Chapter 128: Off the Train

Chapter 128: Off the Train

Su Ping saw the other person eating too quickly and choking, so he hurriedly opened his military water bottle and handed it over.

Ren San eyed Su Ping warily before reaching out to take the water bottle and bring it to his mouth.

But the space under the seat was too cramped for him to tilt his head back and drink.

Ren San tried to press his face sideways against the floor, attempting to let the water pour into his mouth from the bottle.

Su Ping felt a bit distressed about his water bottle—it was a new one An An had bought for him.

He bent over, reached out, and yanked the water bottle back, then gripped it by the neck and motioned for Ren San to lift his head a little out from under the seat.

Seeing that Su Ping meant no harm, Ren San poked his head out and opened his mouth wide to drink. After drinking, he quickly retreated back under the seat, his wide eyes curiously fixed on Su Ping.

This person is really nice.

Since the age of seven, no one had been this kind to him.

Su Ping, seeing Ren San staring at him, felt his face darken. He waited a moment, then looked back under the seat, but Ren San continued to stare.

With a pang of reluctance, he pulled out another egg pancake.

In a low voice, he said, “Really, there’s no more. If you keep staring, I’ll hit you!”

Ren San didn’t hesitate and took the egg pancake. This time, instead of devouring it, he slowly savored the heavenly taste.

Su Ping felt a pang of regret as he touched the oiled paper bag. Only two pancakes left.

Just then, the dim light in the carriage went out, and Su Ping let out a sigh of relief without realizing it.

Two hours later, Su An woke up.

By the window, she checked her watch in the faint moonlight. It was already past three.

“Brother?”

“An An, I’m here!”

“You should sleep for a bit. It’s past three. In a couple of hours, we’ll arrive. We’ll need to transfer to a bus, and you’ll have to carry the bags. Rest a bit.”

“An An, I’m not tired.”

“I’m asking you to sleep, or you won’t have any energy by the time we transfer a few more times. We won’t get back to the village until the afternoon. You need to rest, or you’ll be exhausted after a whole night without sleep.”

Beneath the opposite seat, Ren San listened to the siblings’ conversation and began to slowly crawl to the other side of the seat.

In the darkness, he groped his way back to Second Aunt, who was holding her son and sleeping soundly. Carefully, he felt his way to a woven burlap bag and tugged at the rope...

Dawn on the train came unusually early. Around five, many in the carriage began to wake up, and the overhead speaker announced the next stop.

Many had prepared their metal cups and water bottles, waiting to refill their hot water at the stop.

The train did have hot water, but the supply was often inadequate. The carriage was usually so crowded that once you lifted your foot, you couldn’t put it back down. Unless it was an emergency or they had kids and no other choice, no one would think of squeezing through to get hot water.

Because of the shortage, at every stop, staff would hold long-spouted kettles, offering free hot water to passengers waiting at the station.

Passengers in need of hot water would all hold out their cups or water bottles from the windows to catch the water.

A cold wind blew in through the window, and Su Ping slowly opened his eyes, looking at the passengers squeezing to claim a spot by the window. He gave Su An a confused look.

Su An didn’t understand what everyone was doing either, but she knew their destination was arriving soon.

"Brother, we're arriving at the station. Get the things ready, and let's wait by the carriage joint so we won't be stuck in the crowd later."

As soon as Su Ping heard they were arriving, he got energized, grabbed his two luggage bags, and started pushing his way to the front.

Seeing Su An and her brother stand up, a nearby woman immediately pushed her husband over to grab their spot. They had been standing all night, so even ten minutes of rest would be welcome.

As soon as Su An and her brother squeezed their way to the carriage joint, the train stopped. As soon as the door opened, everyone surged out, while those waiting below pushed their way in.

The staff with megaphones yelled at the top of their lungs, "Don't push, don't push, let the people above get down first."

A petite young woman, holding her bag and trying to get off, was pushed back into the carriage by the crowd surging up. She screamed, "I don’t want to go up, I need to go down!"

The windows on both sides of the carriage were open, and hands holding teacups and glass bottles stretched out.

"Hot water, hot water, here, here."

The station workers with large teapots quickly poured hot water for everyone, moving from person to person.

Below the windows, apart from those getting hot water, there was a row of vendors pushing carts and wearing trays around their necks, shouting at each window, "Peanuts, sunflower seeds, bananas, cigarettes, oranges, walnuts..."

At this moment, Su Ping once again used his advantage, holding two luggage bags and pushing his way down, taking a group of upward-pushing passengers with him, which earned him quite a few curses.

"Don't rush, don't rush, there's a mountain ahead."

"Keep pushing if you think you can do better!"

The passengers getting off the carriage followed closely behind Su An and her brother.

After getting off the train, Su An felt her breathing become much easier. "Oh huh~ Brother..."

Su An turned her head and saw her brother wrinkling his nose, his eyes locked on the tray the staff was holding.

Su An followed his gaze and saw it was roast chicken being sold.

It smelled so good that she wanted to buy one, but she immediately remembered a story Mr. Luo had told in the park.

"The train was so crowded that even the toilets were full. If you wanted to pee, everyone would stare, and those standing close would even offer to help, afraid you’d accidentally spill on them. Also, you’d better not show your money..."

"Over the years, I've been around. As soon as the train pulls into the station, there are all these carts selling so-called local specialties. Yichun is all about chopping blocks, Dezhou is all about roast chicken. Once, I went to Goubangzi Station, and there was a whole row selling roast chicken. I bought one, and when I tore it open, it was full of blood, completely uncooked. The worst part was that all the internal organs were still inside, nothing missing. The vendor waited until the train was about to leave to take my money, then dragged her feet so long that she didn’t give me my change. Once the train left, there was no need to give change... Luckily, it wasn’t much money. I hawked a mouthful of spit and spat right in her face. I don't know how I managed to be so accurate..."

Hearing this, Su An’s hand, which was about to reach for her money, immediately froze.

She pulled her brother and started walking outside, explaining in a low voice.

"Brother, let's go outside and take a look. The stores outside should be better. I heard Mr. Luo say that the roast chickens sold at train stations to passing customers are often sick or dead chickens collected from the countryside, and sometimes even crows are passed off as roast chickens. The independently-run stores outside probably wouldn’t dare do such a thing, afraid that customers might come back after getting sick!"

Although Su Ping was quite grown up, he still had a childlike mind. Though he was dying of craving, he obediently followed Su An, pushing their way out. He explained, "An An, I'm not craving at all. I just wanted to buy one for Mom and Grandma to try."

Su An tugged at his sleeve. "You're not craving, but I am. Let's buy three later. One for Mom, one for Grandma, and one for us to eat on the road."

The siblings, who were intently discussing the roast chicken, didn’t notice a dark, skinny figure deftly weaving through the crowd, closely following behind them.