Chapter 123: Brother Jun on the Train
After Gu Shengtian fetched hot water in an enamel pot, Fubao tore up the thick white flour pancakes and soaked them in the hot water. Then he took out his chopsticks, and the brother and sister put their heads together to eat the pancakes with the hot water. The pancakes were baked very chewy. After being soaked in hot water, the outside became soft, but the inside was still a little hard. It tasted soft on the outside and chewy on the inside, and was quite tasty.
Fubao peeled the tea eggs and gave one to each of them, eating them with relish.
While eating, she suddenly realized that there was a pair of eyes looking at her. She looked up and saw a little girl, about four or five years old, with a tanned face and a high altitude red, and her eyes were staring straight at her tea eggs.
The little girl was sitting in the arms of a woman. Judging from her clothes, the woman came from the countryside like herself, and should be very poor. The coarse cloth jacket she was wearing had patches on it.
When you go out, if the conditions are better, you won’t wear patched clothes.
Fubao winked at Gu Shengtian opposite her, and Gu Shengtian followed her gaze. The two looked at each other and understood what the other meant.
They have also been poor and know how much a poor child longs for eggs.
When I was a child, I couldn’t help but pick up some egg shells in the garbage dump and want to lick them. Now that my family conditions are better and I have grown up, it is not so important for me to eat less or more eggs.
So Fubao took out an egg from his nylon bag, then got up and went out.
Sitting next to her was a man in military uniform. When he saw she was about to leave, he quickly stood up and gave her his seat.
Fubao walked out of his seat, came to the little girl, and handed her the egg: "Here, have this."
The little girl was startled when she saw the egg, then looked at Fubao, obviously embarrassed to take it, and quickly looked up at her mother.
Her mother hurriedly said, "No, no, the child is full. I just let her eat. She doesn't eat eggs."
The little girl looked at the egg in Fubao's hand, bit her lower lip and said nothing.
The desire in her eyes almost made Fubao unable to bear to look at her.
It was a bit sad to watch, as she knew that when she was a little girl, she must have had that same look in her eyes.
Fubao stuffed the egg into the little girl's hand and said, "Eat it."
As she spoke, she looked at the woman and smiled: "The child is still very young, it's just an egg. If we bring too many and can't finish them, they will easily go bad."
"Besides, we're all on this train together. Since we met, it's fate. Don't be so polite, sister-in-law."
When she said this, the woman's eyes suddenly became moist. She looked at her gratefully and said embarrassedly, "Oh, I really made you spend so much money. How can I be so embarrassed? How can I be so embarrassed? The child is also ignorant and she is too greedy."
Fubao smiled and talked to the woman for a few words. He learned that her name was Li Yonghong. She had taken the bus from Jingxian County and was taking her child to the capital to find her man.
"After he went to the countryside, he encountered an opportunity, divorced me and returned to the city. Now that the child is so old, I want to take her to meet her father. We haven't been in contact for two or three years, and I don't know if I can find her. I'm worried." Li Yonghong spoke very simply and quickly told everything about herself.
When the people in the same compartment heard this, they couldn't help but show concern. Some even asked her what her husband's name was to see if they knew him.
This train is heading to the capital. Everyone is going to the capital, so you might meet someone you know.
Li Yonghong told her husband's name, but no one knew him. She was a little disappointed. People around her comforted her, saying that she could look for him again and she would eventually find him.
In this era, people were still relatively simple and there was no guard against each other. Li Yonghong held her daughter Xiaoya in her arms and listened to everyone talking about her matter. They asked for clues about her man and told her how to find him. She nodded continuously, her eyes full of confusion.
Fubao looked at the little girl in Li Yonghong's arms. She had a vague feeling that if the mother and daughter went to the capital, there would probably not be a good result of a family reunion. But of course it was not a good idea to pour cold water on them now. She could only hope that they could live a good life in the future.
At this time, the soldier next to him began to talk to Gu Shengtian. The soldier was about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, with delicate features, and could be said to be a very good-looking man. Coupled with the military uniform on him, he looked even taller and more handsome, which was not comparable to an ordinary man wearing a Zhongshan suit.
This person was quite talkative, and Gu Shengtian was straightforward. After a few conversations, the two of them actually got along quite well.
Fubao, listening from the sidelines, learned that the man in uniform was 26 years old, named Yu Jingfei, from a certain unit, and was returning to the capital to visit family. Gu Shengtian, upon hearing this, felt a familiar feeling. He mentioned that his older brother was also in the army, and told him the unit number. It was only then that they realized their units had crossed paths before.
Yu Jingfei and Gu Shengtian were already chatting, and he couldn't help but look at Fubao: "Is this your sister? You two siblings don't look alike?"
Gu Shengtian smiled and said, "My sister, she is——"
Gu Shengtian had just said half of it when he thought about it and changed the subject: "My sister takes after my grandmother. My grandmother was a great beauty when she was young, and so is my sister."
After hearing this, Yu Jingfei looked at Fubao in surprise, said "oh" softly, and a hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes.
Fu Bao couldn't help but feel helpless when he heard what Gu Shengtian said: "Brother, don't talk nonsense!"
How can you praise your sister in front of others like this?
Gu Shengtian thought about it, scratched his head, and smiled. Yu Jingfei also smiled: "It's nothing, it's nothing, I'm telling the truth!"
As they were talking, it was already evening. The conductor pushed the dining cart past, shouting and asking everyone if they wanted boxed lunches. Of course, most people didn't buy any. Food outside was so expensive, so everyone brought their own dry food.
Yu Jingfei paid for some melon seeds and snacks, and also bought four bottles of Moutai.
These cost a lot of money, and Gu Shengtian was a little surprised. He was reluctant to buy Moutai, but he didn't expect Yu Jingfei to be so generous.
Yu Jingfei explained to Gu Shengtian seriously: "I am going home to visit my family. I have to go see the elders at home. There is no shortage of things at home, but as a younger generation, it is also my intention to bring back some things to show my filial piety. The wine on the train does not require tickets or quotas. It is not easy to buy it outside."
Gu Shengtian suddenly realized that he was a country bumpkin. It turned out that everything on the train only required money but no tickets. It was a pity that they were going to the capital to study, otherwise they could buy a bottle of Moutai and let their grandparents taste what Moutai was like.
After dinner, it was dark. Occasionally, when the train passed through some cities, you could see lights flashing outside, causing the carriage to flash with light for a moment.
At this time, the people in the carriage finally quieted down. Li Yonghong held her daughter with her head drooping. Some people leaned their necks back on their seats and snored. There were also some people who had no seats and were lying in the carriage in a disorganized state.
Gu Shengtian was also a little sleepy, but he was tall and felt very uncomfortable sitting in the seat. He just dozed off with his head drooped for a while and woke up again.
At this time, Yu Jingfei suggested: "I plan to go over and buy sleeper tickets. Do you want to buy some?"
Gu Shengtian perked up when he heard this: "Can I buy it? I heard it's hard to buy."
Fubao was also very tired. She and Gu Shengtian set out from home early in the morning, first by ox cart, then by bus, and then by long-distance bus, and then by train. They didn't know how much they had walked in between, and coupled with the motion sickness from the long-distance bus, it can be said that they were tortured a lot. Even though they walked all over the mountain roads, they were still tired and their bones were falling apart.
The train compartment was crowded, hot and stuffy, filled with the smell of sweat and food. The seats were narrow, and my body was squeezed in there, and I couldn't even stretch my legs. It was really uncomfortable.
At this time, when Fubao heard the word "sleeper", her eyes lit up. She wished she could lie down and rest for a while.
But after thinking about it, she soon lost hope. It was not so easy to buy a sleeper berth. I heard that you need a receipt to get one.
Yu Jingfei said, "I have a stamped receipt here. It should be no problem for me to buy two berths."
Gu Shengtian and Fubao looked at each other, both overjoyed: "Really?"
Yu Jingfei nodded: "Let's go to carriage eight."
Carriage 8 is where tickets are sold and rebooked. People who are used to taking the train know this, but Gu Shengtian and Fubao, two country bumpkins, obviously don't. They first took down their luggage, which was full of big and small bags, and then carried the luggage to car 8.
The journey was incredibly difficult. Finally, Yu Jingfei and his family reached carriage eight. He took out a note and gave it to the conductor, who checked it over and asked, "You want to buy one, right?"
Yu Jingfei said quickly, "This is my brother and sister, we're all here together. One ticket is definitely not enough. Can you buy three?"
The conductor glanced at Fubao Gu Shengtian, then pointed at them and said, "That female comrade looks like your sister, and that male comrade doesn't look like you!"
Gu Shengtian Fubao: "..."
Yu Jingfei glanced at Fubao, was silent for a moment, and said in a deep voice: "The female lesbian is my sister, and the male lesbian is my cousin."
The conductor quickly glanced at them again and said, "Only two tickets can be issued."
Yu Jingfei said nothing more: "Okay, two tickets are fine. Thank you, conductor."
When Gu Shengtian saw this, he was happy and quickly went up to pay the money. Yu Jingfei helped him get the sleeper berth, so it was impossible for him to pay for him.
Yu Jingfei didn't say much. They each paid half of the money and got two sleeper tickets. Then they all struggled to get to the sleeper car.
The moment they settled in the sleeper car, Fubao and Gu Shengtian sat down on the bed tiredly and breathed a sigh of relief. They were so tired after the whole day.
Yu Jingfei looked at the two of them and smiled: "Shengtian, I think Fubao is very tired. Can you squeeze in with me, or can we take turns to rest?"
Gu Shengtian: "How can I be so embarrassed!"
Yu Jingfei didn't give any explanation and pulled Gu Shengtian to sit on the bed opposite: "It's okay, we are both men."
Fubao looked at Yu Jingfei gratefully. She and her brother were both eighteen years old, so it was certainly not appropriate for them to sleep in the same bed. But she also didn't want her brother to keep squeezing with Yu Jingfei, so the three of them simply took turns to rest.
There are two beds for three people, and the extra person sits on the seat next to them.
Although you have to sit down and the seats are not big, it is much better than the ordinary carriages where people are everywhere.
However, it was my first time going out and my first time sleeping in this kind of sleeper. I was excited and tired. The clanging sound of the train kept ringing in my ears, and occasionally a light flashed in quickly, making me feel uncomfortable. It was impossible to sleep soundly.
Fubao and Gu Shengtian took turns sleeping in the berth, and occasionally went to Yu Jingfei's place to rest for a while, and they survived the night like this.
The train arrived in the capital at ten o'clock the next morning. Yu Jingfei seemed to have someone else to pick up, so he said goodbye to them first.
A friendly and gentle introduction to the capital's customs and culture began to play at the Capital Railway Station. Fubao and Gu Shengtian followed the crowd out of the train station carrying large and small bags.
As soon as I got out of the train station, the feeling was completely different.
This is the capital, with tall buildings, buses honking their horns, a constant stream of bicycles, and the people of the capital wearing all kinds of clothes you've never seen before.
Fubao and Gu Shengtian looked at each other and saw the surprise in each other's eyes.
It’s so different from their countryside. It’s indeed the capital, it’s different!
Just as he was feeling pleasantly surprised, he heard a steady voice saying, "Shengtian? Fubao?"
Fubao and Gu Shengtian looked over and saw a young man wearing a white long-sleeved shirt made of khaki cloth standing there.
He was about twenty years old, with a straight figure, handsome eyes and eyebrows. He stood steadily in the crowd, as refreshing as a breeze in summer.
When he saw the confused and puzzled looks of Fubao and Gu Shengtian, he raised his eyebrows and smiled softly: "Why, don't you recognize me?"
The two country bumpkins who had just come from the countryside were filled with surprise and shouted together, "Brother Dingkun?!"
Xiao Dingkun smiled and looked at the two of them, his dark eyes full of scrutiny: "You've grown so big..."
When Fubao heard this, he couldn't help but look at Xiao Dingkun again.
When he left Pingxi Production Brigade, he was only a teenager, tall and thin, with the vigor of a young man. Now, more than ten years have passed, and he is 25 years old. After being tempered by society, the boldness in his bones has settled down and he has become mature and steady.
At this moment, his shoulders were broader than before, and his face faintly carried the aura of the past, but he was less sharp and unruly, and more steady.
For Fubao, Xiao Dingkun like this is both unfamiliar and familiar.
She could feel a long-lost familiar feeling from the person in front of her, even though she was still young at the time, even though more than ten years had passed, she knew that this was the smart and capable Brother Dingkun from Pingxi Production Brigade, the Brother Dingkun who gave her fried noodles the first time they met.
But it is also unfamiliar.
After all, we haven't seen each other for eleven years. I was still a child when we separated, and the face of brother Dingkun has become blurred in my memory.
The initial surprise after recognizing him settled into a wonderful feeling at this moment, a mixture of familiarity and strangeness, a feeling of strangeness when the unreal imagination falls into reality, which seems not quite right, and yet it seems to be so strange as it was originally. This made Fu Bao not know what to say when facing Xiao Dingkun at this moment.
Gu Shengtian was fine. He shouted, "Brother Dingkun, it really is you. It looks just like you! What are you doing here? Are you here to pick us up?"
Xiao Dingkun nodded: "I guessed that you would be coming here in the next few days, so I checked the train list and stopped by to take a look."
Of course he wouldn't say that he had passed by several times and that he would stop by every time a train was coming.
Gu Shengtian was immediately delighted: "Great! I was just wondering what to do. I don't even know how to take the bus outside, and I don't even know where the school is. I'm completely clueless!"
Xiao Dingkun glanced at Fubao next to him.
In fact, Fubao's appearance has changed a lot since he was a child.
Even though Fubao, who is almost eighteen years old, is wearing coarse cloth clothes and looks exhausted from the long journey, she still can't hide her charming and beautiful appearance. She stands in the crowd, without any words, her purity and beauty are enough to attract anyone's attention.
He also saw Fubao first, and felt familiar, surprised, confused, and then suddenly realized.
Suddenly I realized that this is Fubao when he grows up.
He knew that Fubao would be a beauty when she grew up, but he didn't expect that she would be such a stunning girl.
However, after a night on the train, this pretty girl's black hair was a little messy, and her rayon shirt was wrinkled, like a delicate flower in the morning after being beaten by wind and rain.
"Are you tired?" Xiao Dingkun didn't say much, just asked in a calm voice.
"It's okay, nothing..." Fu Bao subconsciously wanted to be polite. This was what she wanted to say subconsciously because of the unfamiliar feeling brought by Xiao Dingkun after not seeing him for many years. However, when she felt Xiao Dingkun's obviously seeing-through gaze midway through her words, she had to change the subject and honestly admitted, "Well, I am quite tired..."
It was my first time in my life taking a long-distance bus and my first time taking a train. It was truly excruciating. My mind was numb and my body didn’t feel like my own. I felt like I was floating in the air.
Xiao Dingkun nodded and took the luggage from Fubao's hand: "Let's go to a nearby restaurant to eat something, and then I'll take you to school."
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