Chapter 74: Despair

A mushroom cloud seemed to explode in Shen Sangyu’s mind as she stared blankly at Wen Qingchuan.

Her face turned red from her neck to her ears, making her look beautiful, yet she pretended to be serious and nodded,

“You are right, give money when it is necessary, and never give money when it is not necessary.”

The Wen family didn’t like Wen Qingchuan. To put it bluntly, they treated him as a cash cow.

When they had money, they flattered him, but if something didn’t go their way, they would say hurtful things.

Fortunately, Wen Qingchuan was open-minded; he admitted that he had no kinship with them, so he never expected anything in return.

He just did what he felt he should do.

Shen Sangyu reflected that if it were her in that situation, she probably wouldn’t be as free and easy as Wen Qingchuan.

After pondering for a while, Shen Sangyu said, “You haven’t been home for many years.

No matter what, you should look good. Let’s bring some things over when the time comes.”

Wen Qingchuan nodded, “There are many people on the train, and it takes 20 hours.

There’s also a supply and marketing cooperative in the city over there. We can buy things when we get there.”

Shen Sangyu listened intently to his plan.

After the exam, Shen Sangyu didn’t rush into work immediately; instead, she thought about what she should do next.

Now, she wasn’t completely without resources. Gu Linzhang and Qin Duanshan were her connections.

She wanted to get involved with specific experiments as soon as possible, but the opportunities to engage in core experiments during college were limited.

At most, she could help her senior brothers and sisters and teachers at school and observe the data, but she didn’t need that.

What she wanted was to control the overall situation and be the one in charge.

Shen Sangyu contemplated her future plans daily, and as time went on, it was nearing the time to leave for Wen Qingchuan’s hometown.

The Wen family’s wedding was scheduled for July, but since the journey was long, they had to leave a week in advance.

Wen Qingchuan requested half a month’s leave and arranged for two train tickets to Ningcheng the day before departure.

Before leaving, Wen Qingchuan bought a lot of supplies.

He was worried that Shen Sangyu might suffer, so he purchased some of her favorite snacks and even prepared chocolates.

Shen Sangyu noticed how much Wen Qingchuan had spent just by looking at the bulging bags, but she didn’t mention it and accepted everything quietly.

However, she soon realized just how thoughtful Wen Qingchuan was!

Shen Sangyu had experienced train rides in her previous life. Once, due to a flight delay, she didn’t know when she would leave, and there were no high-speed rail tickets available, so her assistant booked a hard seat on a train.

It took her eighteen hours to arrive, but the environment was much better back then, with one seat per person.

Though not ideal, it was within an acceptable range for Shen Sangyu.

But now, when she arrived at the train station, she couldn’t stand it.

Not for any other reason, but because there were just too many people.

The weather in Sijiu City at the end of June was already brutal.

Shen Sangyu wore a white short-sleeved shirt, and by the time they reached the train station, her back was already soaked with sweat.

Wen Qingchuan bought a bottle of water for Shen Sangyu and said guiltily, “There was a sleeper berth available, but I didn’t buy it.”

Currently, trains were the main means of transportation, and many people were buying tickets, making the train station perpetually crowded.

Shen Sangyu wiped her sweat and replied, “Sleeper berth tickets are hard to come by. If I get tired of sitting, I’ll just stand up and walk around.”

Wen Qingchuan fell silent but silently took over most of the luggage. In the end, Shen Sangyu only held a bag of snacks.

After a difficult boarding process, Shen Sangyu had already adapted to the cramped, sweaty, and odorous environment. When she finally sat in her seat, she sighed deeply.

Shen Sangyu sat by the window, and Wen Qingchuan sat next to her, creating a barrier between her and the constant flow of people walking back and forth.

As the train started to move with a clang, the surrounding scenery continually changed. Shen Sangyu leaned back in her chair and dozed off.

But after only six hours of sitting, Shen Sangyu couldn’t take it anymore.

She soon realized she was feeling a bit carsick!

Shen Sangyu was not feeling well!

Wen Qingchuan had been paying close attention to her. Noticing that she had been frowning the second half of the journey and had eaten very little, he grew worried: “Are you feeling unwell?”

Shen Sangyu managed to respond through some discomfort, “Carsickness.”

She felt that it wasn’t necessarily just carsickness; it was more about the various smells on the train making her head feel stuffy at the moment.

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me.” Shen Sangyu opened her eyes with difficulty and reassured him, “I’ll feel much better once I get used to it.”

However, Wen Qingchuan’s brows were furrowed with concern.

Unable to hold back, Shen Sangyu reached out and gently smoothed Wen Qingchuan’s furrowed brow.

“Why do you like to frown so much? Don’t be unhappy; I really just need to rest for a while.”

It was one or two o’clock in the afternoon. Passengers on the train began to eat, and various smells wafted through the air, combining into an indescribable odor that penetrated Shen Sangyu’s nose.

Wen Qingchuan felt a slightly cold hand touch his eyebrows and was momentarily stunned.

He lowered his gaze, observing Shen Sangyu as she closed her eyes to rest again.

Looking at her pale lips, he murmured to himself, “I’m not angry; I’m worried about you.”

But Shen Sangyu didn’t hear him.

The train continued to move forward. Since Shen Sangyu was carsick, Wen Qingchuan didn’t dare to urge her to eat, fearing that it would make her feel worse. Instead, he decided to go to the train car and buy her a bottle of milk.

As night fell, the train stopped at a station for half an hour, and Shen Sangyu’s motion sickness gradually faded, only to be replaced by a rumbling stomach.

“Hungry?” Wen Qingchuan asked, noticing her stirring.

“Yeah,” she replied.

“I’ll go outside and buy you a meal. You can have some snacks to fill your stomach in the meantime.”

The food on the train wasn’t great, and since they had just stopped at the next station, many passengers disembarked to buy lunch.

Shen Sangyu didn’t want to eat on the train either, so she nodded and handed Wen Qingchuan ten yuan.

Wen Qingchuan hesitated, “I don’t need it.”

Shen Sangyu insisted, “Do you have any extra pocket money on you?”

Wen Qingchuan’s face flushed, and he quickly denied, “Not much.”

Shen Sangyu smiled, realizing that he did have some pocket money saved.

“Save your private money for yourself. It’s not much anyway. Don’t let it go to waste when you can’t even afford a box lunch.”

Wen Qingchuan originally wanted to say that the money for a box lunch was enough, but Shen Sangyu clearly meant for them to buy one box per person. Without hesitation, he took the money and headed to the platform to buy a box lunch.

After Shen Sangyu ate, her complexion returned to its usual pink hue.

Just then, the train started moving again. Shen Sangyu asked, “How long will it take to arrive?”

“It will get to Ningcheng by tomorrow morning.”

Shen Sangyu breathed a sigh of relief. In the 1970s, taking a train was akin to taking one’s life into their hands.

But Wen Qingchuan, who had been on the train for more than ten hours, didn’t seem tired at all.

Shen Sangyu admired his physical strength and sighed, “Finally, I can get home.”

Wen Qingchuan glanced at her and replied lightly, “No, I mean we will arrive at Ningcheng train station.”

Shen Sangyu: ? ? ?

Then she heard Wen Qingchuan continue, “It will take another six hours to get to Ningcheng by bus.”

Shen Sangyu: …

“And then we’ll walk for another three hours.”

Shen Sangyu: …

“Let me die.”