Chapter 68 – Train Journey

The city’s train station had undergone an expansion a couple of years ago during a major municipal infrastructure upgrade, resulting in two rather modern and high-end waiting rooms. Unfortunately, the city wasn’t a transportation hub, and the number of trains passing through was already quite limited. Despite the large investment, it only added a bit of prestige to the previous leadership’s achievements, while the rest of the funds essentially went down the drain. Now, with the summer and winter vacations still far off, the vast waiting room could only be described as desolate. The few passengers who were present monopolized the spacious Waiting Room No. 1, either sleeping on the chairs or engrossed in their mobile devices.

A young woman, seemingly tired of scrolling through her phone, looked up at the train schedule display and noticed that the words “Delayed by 30 minutes” still hadn’t changed. She sighed in frustration and shifted her gaze, only to widen her eyes in surprise. At some point, two young men with backpacks had entered the waiting hall.

Under normal circumstances, the arrival of a few people shouldn’t have shocked her, but these two were simply too eye-catching. They were tall and well-built, with straight postures, and even the simplest T-shirts and jeans they wore exuded a fashionable vibe. One of them, who had a smile on his face, was only slightly above average in looks. However, the other one, wearing a baseball cap, was different. Although most of his face was hidden under the brim, the part that was visible carried an irresistibly cold and aloof charm, making him even more handsome than the models in advertisements.

Without hesitation, she secretly raised her phone, snapped a distant shot, and quickly posted it on Weibo. After excitedly editing the content, she looked up again to find that the two had already taken seats a few rows away. After a series of agonizing internal struggles, the girl finally composed herself, grabbed her suitcase, and walked toward the water dispenser. She poured out a cup of scalding hot water, replaced it with a fresh one, and then dragged her suitcase over to the two men, glancing around nervously before stopping and smiling, “Excuse me, is this seat taken?”

Wei Yang looked up to see a round-faced girl smiling shyly at him. She looked like a typical college student, trying hard to maintain a natural expression, but the corners of her eyes were twitching, betraying her nervousness. Noticing this, he gave her a gentle smile and casually nodded, “No one’s sitting here. Please, take a seat.”

The girl visibly relaxed and quickly sat down on the chair opposite them. She nonchalantly placed her scattered bags and water cup on the table before clearing her throat and smiling at the two, “Are you also taking Train No. 17? It’s delayed by half an hour. I wonder what’s going on.”

“It’s a passing train, so delays are expected. Luckily, it’s only half an hour.” Wei Yang glanced at the nearly empty waiting room with over a hundred seats and immediately understood the girl’s intentions. He glanced at Zhang Xiuqi, who was sitting beside him without even lifting an eyelid, and the smile on his lips deepened.

“Exactly! The last time I took this train, it was delayed by an hour. The province’s transportation system isn’t great. We’re in the era of bullet trains now, yet we still have these old green trains! If I didn’t get car sick, I’d have taken the bus instead.” The girl blinked and asked curiously, “What about you? Why didn’t you take another train? I remember there’s a K-series train that follows a similar route as Train No. 17.”

“Other trains don’t stop at the smaller stations, and we’re not in a hurry anyway. Are you heading to the county too?” Wei Yang asked with a smile.

Train No. 17 was essentially a provincial line, shuttling between nearby prefecture-level cities and stopping at many small stations. Being an old green train, it was significantly cheaper than the bus, making it quite popular among passengers who weren’t in a rush.

“Yeah, my grandmother lives in Shangchi County. The strawberries in our family’s garden are ripe these days, so I’m going back to pick some. Have you heard of Shangchi’s strawberries? They’re huge and bright red—absolutely delicious!” The girl’s face lit up with a blush, and her eyes couldn’t help but drift toward the cold-faced handsome guy sitting beside Wei Yang. “What about you two? Where are you headed?”

“My senior brother and I are going to the countryside for some fieldwork, researching local customs. We’ll be visiting nearby areas, and this time we’re getting off two stops before you.” Wei Yang lied without batting an eye, still maintaining his harmless demeanor.

“Oh!” The girl sighed in disappointment but quickly perked up again. “Are you both graduate students? And you’re studying folklore? I’ve never heard of that before. What’s there to study in our province? It doesn’t seem like there’s anything particularly noteworthy…”

“There’s plenty to explore in everyday life—food, clothing, housing, and transportation. But our focus is more on folk beliefs and symbolic objects. There’s a lot to trace back to…”

Wei Yang, being a skilled smooth-talker, effortlessly drew the girl into the conversation. Within half an hour, not only had they exchanged names, but Wei Yang had also managed to learn almost everything about the girl’s background, all while boosting her favorability toward him to the max.

Just then, the announcement for the train’s arrival came over the speakers. The girl, Miss Jiang, seemed reluctant to leave, “Oh, I wonder if our seats are close together…”

Her meaning was obvious. Wei Yang smiled and said, “These green trains are never full. Let’s see once we get on board. Maybe we’ll even be sitting together.”

This greatly comforted her anxious heart. Satisfied, she picked up her bag and walked toward the ticket gate with the two handsome men.

As it was a passing train, there weren’t many passengers boarding or alighting. It didn’t take long for them to get on the train. As expected, the carriage wasn’t crowded, but there also weren’t many empty seats. Many passengers were sprawled across the seats, taking up entire rows. Miss Jiang encountered one such inconsiderate man who didn’t budge an inch when she approached, simply rolling over and continuing to sleep.

Faced with this awkward situation, Wei Yang naturally beckoned her over, “Xiao Jiang, come over here. We’ve got some empty seats.”

As if granted a reprieve, Miss Jiang quickly dragged her luggage over. Wei Yang helped her stow her suitcase in the overhead rack and placed a bag of snacks on the table, “Since we’ve got nothing else to do, and the journey’s three hours long, it’s a good chance to chat.”

His words were so tactful that it sounded as if he had specifically invited the girl over for a chat, rather than just helping her out of a tight spot. Miss Jiang’s face immediately lit up with a smile, and she eagerly pulled out a pile of sunflower seeds from her bag, inviting the two to snack, “It’s a pity it’s not the return trip, or I’d have invited you to try my family’s strawberries. I guarantee you’d never forget them… Oh, Brother Wei, your travel bag seems to be moving! What’s inside?”

Both of them had kept their backpacks with them instead of stowing them in the overhead rack. Zhang Xiuqi’s bag had already been placed under the seat, while Wei Yang held onto his bag, resting it on his lap. At that moment, something inside the bag squirmed, as if there was a living creature inside. Wei Yang chuckled, pushed the bag forward slightly, and opened a small gap for Miss Jiang to peek inside, “It’s a turtle. I’m taking it back for my advisor to make soup.”

“Such a big turtle!” The girl glanced inside and exclaimed in surprise, “How did you get it through security? Didn’t they stop you?”

“I just told the security it was for soup.” Wei Yang reached out to zip the bag back up, but his wrist was suddenly bitten by the turtle. His lips twitched, and he gave the turtle a light tap on the head before closing the bag and continuing to chat with the girl.

In truth, bringing the turtle along this time was partly out of necessity. Sun Muhua had been thoroughly tormented by the turtle and had begged tearfully not to take care of the old fellow anymore. Since this trip back home might take some time, and the turtle had been found on the mountain path near his hometown, Wei Yang decided to bring it along. Of course, they hadn’t gone through regular security checks at the train station; they’d been escorted directly inside. The “soup” explanation would have to be saved for the return trip.

With his consistently warm, older-brotherly smile and gentlemanly demeanor, Wei Yang quickly earned the label of a “nice guy” in Miss Jiang’s mind. Her defenses were completely down, and soon she was chatting animatedly. However, one person’s talkativeness only highlighted the other’s silence. The girl couldn’t help but feel curious and leaned in to whisper, “Um, Brother Wei, does your senior brother not like me? He hasn’t said a word this whole time…”

Wei Yang’s lips curled into a smile as he whispered back, “My senior brother’s personality is as cold as ice. He just doesn’t like talking. Even our advisor is worried about him!”

Miss Jiang burst into laughter, “Then why did you choose to team up with him for fieldwork? Doesn’t it get boring?”

“Because my senior brother is handsome!” Wei Yang grinned openly, “He’s in charge of looking cool, and I’m in charge of being friendly. It’s called playing to our strengths.”

The girl couldn’t help but laugh even harder. As the center of the conversation, Zhang Xiuqi merely furrowed his brows slightly and glanced at Wei Yang. The look was subtle, but Wei Yang caught it and smiled back, picking up a piece of nougat from the table and handing it to him.

Their fingers brushed lightly, sending a tingling sensation through Zhang Xiuqi’s palm. He paused for a moment but didn’t refuse. Instead, he opened the wrapper and popped the candy into his mouth. Seeing such a cold and handsome guy eating candy with a straight face, Miss Jiang was momentarily stunned. Her heart began to race. In this day and age, the topic of same-sex relationships was incredibly popular. Even if she wasn’t particularly into it, she’d seen plenty of memes. She hadn’t thought about it earlier, but now that she looked closely, the dynamic between these two senior brothers was absolutely irresistible. She desperately wanted to post this on Weibo!

Completely unaware of the girl’s flustered thoughts, Wei Yang smoothly steered the conversation back to casual topics, occasionally pulling a shrimp from his pocket to placate the turtle in his bag. Returning home wasn’t exactly a joyous occasion for him, and perhaps due to stress, he found himself more sharp-tongued and talkative than usual, making him the perfect travel companion.

Before long, the train stopped again. Miss Jiang leaned over to look out the window, “Oh, we’re at another station!”

Indeed, they had arrived at another station. The downside of these short-distance green trains was the sheer number of small stops, each one requiring a halt. If they happened to encounter congestion, they’d have to yield to the T-series and K-series trains, which often led to delays. Today, however, seemed to be a lucky day. As the new batch of passengers settled in, the train started moving again.

This time, even fewer passengers boarded. Only a couple with a child walked into the carriage and took a seat not far away. However, as soon as the train started moving, the child in the woman’s arms began to cry. The child looked to be only two or three years old, but the wails were ear-piercing. Many passengers inwardly cursed, and several pairs of eyes turned toward the couple. Feeling the stares, the woman quickly pulled a bottle from her bag and shoved it into the child’s mouth.

But this action made Wei Yang, who had turned to look, frown slightly. He began to scrutinize the couple. They didn’t quite look like a typical pair. The woman appeared to be in her thirties, dressed like a rural housewife, while the man was noticeably younger, looking more like her younger brother than her husband. His attire was also quite plain. The child, however, was dressed in a stylish little outfit, looking rather adorable and well-dressed.

Yet, the couple’s attitude toward the child didn’t seem particularly loving. The man didn’t bother to comfort the crying child, and the woman simply forced the bottle into the child’s mouth, ignoring his choking coughs as she patted his back to make him drink. Strangely, after a few sips, the child stopped crying.

However, this seemingly ordinary scene made Wei Yang’s frown deepen. Without a word, he picked up his water bottle and smiled at the girl, “Xiao Jiang, I’m going to get some water. Do you want me to bring you some?”

Miss Jiang immediately nodded happily, “Thank you, Brother Wei! Just half a cup is fine.”

Wei Yang smiled and got up, heading toward the water dispenser. A moment later, he returned with two cups of water. However, as he passed the couple, the train jolted slightly, causing him to stumble. The travel mug in his hand slipped and fell into the woman’s lap. Fortunately, the cup was well-sealed, so the hot water didn’t spill, but it landed heavily on the child.

“Ah! I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” Wei Yang looked startled and immediately stepped forward to apologize, but the man sitting on the outside blocked him. The man didn’t seem angry, simply handing the cup back, “It’s fine. Be more careful next time.”

Wei Yang gave the woman an apologetic smile, but she didn’t even glance at him, simply pulling the child closer and leaning against the window without a word. The little boy, however, remained asleep, his head tilted to the side as he nestled in the woman’s arms. His eyes were red and swollen, as if he had been crying for a long time.

Wei Yang glanced at the listless child but didn’t say anything, simply returning to his seat with the water cup. Miss Jiang asked nervously, “Brother Wei, is everything okay?”

Wei Yang smiled at her and handed her the half-filled cup, “It’s fine. I just tripped.”

As he spoke, his gaze lingered on the “couple” and the child in their arms. He was perfectly fine, but those two—well, that was another matter.