Chapter 19, progress in entering the city: 80% complete.
Chapter 19
The arrival time in Seoul was around the same as their usual delivery times, except that the train station was in the east of the city, some distance from their current location.
On the way, they happened to run into a water pipe repair site. Blue barriers occupied most of the lane, and vehicles could only move slowly. The traffic jam lasted for nearly 20 minutes. By the time Tan Ming parked his car in the train station square, it was almost 1 p.m.
The square was large, and the cement ground was scorching hot from the sun. As soon as Yu Pan got off the truck, a wave of heat enveloped him, as if he had entered a steamer. It was stuffy and hot, and he subconsciously tightened his grip on Chen Yanzhou's hand.
Shen Yanzhou gently patted Yu Pan's hand and used his other hand to brush away some of the stray hairs that were sticking to his forehead.
Tan Ming unloaded their two bags from the car, patted Shen Yanzhou on the shoulder, and said, "Take care."
“Okay.” Shen Yanzhou nodded, took one duffel bag and slung it over his shoulder, then picked up another. Yu Pan gestured “goodbye” to Tan Ming and pointed to his car.
After spending some time together, Tan Ming was able to understand some of Yu Pan's sign language, which meant that he should be careful on the road.
Tan Ming smiled and ruffled Yu Pan's hair, then used his rudimentary sign language to say "Don't worry."
The gestures were crooked and awkward, but Yu Pan understood them and smiled in response.
Watching Tan Ming's car disappear into the traffic, Shen Yanzhou led Yu Pan into the train station.
There were more people in the ticket hall than I expected, and the line to buy tickets was incredibly long, stretching from the window all the way to the entrance of the hall.
Shen Yanzhou led Yu Pan to the back of the line, letting him stand in front with his back against him to avoid being jostled by passing people.
It was Yu Pan's first time at the train station. She was both curious and a little scared. She leaned against Shen Yanzhou and opened her eyes wide to observe the people around her.
There was an aunt in the next line who was holding the hand of a little girl with pigtails, carrying another child on her back, and had a large square bag at her feet that looked like it contained blankets.
As the line moved forward, the woman had to drag the large bag in one hand and hold the child's hand in the other, and she had to look back at the child behind her from time to time.
As for the others around him, some had happy expressions, while others had sad ones. Unfortunately, he couldn't hear them; he could only see their mouths opening and closing as they spoke.
Yu Pan looked down at the canvas bag hanging on her chest, which contained eggs and snacks given by the old lady, as well as books and manuscript paper given by the old man.
He raised his hand and touched the bottom of the bag. His fingers touched the hard spine of the book, and he felt a little more at ease.
The line moved slowly forward, with Yu Pan staying close to Shen Yanzhou with each step. After waiting for nearly twenty minutes, it was finally their turn.
The ticket window was low, and Shen Yanzhou had to bend over to talk to the ticket seller inside.
"Buy two train tickets to Lanzhou this afternoon."
The ticket seller looked at the tickets for a while, then looked up and said, "Two tickets from Seoul to Lanju this afternoon cost a total of 99.4 yuan."
“Okay.” Shen Yanzhou counted out one hundred yuan from his wallet, and the ticket seller gave him six mao in change. He folded it up and put it into the small pocket on the side of Yu Pan’s backpack.
The ticket seller quickly printed out two tickets and reminded the passenger as she handed them over, "Don't lose the ticket stubs; they need to be checked when you get on and off the bus."
"Okay, thank you." Shen Yanzhou took the ticket and led Yu Pan towards the waiting room.
The waiting room was crowded, with the few benches filled with people. Some people put their luggage on the ground and sat on it to rest, while others squatted against the wall, hugging their bags and dozing off.
Shen Yanzhou found a corner, put his luggage bag on the ground, sat down first, and then let Yu Pan sit on his lap, putting one arm around his waist to prevent him from slipping off.
Yu Pan sat sideways on Shen Yanzhou's lap, took a train ticket, and looked at it over and over.
These train tickets are different from the handwritten tickets they use for buses. They are made of cardboard with black lettering: "Seoul - Lanju Station", "Hard Seat", "Car 10, No. 033". There is also a row of small holes on the side, and it feels rough to the touch.
His gaze fell on the small vertical print on the edge of the ticket stub, which read "Full price 49.7 yuan".
Yu Pan was stunned for a moment, thinking she had seen wrong. She closed her eyes tightly and then opened them again, leaning closer to take a look.
That's right, it's 49.7 yuan.
One ticket costs nearly fifty yuan, so two tickets would be a hundred yuan! That's enough for the two of them to eat and drink well in town for a month and a half!
Yu Pan quickly patted Shen Yanzhou on the shoulder, handed the ticket to Shen Yanzhou, pointed to the line of full price, and her eyes were full of anxiety.
Shen Yanzhou glanced at him and knew what he was thinking. He reached out and patted his head, gesturing that he said, "It's okay, we have enough money."
Yu Pan turned around to face Chen Yanzhou, gesturing rapidly with her hands: "Can we get a refund for this ticket? Can we not go?"
He felt that not being able to hear wasn't a big deal; he had been able to get better on his own before, and he was sure he could this time too, so there was no need to spend so much money to go to such a far place.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Shen Yanzhou frowned deeply, gesturing with extra force: "We have to see the ears, we absolutely have to go."
"It's really expensive..." Yu Pan pouted, feeling a little aggrieved. She looked at the train ticket in her hand and still felt heartbroken. She buried her face in Yan Zhou's shoulder in dejection.
Shen Yanzhou knew he was reluctant to spend money, so he didn't say much to him.
Both of them were good-looking. Shen Yanzhou had deep-set, three-dimensional eyebrows and clean, sharp facial features, while Yu Pan was well-fed and raised by Shen Yanzhou and was fair-skinned and beautiful.
Those around them couldn't help but glance at the two of them huddled together in the sweltering heat, but when Yu Pan raised her hand to gesture, their curiosity turned into understanding, and they paid no more attention.
After waiting for nearly an hour, the announcement for ticket inspection came over the loudspeaker. Shen Yanzhou listened to the announcement, checked the train number on the ticket, and only after confirming that it was correct did he stand up and lead Yu Pan toward the ticket gate.
The staff at the ticket gate took their tickets, cut a small semi-circular slit in the ticket stub with scissors, and handed them back to them.
Yu Pan clutched her ticket, which had been cut in half, still feeling a little heartbroken. It wasn't until she passed through the ticket gate and saw the train lying on the tracks that her eyes lit up.
It was the first time he had ever seen a train. He was amazed at how long a train could be, like a giant green worm! The dark green body of the train reflected the sunlight, and the windows were all open, stretching as far as the eye could see.
While Yu Pan was still in shock, an uncle carrying luggage squeezed past him, causing him to stumble.
Shen Yanzhou put his arm around Yu Pan's shoulder and pulled him closer. Yu Pan was completely unaware and turned to look at Shen Yanzhou, gesturing, "This is the train? It's so long!"
Shen Yanzhou didn't use his hands to gesture, but just smiled and nodded. Looking at the number posted on the carriage, he followed the signs along the platform and found the carriage he needed to board.
The train door was higher than the passenger car door, so Chen Yanzhou helped Yu Pan up before she dared to step onto it.
As soon as they entered the carriage, a gust of wind mixed with the smell of sweat and heat hit them. Shen Yanzhou led Yu Pan along the aisle, saying "Excuse me" from time to time.
Fortunately, everyone was very polite and moved aside.
After finally finding seats, it was a window seat with two seats in a row. Shen Yanzhou let Yu Pan sit inside, while he, like the other passengers, put his luggage bag on the rack on the roof.
As soon as Shen Yanzhou sat down, Yu Pan reached out and grabbed his arm, twisting his body and peering out of the car. Shen Yanzhou looked in the direction he was looking and saw station staff waving green flags, with passengers rushing over nearby.
A moment later, the train whistled, swayed slightly, and slowly moved forward. Yu Pan's body swayed along with it, a slight push-back sensation washing over him, and he clung tightly to Shen Yanzhou's shoulders.
Shen Yanzhou took out the eggs the old lady had given him from his bag, peeled them, and handed them to him: "Have some to tide you over."
Yu Pan nodded. While eating, he kept staring out the window. Occasionally, a train would come from the opposite direction, and the vibrations would be transmitted through the seat. He would excitedly pat Shen Yanzhou's hand to let him see too.
Around 5 p.m., the train attendant pushed the dining cart over and called out, "Meal tickets for sale, one yuan each, meals delivered at 7 p.m."
Using the canvas bag as cover, Shen Yanzhou touched Yu Pan's stomach, which was flat, and knew he was hungry, so he bought two meal tickets.
At 7:00 sharp, the flight attendant indeed pushed the food cart over to deliver the meals. The lunchbox was made of aluminum, with white rice topped with two large slices of pork belly, a few pieces of green vegetables, and a golden fried egg.
The meal wasn't very large, and Shen Yanzhou knew that Yu Pan wouldn't feel full after eating it, so he didn't control him like he usually did.
Yu Pan ate with great relish, finishing off all the rice with the broth.
After finishing her meal, Yu Pan got tired of sitting, so she curled up her legs and leaned against Shen Yanzhou's shoulder to look out the window.
It was completely dark outside the window, and the scenery outside the window had become a blurry black shadow. After a while, his eyelids drooped, his head bobbed up and down, and finally he leaned on Chen Yanzhou's shoulder, his breathing gradually becoming steady.
Shen Yanzhou carefully placed his head on his lap and took out a thin jacket from his bag to cover his stomach.
Across from them was a middle-aged couple with three children, the oldest of whom looked to be five or six years old. The children were screaming and playing around from time to time, but fortunately Yu Pan couldn't hear them and slept soundly.
At 10 p.m., the train attendants went from carriage to carriage calling out, "The lights are about to be turned off. Everyone, please pack your things, put your valuables away, and if you feel cold, please close the windows."
The couple across the street had closed their window, leaving only a crack for ventilation, and were coaxing their child to sleep. The eldest child was huddled in the middle, and the couple, each holding a child, slowly closed their eyes.
The carriage gradually quieted down, leaving only the clanging sound of the train.
Yu Pan slept soundly until dawn. When he sat up, he realized that Shen Yanzhou had half his body in the aisle to make himself comfortable.
He didn't wake Shen Yanzhou, but reached out to rub his leg, which must have been numb from sleeping.
Shen Yanzhou has been transporting and moving goods for the past six months, which has made him very physically strong. His long legs look long and straight, and Yu Pan can feel the firm muscles with her hands.
Hmm... it's a bit difficult to knead.
After massaging for a while, Yu Pan's hands got tired, so she switched to resting one hand while continuing to massage with the other, alternating between the two.
When he felt a light touch on his leg, Shen Yanzhou actually woke up, but he didn't open his eyes. After a while, he felt two warm hands on his thigh, gently pressing and occasionally pinching his leg. The force was not strong.
The pressure slowed down after a while. Shen Yanzhou opened his eyes, worried that Yu Pan's hands were tired. He smiled and patted the hand that was massaging his legs, gesturing, "It's okay."
Yu Pan ignored her and continued to knead for a while before stopping and letting Shen Yanzhou rest his head on her lap for a while.
Shen Yanzhou didn't agree. He took out a kettle from his bag and said, "I'll go get some hot water. You stay put and don't run around."
Yu Pan nodded, watched Shen Yanzhou walk towards the connecting area between the carriages, and then stood up and stretched.
Her legs were a little numb, and her buttocks felt like they were dead. Yu Pan stomped her feet and looked out the window.
The sky had already brightened, and the passing scenery was no longer a series of overlapping mountains, but rather vast fields of golden wheat. When the wind blew, the wheat rippled like waves, a truly beautiful sight.
He leaned closer to the car window and could smell the air seeping in through the ventilation gaps below; it smelled of grass and earth, very fresh.
A note from the author:
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I'm a little worried that the pace might be too slow, but I also want to write more about their state of mind when they've never seen anything before, because they might not have this kind of state of mind when they become rich.
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