even less from his stepmother, who maintained only a superficial harmony with him.
Logan was destined to never receive any true affection or genuine feelings. Be it familial love, friendship, or romantic love, no one was willing to give him any. But that didn't matter to him. He shut out all emotions, his sole ambition being to achieve success and trample everyone beneath his feet.
As Summer thought about these things, she was lost in thought until Logan suddenly asked, "Am I better looking than Henry?"
Summer snapped out of her reverie, confused, "Huh?"
Logan impatiently asked again, "Why were you staring at me for so long? What were you thinking about?"
Summer finally understood what he meant. She half-jokingly said, "I was thinking you might be lacking love."
Logan retorted, "So? Are you going to love me?"
His words were meant to sting, but as soon as they were spoken, both were startled. They looked at each other, the atmosphere awkward, dry, and tense.
Just then, someone in the restaurant called out, "Two bowls of three-treasure noodles are ready."
Summer quickly stood up, saying, "The noodles... are ready..."
Returning with the noodles, she focused on eating and didn't speak to Logan again.
After silently finishing their meal together, the awkwardness gradually dissipated.
***
The hot, fragrant three-treasure noodles filled them up, leaving them both content. After leaving the restaurant, Summer and Logan didn't immediately start on other tasks. Many workers took noon breaks, so they found a quiet spot to rest. They fed and watered the donkey, allowing it to regain its strength.
The donkey was fed reeds and water, which Leonardo had thoughtfully prepared and placed on the cart.
Once the donkey had eaten and lay down to rest in the sun, Summer and Logan also took a break. Logan, having worked hard driving the cart all morning, lay down on the cart, using the new textbooks as a pillow, making himself as comfortable as possible.
Logan's tall frame took up most of the cart. Summer didn't mind, so she sat by the side, playing with a piece of reed. After a while, her gaze drifted to Logan's face.
Remembering his earlier question in the restaurant, she found herself studying his features. Previously, she hadn't paid much attention to his appearance, focusing more on his aloof and arrogant demeanor. Now, with his eyes closed and in a rare moment of peace, he did look quite handsome.
As she pondered this, Summer muttered to herself, "He really does look better than Henry..."
Logan, who wasn't asleep, felt a smile creeping up at her genuine, heartfelt compliment. But before it fully formed, Summer added with a sigh, "It's a pity he has to open his mouth..."
Logan: "..."
***
Logan didn't sleep for long. After about fifteen minutes, he got up and told Summer, "I'm going to buy some things first. You rest here and watch the cart. When I get back, you can go buy what you need."
Taking the donkey cart around shops and bookstores was inconvenient, and they needed to keep an eye on everything to prevent theft.
Summer nodded, "Alright, you go first."
Logan left, and Summer lay down on the cart. Gazing at the clear blue sky and white clouds, basking in the warm spring sun, she felt that this rural life wasn't so bad.
When they returned to the city, no longer living here, she would probably miss this.
Summer's eyes grew heavier until she eventually fell into a deep sleep, the sunlight making her feel even more drowsy than at night.
She didn't know how long she had slept when she felt a faint shaking. At first, it wasn't very noticeable, but then it felt like the whole world was collapsing.
Just as she was wondering if it was an earthquake, she heard someone say in her ear, "Miss, your donkey ran away!"
Drowsy and disoriented, Summer slowly processed the information. Donkey? Ran away? What?
She jolted awake and sat up, her face full of confusion. She saw Logan standing by the cart, looking at her.
Logan said, "If you didn't wake up, the sun would have set."
Summer turned to look at the tree where the donkey was tied, relieved to see it still there. There was no earthquake, the donkey hadn't run away, and the sun was still high in the sky. She felt a wave of relief wash over her.
Still a bit unsteady, she got off the cart and said to Logan, "Sorry, I was really out of it. I'll go quickly and come right back."
Logan placed his purchases on the cart and called out as she walked away, "Hey, you're going the wrong way!"
Summer stopped, turned around, and then headed in the opposite direction, still groggy.
Logan: "..."
***
It took Summer about five minutes of walking to fully wake up. Feeling refreshed, she headed to the post office first. She bought an envelope and a stamp, sealed her pre-written letter, addressed it, and dropped it in the mailbox.