Starting from 40, holding the Star Mall to lead the motherland

Chapter 28 On the Train

The train station was packed. Han Hui carried Huang Shufen on her back, while Xiaocao carried the luggage. Knowing there would be food on the train, they packed their clothes and some snacks, leaving everything else behind.

Suddenly, Xiaocao shouted loudly: "My bag, my bag..."

Han Hui saw Xiaocao's handbag fall out of her hand due to the crowd's pressure, and then someone quickly picked it up and ran away. The person was as slippery as a loach, running through the crowd.

With Han Hui's kung fu skills, she could definitely catch up, but the package only contained some snacks and nothing valuable, and she couldn't leave Huang Shufen behind to chase a thief.

Han Hui said, "Xiaocao, stop shouting, let's get in the car!"

Xiaocao held the remaining packages tightly and followed Han Hui.

After squeezing through the crowd, the three of them finally got on the bus. After finding their seats, Han Hui put Huang Shufen down and couldn't help wiping the sweat off her face.

It's a hot day and there are so many people. This train station is like a steamer.

Huang Shufen saw Xiaocao's clothes and said, "Why is there a hole in your clothes?"

It wasn't that the clothes were torn, but that Xiaocao's pocket was cut by someone with a knife.

Xiaocao searched her pockets and found that the few cents she had put in them were gone. She was so anxious: "Miss, Miss, can you please check if your money is still there?"

It doesn't matter if she lost a few cents, but the lady's money must not be lost, otherwise she will be starving in Shanghai.

Han Hui carried a shoulder bag, and when she packed her things that morning, she put all her money and gold and silver jewelry inside in front of Xiaocao and Huang Shufen. However, when she went to the bathroom on her way out, she moved the money and jewelry into the space.

Seeing that her bag was intact, Xiaocao finally felt relieved: "Madam, Miss, you guys sleep on the lower bunk, I'll sleep on the upper bunk!"

Han Hui shook her head and said, "Mom, Xiaocao and I will sleep on the lower bunk, and you can sleep above me. Mom, there are all kinds of people on the train, so it's safer for you to sleep above me."

"Okay," Huang Shufen said. She knew her own shortcomings: her weak temper and limited knowledge, but her daughter was capable, so she followed her instructions.

Soon a mother and son came in. The old lady looked at the three of them, then said to Xiaocao, "Little girl, I bought the middle berth. Can you switch seats with us?"

Xiaocao looked at Han Hui and asked for her opinion.

Han Hui looked at the old lady's shrewd expression and disliked it. She said expressionlessly, "No."

The old lady said with a sullen face: "How can you be so cold-blooded? I am so old..."

He is indeed not an easy person to get along with, but it is also hard to live with such a person for two days and two nights.

At this moment, three more people came over, a man, a woman, and a little girl. The man was very strong. He checked the carriage number and after confirming that it was okay, he said, "Sister-in-law, Xiaoxue, this is it."

The man pushed the old lady aside and put the luggage on the bed on the grass: "Sister-in-law, the middle and upper bunks are your places."

What else did Han Hui not understand? This old lady was not from this carriage at all.

The old lady's son said, "Girl, my mother is old and has difficulty walking..."

Before she could finish, Han Hui started yelling, "Since she has difficulty walking, why don't you just buy her a ticket for the lower berth? If you want to, go find someone else. Don't get in my way here, or I'll beat you up."

Seeing that Han Hui was about to hit someone, the son pulled the old lady away.

The woman looked at Huang Shufen and said, "Sister, my child and I are going to Shanghai. I wonder where you are going?"

"We are going to Shanghai too."

The woman took out a small bag of fruit candy from her luggage bag and handed it to Han Hui: "Sister, my niece and I have never been far away. Can we take care of each other on the road?" Huang Shufen looked down at Han Hui.

Han Hui looked at the mother and daughter. The woman had a weathered face and calluses on her hands, but she seemed to be a straightforward person. The daughter looked to be about ten years old, and it was obvious that she was a little timid.

"can."

As the train was about to depart, the last passenger arrived. He wore gold-rimmed glasses, a long gown, and carried a wicker box. From his appearance, it was clear he was an intellectual.

Han Hui had sharp eyes and recognized the man carrying a suitcase on the street at first sight.

The man looked around and said to Han Hui politely, "Little girl, I'm sorry, I've been afraid of heights since I was a child. I was notified at the last minute that I couldn't buy a lower berth ticket to Shanghai. Can we switch seats? Don't worry, I'll give you ten yuan."

Han Hui readily agreed and said to Xiao Cao, "Switch seats with this uncle."

Xiaocao got up without saying a word, packed his things and climbed onto the bed above Huang Shufen.

The man handed Han Hui the ten dollars he had promised.

After Han Hui took the money, she gave him four yuan in change: "Just make up the difference, no need to pay more."

She didn't need the six dollars, but she had just argued with the old lady, and it would seem strange if she didn't accept it now.

Huang Shufen felt a little awkward. At her age, she had never lived in the same room with a man other than her husband.

Han Hui knew that Huang Shufen was rather conservative, so after the man put the wicker box under the seat, she asked, "Uncle, how old are you this year?"

The man didn't expect to be asked his age. He smiled and said, "My name is Wang Chuan, and I'm 28."

Judging from his face, he was indeed around 30 years old. Han Hui smiled and said, "My brother is 23 years old, and you are five years older than him."

Huang Shufen knew the man's age and relaxed. He was only five years younger than her son, so he was considered her junior. It was no big deal for them to be in the same room.

"Brother Wang, what do you do? I think you look like a teacher."

Zhuo Changdong smiled and said that he was indeed a teacher: "I teach Chinese at No. 1 Middle School."

After chatting for a few sentences, Han Hui yawned and told Huang Shufen to go to bed if she had anything else to do.

Wang Chuan was stunned when he heard the light snoring. This sleep was too good. He fell asleep in less than a minute.

Huang Shufen thought that the money and jewelry were all with Han Hui, so she didn't dare to sleep well. She felt nervous every time someone passed by their carriage.

Seeing this, Mr. Wang struck up a conversation with Huang Shufen, learning that she and her daughter were from Fengxian County and were traveling to Shanghai to search for relatives. He then learned about Han Yongjing's workplace and Han Mengyang's disappearance.

The woman sleeping in the upper bunk of Zhuo Changdong's sleeper was also quite nervous, as it was her first time on a sleeper. Listening to the two's conversation, she felt sympathy for Huang Shufen's situation and said comfortingly, "Sister, your son will surely find good fortune. I haven't heard from my husband in eight years. Everyone thought he was dead, including me, and I even built a cenotaph for him. I didn't expect he's still alive. He sent a letter home a while ago asking me to take the children to Shanghai to reunite with him."

Seeing that they started chatting, Wang Chuan stopped interrupting and listened attentively.

Han Hui was awakened by a burst of delicious food. She got up and found that the train had stopped, and there were many people selling things on the platform. Some were selling roast chicken, roast goose, and some were selling egg pancakes.

The smell was so delicious that Han Hui wanted to eat it very much. She shouted at the window, and when the vendor responded, she got out of the car to buy it.

After ordering a roast goose and then going to the side to buy a lotus leaf chicken, Han Hui was paying when a child accidentally bumped into a short, stocky man. Han Hui saw that the man had a gun on his waist.

(End of this chapter)