After the train started, it took a while for Lin Nianhe and Wen Lan to regain their composure.
Su Yuncheng got their things together and found those three train tickets, then said to the two girls, "Let’s go, let’s get settled first."
"Ah, okay, okay..."
The two girls had already been squeezed silly, holding hands and following Su Yuncheng, even forgetting to help carry so luggage.
Su Yuncheng didn’t mind the weight and carried the things forward.
Checking the tickets for their bunks, sure enough, people had already occupied them.
Wang Shui had bought two lower bunks and one upper bunk. At the mont, two were lying on the upper bunk, and four were sitting on each lower bunk, all seemingly together.
Lin Nianhe finally snapped out of it—Sister Lan couldn’t win an argunt, and Brother Yuncheng didn’t like to quarrel, so it was up to her to defend their bunks!
She rolled up her sleeves, eager to have a talk about life with these ten people.
Then she saw Su Yuncheng took out her Foreign Trade Departnt work ID from his pocket: "Comrade, this is our place, please make way."
The ten people were originally going to "convince with reason", but seeing the three arrivals all wearing standard military coats and possessing work IDs, they instantly wilted, quickly gathered their luggage, and went to find another place.
Not even a hint of wanting to talk back.
Lin Nianhe: "...?"
She had her sword at the ready.
He perford a victory without a fight.
Lin Nianhe sheathed her sword, watching the busy Su Yuncheng, muttering softly, "That’s really against the rules."
Su Yuncheng made up the beds and gestured for them to sit down before saying, "I didn’t say we were on official business."
Lin Nianhe: "..."
He was quite cautious indeed.
"Ah right, right, right, you just wanted to show them what a Foreign Trade Departnt work ID looks like."
"Yes, indeed."
The train was overcrowded, with people packed into the aisles, and so even lying under the seats.
The conductor made several rounds, bringing in a few train surfers.
"Are they crazy? Hitching a ride on the train in the dead of winter, aren’t they afraid of freezing to death?"
The conductor cursed under his breath and poured hot water for them, only asking them to find their own place to stay after they ca around.
Checking tickets was almost impossible at tis like these.
So had yesterday’s tickets, so had the day before yesterday’s, and others searched every pocket, then claid they had lost theirs.
The conductor naturally knew that so of these people must have snuck on board without tickets, but...
"If it’s lost, it’s lost, watch your own belongings, I won’t help you find them if you lose anything else."
Lin Nianhe and Wen Lan went to the restroom together and just heard two conductors chatting:
"Nobody has it easy, just turn a blind eye."
"I heard, you know, that the county next door has to send people when soone gets admitted to a university to handle their paperwork to go back to the city..."
"Hey, brave one, you dare to say anything... I’m going to boil so water, you go check on those train surfers, they finally got into university, don’t let them get sick..."
Lin Nianhe and Wen Lan exchanged a look.
Lin Nianhe said, "Uncle Wong is really slumming it as a county official, I’m not joking."
Wen Lan nodded, "I think so too."
On the way back, there were always a lot of people. So were boarding, so were alighting, and a few even crawled in through the train window in front of Lin Nianhe.
With so many people, it was naturally noisy, making it hard to rest.
Additionally, due to the weather conditions, the train was running slower than before. What was usually a three-day journey had been stretched to four days.
"Sister Lan, why don’t you disembark with in Beijing? Rest for two days before heading back."
Lin Nianhe was too tired to play tricks, leaning on Wen Lan’s shoulder, looking listlessly at Su Yuncheng packing the luggage.
An hour ago the conductor said they were almost at Beijing.
Ten minutes ago they said it again that they were almost there.
Lin Nianhe didn’t know how long this "almost" really was.
Wen Lan was equally exhausted, too lazy to even nod her head: "Forget it, I don’t have the energy to squeeze through another crowd..."
She said this and turned her head to pinch Lin Nianhe’s cheek: "What? Can’t bear to part with ?"
Lin Nianhe gave her a rolled eye to express her reluctance.
Wen Lan said, "It’s okay, I’ll co to see you once the sester starts!"
Speaking of college, Wen Lan’s eyes lit up quite a bit.
Lin Nianhe suddenly rembered the question she and Wang Shui had been grinding Wen Lan on for a long ti—
"Sister Lan, can you just tell what major you actually chose, please?"
The Backyard Trio—Lin Nianhe studied physics, Wang Shui chose economics, and Wen Lan, like them, was admitted to Peking University, but she kept her admission letter tightly concealed, refusing to reveal her major to them.
"Hey, don’t ask, it’s a surprise I’ve prepared for you!"
Wen Lan squinted her eyes with a proud smile, shaking her head, still unwilling to divulge.
Lin Nianhe glanced at her and couldn’t be bothered to ask anymore.
Over these boring days on the road, she had been guessing what major Wen Lan had chosen.
For every major she guessed, Sister Lan shook her head.
She even guessed space physics.
That ti, Sister Lan actually had a slightly different reaction.
Sister Lan asked, "What’s that?"
Now, Lin Nianhe didn’t want to guess anymore.
Not for lack of curiosity, but for fear Sister Lan might get a concussion from all that head shaking.
When the train arrived in Beijing, there were already few people getting on.
"Daughter!"
Mr. Lin on the platform seed to have the knack of timing, always catching his daughter just in ti.
He was holding a big bag in his hand as always.
"Daddy!"
Lin Nianhe stuck her head out and waved at him.
Mr. Lin ran up a few steps, shoving the bag he was holding into the train before it completely stopped.
Lin Nianhe was bewildered, "Dad, I’m getting off the train to co ho!"
"I know," Mr. Lin said, smiling, and looked toward Wen Lan beside her, "Girl, it’s been days since you had a hot al, right? There’s roast duck inside, eat it while it’s hot."
Wen Lan was taken aback, hurrying to express her gratitude: "Thank you, Uncle."
"Don’t ntion it," Mr. Lin said with a smile as he took over her suitcase, "I heard from Nianhe that you also got into Peking University, right? Coming to Beijing a few days in advance, we have prepared a guest room for you at ho, you can enjoy a few days in Beijing."
Comrade Old Lin cheerfully hosted his daughter’s friend, and before leaving, he didn’t forget to instruct Wen Lan to send regards to her parents.
"Sister Lan, no fighting on the way, if there’s anything, find the train attendants!"
Lin Nianhe stood on the platform, waving to Wen Lan.
She suddenly rembered sothing important and asked quickly: "Oh right, Sister Lan, I just rembered sothing important, do you want to..."
The train started moving.
Lin Nianhe didn’t finish her sentence.
Wen Lan leaned against the window, looking dumbfounded.
After a long while, she cursed through gritted teeth, "silly girl!"
This ti, the curse carried more genuine emotion than in the past two and a half years combined.
Four days had passed, and now she rembers to talk about sothing important?
Since it was important, why did she beat around the bush so much?
Just to tease her?
Wen Lan pondered what important thing Lin Nianhe could have, the roast duck in her hand ... still slled delicious.
"Daughter, is there sothing you need to tell Miss Wen?"
"Oh, it’s nothing, just aiming to annoy her."
On the platform, Lin Nianhe furrowed her brows slightly.
She wanted to ask Wen Lan if she wanted to buy a house.
Reviews
All reviews (0)