Time passed minute by minute, and some people had already started to sleep, each using their own ingenuity to get some rest.
For those without seats, some people lay down directly in the aisle, using their bundles as pillows and their clothes as drapes; others crawled under Jiang Suisui's and her group's seats, where there were three seats in a row, just enough for one person to lie down, and there were many more.
Those with seats either leaned on the small tables by the window, some lay back and fell fast asleep, or even leaned on the shoulder of their neighbor.
Jiang Suisui boarded the train early, so she managed to snag a window seat where she could sleep on the small table.
She took a thin blanket out of her bag, draped it over herself, and lay down on the small table to sleep. Young people sleep well, and Jiang Suisui ignored the snoring, teeth grinding, and sleep talking outside. She fell into a deep sleep within minutes, and didn't even wake Lin Qingxue, who had turned to sleep next to her at some point. She only moved slightly before falling asleep again.
As the night deepened, the last light in the carriage went out, plunging the entire carriage into endless darkness.
The next morning, Jiang Suisui was awakened by the noise in the carriage. Her beautiful eyes slowly opened, and she was startled by the scene before her. Lin Qingxue and Zhu Linlin were staring at Jiang Suisui's face, their hands supporting their chins. "Suisui, you look so good without bangs! You're just like my dream sister! My dream sister looks just like you, so cute!" Lin Qingxue said to Jiang Suisui, blinking her eyes.
"Yes, Comrade Jiang, why do you keep bangs? It looks much better if you tie your hair back."
It turns out that Jiang Suisui sleeps rather wildly, and her bangs have all fallen back from her forehead.
Jiang Suisui tidied her hair a little. Feigning anger, she said, "So you're saying I'm not pretty with bangs?"
"No, no," Zhu Linlin and Lin Qingxue said in unison.
Jiang Suisui chuckled, "I was just kidding, I'm not angry."
"Oh, Jiang Suisui, how could you play such a joke on us?" Lin Qingxue said, pretending to hit Jiang Suisui.
The three of them joked and teased each other for a while, and then Jiang Suisui cleverly changed the subject.
"How come there are only three of us like this? Where are the three male comrades?"
“They went to the washroom to wash up, and then went to the restaurant to eat. We saw that you weren’t awake yet, so we let them go first. We’ll watch the luggage and seats for those three comrades, and most importantly, we’re waiting for you here,” Zhu Linlin answered first.
“Yes, they’ve been there for a while now, and they’ll probably finish eating soon. Sui Sui, let’s go to the restaurant for dinner later. I’ve already found out that you don’t need tickets to eat on the train. My mom specially packed some food for me to eat that day, so I can eat the free meals on the train for the next two days.” Lin Qingxue said excitedly to Jiang Sui Sui.
"Yes, yes, Comrade Jiang Suisui, shall we go together later?" Zhu Linlin said with a somewhat uncertain tone. Zhu Linlin's personality was not as outgoing as Lin Qingxue's, and she would not make decisions for others on her own.
“Okay, we’ll go when they get back. I didn’t bring much food, and it’ll spoil easily in this hot weather.” Jiang Suisui readily agreed.
Although the food on the train is free, it is quite expensive. Many people are reluctant to eat the expensive food on the train and prefer to bring their own vegetable dumplings. This shows that the five people traveling together are all from well-off families.
Especially with Lin Qingxue and Lin Congcong, who were both from the same educated youth settlement, Jiang Suisui would definitely not be mistreated at the settlement and would often give her special treatment. Now that Lin Qingxue and Lin Congcong were also quite well-off, Jiang Suisui would not stand out as much at the educated youth settlement.
Although Jiang Suisui wasn't afraid, blending into the crowd was also very good for her.
About ten minutes later, the three returned without any further incident like the one yesterday when Jiang Suisui left and they rushed to grab seats. Perhaps it was because the six of them seemed to be on good terms, or perhaps it was because the passengers in this carriage were all teenagers who were well-mannered.
The three men returned to their seats, greeted them, and then Jiang Suisui and the other two took the toiletries that had been prepared and went to wash up and eat.
After passing through the crowded carriage, they arrived at the washroom. It was already quite late, and there were only a few people in line. Soon it was Jiang Suisui's turn. The three of them filled enamel mugs with water, brushed their teeth, and took turns washing their faces. Finally, Jiang Suisui let her hair down and braided it into a plait.
Arriving at the dining car, the three squeezed through the crowded throng and saw the expensive breakfast items ahead. There weren't many, but they were not something you could easily get your hands on normally: fried dough sticks, steamed buns with braised pork, noodles, and douzhi (fermented mung bean juice), a specialty of Beijing.
However, Jiang Suisui didn't like the taste of douzhi (fermented mung bean juice), so she ended up ordering a bowl of noodles. Lin Qingxue bought two fried dough sticks and a bowl of douzhi. After Lin Qingxue's repeated praise, Zhu Linlin also bought the same breakfast as her.
"Comrade Zhu Linlin, you should try it later. It's a special kind of fermented mung bean juice from Beijing. It's very delicious. Sui Sui, you grew up in Beijing, yet you don't like our special fermented mung bean juice."
“I’ve never had a salty one before; in Haishi, we always have sweet ones,” Zhu Linlin said.
"I can't stand the taste, Comrade Zhu Linlin. Since you bought soy milk on Comrade Lin Qingxue's advice, you must drink it in small sips at the table later and don't spit it out," Jiang Suisui kindly reminded her.
Zhu Linlin nodded somewhat nonchalantly, her heart filled with the desire to taste what fermented mung bean juice really tasted like.
Carrying their food, the three of them walked around and, with Lin Qingxue's reminder, managed to grab an empty seat left by someone who had just left.
Once seated, Zhu Linlin wanted to take a big sip and taste the fermented mung bean juice.
"Wait, Zhu Linlin, drink in small sips."
Seeing Jiang Suisui's serious expression, Zhu Linlin also showed a little nervousness and carefully took a small sip.
"How is it? Is it good?" Lin Qingxue asked.
"It's alright, not as delicious as you said, nor as exaggerated as Comrade Jiang described," Zhu Linlin said after taking a sip.
Hearing Zhu Linlin's words, Lin Qingxue instantly felt relieved. Douzhi (fermented mung bean juice) was her favorite, and her family often drank it too. However, she forgot that some people might not be able to stand its taste. If Zhu Linlin couldn't drink it, then the bowl of douzhi would be wasted. Lin Qingxue had already thought it through: "If Zhu Linlin can't drink it, I'll drink her bowl of douzhi myself, and then I'll go buy Zhu Linlin a bowl of porridge and remember this lesson."
The three of them quickly finished breakfast, washed the aluminum lunchbox, and Jiang Suisui filled the kettle with boiling water before heading back.
In one of the carriages, Jiang Suisui made a surprising discovery.
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