Chapter 490

During the long and monotonous journey that followed, the passengers in the carriage were all looking for things to entertain themselves.

Some people were well prepared and brought books on the bus, but if they stared at the pages for a long time, their eyes would soon become sore and painful, so they had to get up and look into the distance to rest every once in a while, otherwise they would feel dizzy.

Some passengers' ways of passing the time are full of the flavor of life, and they even brought playing cards and mahjong.

They greeted each other enthusiastically, and no matter whether they knew each other before or not, as long as they sat down at the card table, they became friends instantly.

The sounds of shuffling cards, playing cards, and laughter intertwined together, breaking the dullness of the journey.

At the card table, everyone was joking with each other, competing with each other's wits and courage, and time passed quickly.

They mostly gathered together to chat, and Su Miao also got to know several passengers in the same sleeper compartment during the conversation.

The elegant old man's surname was Ding. Time had carved deep and shallow wrinkles on his face, but it did not conceal the wisdom in his eyes at all.

He is a retired teacher, but he was vague about which school he taught at before.

The aunt in the floral shirt is named Tan. She is very enthusiastic and energetic. Her niece gave birth to a child in Beijing and asked her to help take care of the baby during the confinement period.

The two young men who came later were more introverted and not very keen on chatting.

When everyone is having a great conversation, they always sit quietly aside, and only say a few brief words when others ask them.

According to them, the two are cousins and a relative introduced them to job opportunities, so they went there to work.

When Teacher Ding learned that Su Miao was going to study at a university in Beijing, a peculiar light flashed in his eyes, and he asked her with interest which university she was admitted to.

When he heard it was University A, the light in his eyes instantly became brighter. He looked at Su Miao carefully for a long time, nodded and smiled:

"Students at University A are the most free and passionate. Their aspirations are higher than the sky, deeper than the sea, and more endless than the universe. They are a perfect match for you."

Teacher Ding is wise and talkative, and can chat with all kinds of people.

He especially liked chatting with Su Miao, and both of them had their own opinions on every topic.

Even if they encounter different understandings, both people can fully respect each other while sticking to their own ideas. They will not confront each other because of different views. They understand that gentlemen can be harmonious but different.

With the communication between us, the originally long and difficult time in the car seemed less boring, but full of fun.

Teacher Ding is over 60 years old, but he chooses to go out alone.

He smiled and said that he had come to the Gui District to visit an old friend. His children were busy with work, so he came secretly to avoid worrying them.

After hearing this, Su Miao and Su Yuanzheng felt more respect for Teacher Ding and took good care of him during the rest of the journey.

Every time they go to get water, they will take the initiative to bring some for Teacher Ding; when it is time for dinner, they will also thoughtfully help him get his food, for which Teacher Ding is very grateful.

As the night deepened, the lights in the carriage gradually dimmed, and the whole world seemed to be shrouded in a black curtain.

The carriage gradually became quiet, and the clanging sound of the wheels hitting the rails became more and more obvious in this silent atmosphere.

Those who were still talking lowered their voices consciously.

Some people have fallen asleep and even started snoring. The snoring sounds that come one after another have become a unique "melody" in the carriage at night.

Su Miao slept more during the day and was very energetic at night.

She originally wanted to read a book, but she didn't bring a flashlight, so she couldn't read in this dim environment. She could only look out the window bored.

It was also pitch black outside, like a bottomless black hole.

Occasionally, there are flashes of lights, perhaps the lights of villages or towns along the way, which appear particularly warm in the darkness.

As Su Miao watched, her consciousness gradually became blurred, her eyelids became heavier, and she slowly fell asleep.

The next morning, sunlight shone onto Su Miao's face through the gaps in the curtains. Before she opened her eyes, she heard a noise, as if the train had stopped at the station.

Aunt Tan's voice was particularly loud and full of excitement:

"Hey! There are vendors selling food! I need to buy more so I don't have to buy food on the bus. Last night's meal of one meat and one vegetable cost three yuan. It was too expensive!"

Seeing Su Miao sticking her head out sleepily, Su Yuanzheng said lovingly:

"Miao Miao, let's buy some food too. Daddy saw some buns, corn, sweet potatoes, steamed dumplings, and pancakes. What do you want to eat?"

Su Miao was still a little confused, so he said, "It's all fine. You can buy whatever you like."

"Okay, I'll buy one of each."

People who want to buy something hand the money out of the car window, and the vendor packs the goods and hands them back in.

Because the windows are very high, they need to step onto the tricycle and raise their hands to hand the goods to the passengers.

They had simple smiles on their faces and beads of sweat on their foreheads, but it did not affect their enthusiasm for doing business at all.

"Wow! That's steaming over there, are they cooking noodles?"

There was a family of three in the carriage. At this time, the father saw a small stall opposite that seemed to be cooking something with soup, and he immediately became so greedy that he started to drool.

His wife quickly tried to dissuade him, saying, "There are so many people queuing up here, and it's not next to our car. We have to get off. It's better not to buy it. It will be troublesome if we miss it later."

But he really wanted to eat, and the dry food he had last night made his stomach feel very uncomfortable, so he said:

"It's okay. The flight attendant will call for help when we're ready to leave. I'll just run back. I had dry food last night, and I'm feeling really bad because I didn't have any soup. I'll go buy two so the kids can have some too."

After saying that, he took the two large bowls he brought with him and couldn't wait to get off the bus.

Before leaving, he smiled and said to the child, "Dad, go buy some noodles for Aqing, okay?"

"Good! Good! Aqing likes to eat noodles!" The child clapped his hands and shouted excitedly.

There were really a lot of passengers buying food, and they all crowded towards the window.

Su Yuanzheng took great pains and squeezed for a long time before he finished buying. He came over with his hands full of things, put them on the table, and said:

"Teacher Ding, this is for you. Miaomiao, come down and have breakfast while it's still hot."

Teacher Ding is old and it is difficult for him to squeeze in, so Su Yuanzheng asked him what he wanted and bought it for him.

"Okay, okay, thank you, Xiao Su. Come here, I have canned fish. Let's eat together."

The train didn't stop for long, and soon the whistle was heard.

When the vendors heard the sound of the flute, they quickened their pace, hoping to make as much money as possible in the last possible moment.

They packed the food quickly, collected money, and chatted with the passengers at the same time.