The next day, Yu Yin went to ask her supervisor for leave. Now that the year-end salary settlement had been completed, the leave request went smoothly.
There are still two weeks until the Chinese New Year. It will take them about six or seven days to get on the road. I will be able to finish my work in three more days and make it in time for the New Year.
While busy with her work, Yu Yin also prepared supplies.
There are plenty of supplies in the space, so there's no need to prepare anything else. We just need to prepare gifts for the Lu family.
Yu Yin visited several familiar villages, exchanged a lot of local specialties, and even made a special trip up the mountain. Actually, she picked several large bunches of green bananas and unripe pineapples from her spatial storage to take with her, as these were more popular than dried fruit.
Tea and everything else are essential. This time, apart from the two kinds of fruit, we'll pick the lighter items to take, otherwise the journey is too long and we won't be able to afford the hassle.
With ample supplies prepared, Yu Yin also cooked some food herself to make things easier on the road.
Yu Yin imitated the way instant noodles are made, frying noodles herself, and also making meat sauce, mushroom sauce, and soaking dried matsutake mushrooms to make fried matsutake mushrooms.
This is all the staple food we have. We'll buy more on the train if it's not enough.
Yu Yin was busy running around inside and out, and Lu Shurui was also being ordered around non-stop. Only Pingping and An'an were idle and had nothing to do. They would call for chickens and tease dogs, which made Yu Yin so angry that she wanted to go over and slap them.
I rushed to make some thick clothes and packed up some shoes a few days ago, because the temperature there isn't very high!
The yard has been entrusted to the three members of the Chu family next door. They only need to feed the chickens from time to time. They don't need to worry about the fruit trees or anything else. They can pick whatever vegetables and fruits they want to eat.
Finally, it was time to depart. Yu Yin and her family of four were dressed neatly. The two adults each carried a basket filled with bananas and pineapples, while the rest of their luggage was packed in large bags. Food was in a separate bag. With backpacks and umbrellas, they looked like they were fleeing a famine.
"Brother, sister-in-law, are you ready? Sister-in-law, give me the bag, all my things are in the basket."
Lu Shuqi took the large bag from Yu Yin, making things much easier for Yu Yin. She held Pingping's hand with one hand and carried the bag of food with the other. Lu Shurui carried his luggage bag in one hand and held An'an's hand with the other, and they started walking.
Yu's father helped arrange a transport truck to Kunming, a supply truck sent by the military. The group boarded the truck, the back of which was covered with canvas to protect them from the wind and rain.
After a bumpy journey, everyone was exhausted when they arrived in Kunming. Even An'an had no desire to speak and nestled silently on her father's shoulder.
After thanking the PLA comrades, the group hurried to the train station. Uncle Chu had helped them buy sleeper tickets, and they were really expensive! But Yu Yin didn't care at all; 65 hours without a sleeper berth would be so much suffering for the child!
I got the tickets, which was pretty good. Two lower berths and one middle berth, which was nice. We were all together, so we could look out for each other.
With more than an hour to go before the train arrived, Yu Yin and her companions waited in the waiting room. There was no luggage storage service available at this time, and it was inconvenient to carry luggage and children, so they decided to just wait there.
"You're safe and sound. Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?"
"Mom, I'm not hungry, I want to sleep."
"I don't want to eat."
It's the kids' first time traveling so far, and the bumpy ride has completely ruined their appetite. They won't eat unless they're hungry. Once we get on the train, there will be hot water, so I'll make them some instant noodles.
Yu Yin and Lu Shurui sat on their luggage, each holding a child in their arms. The children seemed to be half-asleep, but their brows were furrowed, indicating they were uncomfortable.
"Clang, clang..."
The train has arrived at the station; we'll be able to board soon after ticket inspection.
"Pingping, wake up, we need to get on the bus."
Lu Shurui also woke An'an up to wake her up a bit so she could get in the car.
The three adults carried their belongings, while Yu Yin and Lu Shurui hoisted the bags onto their arms and held the child in their embrace. They stayed close together, making sure they didn't get separated and keeping an eye on the child.
The crowd was surging, but luckily they had bought sleeper tickets, so it wasn't too crowded. The hard-seat area was already packed with people, but Yu Yin didn't have time to watch the commotion, though she could hear all sorts of noises.
Who stepped on my foot?
"Why are you pushing and shoving? Are you in a hurry to be reborn?"
"Oops, my shoe got stepped on, I'm doomed..."
"My child, my child, please don't make my child cry..."
"Damn it, I'll teach you a lesson."
...
At the crowded train doors, shouts, cries, and curses filled the air.
Yu Yin and Lu Shurui dared not be distracted, for fear of losing the child.
When they boarded the train and found their berths, Yu Yin was covered in sweat. Lu Shuqi's clothes had one button knocked off, and his hair was a mess. Yu Yin's braid had fallen down. Luckily, it hadn't come undone, otherwise, she would have looked like a little madwoman.
After putting the child on the berth, Yu Yin sat down to catch her breath. She was exhausted, both mentally and physically. In this day and age, it's so difficult to go out!
They placed the three baskets side by side next to their bunks. The baskets took up a lot of space, but luckily both lower bunks belonged to them. They put the rest of their luggage under the bunks; the bunks were almost full. To prevent things from being taken by mistake, Yu Yin tied their bags together with a rope.
The bag containing frequently used items was placed on the outside, and the bag containing food was placed on the small table. Only after everything was arranged did Yu Yin breathe a sigh of relief. Ping An An had also recovered somewhat, no longer listless, and had some energy.
After finishing her work, Yu Yin finally had time to look around at the hard sleeper carriage from the 1970s.
The carriage wasn't as spacious as those in later times, and the two berths were quite close together and narrow. The bedding on the berths was a bit yellowed, but thankfully there was no odor.
There were hot water dispensers and toilets at both ends of the carriage. Lu Shuqi put away his luggage and had already scouted the area to avoid any trouble.
They had two upper berths and one middle berth left. The train was still more than ten minutes away from departure, so they came up relatively early.
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