Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 943 Fun in the car
Wang Zhan and his sister boarded the train from Xizhimen. The train passed through Fengtai, Qianmen, Xizhimen, Tsinghua, Changping, Nankou, Kangzhuang, Zhangjiakou, Datong, Fengzhen, Hongshaba, Pingdiquan, Zhuozishan, Suiyuancheng, Bikeqi, Salaqi and other stations, and finally arrived in Baotou.

When they arrived at Changping Station, no one got on the berth opposite. The brother and sister were tired after a whole day of hard work, so they ate some food they brought with them and went to sleep.

In the middle of the night, Wang Zhan was awakened by a chewing sound. When he opened his eyes, he saw that someone had come to the lower bunk opposite. This person was holding a Mongolian knife, slicing a leg of lamb, and then eating it with a bowl of chives. The whole carriage was filled with the smell of lamb, which was very tempting. There was also an unmarked wine bottle next to the table in the middle, which seemed to contain white wine. The man ate the meat and wine at the same time.

The man saw Wang Zhan sitting up across from him, so he smiled and greeted him, saying, "Sorry to wake you up, do you want to eat something together?"

Wang Zhan was not used to eating meat in the middle of the night, so he smiled and said, "It's okay, you eat yours, I'll go out and smoke a cigarette."

Wang Zhan stood up and looked at his sister on the upper bunk. Seeing that she was sleeping soundly, he felt relieved. He walked to the aisle between the two carriages, lit a cigarette, and stared at his own berth.

Wang Zhan looked at the man opposite him, who was obviously a Mongolian. It seemed that he was going home, so he didn't pay much attention to him. After smoking a cigarette, Wang Zhan returned to his berth.

After tidying up the quilt that covered his sister, he sat down. The man opposite him lowered his voice and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I've been busy all day, so I only ate something when I got on the bus."

"It's okay. It's not easy when you are away from home. By the way, uncle, are you going home?" Wang Zhan had nothing to do, so he started chatting with the person opposite him.

"Yeah, I've been away for more than two months. I really miss home." said the man who was eating lamb leg.

After chatting for a while, Wang Zhan learned that the man was called Bater, a Mongolian from Xilingol League. His main job was to transport sheep to Sijiu City. He was also a public official, and this time he was on a business trip to deliver sheep.

Bater also proudly told Wang Zhan that all the sheep in Donglaishun were supplied by them, including the sheep in Haizi.

Wang Zhan asked, "Then why didn't you get on the bus from Xizhimen or Qianmen?"

"Oh, I went to collect debts. After collecting debts and remitting the money, I got on the bus directly from Changping. How could I sell sheep only to Sijiucheng? We sell them as we go, and then come back to collect debts. In a while, I will get off the bus at Zhangjiakou." Bater said.

"We haven't reached Zhangjiakou yet. I was so sleepy that I thought we had already reached Shanxi, haha." Wang Zhan said.

"Where are you going, little brother?" asked Battelle.

Wang Zhan replied, "Go to Wolf Mountain. Do you know where it is?"

"WLTHQ, your place is far away, there is no traffic, and there are not many people. When you get off in Baotou, you will probably have to find a horse. You can rent it there, but the cost is not low." Bater said patiently.

Wang Zhan frowned and said, "Is there no other means of transportation?"

"Really not. By the way, I heard that there is a group of bandits over there. They are elusive and rob convoys on the road. The army has organized several anti-bandit operations but failed to find them. If you must go, you have to be careful. But I still advise you not to go if you can. By the way, where are you going in Langshan?" asked Bater.

"Is there a Sun Family Fort in Langshan? I'll go there. It's my first time there too." Wang Zhan said.

Bater thought for a moment and said, "I haven't heard of it. There are a lot of places with Han Chinese names in our area, and I really haven't heard of it."

Wang Zhan was a little disappointed. In fact, he only knew that Sunjiabaozi was in Langshan, but he didn't know where it was, nor how to find it. He could only ask around there. The two chatted for a short while before arriving at Zhangjiakou. Bater, carrying a shoulder bag, packed his things and said goodbye to Wang Zhan. After he left, the two of them were the only ones left in the small box.

Wang Zhan had always thought that this trip would be smooth, but unexpectedly, the car stopped in the middle of the night. Wang Zhan didn’t know where it stopped. He only knew that there were mountains nearby and a river passing under the mountains, but Wang Zhan knew that they had passed Datong.

Many passengers asked the conductor, who explained that the train was making a routine stop and was refilling water. Wang Zhan didn't know why the train was refilling water. Was it for the passengers to drink? But it took more than an hour to refill. Why? Was there so much water to refill?
At this time, Wang Li woke up in a daze. When she woke up, she found that the car had stopped. She asked her brother if he had arrived at the station. Wang Zhan said no, they were refilling water on the train.

Wang Li asked, "Do you need to drink water on the train? Brother, don't lie to me."

"No way, that's what the conductor said. I'm not very familiar with trains, so I don't know whether it's true or not," said Wang Zhan.

"Oh, brother, I need some water too. I'm thirsty." Wang Li said.

Wang Zhan chuckled and handed over the kettle.

After stopping for more than an hour, the train slowly started moving. Wang Zhan and his sister breathed a sigh of relief. It looked like they would be able to reach Baotou tomorrow morning. If it took longer, they would probably have to stay in Baotou for another night.

Not long after the train started, a woman with a headscarf on her head, a sack on her back, and a baby in her arms, walked down the aisle, looking around. When she came to Wang Zhan's compartment, she stopped, hesitated for a long time, and said, "Brother, is there anyone sitting opposite you?"

Wang Zhan shook his head and said, "Not yet."

"Can I rest here for a while? My son has fallen asleep and there is really no space over there on the hard seats. I'm also very tired." The woman said embarrassedly.

Wang Zhan smiled and said, "It's okay, you can rest there. If someone comes up, you can come over to my place. I share a bed with my sister."

"Yes, auntie, just stay there, it's okay, I'll go down and see if it's a brother or a sister." Wang Li said as she climbed down from the upper bunk.

The woman smiled and said, "It's my younger brother. My husband is in the army. I'm taking the child to visit relatives. We'll get off in Salaqi." As she said that, the woman put the child on the bed and untied the bandage on the quilt.

This binding did make the child a little uncomfortable, but when the child was put on the bed, his arms naturally opened up. Looking at the calmness on his face, everyone knew that the child also knew and was now much more comfortable.

Wang Li lay on the bed, looking at the sleeping baby, with a smile on her face. Wang Li asked, "Auntie, what's the baby's name?"

"Xiao Zhan, nicknamed Fatty." The woman looked at the child with a kind smile on her face.

"Ah, brother, he has the same name as you." Wang Li turned her head and said.

Wang Zhan was also looking at the little baby and said with a smile, "It means he and I are destined to be together."

(End of this chapter)