Chapter 129: Barbecued Chicken

Chapter 129: Barbecued Chicken

After squeezing out of the train station, the siblings stood there, both bewildered by the unfamiliar surroundings.

Su An had heard from Mr. Luo that most of the people inside the train station were bad, so she didn’t dare ask around, fearing she might get scammed.

Coming out of the exit, they walked along the shops outside. It was still dimly lit, and many stores were not open yet.

Across the street, a restaurant called Guanghe Restaurant was brightly lit. From the outside, you could see quite a few customers sitting in the dining area, eating breakfast.

Su An pulled her brother along inside.

“Come on, Brother. Let’s go inside and take a look.”

Su Ping looked at the large sign, feeling a bit uneasy. “An An, do you think it might be too expensive?”

Su An, taking the lead and walking inside, said, “We’ll ask about the prices first, and if it’s too expensive, we won’t eat there.”

As soon as they approached the entrance, a rich aroma wafted out. Su An swallowed instinctively. It was the smell of roast chicken, freshly roasted.

As they entered, a staff member wearing an apron approached. “Please, come in. We’ve got rice, noodles, stir-fries, and steamed buns.”

Su An asked, “How much do you charge for breakfast? And how much for the roast chicken?”

The staff member was not surprised at all. Ever since private businesses emerged, arbitrary pricing became a problem at train stations. Many customers who came out of the station were on guard, afraid that they might accidentally pay an exorbitant price for a simple bowl of noodles. With a smile, he pointed at the wall. “All prices are posted there. Clearly marked, no deception!”

Su An followed his finger and saw a menu posted on the wall, with prices written in brush calligraphy.

Porridge was 0.12 yuan per bowl, deep-fried dough sticks were 0.15 yuan each, and sugar cakes were 0.22 yuan each. A freshly roasted chicken was 5.5 yuan apiece.

There was a wide variety of items, with dozens of entries on the list. The prices were quite a bit higher than what she was used to in City A, but given that it was near the train station, she could accept the higher prices.

Su An ordered two bowls of minced meat noodles and several large steamed buns to take on the train for lunch.

After paying and receiving a slip, she stood by the serving window to wait for her order.

It was still early in the morning, so there weren’t many people, and the food was ready quickly. The siblings eagerly ate their minced meat noodles. The shop also offered free hot water.

After finishing her meal, Su An greeted her brother and went to stand in line to buy roasted chicken. Su Ping took his luggage and went to the water barrels to fill his thermos.

As he looked outside absentmindedly, he made eye contact with a suspicious-looking child.

The boy had a short, uneven haircut and two eyes that darted around. He was thin and dark-skinned. Wasn’t this the kid who sold egg pancakes on the train?

Startled, Su Ping quickly turned to look at Su An. Seeing that she hadn’t noticed, he hurriedly grabbed his luggage and left.

The scrawny boy, carrying a worn-out woven bag, smiled up at him. Su Ping, looking surprised, asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Where’s your family?” Su Ping looked around.

“The egg pancakes were delicious, but you don’t need to chase after me. Go away, don’t follow me!”

Su Ping gave him a stern talking-to before heading back inside. After filling his thermos with hot water, he sat down, feeling uneasy. He found himself glancing toward the door.

Seeing the egg pancake boy crouching by the door, looking pitiful and occasionally peeking inside at him, Su Ping uncomfortably shifted his gaze away. After a few seconds, he secretly glanced back to see if the boy had left, and he became even more restless.

Su Ping looked back at Su An and, seeing that his sister hadn’t noticed him, took a steamed bun and left.

As soon as Ren San saw Su Ping come out, he stood up hurriedly and looked at him timidly.

Su Ping stuffed the steamed bun into Ren San's arms, saying, "Here, okay? Go on, find your parents."

Ren San hugged the steamed bun and replied softly, "I don't have parents. They're dead."

Su Ping looked at the ten-year-old child in front of him with a hint of pity, his tone softening, "Then who did you come with?"

Emboldened by Su Ping's softer tone, Ren San replied, "I came out with my second aunt. She said she'd bring me to the construction site in the south to smash cement slabs. There's steel inside the slabs that can be sold to the scrapyard."

Su Ping's eyes widened in surprise. "You're going to smash cement slabs in the south? But this is City C. You're not there yet. Why did you get off the train?"

"Where's your second aunt?"

"She's still on the train!"

"Oh no, you're lost. Don't you realize that?"

Su Ping was on the verge of tears, not knowing what to do. He hadn't expected the child to follow him off the train over an egg pancake.

If he had known, he wouldn't have given him that pancake.

"Do you know how to find your second aunt? Go buy a ticket and go find her."

Ren San shook his head helplessly at Su Ping.

Su Ping looked around and asked in a low voice, "Don't you have money for a ticket?"

"You can sneak on the train. Yesterday, you hid under the seat, remember?"

"I'm telling you, you got off the train by yourself. I didn't tell you to get off."

"I'm not going to look after you. Don't you dare cling to me."

Hearing Su Ping's words, Ren San's nostrils flared slightly, and his eyes filled with tears. Seeing this, Su Ping's words caught in his throat.

Resigned, Su Ping rummaged through his pocket, pulled out some crumpled bills, and stuffed them into Ren San's arms without even checking.

"Go buy a ticket. I'll pay for it, okay? Go find your aunt."

Seeing Ren San heading towards the station, Su Ping quickly returned to his seat, trying to appear calm as he waited for Su An.

Thinking about the steamed bun and train fare he had given away, his heart sank.

Su An waited for the roast chicken to be ready and bought four of them right away.

At over five dollars each, she would never spend that much on herself, but it felt less expensive when buying for Mom, Grandma, and her brother.

Feeling better since it wasn't her own money, Su An asked the staff packing her roast chicken how to take a bus.

Ren San could only sling his tattered woven bag over his shoulder and walk towards the station, looking back every few steps.

The staff member was all smiles. "When you go out, turn left. There's a bus stop over there. Take the Number One bus to the North Station, which is a bus terminal. There are buses that go down to Jia County."

"But it's still early. The earliest bus leaves at 7, so you can sit and wait for a while."

Su An took the roast chicken that was handed to her and thanked the staff member with a smile, "Thank you, thank you so much."

The staff member waved his hand dismissively. "No problem, no problem. When you're traveling, it's not easy for anyone."

Su Ping, seeing his sister's bold move, immediately forgot his earlier frustrations. His eyes and mind were now solely on the roast chicken.

The two siblings sat in the shop for half an hour, then, seeing that the time was right, set off with their things.

They boarded the Number One bus to the terminal, then traveled to the county, and finally took another bus to the town. By the time they arrived, it was already midday.

Su An and Su Ping had followed Wang Xiaocui to the market a few times when they were younger. Even though it had been five or six years, the place looked mostly the same.

There were still twelve miles of mountain road to go from the town to their home. In the past, they mostly relied on their legs when coming to the market.

At this point, after a whole day of traveling, Su An just wanted to get home quickly.

She had her brother watch the bags while she asked around in the local dialect, looking to rent a cow cart.

She didn’t manage to rent a cow cart, but a middle-aged woman pointed her to a tricycle driver instead.