After Feng Zeyu had put away the luggage, he noticed that all three of the mother and children were already asleep. His lips curved upward and he brought the thermos with him to get hot water. It would be difficult to get hot water when it was very crowded in the morning.

Feng Zeyu worried with just the three of them left in their cabin so he hurried back after he got two thermoses of hot water.

He climbed lightly into his bunk and laid on his side as he looked at the sleeping Shu Yan. From time to time, he would also look at the two children sleeping on the bottom and he felt a sense of warmth in his heart.

It was already 7 AM when Shu Yan woke up. Squinted a little, she turned and noticed that the bed next to him was already empty. The blanket was folded up neatly and there was nobody on the bottom bunks either. She had no idea where they went.

Shu Yan thought about it long and hard before she invited Feng Zeyu to travel with her. There was a saying in later times. If you want to find out whether you are compatible with your significant other, travel together, especially to somewhere that is more tiring. That was the main reason she agreed to go to the grassland with Feng Zeyu.

She wanted to know whether the two of them could still get along well when there were no communications or entertainment and with both children with them.

So far, Feng Zeyu was attentive, sweet, and very responsible. After all sorts of crazy thoughts, Shu Yan sat up and casually tied her hair up into a bun with a rubber band. Her two children were sitting side by side on the bed under her playing with each other.

"Where's Uncle Fang?"

JingJing was just about to reply to her when they heard knocking on the door. Shu Yan opened the door quickly and saw Feng Zeyu walking in carrying a tray in his hands.

He had with him a bowl of egg-drop soup and a plate of egg fried rice. These were very common items but not so much when one was on a train.

"How did you get those?" There are lunch boxes on the train. Not only were they expensive but they also tasted disgusting.

"I noticed that the three of you hadn't eaten much so I went to the restaurant and asked to borrow their kitchen. Try my cooking and see if how you like them."

Shu Yan took the food from him as she said to him, "You didn't need to do that. We ate quite a bit yesterday. Besides, you should have woken me up. You were the one who lugged our luggage up and down the train yesterday. I ventured to guess that you didn't sleep very well at night either."

"I'm not tired. Here, try some of this." Feng Zeyu scooped out a bowl of soup for Shu Yan.

"I haven't even washed up yet. Hang on."

"Need some hot water?" Feng Zeyu put down the bowl and handed a bucket over to Shu Yan.

"Yes." She did not bath yesterday and felt sticky all over. She would feel a lot better if she could at least wet herself down with a towel and some hot water. "Have the kids washed up yet?"

"Yes. Uncle Fang helped me." Tianbao showed Shu Yan his teeth. "Mom, am I clean?"

"Yes, clean. Eat with your sister then. Mom will be back shortly." Shu Yan pushed aside his little head.

When Shu Yan returned feeling refreshed, she saw the three of them chatting softly. She couldn't make out what they were saying but the smile on JingJing never stopped.

She picked up the small bowl and took a sip. Then, looking at Feng Zeyu in surprised, she said, "How many more hidden skills do you have?"

"I learned it from the cook in our company. Have more if you like it," said Feng Zeyu as he plated out rice to the two kids. "You, too, eat lots. That way you can grow up quickly."

Shu Yan felt very comfortable after a bowl of warm soup. She let out a sigh and moved onto the fried rice. The fried rice wasn't half bad either. She wouldn't call it amazing but it certainly made her feel warm and fuzzy when someone found ways to her a bowl of fried rice in the middle of a trip.

They finally arrived at their destination a little after 11. After getting off the train, Feng Zeyu looked around and located the person who was there to pick them up. The two hugged each other and patted the other on their backs emotionally.

"Say, Lao Fang, had it been 10 years since we last saw each other? I haven't even been sleeping well since you told me that you are coming." He turned to look at Shu Yan. "This is sister-in-law?" Then he spotted the children next to him. He eyes widened. "Your kids are that old already? Hey, that wasn't cool. I am okay with you not telling me that you are getting married but you have kids that age already. Are we bros or not?"

Transportation to the grassland was very cumbersome. As such, Feng Zeyu did not have a lot of contact with them and his friend had no idea about him being in prison before.

Feng Zeyu smacked the man on his shoulder. "Stop with the nonsense already. She is my girlfriend, Shu Yan. These two are her kids."

A surprised look came and gone on the man's face and he immediately recollected himself. He shook hands with Shu Yan, slightly embarrassed.

"That's still sister-in-law. I am an old comrade of Lao Fang and we relationship is solid. Treat my place as if it is your own. Let me know if you need anything," said the man expansively as he patted himself on his chest.

Shu Yan gave Feng Zeyu a look.

"This is my old captain, Lin Daizhi. You can just refer to him as Captain Lin." This was his second captain and they had spent two years with each other. He was the youngest at the time and Lin Daizhi had taken good care of him at the time.

Feng Zeyu was picked by a different team for his outstanding performance later on when Lin DaiZhi stayed with the same company. He married a local girl and was now half a grassland person himself.

"Thank you in advance for your trouble then, Captain Lin."

"I specifically went and borrowed a car when I learned that you are coming. Let's go. Let me show you where you will be staying. You can get some rest first."

The vehicle that he had borrowed was a tractor. The kind that made the tutututu noises with smoke coming out the front. JingJing had rode on one in the past as did Tianbao but he had already forgotten all about it. He was excited when he saw that kind of tractor.

Feng Zeyu first put the two children onto the tractor then helped Shu Yan get on as well. Lin Daizhi, watching him from one side, gave him an ambiguous smile.

Anyone who knew Feng Zeyu knew that he was a big lump of iron. He had learned how to take care of women after all these years. That was something.

Lin Daizhi was very attentive. He placed a blanket inside the bed of the tractor and it fit four perfectly.

The two children were very excited at the beginning but their excitement was short lived from the bumpiness. The road was too narrow. Had Feng Zeyu reacted a little too slow, Tianbao would have been tossed out of the bed by now.

"How come nobody ever fixed this road? There are so many potholes and the road is too narrow." If there was another car coming from the opposite direction, one of them would have to back into a slightly wider spot and wait for the other to pass carefully.

"We don't have a choice. It's very poor here," said Lin Daizhi loudly from the front when he heard Shu Yan's question.

"Even this road was paved by us along with the local villagers," lamented Feng Zeyu as he looked at the road outside of the tractor. "The local villagers suffered a lot for this road. Many were hurt too."

After some chitchatting, Shu Yan was dispirited from the bumpiness. Her back was against metal and was hurting from banging against them. She was certain that she was bruised. Feng Zeyu pulled her into his arms when he noticed it.

Shu Yan's body stiffened a little and she blushed. She looked up at Feng Zeyu and noticed that his ears were reddened as well. Chuckling a little, she relaxed in his arms.

Now Feng Zeyu was holding Shu Yan and Tianbao in his arms and Shu Yan was holding JingJing in hers. Tianbao looked over at Feng Zeyu then at Shu Yan and said, out of the blue, "Now the four of us are all holding each other."

JingJing turned and looked. He was right. But she did not struggle free. Uncle Fang had been taking care of her and brother the last two days on the train. He helped them washed their faces and hands, made them yummy food, and protected them. That was first time that JingJing had experienced what it was like to be protected by a father. She glanced over at Feng Zeyu carefully. She needed more time to observe though, if he wanted to be her dad. Xiaoxiao told her that her new father was very nice to her at the beginning but not any more after he married her mother.

Feng Zeyu could tell that JingJing was glancing over at him. He pretended that he didn't notice it. The girl was more sensitive but she would accept him one day.

They finally arrived at their destination after over two hours. When they got off the tractor, Shu Yan felt that all of her bones were about to fall apart. Tianbao and JingJing were very energetic. They were already running around after a few minutes.

"Look, Mom. It really is boundaryless," said JingJing to Shu Yan when she looked at the grassland behind them.

Shu Yan turned around to look and was stunned by the beauty of the scenery.

The limitless grass field was of a bright green color. The sky was light blue. Looking as far as they could, they seemed to join each other way out there. There were also wild flowers of all colors on the grassland. When the wind blew, one could smell the refreshing grass along with a hint of fragrance from the flowers, making one feel energized immediately. Shu Yan took a deep breath and all of the weariness from the way seemed to have disappeared instantly.

"So, what do you think? Not bad huh?" asked Lin Dazhi as he chuckled.

"It's beautiful. I worry that I wouldn't want to leave if I stay here for too long." After staying in the bustling city for too long and suddenly coming to a place like this, Shu Yan felt that her mind had been calmed and her soul had been cleansed.

Lin Dazhi laughed out loud and pointed at the Mongolian yurt afar. "That is where you will be staying today."

When Feng Zeyu talked to Lin Dazhi over the phone, he only mentioned that he would be bringing someone important with him. Lin Dazhi figured it would be his wife or someone similar to that effect. He hadn't expected that the two of them had just started dating and had on prepared one yurt. It was a bit last minute now.

"It's alright. We will be fine for the night." They had already stayed in the same room for two days on the train. One more night will not make any difference.

Granted, mainly because the two kids were with them as well. It would be pretty awkward otherwise.

Feng Zeyu started organizing the things after he had brought the luggage in and Shu Yan came to help.

"You can go sit down and get some rest or go enjoy the scenery. I got this." Feng Zeyu took out the toiletries, placed them to one side and pulled the food out.

"I have to get least put away my own stuff. I want to take the clothes out first at least." And then there were her and the two children's dirty laundries from the last couple of days. Shu Yan wanted to get them soaked in water first. "Where can I wash up and do laundry?"

"Put them to one side for now. I'll bring you over in a second."

Shu Yan placed them aside. The two kids had already been running wild outside. After Shu Yan made sure that there was nothing more that she needed to do, she looked for a spot outside the yurt and sat down to enjoy the boundaryless grassland quietly.

"Mom, I saw a bunch of sheep over there. Come quickly!" Tianbao came over to pull Shu Yan over there.

A flock of cloud-like sheep wandered over to them slowly.

"These are kept by the locals here. You probably never had them before. The old village head knows that Lao Fang is coming and slaughtered one. You will be able to try it tonight." Lin Dazhi came back over after he had returned the tractor. He ran into Shu Yan first on his way to look for Lao Fang.

"You slaughtered a sheep?" Cows and sheep were extremely important to herdsman in this day and age. She would ask Feng Zeyu the cost of one later on and they must pay the village head back.

When Shu Yan returned, Feng Zeyu was already hanging up the clothes, including hers and the kids.

"How come you did them already?" With their current relationship, it was quite embarrassing to have Feng Zeyu did her laundry.

"I was doing mine anyway." That didn't bother Feng Zeyu much. After he had hung up all the clothes and that both of the kids were back, he showed Shu Yan to the place to washup. "I had just boiled some hot water. You can wash up here. We will head over to dinner at the village head's place tonight."

"You are too industrious. We must take you with us everywhere we go from now on," said Shu Yan jokingly.

"I guess I need to do my best so you will take me with you next time." Feng Zeyu, too, said jokingly. After he had put down the water, he let Shu Yan took JingJing inside and he washed up with Tianbao next to them.

After they were finished with washing up, Shu Yan asked Feng Zeyu, "Captain Lin said the old village lead slaughtered a lamb just for us. Farm animals for sure are very important to herdsman. We need to pay them back."

"Don't worry. I will take care of it." Feng Zeyu had it all thought out already. He would donate a lumpsum to fix up the road that led out of the village.

It had just gotten dark outside when Lin Dazhi came to fetch Shu Yan and Feng Zeyu for dinner. The old village lead was particularly excited when he saw Feng Zeyu. There were tears in his eyes. He said repeatedly in his broken mandarin, "I am glad you are back. Happy."

Feng Zeyu's eyes were reddened as well. He used a lot of vocabularies in the local dialect when he talked. From the bits and pieces, Shu Yan gathered that he offered to donate money to fix the roads and needed the help of the old village lead.

That was a generous act. Shu Yan immediately asked Feng Zeyu how much that would cost and offered to pay for a portion of it.

"No need. I will pay for this road." Feng Zeyu was very adamant this time.

Shu Yan nodded and did not fight with him over it.

The lamb chop and everything else made from the lamb's organs were all very taste. Roasted mutton was very tender. The sheep tasted different than the mutton that Shu Yan had before at her old place. Back home they used goats, which would taste gamey if one didn't know how to cook it properly. Sheep had almost no gamey taste to them at all. Or that the village lead's wife was a very good cook. Even Shu Yan, who didn't like mutton much, had quite a bit of it.

"Have more. Have more. Xiao Fang is family to me and you are too now." The village lead was very happy when he saw that Shu Yan truly enjoyed them.

Shu Yan had a few glasses of alcohol and was a little dizzy. Feng Zeyu carried Tianbao in one arm and held Shu Yan's hand with his other. Shu Yan held onto JingJing with her other hand. The few paced forward slowly.

"I borrowed horses from the village lead. We can go take a ride tomorrow?"

Tianbao was already asleep or he would for sure want to go with.

"Yes!" She had tried it over at Hu Ruixue's place. She didn't know how to ride the horse and someone was leading the horse in front of her. It was still bit scary sitting on one.

Shu Yan was a good drunk. She didn't fuzz or make a scene even when she was drunk. She felt asleep as soon as she hit the bed. She did, however, have a little bit of a headache when she woke up the next morning. Feng Zeyu gave her some herb soup for the hangover and she felt much better after that.

"Don't drink so much next time if you can't hold alcohol." Feng Zeyu, rubbing her temples softly, asked her tenderly, "Do you still feel bad?"

"They are too enthusiastic. I feel bad not drinking. What did you tell me yesterday? We are going to go riding today?" Shu Yan changed the subject quickly.

The two had become more and more affectionate with each other ever since they had hugged on the tractor. Shu Yan didn't feel anything wrong with that.

"Yes. I asked the village lead for his two sons' help as well. They could take Tianbao and JingJing. I'll take you."

After helping Shu Yan onto the horse, Feng Zeyu led the horse for a round before he hopped on behind her. With a flick of the riding crop, the horse dashed out. Shu Yan let out a scream and held onto Feng Zeyu's hands tightly as she laid in his arms.

It was excitement after the fear had subsided. Shu Yan laughed heartily into the wind.

"Wait for me, Mommy," shouted Tianbao from behind.

The village lead's sons wanted to ran forward as well but they both have a kid with them. The kind who had never ridden a horse at that so they had no choice but to keep their speed in check. Their father had made it abundantly clear. If they were not good hosts, he would use the riding crop on them.