Chapter 26.2

After finishing packing up, Xu Yuan got out of the RV with Meng Zhengrong. The weather wasn’t great today; the sky was overcast and it felt like it could rain at any moment. It was already summer, a season prone to thunderstorms. This kind of weather wasn’t particularly surprising.

Before leaving, they visited the town’s welfare home again. The weather forecast predicted rain, and since the route to the welfare home from the school involved mountain roads, for safety reasons, the children didn’t go to school today.

Meng Zhengrong and Xu Yuan distributed candies and some daily necessities to the children. People in the team were busy taking photos, and time passed quickly.

Their assistance to the welfare home went far beyond this. Madam Wang’s team planned to fund the construction of new houses and repair roads for the welfare home. After discussing with Xu Yuan, Meng Zhengrong decided to cover the medical expenses for the sick children here.

The mayor was very pleased; after all, this was a good deed. Originally, leaders from the county were supposed to come as well, but unfortunately, it was going to rain, and they had to leave too early to make it in time, so they had to cancel.

People in Madam Wang’s team were very tactful; they politely declined the mayor’s invitation to dinner in the county.

They had done what they came to do, taken the necessary photos, and Meng Zhengrong and XuYuan had achieved their goal for this trip. Indeed, it was time to head back home; after all, they had to go to work tomorrow.

Under the gaze of the townspeople, they drove away from this impoverished town.

Since it was daytime, Meng Zhengrong and Xu Yuan had no intention of sleeping. They let two new members of Madam Wang’s team accompany them, which helped relieve the pressure; otherwise, being cramped in the car would have been very uncomfortable.

“If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe there could still be such poor places,” said the new male graduate, wearing black-framed glasses. It was clear he had only recently graduated from school and was full of youthful vigor.

The driver chuckled upon hearing this. “This place isn’t bad; at least there are roads. Some places don’t even have roads. It takes several hours to reach there even by ox cart.” He paused and added, “And it’s better for girls not to go to those places.”

“Yes, that’s right. Take the family we stayed with; it’s already the best condition in town, but their home still feels very gloomy. There’s dust on the light bulbs,” said another young girl who wasn’t very old. “I took photos and showed them to my friends; they couldn’t believe there were still places this poor.”

Seeing the conversation between these two young graduates heading towards sensitive topics, Meng Zhengrong timely changed the subject without leaving a trace.

Xu Yuan observed everything. Although Meng Zhengrong was sometimes genuinely ill, he was still quite sensible.

Yes, father Meng couldn’t possibly hand over the company to a rough package.

From the town to the county, the journey took nearly two hours by car. Because they had spent the day in the small town, arriving in the county, although the restaurants weren’t as good as those in the city, everyone was very satisfied.

At least the bowls and chopsticks were clean, and the tables were too.

This restaurant was the best in the county, and the environment was decent. Perhaps to compensate for his appetite, Meng Zhengrong ordered a lot of dishes in a row.

After all, it was a small county town, and the skills of the chefs were limited. Nevertheless, everyone managed to finish all the dishes on the table, showing how hungry they were. Meng Zhengrong ate two bowls of rice and felt extremely comfortable.

Sometimes people really should experience grassroots life like this to understand what kind of heavenly days they usually live.

Just as everyone finished eating and was preparing to leave, the weather took a turn for the worse, pouring down rain.

They had checked the weather forecast before coming; it predicted light rain that wouldn’t affect normal travel. Who would have thought it would suddenly rain so heavily?

“Mr. Meng, these are all mountain roads. With such heavy rain, it’s really unsafe to drive,” said the most experienced person in the team.

There was no need to remind him; he knew driving wasn’t an option. Driving in heavy rain was already unsafe, let alone on these mountainous roads.

Xu Yuan approached Meng Zhengrong and asked, “Can we take a plane back?”

There was no place as comfortable as home, let alone here, which wasn’t even a big city. There weren’t many good hotels either.

She was eager to go back early; she had to go to work tomorrow afternoon.

Before anyone in the team could speak, Meng Zhengrong shook his head. “With this heavy rain, the plane will probably be delayed. There’s no airport in the county; it takes two hours to drive to the city.”

There was nothing more frustrating than a delayed flight. In weather like this, who knew how late it would be delayed.

“Mr. Meng, should we stay here overnight and leave tomorrow?” This was the most prudent suggestion. Despite everything, there were still hotels in the county, and there was no need to worry about food.

“No,” Meng Zhengrong and Xu Yuan said simultaneously.

“I have a very important meeting tomorrow afternoon that I must attend. I really can’t afford any more delays,” Meng Zhengrong added with a headache.

He was her husband; since he said they had to leave, she didn’t need to explain her reasons.

“True, Mr. Meng is busy with a thousand things. It’s already commendable for him to come over amidst his busy schedule,” the team leader said after some thought. “We can stay here for a day and then leave; the plane will definitely be delayed. It’s not safe to drive back, so we’ll have to take the train.”

Having the president of the Meng Corporation and his wife take a train seems a bit unrealistic.

However, this is currently the only feasible solution.

“Train?” Xu Yuan’s tone was questioning, without much meaning behind it. She had only heard of planes and cars, and, oh yes, ships, but not trains.

The team members thought she was averse to taking the train and remained silent.

Meng Zhengrong frowned, “Is there no high-speed rail here?”

Someone was checking train schedules on their phone and responded, “There is high-speed rail, but it’s in the city. It takes two hours to drive to the city from here. I’ve checked, and some services have been canceled. The latest available train departs in an hour.”

The two-hour drive is under ideal weather conditions, so taking the high-speed rail is not practical.

So, if they must leave today, the only feasible method is to take the regular train.

Meng Zhengrong asked again, “What time is the train? What types of tickets are available?”

The person quickly checked and replied, “There’s a train station in the county. The earliest train is at 1:35, arriving at 6:40 tomorrow morning. There are still plenty of tickets available, including sleepers.”

Meng Zhengrong was still hesitating. He had never taken a train in his life but had seen them on TV. He had no interest in experiencing something new. He could have taken a flight tomorrow morning, but who knows what the weather will be like then? What if it rains and delays the flight again?

He looked at Xu Yuan, feeling a bit annoyed but maintaining a calm exterior, “Do you want to take the train? If you do, we can leave shortly. If not, we can stay here for the night.”

Meng Zhengrong was generally a self-centered person. Xu Yuan knew that if he wanted to stay, he would have told her directly instead of asking for her opinion. Her work was not as important as his meeting.

The reason he was asking now was just a formality, or perhaps he hoped she would understand his thoughts and support his decision.

Most of the time, Xu Yuan and Meng Zhengrong shared the same stance, and this time was no different. She had never taken a train before and was curious to try it. She said, “Your meeting can’t be delayed. I’ll go with you on the train.”

Hearing her response, Meng Zhengrong felt less annoyed. He smiled at the team leader, “We’ll take the train back first.”

Meng Zhengrong lent the RV to the team leader, who personally drove them to the train station.

As soon as they left, discussions began in the restaurant’s private room—

“Mrs. Meng is so gentle. She clearly doesn’t want to take the train but is still willing to accompany Mr. Meng.”

“I must say, Mr. Meng is truly dedicated. As a big boss, he could easily reschedule his meeting, but he’s rushing back by train for work. I bet this is the first time either of them has taken a train.”

“No kidding. It was already a stretch for them to eat a few bites yesterday. Even I needed courage to pick up my chopsticks.”

“Let’s not talk about them. Which hotel are we staying at tonight? There should be some decent hotels in this county, right?”

Meanwhile, Meng Zhengrong and Xu Yuan sat in the car, both silent. Seeing a supermarket ahead, the team leader suggested, “Mr. Meng, Mrs. Meng, there’s a supermarket up ahead. Do you want to buy anything?”

Since there was enough time, Xu Yuan and Meng Zhengrong got out and went into the supermarket.

This was the first time they had gone grocery shopping together since getting married.

The county’s supermarket wasn’t large but had everything they needed, which was quite convenient.

“Let’s count. We still need to have dinner. Who knows how the food on the train will taste? To be safe, let’s buy two bowls of instant noodles.”

Standing in front of the instant noodle shelf, both Meng Zhengrong and Xu Yuan found themselves overwhelmed by the choices.

Who knew there could be so many flavors of instant noodles?

Xu Yuan poked Meng Zhengrong, “Which one should we get?”

If it were for something else, like clothes or shoes, he could confidently say to buy them all if unsure. But now, choosing instant noodles, he couldn’t exactly act like a domineering CEO in the supermarket, could he?

Meng Zhengrong picked up two bowls of instant noodles, “Let’s just get these.”

Debating over noodles costing less than ten yuan?

With the noodles settled, Xu Yuan also bought two sets of bedsheets, knowing they had sleeper tickets, meaning they would be sleeping on the train. The train was not as comfortable as their RV.

Pushing the shopping cart, Meng Zhengrong remarked, “We’re out here suffering. No showers tonight, and we haven’t eaten or slept well these past two days. Now we still have to take the train.”

These past two days’ experiences could practically be written into history. Meng Zhengrong glanced at Xu Yuan, thinking that when their children grow up, they could often bring up these stories, showcasing that they too had endured hardships.

Truth be told, sharing both luxuries and hardships with someone brought them closer together. Meng Zhengrong felt that the past two days had significantly closed the gap between him and Xu Yuan. Now, they could have heart-to-heart conversations at night, speaking much more than before, proving that his decision to come along was the right one.

Not eating well or sleeping well were minor issues; what really drove him crazy was not being able to shower. It wasn’t the middle of winter, so skipping a shower for a day was bearable, but it was still frustrating.

Xu Yuan was also troubled by this. She glanced at Meng Zhengrong and suggested, “Why don’t you go back first?”

At first, she hadn’t thought much about it, but after considering it carefully, spending a night in a county hotel seemed better than spending a night on a train without being able to shower.

Meng Zhengrong glared at her, “Do you think that’s possible?”

Xu Yuan shrugged, knowing it was impossible. She was just saying it for the sake of it.

Perhaps they should thank their experiences in the small town yesterday, as facing everything at the train station now, Meng Zhengrong and Xu Yuan remained unruffled.

The train station wasn’t very crowded at this hour. At the entrance, they could still hear people with accents shouting, “Need a hotel? Need a ride? Hotel for fifty a night…”

Train stations no longer sold platform tickets, so the team leader could only escort Meng Zhengrong and Xu Yuan to the ticket gate.

Fortunately, they didn’t have much luggage.

After boarding the train, Xu Yuan followed Meng Zhengrong to their assigned berths, only to find two people who appeared to be in their fifties sitting in their spots. Before Xu Yuan and Meng Zhengrong could speak, one of the women spoke up, “Is this your seat?”

Xu Yuan checked the train tickets and nodded.

“We’re older, and you young people should look after us when traveling. How about we switch places? Those two upper berths are ours,” the woman suggested, pointing to the top berths.

Xu Yuan frowned.

No one had ever tried to pull a fast one on Meng Zhengrong before. Encountering such a situation, Meng Zhengrong firmly said, “No, these are our seats.”

The woman widened her eyes, “Young man, how can you be so inconsiderate of the elderly?”

Meng Zhengrong almost laughed out of frustration. Anyone who knew him could tell by his expression that he was on the verge of getting angry. “I’ll say it again, we’re not switching. These are our seats.”

If the two had genuinely needed the lower berths, Meng Zhengrong and Xu Yuan would have likely switched. However, they seemed more spry than Meng Zhengrong and Xu Yuan themselves. Most importantly, they were asking for a favor yet acting so entitled.

The man slapped his thigh, raising his voice, “Young people these days! We’re just asking for a favor, but you won’t even help us out. It’s outrageous!”

Their heavily accented Mandarin drew the attention of other passengers due to its loudness.

Seeing people gather, the couple played up their act, “Everyone, listen up. We’re over fifty, and climbing up and down is inconvenient. We asked these young folks to switch places out of kindness, but not only did they refuse, they were rude to us. We just hoped for some understanding, but it seems young people today don’t respect their elders. My wife isn’t in good health, either…”

Just as Meng Zhengrong was about to retort, Xu Yuan suddenly grabbed his hand, leaned into his arms, and clutched her stomach, biting her lip. “Honey, what should we do? My stomach hurts so much. I’m worried about the baby…”

Meng Zhengrong blinked, momentarily confused.

The woman quickly exclaimed, “It’s not our fault! We didn’t touch you!”

Xu Yuan leaned on Meng Zhengrong’s shoulder and, out of sight, discreetly pinched him hard.

Feeling the pinch, Meng Zhengrong snapped back to reality and immediately understood her intention. He quickly played along, feigning concern. “Honey, are you okay? Are you sure you’re okay?”

Xu Yuan, looking exhausted, closed her eyes and trembled her lips, unable to speak.

Even Meng Zhengrong had to admit her acting was top-notch.

Not to be outdone, Meng Zhengrong glared at the couple. “Fairness? I’m a man, so switching places is fine for me. But my wife is pregnant. You can’t climb up and down, but a pregnant woman can? Are you bullying us because we’re outsiders?”

A robust fifty-year-old versus a frail pregnant woman – naturally, everyone sided with the pregnant woman.

“Uncle, auntie, this isn’t about taking their seats. They bought the tickets fair and square. Even if she wasn’t pregnant, they wouldn’t be obligated to switch, especially since she’s expecting.”

“Yeah, are you okay, miss? Someone should see if there’s a doctor on board. This is serious.”

Hearing this, Xu Yuan forced a weak smile at the speaker, “I’m feeling better now. It’s our fault for not being more considerate. My husband was just worried. We’re sorry for the trouble.”

Meng Zhengrong helped Xu Yuan sit down, “We rushed here early in the morning and didn’t sleep well last night. The doctor told us to rest well. If you feel any worse, we’ll get off at the next stop.”

Xu Yuan smiled warmly at him, “I’m better now. I just got anxious seeing you argue with these elders. I apologize for causing trouble.”

Turning to the woman, she said, “Ma’am, if it’s really inconvenient for you, once I’ve rested a bit, we can switch.”

Meng Zhengrong snorted lightly.

The woman hurriedly waved her hands, “No, no, let’s not bother.”

Xu Yuan sighed in relief, “Good. If I wasn’t pregnant, I would definitely have switched with you.”

A young man nearby clicked his tongue, “Ridiculous! They’re the ones asking for a favor, and they act so entitled. What a world we live in.”

“Exactly. Looks like those online stories are true. Some people really do take advantage of their age.”

By now, the train had started moving, and the crowd dispersed, but not before giving the couple dirty looks.

The two, now wary of causing more trouble, quickly climbed up to their berths and remained silent.

Meng Zhengrong sat across from Xu Yuan, and they exchanged glances, then burst out laughing.