Chapter 4: On the Train

Su Qiao returned, and Fang Xiaofeng once again gave up the seat by the window to his mother.

“Are you all hungry?”

“Not yet. I ate a big lunchbox of scallion oil egg pancakes earlier, how could I be hungry?” Su Mu didn’t tell his sister that he could go a whole day without eating and still not feel hungry.

Su Qiao looked at her cousin’s thin face and said no more. Instead, she stuffed two boiled eggs, two pieces of scallion egg pancakes, and a pair of chopsticks with pickled vegetables into his hands.

The sudden aroma that wafted out caused the surrounding chatter to pause for five seconds.

When everyone turned toward the scent, they saw the three sitting together enjoying their meal heartily.

Su Mu wasn’t pretentious—whatever his sister gave, he ate.

Though they were cousins, there was no real difference between them and siblings.

No one really knew why, but for several generations, the Su family had always been small in number. The previous generation consisted of just two elder brothers—Su Qiao’s father and Su Mu’s father.

Those two brothers had a hard life; both only had children in middle age, just one child each, making Su Qiao and Su Mu the only cousins.

After Su Qiao married and had two children, the elder brothers were overjoyed, thinking the family’s fortunes had turned around.

But when it came to Su Mu, he was already thirty this year, and his wife’s belly showed no sign of pregnancy.

Fortunately, the elders of the Su family understood and never pressured them, always saying to let nature take its course.

...

Su Qiao was lost in thought, and Su Mu and Fang Xiaofeng, sensing her distress, refrained from disturbing her.

By the time night had fully descended outside, the noise inside the carriage gradually softened.

The night on the train felt endless. Most passengers had fallen asleep, including Su Mu and Fang Xiaofeng.

But Su Qiao couldn’t sleep; her eyes stared out into the pitch-black window, silently praying that Fang Xiaoying was safe.

---

She didn’t know how long she had been sitting like that. Only when drowsiness crept in did she slowly close her eyes.

When dawn broke unknowingly, Su Qiao woke first. She went to freshen up and use the restroom, then sent Su Mu to accompany Fang Xiaofeng.

Once they finished washing up, Su Mu refilled the army-style thermos that Xiaofeng was carrying with hot water.

“Sis, drink some water.”

“Not yet, I’m not thirsty,” Su Qiao said, feeling pain in her mouth and throat.

Fang Xiaofeng, with sharp eyes, noticed first. “Mom, you have a patch of blisters on your lips.”

“Sis, your voice is hoarse too.”

“I’m fine.”

Though Su Qiao insisted she was fine, Su Mu and Fang Xiaofeng knew she was suffering from heatiness.

“We should eat something first. Once we get off the train, there won’t be time to eat.”

“I’ll follow sis’s advice.”

Fang Xiaofeng nodded in agreement.

Without waiting for Su Mu and Xiaofeng to settle, Su Qiao pulled out a paper bag from her bag that was very much a product of its time.

Su Mu looked at the bag, stained with grease, and caught the familiar scent of oil. He blurted out, “Sis, is this the Suozi cake from our city’s food factory?”

Su Qiao didn’t really know what the actual Suozi cake from the city’s food factory looked like. Hers was bought from the old-fashioned pastry counter at a convenience store.

Fang Xiaofeng felt like his mom’s handbag was a treasure trove, always pulling out delicious treats. He loved it.

As Fang Xiaofeng happily ate, he noticed someone watching him from across the aisle.

He looked over and saw a little boy, about a year old, staring at the Suozi cake in his hands with longing eyes.

---

That look reminded Fang Xiaofeng of his own childhood, watching his cousin eat something good with the same longing eyes. So he broke off a small piece of the cake and handed it to the boy.

The little boy, surprised and delighted, cupped his hands in a New Year’s greeting gesture and thanked Fang Xiaofeng before taking the cake.

“Mom, look at this kid, so polite and knows to say thank you.”

“Hmm, this child is well taught, just like my son—both good kids.”

Hearing his mother’s indirect praise, Fang Xiaofeng smiled shyly. The little boy, blushing, clung shyly to his mother’s arms.

The young wife, just awakened, was at first annoyed with herself for falling asleep. Seeing her son safe and sound in her arms, she breathed a long sigh of relief.

But when she noticed the greasy, sweet-smelling Suozi cake clutched tightly in her son’s little hand, she looked nervously at Su Qiao. “This thing is precious, almost as valuable as meat…”

She wanted to say she couldn’t accept it, but seeing her son’s small hand holding on so firmly, she didn’t know what else to say.

Su Qiao, sensing her embarrassment, changed the subject. “We’ll get off at Shan City train station. What about you?”

“I’m getting off at Shan City too. My maiden home is the Hongqi Commune, Xiangyang Brigade.”

Hearing the familiar place names, Su Qiao felt like saying it was fate. “We’re going to Hongqi Commune, Xiangyang Brigade as well. My daughter is a sent-down youth there; we’re going to visit her.”

“Your daughter is a sent-down youth at Xiangyang Brigade? What a coincidence—we’re traveling the same way.” Liu Xiuhua, unexpectedly struck by the coincidence, immediately opened up. “My father is Liu Changfu, the brigade chief of Xiangyang Brigade. I’m Liu Xiuhua, and this is my son, nicknamed Guagua.”

Su Qiao hadn’t expected such good luck—to meet someone from Xiangyang Brigade on the train, and the daughter of the brigade chief at that.

Liu Xiuhua was an outgoing and talkative young woman. Once she considered someone a friend, she shared the troubles she had faced over the last two days.

“I was traveling with my son from North County back to my parents’ home by train. As soon as I got on, my wallet and luggage were stolen.”