novelraw Chapter 242 - 239: Something’s Not Right
Chapter 242 - 239: Something’s Not Right
Lin Yuezhen nodded and signed, "It’s just like my situation. My own brothers treated me like their personal servant, yet they still acted like they were the ones getting a raw deal. Now that they see my life has improved, they’ve come crawling back. They never stop to think that if it weren’t for your parents and you, the grass on my grave would be tall by now."
Lin Lan smiled. "Yuezhen, it’s a two-way street. My parents helped you because you’re worth helping."
Back home, Wu Shufen had warned her to be wary of Yuezhen’s brother and sister-in-law, worrying they would pester Yuezhen into teaching her brother the pastry recipes.
’Truthfully, I’ve thought about it too. If Lin Yuezhen lets her brother and his wife deceive her again, our friendship is over. There’s no point in helping someone who refuses to listen.’
Lin Yuezhen signed sincerely, "I will remember your great kindness for the rest of my life!"
Lin Lan patted her hand without saying more. She told her and Qiaohui that she and Xiangyang were planning to go to the provincial capital to buy spices, and asked them to help look after the house and Little Douzi.
The two of them told her not to worry and that they would keep an eye on things at home.
When Little Douzi came home from school, Lin Lan said to him, "Son, Mommy and Uncle Xiangyang have to go to the provincial capital for a bit. While you’re home, help Mommy look after the house. I’m putting you in charge of feeding the chickens and the big goose in the pen."
"Mommy, is the provincial capital far? How many days will you be gone? What if I miss you?" Little Douzi’s little brow furrowed as one question followed another.
Lin Lan lifted him onto her lap and said softly, "The provincial capital is about as far as Shishanling. If we’re quick, we’ll be back in three days. If we’re slow, four days at most."
"Sigh!" Little Douzi leaned against her and sighed like a little grown-up. "I’ll take good care of the chickens and the big goose."
Lin Lan laughed and tweaked his little nose. "What’s a little guy like you sighing about?"
Little Douzi wrapped his arms around her neck. "I’ll miss you and Uncle Xiangyang."
Lin Lan patted his back and smiled. "A big man like you shouldn’t be so sentimental. Other people will laugh at you."
"Uncle Xiangyang says I’m not a big man, I’m a boy," Little Douzi said, looking at her proudly.
"Alright, alright. Mommy’s taking our family’s boy to go eat."
That afternoon, Li Xiangyang went to Zhou Xiaohong’s house and arranged to take the train to the provincial capital with them the next morning.
When Zhou Xiaohong learned that Li Xiangyang needed to get a travel permit from the police station, she had her husband, Chen Dongming, go with him. They went to the police station and got the permits from Yao Xiuyun.
After Li Xiangyang got the permits, the two men went to the train station to buy tickets. Chen Dongming said it was only a three-hour journey; if they left in the morning, they’d arrive in the afternoon. There was no need to find someone to buy sleeper berths for them. They could just get hard seats, bring a deck of cards, and the four of them could play to pass the time.
Zhou Xiaohong came to see Lin Lan again to buy some wood ear mushrooms, other dried mushrooms, and Sichuan peppercorns, intending to give them to Xu Mingxuan.
Early the next morning, Lin Lan took out four lion’s mane mushrooms, along with some bolete mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, and Sichuan peppercorns. She also filled a basket with some of her homemade kidney bean rolls, pumpkin cakes, and pea flour cakes to bring to Old Chen.
At seven-thirty, Li Xiangyang arrived at Lin Lan’s house. The two of them said goodbye to Little Douzi, grabbed their luggage, and rode their bikes to Zhou Xiaohong’s house. From there, the four of them went to the train station together.
When they got to the station, Lin Lan realized that the East Market train station was quite shabby. ’It isn’t even as well-built as a small station from thirty years in the future.’
Inside the station, Lin Lan saw that there were quite a lot of people rushing to catch the train. Some were carrying large woven plastic bags or urea sacks, while others had large baskets strapped to their backs or were carrying live chickens and ducks.
’Thinking about her past experiences on trains gave Lin Lan a bit of a headache. Winter wasn’t so bad since the smell on the train wasn’t too strong, but in the summer, it was packed like a can of sardines.’
’Passengers on long-distance trips who couldn’t get a seat ticket would just crawl under the seats to sleep. The more particular ones would lay down a woven plastic bag to sleep on, while the less particular ones would just lie directly on the floor.’
’Lin Lan herself had slept under the seats before on purchasing trips when she couldn’t get a ticket. The smell of stinky feet and farts... that aroma was truly something else.’
’Thirty years later, transportation would be much more advanced. Discounted plane tickets, high-speed rail, and even private cars would be commonplace, making travel much more convenient.’
In this era, there were no security cameras, and train stations were hotspots for con artists, pickpockets, and human traffickers. If you weren’t careful for even a moment, the money and valuables in your pockets would be stolen.
Li Xiangyang carried their luggage with one hand and shielded Lin Lan with the other as they walked, periodically shooting warning glances at shady-looking individuals and reminding Zhou Xiaohong and Chen Dongming to be careful.
Even though it was November, they were all sweating by the time they squeezed through the ticket gate.
Zhou Xiaohong wiped the sweat from her brow and sighed, "Why are there so many people?"
Chen Dongming added, "There weren’t this many people last time I came to see Xu Mingxuan off. It hasn’t even been that long, but look how many people are traveling by train now."
Li Xiangyang recalled that when he went to get the travel permits from Yao Xiuyun, there were already several people in line. "They’ve loosened the policies," he said. "It’s easier to get travel permits now, so more people are traveling to visit relatives."
’It’s probably because there are too few trains running,’ Lin Lan thought. She glanced at their tickets and pointed ahead. "Car number eight is up front."
"Let’s go!" Li Xiangyang said, pulling her forward.
In those days, trains were divided into express and local services. Lin Lan and her group were on an express train, which didn’t stop at small town stations, only at the major stations in county seats.
The four of them boarded the train and found their seats, which were next to the restroom. Li Xiangyang laughed, "Good thing it’s winter. In the summer, the smell here would be pretty strong."
Chen Dongming laughed. "Who cares? We’re lucky to have seats at all."
Zhou Xiaohong nodded and whispered a warning to the other three, "We need to watch our things carefully later. I’ve heard there are a lot of pickpockets on the train."
Lin Lan and Li Xiangyang nodded. Chen Dongming said, "I know. I saw a pickpocket squeezing into the crowd when we were coming into the station."
Three of them sat in one row, with the fourth person in the seat opposite them. Li Xiangyang and Chen Dongming lifted their luggage onto the overhead rack.
Chen Dongming took the window seat opposite them, while Lin Lan, Li Xiangyang, and Zhou Xiaohong sat in a row.
Next, a pretty young girl with a long, thick braid arrived. She had large, dewy eyes and fair, delicate skin, giving her a very likable appearance.
The young girl glanced at Lin Lan’s group, placed the urea sack and carrying basket she was holding onto the seat, and prepared to take off her shoes to stand on it and put her things on the rack.
"Here, little sister, let me get that for you." Chen Dongming stood up and helped her put her luggage on the overhead rack.
The girl with the long braid blushed and thanked him, then quietly sat down in her seat.
Just before the train was about to depart, a plump, fair-skinned woman in her forties with permed hair and a coffee-colored coat came over from the direction of car number nine and sat down next to the young girl.
The plump woman looked quite amiable with her fair skin and chubby face. After sitting down, she glanced at Lin Lan’s group, but her eyes lit up when she turned and saw the girl with the long braid. She smiled brightly at her. "Little sister, are you going to the provincial capital too?"
The young girl hesitated for a moment before nodding.
’Lin Lan felt that the look in the plump woman’s eyes held a sense of urgency, like a hunter who had just spotted a prize catch and couldn’t wait to bag it.’