Her mood improved, and the continuous rain began to become poetic in Zhou Jiao's eyes. It would be a pity to stay at home and grow mushrooms in such a beautiful season.
Zhang Guoqing, who was tempted by the beauty trap, picked up his son without hesitation and followed his wife to the provincial capital.
When they got to the provincial station, Zhang Guoqing realized they hadn't yet agreed on a destination. To be safe, he bought train tickets north, planning to sneak along the way with his family.
He boarded the train and found his seat. That's when Zhang Guoqing noticed something unusual. The train was incredibly crowded, with passengers filling the carriage. Compared to last summer's trip, it was now completely packed.
Letting Zhou Jiao and her son sit inside, Zhang Guoqing listened carefully to the discussions around them and observed how everyone dressed.
A middle-aged man across from them looked at the family of three and said with a smile, "Are you two visiting relatives with your child? Where can you put them?"
Zhang Guoqing gave him a thumbs-up. "Uncle, you have good eyesight! My cousin is getting married, and we have to go. Even on a rainy day, we have to go out. Are you going home or on a business trip?"
The man laughed heartily at the compliment. "Home! I just came back from the south. I'll be home in three hours. Oh, I'm finally home. Life away from home is so hard."
Someone beside him asked curiously, "South? Where is that? My goodness, you are so capable! You can even go and wander around inside the Great Wall. I have never been outside the Great Wall in my life."
Seeing the envy on the face of a man about his own age, the middle-aged man humbly shook his head and said with a smile, "It's not worth mentioning. If you want to go out, find a car and go in the opposite direction. You can definitely get out of the customs. I go to the south on business every year, I'm used to it. This time I went the farthest. You know your province, right? I went to that piece of land."
"How's that place? Are you used to the food? My unit transferred several people from the south a few years ago, and their way of eating is very different from ours."
The middle-aged man looked around and whispered, "That place is so poor that even rats won't go into the house. There was a big flood last month, so I ran back here first."
"Tsk tsk... How pitiful! It's been raining for ages. Why is it that the sky is leaking? How long have you been out this time? Do you know that our harvest is poor this year?"
The middle-aged man shook his head. "I left home in March, so I'm back home early. In previous years, I'd have to wait until the first snow to get home. Brother, can you tell me what's going on here? My wife never told me anything in her letters."
Zhang Guoqing and Zhou Jiao looked at each other and listened to their chat silently.
"...Your unit is relatively well-off. The damage wasn't as severe as in our province. I left last week and I don't know how things are going. Do you know what supplies our city has?"
Zhang Guoqing gave up on going north after hearing this. His son was still young, so he planned to get off the train in the next big city and rest for two days.
Seeing Ping'an grow sleepy, he took him in his arms, patting him gently. He happened to see a child in the aisle looking at his son with envy. The child was so thin he was practically bone. Zhang Guoqing sighed inwardly. Another child suffering. Fortunately, it was summer; what would happen if it were winter with bare feet?
Zhang Guoqing lowered his head and listened carefully to the child talking to a man. Judging from the accent, he was from Shandong Province.
"Master, I'm hungry."
"I'll find you tomorrow and you'll have something to eat. Drink water, and you'll be full."
Zhang Guoqing listened again and only heard the sound of a woman suppressing her voice and beating and scolding her children. There were also two older children who seemed to be trying to stop their mother from beating their younger brother.
He didn't know if it was because he was a father. Hearing the child's suppressed cry of hunger, Zhang Guoqing's nose felt sore. He took a deep breath and glanced up the aisle.
An old man stood with his back to him, several tightly packed packages beside him. This must be a well-off family. Four or five children were huddled together, their bodies obscured by the old man, and only their black feet, like those of African children, could be seen.
Zhang Guoqing looked towards the back aisle and saw quite a few people with children. With so many children, it was no wonder the carriage was packed.
The two middle-aged men across from them, now drunk, were conversing. Perhaps because the child was asleep, or perhaps because they didn't want others to hear, they kept their voices deliberately low. Even without listening closely, one could tell they were discussing a group of passengers in the carriage who were dressed in tattered clothes and looked different from the crowd.
Zhou Jiao, holding a book, glanced indifferently at the two men across from her before continuing to flip through the pages. She couldn't understand why men were so talkative and boisterous. She hadn't seen the two men across from her stop talking since she boarded the bus, and now, tired of talking, they were still drinking.
After more than three hours, the broadcast announced that the train had arrived at the station.
Zhang Guoqing gestured to Zhou Jiao, and she nodded. He touched his son, who had just woken up, in his arms, and took out his coat and put it on him. As soon as the car came to a stop, everyone began to move out.
As they stepped out of the carriage, Zhang Guoqing quickly stuffed the two kilograms of food coupons and a dollar rolled up in his hand into the palm of the child who had just cried out in hunger, and squeezed it firmly. Seeing the child's stunned expression, he didn't even have time to look at her before immediately pulling Zhou Jiao away.
If the child screams, I really won’t be able to leave.
He had not intended to do such an irrational thing in such an occasion, but the words "I'm hungry" reminded him of the orphanage when he was a child.
What Zhang Guoqing didn't know was that when he handed the food coupons to the child, the child's grandfather happened to see it. The old man quickly covered the child's mouth and watched them leave with tears in his eyes.
But even if he knew, he would just smile. He followed his heart, not seeking gratitude from others. He just hoped that the child would not go to his father hungry.
After leaving the station, the couple took the child on a bus and found a guesthouse not far from the downtown area. After washing up, Zhou Jiao stayed in the room with the child to rest.
Zhang Guoqing went to the lobby of the guesthouse alone to inquire about local specialties and customs, and then went out for a walk alone. After he had a general idea of the situation, he returned to his room with the snacks he had bought.
Zhou Jiao fed her son and lay down for a while. When she saw him come in, she smiled and said, "What's going on?"
"Silly wife, eat first and see how it tastes. I'll talk to you while you eat."
"Ping An, do you want to eat more?"
Seeing the child shaking his head, Zhang Guoqing knew he was full. "You and your mother will definitely like this place. There are so many fruits, especially here. Fruit trees and crops are the main crops here."
His description, which avoided the important issues, made Zhou Jiao and Ping An smile. Looking at his wife and son's smiles, Zhang Guoqing felt that this was a good thing.
There are too many sufferings in the world, so we should enjoy ourselves while we can.
The rain brought a bountiful harvest to the trees, but it made storage difficult, depriving the locals of their primary source of income. Then came the even greater challenge of the autumn harvest. How much of the rain-soaked crops could the locals truly harvest?
"If the sky had feelings, it would also grow old; the righteous path of the world is vicissitudes."
Zhang Guoqing was filled with melancholy as he walked around the city with Zhou Jiao and the children.
The rain began to fall intermittently. Sometimes it was drizzle, sometimes it was heavy rain, and occasionally there was some sunshine. Isn't life like this?
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