Rebirth in the 50s: The Couple with the Hidden Space-Chapter 543 - 426: The Journey

The train slowly started moving, and outside the window, Huang Hui Min ran alongside.

"Godmother, take care!" Zhou Jiao shouted.

Zhou Jiao didn’t know if the other person heard her, but the only thing she wanted to say was take care—it was the only phrase that could express her feelings.

Zhang Guoqing handed the child to her, and he lowered the two middle bunks on both sides, opening up the space, allowing them to sit down comfortably and making it convenient for her and the child to lie down and rest.

The regular sleeper berth was particularly narrow, with shirtless men moving back and forth in the right-side carriage, loudly chatting away without end.

On this return trip, Zhang Guoqing and his wife hadn’t intended to use their privilege for the soft sleeper, but they ended up being specially accommodated. Just by looking at the empty middle bunk berths, one could tell that Liu Ming, the train conductor, was indeed a good friend.

Zhang Guoqing knew that this was inseparable from their usual interactions and even more so from having a great father-in-law. The left side was the duty rest area—who could buy such a perfect spot by sheer luck?

In life, sometimes it’s inevitable to owe favors to people. Take Zhao Chuan Guang’s family, for instance. On their trips to the county, Zhang Guoqing estimated that all the items they brought were snatched from the mouths of his two faux siblings.

Like Zhao Dashan, he provided guidance in work and interpersonal relationships, even getting him into the Party early and helping to craft a perfect résumé for him.

The debt of human kindness is the hardest to repay, and there’s no knowing if there will be an opportunity to do so in the future.

"Brother, stop daydreaming and quickly lie down for a rest."

Zhang Guoqing smiled and shook his head, "I’m not tired. Son, you lie down like a good boy."

"Dad, big chimney, so many furnaces."

Zhang Guoqing followed his son’s pointing to look outside the window. The desolate wilderness was no longer empty; earthen furnaces of various sizes and heights stood silently everywhere.

He remembered the grave mounds... and smiled, shaking his head.

Zhou Jiao picked up her child and looked outside the window. In just a year, the scenery had changed, and who knows what it would look like next time they came back.

She occasionally responded to the child, listening to the father and son’s conversation. As the train moved forward, she started missing her family in the Northeast. Were her in-laws getting used to living alone? Did her little brother find the envelope under his pillow yet?

After Liu Ming finished his work, he happened to hear Ping’an singing a nursery rhyme, "Xiao Wu, your son is something. Little Ping’an, do you want Uncle to take you for a walk?"

Ping’an shook his head with a smile, "I’m with Mama. I’m a good baby."

Liu Ming was tickled and burst out laughing.

"Finished with your work? Sit down, let’s chat. Coming back with the train as usual this time?"

Liu Ming waved his hand, "I’ll just stand here for a bit. Soon someone will come calling again. My job is to run with this train; when it runs, I run with it."

"Try to make the train run for you. Didn’t Uncle Zhang get here like that...?"

Zhou Jiao listened to their banter on the side, her thoughts starting to drift.

"What are you thinking?" Zhang Guoqing asked curiously after seeing off Liu Ming. He had noticed her rare, bewildered expression earlier—what could be worth such deep thought?

Zhou Jiao smiled, "How quickly time flies; it seems like just yesterday we were discussing whether or not to go to school, and now it’s already happened in the blink of an eye."

"Yes, Ping’an was so tiny back then, and now he’s grown so much." After he spoke, the two of them exchanged a smile.

The loudspeaker broadcasted, "Attention passengers, this train is about to start meal service. Passengers wishing to make purchases, please prepare your change."

"Dad, it’s time for dinner," Ping’an looked up for the speaker, not forgetting to remind Zhang Guoqing, curiously blinking his eyes and glancing around.

Seeing this, Zhang Guoqing carried him out, pointing to the sound source, "If you’re hungry, let Mama feed you something first. A trolley will come by shortly, and we’ll have our meal then."

"Little fellow, let your dad take you to the dining car; there are delicious dishes there," a middle-aged man ahead said with a hearty laughter as Ping’an approached.

"Hello, Grandpa."

The man looked at Ping’an in surprise, "So polite!"

Zhang Guoqing thought for a moment and realized he didn’t know the man. He smiled, "Is Uncle on a business trip?"

"Yes. A few of us will get off at the same terminal as you."

Zhang Guoqing nodded to the others, greeting them. Judging by his guess, they must be familiar with him. They likely boarded from some provincial city unit at the originating station.

"Want to sit down for a drink?"

"Haha... I have a child to take care of, so I won’t disturb you gentlemen." Zhang Guoqing hurriedly declined. They only had a little liquor, just enough for a sip each, and he wasn’t interested.

"Sigh... Without liquor, I’m embarrassed to invite you. In past small stations, there was millet liquor and plenty of food. This time, there wasn’t a single soul selling anything."

Someone joked from the side, "Don’t worry, you can treat us to the dining car; they surely have liquor."

"A single braised fish fillet costs a dollar thirty; everything there is expensive. It’s not affordable for people like us."

Zhang Guoqing saw them chatting enthusiastically, smiled, and walked away with his son.

After a while, he was surprised to find that this time, unlike before, there wasn’t a need to buy tickets to get a meal. Instead, they pushed around trolleys for direct sales. It seemed the system had changed.

"Everyone can only buy one portion."

The staff’s announcement deflated the passengers who were eager to buy.

After finally making a tough decision to buy a few more portions to take home for family to try, hopes were dashed, and it’s impossible not to feel disappointed.

Looking at the towering stack of aluminum boxed meals, the aroma wafted through, and no one in the sleeper carriage was unwilling to spend thirty cents. No need for food stamps, you could buy food only on the train. No one was foolish—nowadays, with money, except at high-end restaurants, where else could you buy it outside?

Zhou Jiao paid for three box meals, handed two covers to Zhang Guoqing, signaling him to eat them all. She sat inside with the child and fed him.

Zhou Jiao was satisfied with the boxed meals. Two-thirds of the aluminum box was rice, with cabbage and seven or eight pieces of meat on top. Thirty cents for such a dish was truly not expensive.

Zhang Guoqing whispered, "Actually, there’s a loophole with this limitation. In the hard-seat carriages, some people surely wouldn’t be willing to spend money, and it’s just that in this current weather, the food easily spoils. Otherwise, one could have others buy it for them."

Zhou Jiao stifled a laugh at his words, glancing at him sideways, "Dummy!"

"I wasn’t wrong..." Zhang Guoqing looked at her puzzled as she rolled her eyes.

"It’s like a lamb entering a tiger’s den. Most likely eaten by others before even retrieving it. Anything can be bought by someone else, but for rice, it’s like sending a meat bun to a dog."

Ping’an quickly chimed in, "Meat bun to a dog, no return."

Zhou Jiao couldn’t help but laugh, giving Zhang Guoqing a look, then asked Ping’an, "Good summary. What’s the next line after ’a dog muddling about’?"

"Meddling in others’ affairs."

Zhang Guoqing quickly covered his mouth, hurrying to swallow his mouthful of food and glancing at Zhou Jiao with exasperation. Inattentively, he was derided by this girl again.

After the conductor collected the aluminum boxed meals, Zhang Guoqing made a milk powder drink and picked up the child. He needed to have a good chat with the child about what constitutes bad language, lest the wife leads him astray.

In the past when traveling, the couple felt bored. Now, having a child by their side added a lot of fun, and the journey no longer seemed long and never-ending.