"Thank you," the woman said, her face full of gratitude. She set her son down on the bed. "Be a good boy, Ruibao. Let Mommy put our things away, okay?"
Despite her gentle tone, the boy didn’t give the slightest response. He just played with his own fingers, completely absorbed in his own world.
It was then that everyone realized there was something different about the child.
Xiuxiu looked up at her mother with a curious expression, clearly wanting to ask what was wrong with the little boy. But when she saw Bai Jiu shake her head, she held her tongue and simply stared at him.
Truth be told, the boy was exceptionally good-looking. With bright eyes and a very fair, clean complexion, he didn’t look like he came from a poor family at all. Yet, their clothes told a different story, suggesting the mother and son were quite impoverished. Most people traveling far from home would wear their best outfits, but these two were dressed in garments covered in patches from head to toe. It was a puzzling contradiction.
Bai Jiu and Gao Zhijun exchanged a glance, both seeing the same confusion in each other’s eyes. Fortunately, after the woman finished organizing her things, she offered an explanation.
"I’m sorry, my son doesn’t like to talk, and he doesn’t like playing with others." Though she tried to act nonchalant, she couldn’t hide the deep sorrow in her eyes.
"It’s okay. It’s perfectly normal for a child to be introverted," Bai Jiu replied.
Xiuxiu, however, couldn’t contain her curiosity anymore. She slid off her mother’s lap and slowly approached the little boy. Whether he sensed someone getting closer or not, he actually shifted, pressing himself tighter against his mother.
"Mommy," Xiuxiu said, turning back to look at her mother with a hurt expression.
"Be a good girl, Xiuxiu. Come let Mommy hold you, okay? The little boy doesn’t know you yet. You can play together once you’re familiar with each other, alright?"
Ever since Gao Zhijun returned, Xiuxiu had been increasingly spoiled and was becoming a bit delicate. Fortunately, she hadn’t changed too much overall—she just had a hard time handling being ignored by others. Perhaps because she had suffered so much neglect in the past, she showed a clear aversion to anyone who gave her the cold shoulder now. Just a moment ago she had wanted to play with him, but now she ran straight to her brother’s side. Sure enough, once surrounded by love again, Xiuxiu smiled.
"I’m so sorry," the woman apologized, feeling embarrassed when she saw Xiuxiu’s reaction.
If it hadn’t been for what happened back then, her son wouldn’t have ended up like this. This time, if she hadn’t put her life on the line, she feared she never would have escaped that hellhole. Thank goodness her parents had been rehabilitated and reinstated. Now she finally had someone to rely on. If it hadn’t been for that... she never would have married that man in the first place.
Bai Jiu wasn’t one to pry into other people’s business. Since the woman didn’t want to elaborate, she naturally wouldn’t ask.
"It’s fine. Kids can be a bit tactless, I hope you don’t mind," Bai Jiu said. Xiuxiu had indeed overreacted a bit.
Gao Zhijun patted the top of Xiuxiu’s head; he couldn’t bring himself to scold his daughter.
Silence fell over their section. Fortunately, the ambient noise from the rest of the train soon drifted over, filling the quiet.
A day into the train ride, all six berths in their compartment were finally occupied.
Bai Jiu would have been much happier if the two latecomers had been a bit quieter.
"Bao Yue, have you seen my scented soap? I can’t find it anywhere!" The person on the top bunk had been chattering away loudly ever since they boarded. It was night, a time when everyone was supposed to be resting.
The young woman who had boarded with her lowered her voice slightly. "Ai Ping, let’s look for it tomorrow. The people below us are already resting."
Whether in the city or the countryside, everyone was accustomed to sleeping early and waking up early, as there was simply no nighttime entertainment.
"Hmph, it’s none of their business," Ai Ping grumbled, clearly displeased by Bao Yue’s remark. "Who goes to sleep this early? Like a bunch of pigs." She was especially annoyed by the person snoring in the bunk right beneath hers.
The passenger in the middle bunk above Gao Zhijun was a middle-aged man carrying a briefcase. One look and you could tell he was someone who traveled frequently for work. He spoke very little; aside from a brief greeting when he first arrived, he hadn’t made a sound. Most of the time, he just listened and smiled politely, offering no further comment.
"So noisy!" Ai Ping yelled in annoyance.
Bai Jiu had woken up when the two girls boarded. Now, this sudden shout startled Xiuxiu in her arms.
The little girl groggily opened her eyes. "Mommy."
"Don’t be scared, Mommy’s here. Go back to sleep," Bai Jiu coaxed softly. It took quite a while before she finally lulled the child back into a deep slumber.
She wrapped the blanket tightly around Xiuxiu. The train windows were still open despite the late hour, and the cool night breeze was drifting in; she didn’t want the child to catch a chill.
"Miss, could you keep your voice down? It’s getting late. Can’t you see everyone is trying to sleep?" Bai Jiu was never one to suffer in silence, nor would she indulge other people’s bad behavior. She deliberately kept her own voice low as she spoke, afraid of disturbing the other passengers.
"None of your damn business! Why is there always someone sticking their nose where it doesn’t belong?" Ai Ping was visibly upset at being reprimanded.
Bai Jiu was about to retort when Gao Zhijun reached out from his berth and grabbed her hand, shaking his head. They were out in public, far from home, and some unpleasantness was inevitable.
Bai Jiu glared at the top bunk, her sleep completely ruined. She sat up and stared out the train window. Outside, it was pitch black, a stark contrast to the world she used to know, where the neon lights and bustling nightlife were dazzlingly bright. However, Blue Country would eventually see its own springtime, and those vibrant days weren’t too far away.
Seeing that Bai Jiu didn’t talk back, the girl on the top bunk puffed up like a triumphant rooster, lifting her head proudly. "A country bumpkin is just a country bumpkin." Heaven knew where she got her sense of superiority.
"Ai Ping, that’s enough," her friend said, unable to watch this go on. "It’s late, let’s just go to sleep. It’s still another two or three days until we reach Beijing City."
Bao Yue was someone who actually possessed a sense of shame. She knew Ai Ping had a terrible temper, and honestly, she found her incredibly annoying at times. If it weren’t for Ai Ping’s family background, she never would have agreed to travel with her. If her own family hadn’t been forced to beg Ai Ping’s family for a favor, she wouldn’t have associated with this kind of person even if it killed her.
Bai Jiu, of course, had no idea about the hidden drama between the two girls. She could stomach a lot of things, but she’d never swallow an insult.
"Who’s the bumpkin insulting?" Bai Jiu snapped, her temper flaring.
Riding this slow, green-skinned train was uncomfortable enough as it was. Running into a piece of work like this girl certainly didn’t improve her mood.
Seeing that the woman dared to talk back, Ai Ping immediately fired back, "The bumpkin is insulting you!"
"Since you know you’re a bumpkin, you’d better behave yourself," Bai Jiu retorted coldly. "This isn’t your house where you can do whatever you want. Keep acting up and see if I don’t slap you." Despite keeping her voice relatively low, the exchange still woke up the other passengers.
Gao Zhijun sat up in his bed as well. "Alright, don’t stoop to the level of someone like her," he said softly, not wanting his wife to ruin her health with anger.
If he hadn’t spoken, it might have ended there, but his words set the girl off completely. "What do you mean, ’someone like her’?! What kind of person am I? You’d better explain yourself!" Her voice was shrill and loud.
The passenger in the middle bunk was startled awake. The middle-aged man glanced down, then peered up, locking eyes with Ai Ping, who was glaring downward.
"What are you looking at? Keep staring and I’ll gouge your eyes out!" she cursed rudely.
Though the middle-aged man wasn’t much of a talker, it didn’t mean he was a pushover. "I’d like to see if you have the ability to try," he said evenly. His gaze didn’t waver in the slightest as he stared her down.
Perhaps intimidated by the intensity of his stare, Ai Ping quickly retracted her gaze. Fuming, she threw herself back onto her mattress, letting out loud THUMP, THUMP sounds.
The other girl was utterly mortified. Poking her head over the edge, she apologized to the compartment. "I’m so sorry, we disturbed your rest. We’re truly sorry, it won’t happen again. We’ll keep quiet."
Seeing that the young girl’s apology was sincere, the others let the matter drop without further fuss.
Soothed by Gao Zhijun, Bai Jiu finally drifted back to sleep.
Riding the train was truly an exhausting ordeal.
Just when Bai Jiu thought she couldn’t endure it any longer, the train finally arrived at their destination.
The two girls from the top bunks also got off at the same station. However, after that night’s altercation, they had gone out of their way to avoid Bai Jiu. Otherwise...