Chapter 45 What a coincidence!
After two days and one night, Xiao Lingxiao went from being excited to feeling utterly dejected.
The space on the train is small; you can only sit, lie down, or stand within your own compartment.
Fortunately, there were books. The mother and daughter sat by the window reading to pass the time, and Cheng Cheng took the opportunity to teach her daughter to recognize characters.
The little one already recognizes many characters and can understand simple articles without unfamiliar words or obscure characters, such as picture books. Occasionally, when she encounters a character she doesn't know, the little girl will look it up in the dictionary herself and then memorize it.
Zhou Yue sat at the foot of the bed, his knees resting on a draft paper, his expression focused as he wrote quickly with a pen, occasionally glancing up at his wife and daughter.
"Okay, we've been watching for an hour. Now let's take a break, look outside, and relax our eyes."
Protect your eyesight, start from childhood!
Cheng Cheng closed the book and led the little one in eye exercises, chanting the slogan: "Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, three, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight..."
Xiao Lingxiao rested his hands on the small table, head down, rubbing his eyes.
After finishing her eye exercises, Cheng Cheng glanced at the man beside her, who was still focused on his work with his head down, and gently reminded him, "Zhou Yue, take a break."
Don't ruin your eyesight at such a young age. She's figured it out these past few days. Zhou Yue is a workaholic with boundless energy. Once he puts his head down to work, he becomes completely absorbed, as if he forgets the passage of time.
If no one reminds him, he won't even realize he needs to rest.
"good."
The man put down his pen, raised his hand to rub his temples, his brows still slightly furrowed, as if he had encountered some problem and things weren't going smoothly.
Cheng Cheng patted the little guy's head, her tone light and cheerful: "Go give Daddy a hug, Daddy's out of energy right now."
Little Lingxiao looked up at her father. She was very perceptive of adults' emotions and nodded her little head.
Hearing his wife's words, Zhou Yue couldn't help but smile slightly. He turned the draft paper on his lap face down on the bed and slowly lowered his bent leg.
It's truly a relaxing and joyful thing to have your soft, squishy daughter snuggle into your arms.
"Dad, don't frown."
A soft hand touched his father's brow, and little Lingxiao looked at his father with a serious expression, pressing one eyebrow with each hand and smoothing it out to the sides.
With a serious tone and a worried expression, he said, "Otherwise you'll get old, just like Second Uncle."
Second Uncle refers to Cheng Aimin, who has deep frown lines between his eyebrows due to frequent frowning.
Zhou Yue had met his second uncle before, and upon hearing this, his expression relaxed: "Okay, Dad won't frown."
"Would you like to get down and walk around a bit, stretch your legs?"
Little Lingxiao nodded obediently.
Cheng Cheng waved her hand: "You two go ahead, I'll stay and watch the luggage."
The only space available for movement is from the carriage to the restroom, or a little further to the dining car in the middle. Although it's only a short distance, it's still enough to move around a bit.
For Xiao Lingxiao, this was a rare opportunity to get some fresh air.
Zhou Yue knelt down to put shoes on her daughter, and Xiao Lingxiao immediately slid off the bed, took her father's hand, and waved to her mother: "Mom, Dad and I will be back soon."
Cheng Cheng sat by the window and continued reading. The train had stopped at the station sometime earlier, and Zhou Yue and his daughter Xiao Lingxiao had not yet returned.
At this moment, a middle-aged man wearing black-rimmed glasses and a small camera hanging around his neck got on the bus. He had a refined and gentle demeanor.
The man was visibly taken aback when he saw that there was only one woman in the private room, and that she was an extremely beautiful and radiant woman.
He then smiled slightly, his attitude polite and gentle. When the woman looked over, he nodded to her and said, "Hello, comrade."
"Hello."
Cheng Cheng nodded in greeting, surprised that the other person was from their private room.
For the past two days, no one has come to the two beds opposite hers. She thought they would remain empty until they reached their destination, but that was clearly not the case.
Zhou Yue and Xiao Xiao hadn't returned yet, so she continued reading with her head down.
The middle-aged man opposite put his bag on the upper bunk, sat on the lower bunk, took off the camera hanging around his neck, and carefully wiped the dust off with a handkerchief.
As the carriage fell silent, the train slowly started moving, clattering and rattling as it headed into the distance.
Another woman with short hair entered the private room. She had a baby strapped to her arms, who looked to be seven or eight months old. She carried a huge bundle on her back, and her hands were also busy. She had a basket slung over her left elbow and a huge snakeskin bag in her right hand.
Following behind was a little boy of about seven or eight years old, with dark skin, who also had a bag slung over his shoulder, stuffed full of things.
Seeing that both lower bunks were occupied, the woman's simple face showed annoyance: "Good heavens, I've gone to the wrong place again!"
Turning to his son, he asked, "Gao Xiaoyu, that woman just said this is room number five, right? We didn't hear wrong, did we?"
The little boy nodded: "Yes, this is the place."
"Big sister, this is room number five. You haven't come to the wrong room," Cheng Cheng said at the right moment.
The middle-aged man who was wiping his camera across from them stood up, looked at the mother and child, and asked, "Comrade, is this your bed?"
When Xie Jiaohua saw the other person stand up, she realized that he wasn't supposed to be in this bed.
She put down the snakeskin bag in her hand, took out the ticket from her pocket, and looked at it carefully again and again.
The little boy next to her noticed her actions and asked, "Mom, can you read?"
"Isn't his mother illiterate? Why is she looking at it so intently?" Gao Xiaoyu scratched his head.
Xie Jiaohua choked upon hearing her son's words. "You brat, can you please stop revealing my secrets in front of outsiders?"
At this moment, the little girl in my arms flailed her limbs and pouted as if she was about to cry.
When Xie Jiaohua saw her daughter like this, she knew something was wrong. Had her daughter had diarrhea again?
She held the train ticket in her hand, a smile on her face, and handed it to the woman who had spoken earlier, clearly pausing for a moment.
Previously preoccupied with whether she had entered the wrong carriage again, she hadn't looked closely. Now that the woman was right in front of her, Xie Jiaohua finally saw her face clearly and exclaimed, "Oh my goodness! Young lady, your parents made you so beautiful!"
Upon hearing this, Cheng Cheng smiled and held out her hand to her older sister: "Give me the ticket, I'll take a look for you."
Even so, Cheng Cheng had already come to a conclusion in her mind: the older sister and her son must be the girls in the lower bunk across from her.
After checking her ticket, she smiled and said, "Sister, you're in the right carriage. Your berth is on the lower bunk across from me."
Xie Jiaohua clearly breathed a sigh of relief: "Finally, we're on the right track."
She immediately called her son and put the things down. She was exhausted from the journey. Carrying luggage and two children, she first went into the wrong carriage, and then walked all the way here. She was so crowded that she was practically squashed into a meat pancake.
With no room available on the lower bunk, the middle-aged man climbed up to the upper bunk with his camera.
He observed the situation below without making a sound, a hint of anxiety flashing in his eyes, wondering if the intelligence was wrong.
"Thank you, little sister."
Xie Jiaohua first asked her son to help her put down the large bundle on her back, revealing deep marks on her shoulders from the cloth strips.
Then they untied the strips of cloth binding their daughter, layer upon layer, revealing her small body, with her tied in front and luggage on her back.
As Xie Jiaohua put her daughter on the bed, she instructed her son, "Gao Xiaoyu, find your sister's diaper. She must have pooped."
Xie Jiaohua untied her daughter's diaper, and a captivating fragrance instantly filled the entire private room.
Cheng Cheng instinctively covered her nose; the stench was the most terrifying thing in the enclosed carriage!
Xie Jiaohua skillfully changed her daughter's diaper and patted the girl's bottom: "You naughty girl, all you do in a day is poop!"
After changing into a clean diaper, the little girl in the bed stopped pouting and smiled carefree with the corners of her mouth turned up.
"Gao Xiaoyu, keep an eye on your sister." Xie Jiaohua turned to the older girl from before and asked, "Is there a place to wash hands on this train?"
"Yes." Cheng Cheng pointed in the direction of the bathroom.
Xie Jiaohua walked away with the fragrant poison gas bomb. Although the air in the private room was still somewhat murky, it was no longer nauseating.
The little boy picked up his sister, sat on the edge of the bed, and pressed his face almost against the window: "Look, sister! We're on a train."
The little girl has a pair of big, round eyes. She stretches her neck to look outside, and her little mouth is making "ah ah ah" and "ee ya ee ya".
At this moment, Zhou Yue returned with Xiao Xiao.
The little girl ran back, looking curiously at the stranger who had appeared on the other side.
Xu Zhehai, who was on the upper bunk, saw the tall man walking towards them and put down his camera with a look of surprise: "Comrade Zhou, what a coincidence! We've met again."
Zhou Yue paused upon seeing the other person, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He nodded casually, his attitude distant: "Comrade Xu."
The other party's attitude was noticeably warmer: "Comrade Zhou, are these your wife and daughter? Are you also going to Lancheng?"
Zhou Yue nodded, seemingly having no intention of continuing the conversation.
He was always wary and distant towards outsiders, especially strangers, exuding a cold and indifferent aura that suggested he was only meant to be admired from afar.
Cheng Cheng's gaze lingered curiously on the two of them. Perhaps sensing her confusion, Zhou Yue explained the situation in a low voice.
It turns out that when Zhou Yue returned, he was on the same train and in the same compartment as the other person, and they had met once before.
The other party's name is Xu Zhehai, a reporter for Lancheng Daily, a native of Ancheng, who is visiting relatives this time.
No wonder the other person carried a camera with them and cherished it so much; they had the air of a scholar. It turned out they were a reporter.
When Xie Jiaohua returned after washing the diapers, she found the private room much more lively than when she left.
After everyone introduced themselves and greeted each other, they learned that all three parties were heading to Lancheng, which was quite a coincidence.
Xie Jiaohua is a very warm person. Everyone knows each other and is going to Lancheng, so they are a group of people. They can look out for each other on the way.
She shared the cucumbers she brought from home with everyone: "Try them! I grew them myself, and I just picked them from the field this morning. They're so fresh!"
Cheng Cheng was delighted to see the cucumbers, but regretted not bringing them!
"Thank you, big sister!"
She accepted the cucumber without hesitation and instructed Zhou Yue to wash it. She then shared the steamed egg cake she had brought with Sister Xie's family and Comrade Xu.
The other party said they were sorry, but couldn't refuse their kindness and accepted the gift, taking out a few milk candies from their bag for the children.
Xiao Lingxiao's eyes lit up when he saw the milk candy. "Thank you, Uncle."
"You're welcome, little one, you're very polite," Xu Zhehai said. "Comrade Cheng, you and Comrade Zhou have raised your daughter very well."
Just as Cheng Cheng was about to speak, Zhou Yue returned after washing the cucumbers. The man distributed the washed cucumbers to everyone and noticed the milk candy in his daughter's hand.
Little Lingxiao looked at the milk candy in his hand, then glanced at the cucumber in his father's hand, and struggled with which one to eat first.
Zhou Yue's gaze was deep as he glanced at the candy in his daughter's hand, then reached out to her, his tone stern: "Xiaoxiao, did you eat candy with Mommy this morning? Were today's portions all gone?"
Little Lingxiao nodded and obediently placed the milk candy in his hand into his father's palm.
Well, that's it. I have no choice now, and I don't have to agonize over it anymore. I can only eat cucumbers.
Zhou Yue put away the milk candy, patted his daughter's head. Although he hadn't been there, he could tell at a glance that the milk candy in his daughter's hand must have been given to him by Comrade Xu.
Cheng Cheng didn't show any unusual expression, but she was a little surprised. This was the first time she had seen Zhou Yue show such a stern side to his daughter.
Children's sugar intake should indeed be controlled, otherwise it will be too late if they develop rotten teeth.
"I'm sorry, Comrade Zhou, look at me..." Seeing this, Xu Zhehai said, "Little Xiaoxiao, you can have the milk candy that Uncle gave you tomorrow."
Xie Jiaohua muttered to herself, "The man my sister married is good-looking, and he does look good with my sister. But he looks too serious and stern. He seems like a difficult person to deal with."
It's just a piece of candy, right? You ate it, that's all!
This little incident passed quickly, and most of the time on the train was boring.
Zhou Yue stopped taking out his notebook to calculate his work and took out a book from his suitcase to read. Cheng Cheng chatted with Sister Xie and occasionally teased Sister Xie's daughter, Xiao Tiantian.
Little Sweetie is only eight months old and is in the stage of learning to speak. She smiles broadly and shows her tiny little teeth when teased.
Little Lingxiao sat upright at the small table, holding a crayon in his little hand, coloring the drawing.
"Little sister, what are you doing?"
Gao Xiaoyu leaned closer, staring at the picture in her hand, a look of confusion on his face. "Is this an adult book?"
Gao Xiaoyu was about to blurt out, "What kind of comic book is this? Why haven't I seen it before?"
After thinking about it, something seemed off. Comic books aren't that big, but what my sister was holding was definitely a comic book, just much bigger than a comic book.
Xiao Lingxiao looked up and shook his head: "This is not an adult book, it's a Journey to the West book that my mother drew for me."
"May I take a look?"
The voice came from Xu Zhehai, who was sitting on the upper bunk. He had a clear view of what was happening below and had already seen the painting in the little girl's hand.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Lingxiao looked up at the uncle on the upper bunk, then at his mother.
Cheng Cheng nodded, and the sketchbook in Xiao Lingxiao's hand was handed to Xu Zhehai.
Xu Zhehai was increasingly astonished as he flipped through the pages. Comrade Zhou's wife was such a skilled painter, with smooth and expressive lines that perfectly captured the agility and majesty of Sun Wukong.
When Xu Zhehai's gaze fell on the childlike yet vibrant colors on the figures, his eyes lit up with delight. He looked up at Comrade Cheng and said, "Your idea is excellent! This is a brilliant idea! Letting children color themselves not only cultivates their aesthetic sense and interests, but also enhances their hands-on skills and imagination."
"Comrade Cheng, are you interested in publishing? I have a friend who works at Lancheng Publishing House. When we get to Lancheng, I'll introduce you to him."
Although the train's final destination was indeed Lancheng, they wouldn't stay there long. Cheng Cheng just smiled and didn't immediately agree, saying it was just a joke, a game for the kids, and she hadn't thought about publishing it.
That's true. I promised to draw a Journey to the West comic book for Xiaoxiao, but later I received crayons from her great-grandparents. The little one was reluctant to color in her own drawing.
She intentionally guided Xiaoxiao, holding her hand as she colored the Journey to the West drawing. On one hand, she wanted to cultivate the little one's color perception and provide aesthetic enlightenment; on the other hand, she wanted to cultivate Xiaoxiao's interest.
She really hadn't thought about publishing it.
Cheng Cheng accepted the contact information handed to her, but didn't pay it any mind. She turned around and started talking to Sister Xie again.
Xu Zhehai unconsciously clenched his fists, secretly anxious, repeatedly telling himself that things should be done slowly, not to rush, and not to alert the enemy.
The train continued its journey, clattering along, from day to night, and from night to dawn. It traveled through layers of towering mountains until the terrain gradually leveled out, revealing an endless plain outside the window, with wheat fields stretching to the horizon and villages dotting the landscape.
As they continued forward, the crops on the plains became fewer and fewer, until finally even the vegetation became sparse, leaving the world barren, with only the distant snow-capped mountains faintly visible.
After four days and three nights, they are finally arriving!
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Author's note: Goodnight, go to sleep early! See you tomorrow~
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