Chapter 364 - 376: On the Train
An Guoming was never a fool. All this time, he’d kept himself spinning in circles, so busy he had no time to think about his feelings for Yin Xuemei.
But at his age... or perhaps it was more accurate to say that the image of Yin Xuemei had never truly faded.
’It’s time I took this seriously.’
An Guoming released the desires in his heart, letting them wash over him.
On the train, An Ning and Lin Cuihua were completely unaware of what An Guoming was thinking.
As for Yin Xuemei, An Ning was completely in the dark. She hadn’t even figured out her own feelings about romance yet. When it came to relationships, she was denser than most.
「In the soft sleeper compartment on the train.」
An Ning took a small mat and a sheet of plastic out of her bag.
She spread the plastic sheet on the floor, placed the mat on top, and had Xiao Lang lie down. A makeshift den was complete.
"Isn’t the floor cold?"
Lin Cuihua asked, starting to worry.
"Mom, our Hei Dan’er crawls on the floor every day."
"But that’s Hei Dan’er. He looks sturdier than Xiao Lan."
Squatting on the floor, An Ning glanced back at Lin Cuihua and smiled. "You really are his grandma, aren’t you?"
"Oh, you and your mouth."
Lin Cuihua stopped fussing. She sat on the bunk, perched so precariously that half of her was hanging off the edge, and ran a finger over the berth’s material again and again.
This was her first time on a train.
"Mom, we paid for this compartment. This spot is yours. You can sit however you want. You can even lie down and sleep."
As she spoke, An Ning kicked off her shoes, propped the pillow against the wall, and leaned back comfortably. She stretched her legs out, making herself as comfortable as if she were back home.
Lin Cuihua was hesitant at first, afraid she’d damage something. An Ning didn’t push her, simply making herself comfortable in her own relaxed, messy way.
Gradually, Lin Cuihua’s anxiety faded, replaced by a different kind of concern.
"You’re eating... hold something under it, you’re making a mess everywhere."
"Slow down with your water."
"See? What was the rush? Now you’re choking, aren’t you?"
Lin Cuihua was so busy—picking up crumbs, passing the water bottle, then fetching a handkerchief—that she forgot all about being self-conscious.
By the time she realized it, she had already taken off her shoes and was sitting on the bunk, eating sunflower seeds with An Ning.
The realization made her pause mid-crack, but only for a second before she resumed.
After about an hour, An Ning spoke up. "Mom, I need to use the restroom."
"Huh? How do we go?"
Actually, Lin Cuihua kind of wanted to go too, but all the unfamiliar surroundings made her feel helpless, her heart filled with a fear of the unknown.
An Ning bent over, put on her shoes, and said, "There are restrooms at both ends of the car. Come with me."
"Alright."
Lin Cuihua also put on her shoes, but after she was done, she looked at their things in the compartment and said worriedly, "Why don’t you go by yourself? I’ll watch our stuff. What if someone comes in?"
"No way. The restroom’s not far, we can keep an eye on the door from there. Besides," she added, "I’m scared someone will knock while I’m inside. You have to be my lookout."
An Ning put on her best puppy-dog eyes. Lin Cuihua rolled her eyes at her. "You’re so much trouble on the road. How did you ever manage on your own?"
Lin Cuihua walked out first. A triumphant smile flickered across An Ning’s face as she hurried after her mother.
Their compartment was indeed not far from the restroom. Lin Cuihua kept her eyes fixed on their compartment door.
When they reached the restroom, An Ning pointed to the little red figure above the door and said, "It’s red. Someone’s inside."
After a short while, with a CLICK, the restroom door opened. The little figure above the door turned green. An Ning muttered, "It’s green. I’m going in."
An Ning went in and bolted the door from the inside. A few minutes later, she came out, and Lin Cuihua went in.
The inside of the restroom was simple and straightforward: a large hole through which you could see the train tracks. It was remarkably similar to the village latrines, so Lin Cuihua understood it perfectly.
After locking the door and using the mobile version of a latrine, Lin Cuihua came out, steadying herself against the train wall, and said to An Ning at the door, "This thing is way too shaky."
"You’ll get used to it."
The mother and daughter walked back to their compartment. Once inside, Lin Cuihua was visibly more relaxed. She even took a short nap, with Xiao Lang quietly keeping watch.
When An Ning woke Lin Cuihua up, Lin Cuihua thought they had arrived at their destination.
"Not yet. We still have several hours to go, and we have to transfer to another train later."
An Ning woke Lin Cuihua, gave her some water to drink, and said, "Mom, they’re selling food up ahead. I’m going to buy us a meal. Wait for me, okay?"
"I’m not a child. Go on."
An Ning nodded and left the compartment.
She was back in a flash, carrying one meat dish, one vegetable dish, a soup, and six large steamed buns.
"Mom, they have sautéed pork slices today— Who is this kid?"
An Ning put down the food and looked at the little boy sitting on her bunk, then at Lin Cuihua.
"I don’t know either. I heard KNOCKING at the door, and when I opened it, there he was. He said his mom told him to get lost."
An Ning sat down next to Lin Cuihua and asked the boy opposite them, "What’s your name?"
"I’m a police officer!"
The little boy, whose short legs couldn’t even reach the floor from the bunk, suddenly pushed off, jumped down from the bed, and gave a salute. It was quite a standard one, too.
An Ning looked at the boy, guessing he was only three or four years old. He spoke much more fluently than the children back in the village.
"Mom, I’m going to get the conductor."
"Okay, okay, you go."
An Ning left and came back with a conductor.
Soon, three adults were standing in the small compartment, surrounding one little boy. But the boy wasn’t scared at all.
The conductor squatted down and asked, "Who did you get on the train with?"
"Mama!"
The boy’s eyes first lit up with excitement, then dimmed as if a flame had been extinguished. He lowered his head and said, "Mama doesn’t want me anymore. She’s going to throw me away."
As soon as he said this, the conductor became alert and a little angry.
It wasn’t uncommon for people to bring a child onto a train and then abandon them on board.
"Did your mom get off the train? Did anyone else get on with you?"
The boy nodded vigorously, shouting with great pride.
"My papa!"
"So is your papa going to throw you away too?"
’Isn’t that a leading question?’ An Ning disliked the conductor’s line of questioning.
"No, Papa is sleeping. He’s always sleeping. Papa listens to Mama."
The boy’s few sentences convinced the conductor that this was a couple trying to abandon their child. She stood up angrily, on the verge of spitting out a few choice curses.
"Let’s not jump to conclusions. He’s a boy."
An Ning placed a hand on the conductor’s shoulder. It wasn’t that she was biased, but it was a fact that people rarely abandoned male children unless they had a physical disability.
But looking at the handsome little boy before them, with his rosy lips and bright eyes, he clearly didn’t fall into that category.
"That’s right, he’s a boy."
The conductor came to her senses as well. She squatted down again to ask for more information about the boy’s parents.
An Ning, however, seemed to catch something in the air with her fingertips. She rubbed her thumb and forefinger together, a pensive look on her face.