Chapter 5 The Unsettled Train (Revised)

He Changyi shared a private room with an uncle and nephew surnamed Xie.

Uncle Xie Shirong had the face of a shrewd businessman. As soon as he entered the door, he began to secretly sized up He Changyi, looking at her shoes, then her hands, and finally at the goods she was carrying.

After watching it, he didn't say anything, but called to his nephew to go to the connecting area between the carriages to get hot water, because he wanted to make tea.

My nephew, Xie Xun, has a naturally smiling face. He's a tall, thin young man with captivating eyes when he smiles, like a little fox who hasn't quite become a spirit yet.

Previously, it was he who took the lead and paid He Changyi 200 yuan to help carry 15 kilograms of luggage, which made many dealers who were a step behind regretful later.

Xie Xun was very talkative, and he kept trying to find topics to chat with He Changyi ever since he got on the bus.

"Miss He, is this your first time visiting Oros?"

"Miss He, you're really brave. Many men wouldn't dare to go to Oros right now!"

"Miss He, why did you only bring this many clothes? They were sold out halfway there, and there's no way you can wait for Mosk."

"Miss He, where did you get your leather jacket? Xidan? I might know the owner of the shop you bought it from."

"Miss He..."

He kept calling her "Miss He" this and "Miss He" that, making He Changyi feel like she was on a talk show or in an interrogation room.

She was annoyed by his persistence, but also wanted to get something useful out of him, so she decided to take back the initiative by asking questions.

"Why don't you check all this luggage? You can only bring 35 kilograms of carry-on luggage, but you can bring 70 kilograms of checked luggage. Isn't that better than paying the excess baggage fee?"

After boarding the train, the Xie family uncle and nephew piled their luggage into the compartment, stacking it from the floor to almost level with the upper bunk.

Their bunks were also packed full of packages, so tightly that there was no room to sleep.

The bags and packages were piled up to the door, making it almost impossible to close. If you wanted to get out, you had to climb over the packages.

The only relatively spacious spot in the entire private room was He Changyi's berth. Not wanting to follow in the footsteps of the middle-aged man, they ultimately didn't dare to encroach on her space.

Xie Xun was taken aback when He Changyi asked this, hesitated for a moment, and then smiled and said:

"Hey, who said we didn't do it? It's not that checking in luggage wasn't enough, we had to carry it ourselves. Who knew the station would suddenly check for overweight luggage... But checking in luggage is really difficult. We had to queue at Beijing Station for four days and four nights, and we couldn't leave in the middle, or we'd lose our number. Picking up the checked luggage in Moscow is also inconvenient. The Russians are perfunctory and will just do whatever they can to get away with it. It's not as good as back home."

Seeing that what he said was all practical information, and that he was an experienced middleman, He Changyi became more amiable and patient with him.

Xie Xun was the type to take advantage of any kindness shown to him. Seeing the pretty girl opposite him smiling but not saying much, he couldn't help but want to say more to get her to open up.

However, he kept his mouth shut, only mentioning some trivial anecdotes about Oroqenia, and refusing to discuss where he sourced or sold his goods.

Xie Shirong didn't speak, but just listened intently. When he felt that Xie Xun was talking too much, he coughed lightly. Xie Xun then understood and changed the subject.

Even so, He Changyi still gained a lot of useful information from him, which gave him more confidence for the upcoming trip to Oros.

The train departs at 8:30 p.m., and it's not long before the lights are turned off.

As the lights dimmed, Xie Xun hurriedly gathered the packages into the private room, struggled to close the door, and then took out a small gadget from his pocket and jammed it into the door latch.

The doors to the private rooms cannot be locked from the inside; they can usually be opened from both the inside and outside.

But after Xie Xun's actions, the people outside were unable to open the door to the private room.

Xie Xun tested the door and was satisfied when he saw that it was firmly locked.

He was about to turn around when he almost bumped into He Changyi behind him.

Xie Xun was startled and subconsciously stepped back, but He Changyi didn't care about the excessive closeness between them after breaking the social distance. Instead, she leaned forward and almost pressed Xie Xun against the door.

"What's this?"

She examined the little gadget on the door latch.

Xie Xun was at a loss, not knowing where to look, and his whole body stiffened.

Too close...

In the dimly lit carriage, when the role of vision is reduced to a minimum, other senses become doubly sensitive.

The scent, the sound, and the slight rise and fall of her chest as she breathed…

"...It's used to lock the door."

"Lock the door? Why do we need to lock the door?"

He Changyi stepped back a little, and Xie Xun gasped for breath, only then realizing that he had been holding his breath the whole time.

Xie Shirong couldn't bear to see his nephew in such a predicament, so he stepped in to help:

“Ms. He, don’t worry, it’s not directed at you. This train isn’t safe; thieves often come to rummage through bags at night. It’s safer to lock the door. We always do it this way. We’re good people, you can rest assured.”

He Changyi said, "There's nothing to worry about."

She climbed onto her bunk, pulled a leather jacket over herself, and lay down comfortably.

Xie Xun couldn't help but follow her movements, even though he couldn't see anything clearly.

In the darkness, He Changyi's voice carried a hint of nonchalance.

"It doesn't matter whether you're good people or not, I'm not a good person either."

"Besides, it's just the two of you—"

"Oh."

In the darkness, it looked as if someone had tripped over the packages scattered on the ground.

These days, there are no cell phones or computers, and no TVs in cars; people go to bed very early.

The snoring that filled the carriage almost drowned out the noise of the train running.

In the middle of the night, He Changyi, who had been keeping her eyes closed, suddenly opened them.

She sat up quietly, and by the moonlight streaming in through the window, she could vaguely see the doorknob of the private room turning, making a soft, rustling sound.

"Hmph—Pah!"

Xie Shirong suddenly spat loudly, froze his hand, and after a while, the people outside stopped making any further moves.

Xie Xun stepped over the bundle, reached He Changyi's bunk, and whispered:

"Miss He, don't be afraid. We haven't even left the country yet. The truck is full of goods. They're just testing the waters; they wouldn't dare to actually barge in."

He Changyi asked him, "You dare to go abroad?"

Before Xie Xun could speak, Xie Shirong muttered, "What kind of speculator are you if you're afraid of dying...Are you going to sleep or not? If not, go outside!"

Xie Xun waved to He Changyi and quietly returned to his original position.

Nothing was said that night, and the handle on the door of the private room was not turned again.

The next day, as soon as it was light, the carriage became lively.

The train had already passed Shanhaiguan and was getting closer and closer to the border.

The Chinese passengers chatted amongst themselves, exchanging information about their purpose for coming. Most were there to make their fortune, while a smaller number were officials on official business.

Regardless of their identities, the passengers all carried some goods to sell in order to earn some travel expenses.

The most common items they brought were leather jackets, followed by fake Adidas shoes, gloves, hats, underwear, and some even brought a box of Big Bubble Gum to sell in Oros.

People were all talking about business. One guy with hair clips had his goods bought up by others at a high price before he even left the country.

The Xie family uncle and nephew had many acquaintances on this train, and people kept coming up to chat with them.

As a rare female middleman, He Changyi was of great interest to everyone. However, after witnessing her "heroic demeanor" yesterday, no one dared to provoke this formidable woman. Most of them pretended to pass by, secretly glanced at her, and then left satisfied.

Xie Shirong was talking to his fellow villager in their local dialect. He pointed to the door of the private room, then shook his head, looking worried and gritting his teeth.

He Changyi guessed they were talking about what happened last night.

This train journey was indeed fraught with danger.

The second day was unexpectedly peaceful. The train rumbled toward the border and stopped at Holijin on the morning of the third day.

This is the last stop within the country, where border control and customs officials boarded the vehicle for inspection.

Because He Changyi did not have a health certificate, he was asked to get off the bus and undergo a check at the quarantine station. He also had to pay a medical examination fee of 130 yuan, which was quite expensive. The examination only included measuring blood pressure and checking blood type.

Fortunately, she had earned two hundred yuan before boarding the bus; otherwise, she would have been stuck at this step and unable to leave the country, almost ruining her efforts.

When He Changyi returned to the car with a health certificate, she found that the carriage was mostly empty, with only a few people left.

Inside the private room, Xie Xun guarded the luggage, while Xie Shirong was nowhere to be found.

Upon seeing her return, Xie Xun asked in surprise, "Why didn't you go shopping?"

He Changyi asked curiously, "Buy goods? What kind of goods?"

Xie Xun slapped his forehead: "I forgot to remind you, you can't take RMB out of the country. You'd better spend any unused money as soon as possible. Buy clothes at the station shop and then sell them in Russia. You can not only get your money back but also make a little profit. Everyone's rushing to buy things now, you should go too!"

Upon hearing this, He Changyi immediately got off the bus and ran towards the station hall.

The station in Holejin is not large, but it was packed with people; all the passengers from the train were here.

"Out of stock! Out of stock! All sold out! Don't push!"

As soon as He Changyi arrived at the store entrance, he heard the sales clerk in the crowd shouting that they were out of stock.

Her heart sank, and her mind raced as she tried to figure out how to hide the remaining RMB in her hand. Suddenly, she heard vendors calling out their wares from the post office at the train station on the other side.

"Adidas, Adidas, forty-five yuan a set, no bargaining!"

Without thinking twice, He Changyi rushed over and piled all the money in her pocket onto the counter.

"I want three sets!"

The sales clerk quickly took the money, pulled out three "Adidas" items and handed them to He Changyi. At the same time, people who hadn't bought anything in the store rushed over, eager to spend all the RMB in their pockets before leaving the country.

Several large bundles of Adidas shoes on the counter sold out quickly, and soon the sales clerk started shouting again, "Out of stock! Out of stock!"

He Changyi breathed a sigh of relief; he had finally spent all his RMB.

The clothes here are 15 yuan more expensive than in Xidan. For the same price, you could buy four and a half sets in Xidan. But at least it gives you a place to spend your money before leaving the country, so it doesn't matter if you lose a little money.

The station whistle sounded, and station staff urged people to board the train quickly.

Another period of chaos ensued, and it wasn't until He Changyi returned to his compartment and sat down, and the train started moving, that he finally had the mind to look at the three sets of "Adidas" he had just bought.

However, as soon as the clothes were laid out, He Changyi was immediately attacked.

—Why are these pants uneven in length, with one leg longer than the other?

A note from the author:

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