Chapter 489
A young man nearby heard this and said, "Why are the hard seats so crowded? I thought long-distance buses weren't so crowded."
An older man speaking with a thick dialect enthusiastically took over the conversation: "There are so many people, and there are so many stops along the way, some people are getting off and some are getting on!
It was so crowded that it was hard to even move. Some people who bought standing tickets would lie down under other people's seats as soon as they got on the bus, trying to take up space!
"Ah? Then it's under someone else's feet? Why do we have to snatch it?"
The uncle glanced at the young man and smiled, with a hint of sarcasm:
"I can tell you're well-off. You've never sat in a hard seat, let alone a standing ticket! At least you can lie down under someone else's feet. If you stand in the aisle, you might not even have a place to sit.
If the trip is far, taking more than ten to twenty hours, or even two or three days, how are you going to endure it?
The woman traveling with the man looked at the sleeper car she was in. Although the aisle was not wide, there was at least one berth for one person, or at most an adult with a child.
There were no standing tickets arranged, so it wasn't too crowded. I thought it was a good thing that she had requested a sleeper berth before the business trip, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to last for several days and nights.
The old man in the lower berth said slowly, "I just saw that there are a few berths still empty, and the attendant said that people will get on at the next stop.
In fact, we can let some elderly people and children with poor health come here to rest, and then let others get on the bus at the next stop. It’s not easy to go out.”
The young man forced a smile, but he felt extremely reluctant in his heart.
He spent a lot of money to buy a sleeper ticket. Why should those who bought sitting or standing tickets enjoy the same environment as him? He wished the carriage was empty. The fewer people there were, the more comfortable he would be.
The flight attendant didn't arrange for anyone to sleep directly in the berth, but did bring a few elderly people over.
There is a row of single seats and small tables next to the sleeper aisle for passengers to eat.
The attendant arranged for the elderly to sit on the opposite side of the empty berth and said:
"Old man, you guys should rest here for a while. We have already arranged the berths for you to sleep in. You can go back to the hard seat car when people get on at the next stop."
The elderly people, dressed simply, looked quite honest and upright. They were full of gratitude and nodded repeatedly to express their gratitude.
Because he got up early in the morning, Su Miao felt his eyelids drooping and he was feeling sleepy.
After a while, when the toilet was open, she went to the toilet in a daze and came back, said hello to her father, climbed onto the upper bunk and went to sleep.
When he woke up again, the train was still moving. Su Miao looked at his watch and it was already lunch time at 12:30.
Su Miao got down from the upper bunk and sat on the bed with his father to eat lunch box.
She had only slept for an hour and had not yet arrived at Liuzhou Station. In the next few days, the train would head north, passing through Hunan, Hubei, Henan, and Hebei provinces, and finally arrive in Beijing.
Along the way, we will stop at many important stations and see many different scenery.
After finishing her meal, she stood by the window to digest the food. The road ahead was still filled with the typical rural scenery of Guangxi.
The sunlight shines on the fields, as if covering the earth with a layer of golden velvet carpet.
Occasionally, you can see a few buffaloes grazing leisurely in the paddy fields, and curls of smoke rising from the farmhouses, creating a picture of tranquility and peace.
The salesperson came over with a cart selling snacks and drinks, shouting, "Sunflower seeds, peanuts, mineral water, beer, drinks, eight-treasure porridge. Come on, put your legs down!"
There aren't many kinds of merchandise on the carts, and the prices are relatively high. Salespeople usually stay longer in the sleeper area, as there are more people buying here.
Another reason was that the hard seat carriage was too crowded and the cart might not be able to be pushed through, so he could only use a small basket to carry some snacks and eight-treasure porridge to sell.
Su Miao found it very interesting to watch the conductor skillfully moving through the narrow aisle, sometimes moving sideways to avoid passengers, and sometimes bringing goods to the passengers.
Su Miao gradually felt bored again, so he crawled back to his seat to catch up on his sleep. When he woke up next time, he had already arrived at Guishi Station.
Going further ahead, you will be out of the province. More people get on the bus here than at the previous stop.
When there are so many people, friction and conflicts are inevitable.
Someone in the next carriage started arguing over the space under the lower bunk to put their luggage.
A tall young man and a middle-aged woman were refusing to give way to each other. The young man thought that he came first and his bunk was on the lower bunk, so the seat should belong to him.
The middle-aged woman said that she had a lot of luggage and needed more space. The young man was too selfish to keep it all to himself, so he should give her half.
The two of them were arguing with each other, neither of them giving in, and their voices were getting louder and louder.
The passengers around cast dissatisfied glances at them, and some enthusiastic passengers stepped forward to dissuade them, but the two continued to quarrel, and the scene was a little chaotic for a while.
The conductor came over quickly and patiently persuaded both parties, calming their emotions and helping to rearrange the placement of the luggage.
But the two people who had already started arguing still refused to give up. They were very angry in this hot weather and there was a tendency for the conflict to escalate.
Fortunately, another conductor arrived. The older one was used to such scenes and said sternly:
"Everything has been arranged for you, what are you dissatisfied with? You're ready to drive and still want to make a fuss! If you want to make a fuss, get off the bus and do it! Don't get in the way! If you don't stop, I'm going to call the police."
Seeing this, the two men softened and placed their luggage according to the conductor's instructions, but they still kept muttering and refused to admit defeat.
At this rate, they were sure to get into an argument after just a few words. The old conductor pointed at them and said, "Still going on? Do you want to keep talking? Whoever wants to continue, come out now!"
Having said this, the two of them shut up honestly.
The middle and upper bunks facing Su Miao and Su Yuan were empty before. The two men came just as the train was about to close.
They didn't have much luggage, and each of them was carrying a black luggage bag. Before climbing onto their seats, they politely greeted the woman in the lower bunk.
When someone came from the opposite side, the privacy became less, but Su Miao was prepared. She took out a thin curtain from her bag and hung it up, which could block part of the view without blocking too much light.
After the train started again, the rhythmic clanging sound once again became the background sound of the carriage.
At this moment, a melodious sound of harmonica came from afar, like a clear spring, flowing into everyone's hearts, attracting everyone to look over curiously.
I saw the old man in the lower bunk, holding a polished harmonica in his hand and playing it. The metal part of the harmonica was shining with a faint luster under the light from the carriage.
The old man closed his eyes slightly, and his head swayed gently with the melody. The wrinkles on his face seemed to become more vivid under the influence of the notes.
His lips fit flexibly against the mouthpiece of the harmonica, and his breath came out evenly. Every note seemed to flow out from the softest corner of his heart.
The original noise in the carriage was gradually replaced by the beautiful piano music, and the passengers were immersed in it.
Some put down the books they were reading, some stopped talking to their neighbors, and some who were walking in the aisle stopped unconsciously and listened quietly.
At this moment, this small carriage is filled with a warm and harmonious atmosphere, and the fatigue of the journey seems to gradually dissipate in the melodious piano music.
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