Chapter 63: The Journey

Everyone had arrived at the station, and there weren’t many seats available. Bai An let her dad and mom sit together while she and Cui Ju spread something on the ground beside them to sit on.

Lu Jin’an watched Bai An arrange everything but couldn’t help but sneer.

Hearing the sound, Bai An looked up and saw Lu Jin’an still standing there, calling out, “Brother, sit here.”

Seeing Bai An take out a piece of paper from her bag and place it beside her, it was clear she wanted Lu Jin’an to sit there.

Lu Jin’an coughed with some joy, saying, “You all sit first; I’ll go buy you something to eat.”

Wan Qing quickly shook her hand and took out a wrapped flatbread from her bag, saying, “There’s still some food here.”

“After such a long journey, we should eat something warm.” Lu Demin put the food Wan Qing had brought back into the bag and called out to Lu Jin’an, who was about to leave, “Buy a bit more.”

However, Wan Qing was still a bit worried, “What if we don’t have enough money?”

Cui Ju, who had been chatting with Bai An, heard Wan Qing’s concern and hurriedly handed her the money from her pocket, saying, “Aunt, I still have some money here.”

Wan Qing looked at the small amount of money and realized this was probably all Cui Ju’s mom could give her.

Gently patting Cui Ju’s head, she said softly, “How can I take your money? Just keep it.”

Lu Demin, standing nearby, also smiled and said, “It’s okay, we still have money. Don’t worry.”

Bai An took the money from Cui Ju and put it back into her pocket, saying, “Don’t worry.”

Seeing that they were unwilling to accept her money, Cui Ju felt a bit guilty and quietly said to Bai An, “I’ve troubled you for so long; why don’t you just take this money? I don’t have anything to repay you with.”

Bai An noticed Cui Ju’s unease and said, “How about this: if we really run out of money later, we can use yours then, so you can keep your money safe for now.”

“Really?” Cui Ju patted her pocket where she kept her money, saying earnestly, “Then you must use this money later.”

“Of course!” Bai An patted Cui Ju’s small money pouch.

When Lu Jin’an came back with five meat pies, he saw Bai An and Cui Ju whispering to each other.

With a hint of indulgence, he said, “Those two little girls chatting over there, why isn’t one of them helping to carry things?”

Hearing Lu Jin’an’s voice, Bai An looked up and saw her brother carrying food not far away. She quickly stood up, grabbed Cui Ju’s hand, and ran over to help.

“It smells so good.” Bai An lifted the paper bag and sniffed, “Brother, where did you buy this?”

Lu Jin’an pointed to the entrance of the station, saying, “Just nearby the station entrance; it’s easy to find.”

Bai An nodded and ran over to her parents with the meat pies, handing them over.

Wan Qing looked at the meat pie in her hand and smiled, saying, “It smells so good! By the time we finish this, we should be getting on the train.”

Lu Jin’an took a bite of the meat pie in his hand, saying, “We might still have to wait a little longer, but it won’t be long.”

Cui Ju, sitting close to Bai An, looked at the fragrant meat pie in her hand, feeling a bit excited and a bit nervous. After carefully taking a bite, her eyes widened in happiness.

Bai An noticed that Cui Ju had wrapped the half-eaten meat pie back up and put it in her bag, puzzled, she asked, “Cui Ju, aren’t you hungry? Why don’t you eat it quickly?”

Cui Ju smiled and said, “I can’t bear to eat this; I plan to savor it slowly. Otherwise, it feels like finishing it now would be too wasteful.”

“It’s fine.” Bai An leaned closer to Cui Ju’s ear and whispered, “Once we get on the train, there will be other delicious things to eat. Eating this meat pie now won’t be a problem.”

Cui Ju blinked her eyes, “Really?”

“Really.” Bai An smiled, “When have I ever lied to you?”

Cui Ju shook her head and took a big bite of the meat pie.

Seeing the two girls chatting so happily, Lu Jin’an couldn’t help but smile.

Once everyone had finished eating, Bai An looked at the trash in her hand and glanced around.

Noticing this, Lu Jin’an asked, “What are you looking for?”

“I’m looking for a trash can,” Bai An replied, holding up the garbage. “Otherwise, I don’t know where to throw this.”

Cui Ju was a bit confused about what Bai An meant by a trash can and asked, “What’s a trash can?”

Faced with this question suddenly, Bai An was momentarily stunned, “It’s a place to throw away garbage.”

“Oh, I just throw my trash where I see others throwing theirs,” Cui Ju pointed to a nearby dirt pit and said, “They throw away what they don’t want there.”

Bai An hesitated, looking at the garbage in her hand, wondering if she should throw it in there, but mainly because it didn’t seem like a proper place for trash.

Just as Bai An was unsure, someone suddenly took the garbage from her hand.

“I’ll hold it for you; we can deal with it when we find a proper place,” Lu Jin’an said as he placed Bai An’s paper bag with his own and turned to take their parents’ trash as well.

Bai An nodded and said, “Then let’s go.”

Cui Ju happily pulled Bai An’s hand and walked forward.

At the back, Lu Jin’an glanced at the dirt pit not far away.

Four greasy pieces of trash were carried away by the gentle wind.

Bai An’s family was about to check their tickets, standing neatly in line. Cui Ju stood excitedly behind Bai An and said, “This is my first time leaving the village; my heart is racing!”

Bai An understood Cui Ju’s feelings and smiled, asking, “Aren’t you afraid of the hard times we might face together?”

“How could I be?” Cui Ju said, holding Bai An’s arm reassuringly. “Even if I cry, it won’t be worse than before.”

“Even if we face hardships, I accept it. Anyway, I’ve already decided to follow you out. It’s better than getting married.”

Bai An leaned her head against Cui Ju’s shoulder and smiled, “Don’t worry; marriage is up to you. None of us will force you.”

Lu Jin’an, standing behind them with his arms crossed, stared blankly at the two little girls in front of him. He really didn’t understand how they could chat so much at such a young age. Ever since they left the village, he hadn’t seen them stop talking.

“Ah.” Lu Jin’an sighed and slowly walked forward with the line, reminding Bai An when she was too busy chatting with Cui Ju to move ahead.

After Lu Demin and Wan Qing checked their tickets, they patiently waited for the children behind them.

Once Lu Jin’an finished checking his ticket last, Lu Demin called them to enter the station.

“Here, here.” Bai An looked at their seat numbers and waved to them, “Our seats are over here.”

Wan Qing, holding the package in her hand, asked, “Where should we put these?”

Lu Demin and Lu Jin’an glanced at the mixed crowd of travelers around them and said, “Let’s put them under our feet for now.”

Wan Qing nodded and carefully placed the package beside her feet to avoid stepping on it.