After some time, the carriage began to bustle with activity. Someone had made instant noodles, their rich aroma wafting through the air; others were talking quietly, discussing their current harvest and loved ones far away; and children were running around in the aisle with toy cars, their laughter as clear and crisp as wind chimes. Enveloped in this lively atmosphere, Ah Yu felt the burning anxiety in his heart subside slightly. He took out his phone and sent a message to Lin Wanqing: "Almost there, don't worry."

When the notification popped up indicating successful delivery, he suddenly remembered what the flight attendant had said. Yes, he wasn't visiting relatives; he was picking up someone more important than relatives. The person who would drape their coat over his shoulders, save the sour candy for him, and silently hold up the reflector behind the camera. The person he was too embarrassed to apologize after an argument, the person he could only write in a letter saying, "I'll take more pictures of the sunset for you."

The train entered the tunnel, and darkness instantly enveloped the area outside the window, with only the indicator lights at the connecting points between the carriages emitting a faint red glow. Ah Yu pressed his face against the cool glass, feeling the chill seep into his skin, which cleared his muddled mind considerably.

When he saw Zhong Hua, he was going to give him a good scolding. He'd scold him for not taking care of himself, for always putting other people's problems first, for forcing himself to work even with a fever... Ah Yu rehearsed his words in his mind, but as he thought about it, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn down. Actually, what he really wanted to do was shove the cold medicine in his hand into Zhong Hua's hand, and then, like in college, take off his scarf, wrap it tightly around Zhong Hua's neck, and say fiercely, "Put this on quickly, or I'll freeze and no one will fix my camera."

Light shone from the end of the tunnel, growing larger and larger, like the first rays of dawn. Ah Yu sat up straight, straightened the wrinkled hem of her clothes, and gripped the medicine box tightly again with her fingertips.

There's just one last stretch of road left; we'll be there soon.

He could almost see the person who always put on a brave face sitting under some eaves, waiting for him. Perhaps he would force a smile and say, "Why are you here?" But Ah Yu knew that in those eyes that always held a secret, there would surely be a familiar, gentle light, like that of Qinghai Lake.

He would walk over, hand him the medicine, and say, "Let's go home."

The white sky gradually turned orange-red, and the first ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds, landing on Ah Yu's hand, warm and comforting. He knew that when this train arrived at its destination, passing through that familiar green forest, he would find the person he had been thinking about all the way.