There were quite a few people from the family compound going to the city today. Lu Yang, being tall and having long legs, squeezed up first and grabbed a seat at the back, while Song Qing then led An An to squeeze up.
"You sit inside."
These days, buses are noisy, and the windows are rolled up. Song Qing quickly sat down by the window, sitting peacefully on Lu Yang's lap.
There were a lot of people at this station, and more and more people kept trying to squeeze on. The ticket seller got impatient after shouting a few times.
"Don't push, there's no room left on the bus."
Those who managed to squeeze on were also dissatisfied and urged the ticket seller to close the door immediately.
"Why are you still squeezing in? The people inside are already like sardines. If all else fails, just climb onto the roof."
"Yeah, I couldn't breathe at all from behind."
"What's all the noise about? Do you think I don't want to close the door? Don't you even know if it can be closed?"
The noisy commotion and the mix of smells from the large number of people in the small carriage made Song Qing's discomfort even more pronounced.
Seeing that she was uncomfortable, Lu Yang quickly turned on the water bottle and gave her some water before the car started moving.
"I'm fine, it's just a bit stuffy because there are too many people today. I'll feel better after a while."
Despite the difficulties, the ticket seller pushed aside the people who were still trying to squeeze on and slammed the door shut.
Those below were cursing and swearing, while those inside were overjoyed.
"Get off me! Can't you see how small my child is? You're such a big man, and you're still wearing this outfit. How can you even sit down?"
The speaker was an elderly woman with downturned lips. She was holding a slightly chubby baby boy in her arms when she saw a man in a green military uniform.
The young woman next to her, who was holding the hands of several girls, quickly tugged at her arm.
"Mother, please don't do this."
"Shut up."
Besides the residents of the family compound, there were other people at this stop, but the man was wearing a military uniform and sitting upright, so the old lady easily identified him.
"You're wearing this uniform, so your duty is to serve the people. You saw us but didn't give up your seat. How can you even sit down?"
The man was still packing his things when he realized they were talking about him and quickly stood up. His wife tried to pull him back but couldn't.
"Excuse me, ma'am, please have a seat."
"You only realized you should give up your seat after being told off. I don't know where your sense of morality went."
She sat down holding her precious grandson and kept muttering to herself, while the man's wife sat beside her, her face flushed with anger.
Song Qing saw this and turned to look at Lu Yang. Luckily, he was wearing a white shirt today.
The car started moving at this moment, and it was packed with people. Lu Yang put An An down next to Song Qing and stood up.
He turned to the children who were struggling to stand while clutching their parents' clothes and asked them to sit in his seat.
They were only four or five years old, a little older than An'an. After looking up at their parents and getting permission, they slowly sat down in Lu Yang's seat.
"Thank you, comrade."
The child's parents hurriedly apologized, and the old lady who had spoken earlier snorted coldly.
"They wouldn't realize it if I hadn't told them!"
Song Qing was originally leaning against the window, desperately inhaling the outside air, but she couldn't help but listen to the old lady's words.
"You should be grateful that someone gives you their seat. Being a soldier is a status symbol. If someone gives you their seat, it means they have high moral character. You sit down and then start complaining and nitpicking."
Can't people live normal lives? Everyone is just an ordinary person once they take off their clothes.
The old lady smirked and glared fiercely at Song Qing, but Song Qing was not afraid of her at all.
"If you're so capable, why don't you say it to someone else? Isn't that your precious son sitting in front of you? Why doesn't he stand up and offer his seat to someone else?"
She saw it as soon as she came up. Originally, the woman had grabbed a seat first, but the old lady came over and pulled her up, making the big, burly man sit down.
The people around her were also dissatisfied. They said that her son was taking up a seat and then demanded that the soldiers give up their seats for her. After sitting down, he started nagging and lecturing others.
"So it's your own son who has a seat, huh? Then why didn't you let him stand up? Picking on the weak, huh?" Are you just looking down on soldiers because you think you can't argue with them?
"Exactly, she's on vacation, why should we give up our seats to an old lady like her? Her son is perfectly healthy and standing there, so the younger one has to stand with the older one."
"This son can really sit still, while his wife, mother, and husband are all standing!"
Everyone started criticizing the old lady. Her eldest son was quite a character; after being criticized, he remained unashamed and sat there as steady as a mountain.
"You you you"
"What do you mean, 'I'? If you're so good at lecturing people, go teach your son a lesson instead."
Song Qing rolled her eyes and leaned against the window again. After arguing, she smelled the odor in the car again, which was unbearable.
Lu Yang's eyes were originally full of smiles, but after seeing that she was not feeling well, he gradually pursed his lips, hoping to get to the city as soon as possible.
Seeing that almost everyone on the bus was criticizing her, the old lady stopped talking. How could they criticize her and then even her son?
After a bumpy ride with people constantly getting on and off, Song Qing finally breathed a sigh of relief when they arrived in the city.
She didn't feel anything when riding in a car before, but after giving birth to An'an, she can't stand the smell of cars anymore.
Are you still feeling unwell?
After everyone had left, An'an leaned against Song Qing, watching her nervously, while Lu Yang also frowned.
"I'm fine, let's go, let's go downstairs."
Lu Yang carried An An and took Song Qing's hand, leading her downstairs. The city was bustling with many factories, and today, being the weekend, the streets were crowded with people.
"Let's go eat something first."
Song Qing hadn't eaten anything that morning, so Lu Yang looked at her and asked what she wanted to eat.
They got off the train near the train station, where many trains carrying coal and goods travel to and from the north and south. There are always many cheap and delicious restaurants near the train station.
Song Qing smelled a very fragrant aroma, and they followed the scent to find a very hidden little shop.
What do you sell? Do you have any in stock right now?
"Hey, we sell smoked chicken, Goubangzi smoked chicken, it's famous far and wide. But you've come too early, it's not available until noon."
"Then we'll come over for lunch."
The aroma was so tempting that Song Qing, who hadn't felt anything at first, was now completely craving more. The smell was so enticing that she couldn't move.
They went into the city and bought breakfast at a state-run restaurant on Second Avenue: a bowl of mutton offal soup for two cents and a bean noodle roll for three cents.
These days, state-run restaurants serve fixed portions. A big bowl of mutton offal soup in the morning warms the heart and stomach, and paired with fragrant, sweet, and chewy bean noodle rolls, it's a good start to the day.
After finishing their meal, Lu Yang took the mother and daughter to the zoo. Tickets cost 50 cents each, and children under 1.2 meters tall were admitted free of charge.
Most of the families in the city are working-class families, and they take their children out to play during their time off. The zoo is packed with children.
As soon as they bought the tickets, An'an grabbed Lu Yang's hand and rushed inside.
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