After watching Qiu Ting leave, Lin Yanwan turned around and went back to her dormitory. Seeing the spotless dormitory, a smile involuntarily appeared in her eyes.
Qiu Ting really treats the dormitory like home.
She climbed into bed, lay there for a while, then opened the closet and took out a few pieces of clothing she planned to take home.
As soon as I stepped out of the dormitory building, I spotted someone standing under a tree, waiting for me.
"Did you give me the red envelope?" Jiang Xia asked with a smile.
"Well, I had to beg her to accept it," Lin Yanwan said with a hint of helplessness. "Did you see Qiu Ting leave?"
Jiang Xia nodded. "They went towards the northeast gate; they must be going there to catch the bus."
"That child has it tough. She's reluctant to spend money on a plane ticket and would rather take a slow train. Do you know how long it takes her to go home?"
"One day, two days?"
“It takes two and a half days by train, and with all the transfers, it will take at least three days.” Lin Yanwan shook her head and told Jiang Xia about her conversation with Qiu Ting.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xia gasped.
"Qianzhou is quite far away. I guess her hometown is in the most remote part of Qianzhou. It's not easy for her to come out of the mountains," Jiang Xia sighed.
"That's for sure. Despite the lack of resources and inconvenient transportation, they still managed to get into Tsinghua University, which is much better than the two of us."
Jiang Xia nodded in deep agreement, "Qiu Ting will be successful in the future."
He inexplicably thought of that young astronaut from later generations, who, like many others, came from the mountains but became a professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Astronautics of the Capital University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the first payload expert for the national space station, and the first astronaut to wear glasses on a flight mission, accumulating countless honors.
Ultimately, knowledge really can change one's destiny.
"Alright, let's go back to the company first. Godmother is still waiting for us."
He gave everyone a holiday, but he still had to handle many things himself.
◇
On the bus to the North Station of the capital, Qiu Ting suddenly received a call from Su Qing.
"Qiu Ting, where are you now?" Su Qing's voice slowly came through the receiver.
"Um, Brother Su, I'm on the bus," Qiu Tingshuang said softly, holding the phone in one hand and holding onto someone's seat with the other.
The bus was crowded, and she couldn't reach the handrail. As the bus kept stopping and starting, she was swayed and jostled in the crowd.
Su Qing was slightly taken aback. "Have you already left?"
"Um."
What time is your flight?
"The train leaves at 1:30 PM, Brother Su."
Su Qing glanced at the time; it was only 11:30, so there was still time.
Where are you going to catch your bus?
"Beijing North Railway Station".
"Oh, wait for me, I'll see you off."
Qiu Ting was stunned. Just as she was about to say that it was alright, she realized that Brother Su had already hung up the phone.
About half an hour later, the two met at the entrance of the North Railway Station in Beijing. Su Qing even arrived a few minutes earlier, as he had taken a taxi directly there.
"This is Peking duck from Beijing. I bought it for my grandma. I was also planning to buy some crispy candy, but I was worried that she'd be too old to chew it, so I didn't." Su Qing handed two vacuum-sealed bags of roast duck to Qiu Ting.
I felt quite embarrassed last time when I mentioned in front of Qiu Ting that her grandmother had passed away.
"Oh, thank you, Brother Su." Qiu Ting blushed as she accepted the gift.
"You haven't had lunch yet, have you? I haven't either. Anyway, there's still plenty of time before boarding. Shall we go get something to eat together?"
Qiu Ting nodded slightly. She was indeed a little hungry. She had bought a lot of pancakes at the cafeteria earlier and originally planned to eat them on the train to tide her over.
She looked around at the surrounding shops and said, "Brother Su, shall we have noodles?"
"You're going to be on a long train ride; you won't be full eating noodles."
Without saying a word, Su Qing took the suitcase from her hand and headed towards the restaurant.
The restaurant was crowded, as it was during the Spring Festival travel rush and countless people who had come to the capital to work were going home for the New Year. The two of them had to wait a few minutes before they found an empty seat.
Qiu Ting ordered a plate of egg fried rice, while Su Qing ordered a large portion of shredded pork with green peppers. After the waiter brought the two plates of fried rice, Su Qing decisively switched Qiu Ting's egg fried rice.
Through their time together, he knew that Qiu Ting had a big appetite, and this small portion of fried rice was simply not enough for her.
"You eat this."
He picked up the spoon and took a bite of the fried rice. Qiu Ting's eyes twitched speechlessly. She had no choice but to take the large portion of shredded pork with green peppers. She knew that this was Brother Su's good intention, wanting her to eat more so that she wouldn't be hungry on the way.
"It will take a long time to get home by train, right?" Su Qing asked, swallowing the fried rice in her mouth.
"Yes, about two days," Qiu Ting said.
Su Qing was stunned. "Two days? That's so far."
He was a native of Beijing, from a well-off family, and usually traveled by plane when traveling long distances. It was hard for him to imagine what it would be like to take a train for two days.
"Doesn't that mean I'll have to sleep on the train?"
"Yes, there are beds." Qiu Ting nodded in reply.
"That's good."
To be honest, Qiu Ting envied Su Qing for being born in the bustling capital city, which was worlds apart from the remote mountains.
But that's everyone's fate. There's nothing you can do about it. Some people are born with a silver spoon in their mouth and have no worries about food or clothing from childhood to adulthood, while others can only wear tattered clothes from a young age, start herding cattle at the age of five or six, and even have to get up before dawn to walk several kilometers of mountain road alone to go to school.
However, Qiu Ting did not complain. Although a person cannot change their origins, they can change their destiny.
After dinner, Su Qing pulled Qiu Ting into the supermarket and bought her some snacks like bread, biscuits, chocolate chips, and potato chips.
He knew the food on the train must be expensive, so he bought five or six packs of instant noodles so he could eat whenever he got hungry.
"I already have a lot, Brother Su. If you buy any more, I won't be able to take any more," Qiu Ting said helplessly.
Su Qing was like her own older brother, treating her incredibly well.
"Uh...is that enough? Okay."
After paying, Su Qing glanced at the time; it was exactly 12:40, less than an hour before ticket check-in.
"Then I'll take you in. Speaking of which, I've never ridden a green train before. If I have the chance in the future, I'll come visit you."
...
A book recommended by a reader
My Catgirl Wife Should Be This Cute!
The following is an introduction.
"Oh? You're blushing? What's wrong? Have you fallen for me?"
"No, no way! How could I possibly fall in love with you!"
Jiang Xiaoli took the flowers from Jiang Li's hand, her eyes darting away.
"I wouldn't accept these flowers if you bought them, it would be a waste! I'm just trying to save money! Don't misunderstand!"
[Ding! Affection +1, current affection level 90 (Unwavering until death).]
Ah, my catgirl wife should be this cute!
[Single female lead][Lighthearted slice-of-life][Sweet romance]
The book includes AI illustrations created by the author, which should be considered one of its unique features.
(End of this chapter)
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