country bumpkin

Chapter 324 Getting off the train

Darkness fell quickly, and the train continued its journey without stopping, clattering along.

During this time, carts selling meals, snacks, and drinks passed by. Someone bought a boxed meal for 20 yuan.

The four little girls stared at each other, thinking, "Too expensive! We can't afford it, we can't afford it."

The group took out their food and prepared to eat. Yun Ya brought scallion pancakes, Zhu Yanan brought large steamed buns, and Bai Yan and Tong Jiahui both brought instant noodles.

This shows how precious Tong Jiahui and Bai Yan are in their family's eyes.

A bucket of instant noodles costs 2 yuan, and their family even prepared it for them, which made Yunya envious for quite a while.

Although she had enough money to buy a bucket and bring it with her, she had experienced hardship and couldn't bear to part with it.

When Bai Yan and Tong Jiahui opened the lids of the instant noodles they had prepared, the unique and enticing aroma of the noodles filled the entire train carriage.

That naughty little boy was making a fuss because of the delicious smell, begging his mother to buy him instant noodles.

His mother was at her wits' end, her head aching from the child's constant noise, and her arms aching and numb from being shaken by her son.

So she said to a passing female attendant, "Hello! Do you sell cup noodles on your train?"

The flight attendant smiled and said, "Yes, ma'am. How many buckets would you like? I'll bring them to you in a bit."

The boy's mother thought for a moment and said, "Take two buckets!"

After saying goodbye, the female flight attendant hurried back to get her instant noodles.

After a while, the female flight attendant returned carrying a bucket of freshly prepared instant noodles and another bucket of unopened instant noodles. They were steaming hot, and the aroma was even stronger.

The little boy immediately quieted down, his eyes fixed on the instant noodles.

His mother paid for the bucket, handed one bucket to the little boy, and put the unopened bucket into the cloth bag she was carrying.

The little boy eagerly took it and ate it in big bites, mumbling "Delicious, delicious" indistinctly.

Seeing the little boy eating so heartily, Yunya and the others seemed to have their already full stomachs whetted again.

Zhu Yanan whispered, "This instant noodles smell really good." Yun Ya swallowed, her heart wavering.

Just then, Bai Yan suddenly pushed her unfinished instant noodles in front of Yun Ya and said, "Yun Ya, you try it, I can't finish it."

Yun Ya was a little embarrassed. "This... isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

Bai Yan smiled and said, "It's nothing, there's no need for us to be so polite."

Yunya carefully took it, took a small bite, and the rich broth and chewy noodles spread in her mouth. She couldn't help but exclaim, "It's so delicious!"

The train continued its clattering journey, the carriage filled with the aroma of instant noodles and the cheerful laughter of the passengers.

After rinsing the instant noodles, a large bottle of noodle water remained. It still smelled delicious, so Yunya and Baiyan took turns drinking the entire bottle of water.

This is not surprising at all; they would share instant noodle water in their dorm room from then on.

After eating and drinking their fill, they felt a bit listless and sleepy. Bai Yan, Zhu Yanan, and Tong Jiahui were all drowsy and drowsy.

Yunya felt a little nauseous, wondering if she was getting train sick. But looking out the window at the pitch black outside, it seemed to be past midnight.

She realized it wasn't motion sickness, but rather that her constitution, which prevents her from staying up late, was tormenting her again.

She took out a bag of sour pulp tablets that she had prepared before getting on the bus, opened the paper package, pinched off a piece and put it in her mouth.

The sweet and sour taste made her tongue instantly produce a lot of saliva. After swallowing, she did feel less nauseous.

It seems that eating the sour hawthorn slices is somewhat effective. So she continued eating the remaining sour residue slices.

Before I knew it, I had finished a whole bunch of sour pulp tablets, and the nausea and discomfort seemed to have disappeared.

Yunya felt much better, but then she got sleepy and fell asleep on the small table.

All four girls were asleep, and the carriage quieted down in the latter half of the night. Occasionally, one or two snores could be heard, but they didn't wake the sleeping people.

When I opened my eyes again, the train had already arrived at the station. Looking at the sky, it seemed to be around 5 o'clock, and the sky was still a bit gray.

The group followed the main group off the train toward the exit. As soon as they stepped out of the station, they saw Bai Rui waiting for them.

Standing next to Bai Rui was a young man in his early twenties, tall and slender with yellow skin, a side-parted hairstyle, big eyes, a high nose, and full lips. He was very handsome.

Bai Yan saw her sister calling out and waving at her, and came over to her, calling out to her.

"Sister, brother, you've been here for a while now!"

Seeing this, Yunya and the other two girls also called out "sister" and "brother." Bai Rui smiled, picked up Bai Yan's bundle, and called everyone to the tricycle they had brought.

Later, Bai Yan explained that the man was her sister's boyfriend. He was introduced to her by a local woman from their workshop. And the young man was also a local.

Once on the motorcycle tricycle, the young man straddled the driver's seat and slowly started the vehicle.

Along the way, a gust of wind whistled against their faces, and Yunya and the others all shrank their necks.

It's only early February and the weather is still cold. Sitting on the tricycle, even though it's not going fast, my face is scratched and my hair is all messed up.

Bai Rui, sitting in the passenger seat, turned back and smiled at them, saying, "Just a little longer, we'll be there soon."

The vehicle bumped along the potholed road, and everyone was somewhat silent, with only the sound of the wind and the roar of the engine to be heard.

Suddenly, the tricycle braked sharply. It turned out a small dog was crossing the road. The young man quickly got off to check if the dog was hurt. Fortunately, the dog was clever and wasn't hit. It ran away in a flash and disappeared from sight.

Once they were back on the road, the atmosphere relaxed a bit. Bai Yan said, "This little dog is really brave." Everyone laughed.

After a while, the sky gradually turned a pale white, and the outlines of the distant mountains slowly became clear. Yunya looked at this unfamiliar and novel scene, feeling both nervous and expectant.

Finally, the tricycle stopped in front of a house in a village.

Bai Rui gestured for everyone to get off the bus, saying, "You'll be staying here for the next few days. Make yourself at home and don't be shy."

Yunya and the others got off the bus carrying their bundles. The whole village was filled with low, tiled houses.

They followed Bai Rui into the courtyard, where they saw that it was very clean and there were no poultry or livestock.

Unlike the rural areas they had seen, where homes were full of poultry and livestock, and the pigsty smelled terrible in the summer.

The place feels tidy, clean, spacious, and desolate. It's as if something is missing.

They were still walking and hadn't even entered the house when two elderly people came out to greet them. The old man was tall and thin with dark skin, and his legs were particularly long and thin.

The old lady was also extremely thin, with little flesh on her face, sunken eyes, and skin clinging to her bones on her arms. Anyone who didn't know better would think she had been smoking opium!

They looked so frail, as if a strong gust of wind could blow them away.

This family gives the impression of being "thin," as if the whole family has been suffering from long-term malnutrition and has lost weight.

The three girls exchanged glances and then greeted someone together.

Bai Rui introduced them, saying that these were her mother-in-law and father-in-law. The girls, along with Bai Yan, greeted them, "Hello, Auntie and Uncle!"

The elderly couple smiled and invited them into the house, where they carried their luggage and bundles.

Once inside, you enter the living room. To the right of the living room is a wall; there is no east-facing room.

To the left of the living room is a square stove. The stove extends westward through the wall into the west-facing bedroom.

The west room is a large bedroom. Against the north wall of the bedroom is a tall table with two wooden chairs next to it.

Opposite the north wall, against the south wall, was a large kang (a heated brick bed), with a window above it. This was the first time Yunya had ever seen a kang.

It resembled a large, rectangular stone block, looking very sturdy. This large kang (heated brick bed) extended westward to the base of the west wall, separated by a stone wall. This created two bedrooms.

Bai Rui led the group into the bedroom and placed their luggage on the kang (a heated brick bed) on the far west side.

Then she said, "You all can sleep here tonight, my parents-in-law and I will go to stay somewhere else."

The four girls nodded in agreement. Then the old lady went out to prepare the meal.

Bai Rui took off her shoes and climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), then moved a small table from the corner of the wall over. She explained, "They eat their meals at the small table on the kang here, and we'll eat here too in a bit."

Yunya thought to herself, "Won't eating in the place where I sleep leave food scraps and oil everywhere? Lying down must be so uncomfortable!"