Chapter 122: Chapter 122: The Sun Has Risen from the West

The other passengers in the car were all chattering noisily. Even if the grandmother didn’t think her grandson had said anything wrong, she didn’t dare say much more. She had angered everyone, and she knew if she stubbornly set herself against an entire car full of people, she’d be verbally torn to shreds.

In the end, the grandmother had no choice but to go to the dining car. Gritting her teeth, she reluctantly bought her grandson a portion of braised pork, and only then did the little boy finally quiet down.

Su Qing and Li Huan exchanged a look, both seeing the amusement in the other’s eyes. ’Sometimes it takes a devil to tame a devil. When you spoil a little brat, you have to deal with the consequences.’

The rest of the journey was relatively peaceful. The trip from Bingcheng to Beijing took about twenty-two hours, and by the time they arrived, it was already past two o’clock in the afternoon the next day.

Li Huan went with Su Qing to buy a train ticket to Chuncheng. Chuncheng was the capital of Yun Province, and Su Qing planned to spend some time there before heading into the surrounding mountains to find Chicken Blood Vine.

"Su Qing, if you pass through Beijing on your way back, you should stay for a few days! I’ll give you a proper tour of the city," Li Huan said, reluctant to see her go. Although they had only known each other for a day, she had taken a real liking to Su Qing.

Su Qing smiled. "We’ll see. If time allows, I’ll come and find you."

"Great! That’s great!" Li Huan’s face lit up. "My phone number is on that address I gave you. Give me a call when you get here, and I’ll come pick you up."

Su Qing smiled. "Alright."

Su Qing’s train was scheduled for around five in the evening. Li Huan wanted to see her off at the platform, but Su Qing wouldn’t let her. It was getting dark earlier these days, and she worried it wasn’t safe for a young woman like Li Huan to travel home alone so late.

In the end, Li Huan could only bid a reluctant farewell to Su Qing, making her promise over and over again to be sure to find her on the way back.

After parting ways with Su Qing, Li Huan headed for the station exit.

"Little Huan?" a voice suddenly called out.

Li Huan turned at the sound of the voice, surprised. "Auntie, what are you doing at the train station?"

The person approaching was Li Huan’s aunt, Li Yuan. She wore a cashmere coat and low-heeled leather shoes that clicked against the floor as she walked up to Li Huan, a small purse slung over her shoulder. She glanced in the direction Su Qing had gone. "And look at you. Weren’t you supposed to be in the Northeast with your uncle? Why are you back by yourself? Where is he?"

Li Huan blinked. "Auntie, the Northeast is freezing! I couldn’t stand how cold it was. I was shivering even with a thick padded coat on, so I came back early. My uncle is still there on business."

"Honestly, you... running back all by yourself without telling anyone in the family. If your mother finds out, she’s going to give you an earful." Li Yuan gently poked Li Huan’s forehead. "And your uncle... I can’t believe he let you travel back alone."

In the Li family, Li Huan was the only girl of her generation—even Li Yuan herself had only given birth to a son. As a result, everyone in the Li family doted on her, especially her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Li, who adored her to no end. Consequently, Li Huan had grown up to be particularly sweet and innocent.

Li Huan stuck out her tongue playfully. "You know what my uncle is like. Once he gets busy, he disappears completely. I just left him a note and snuck back. He probably hasn’t even seen it yet."

"Honestly..." Li Yuan sighed and shook her head helplessly at her niece. Then, her gaze shifted back toward the direction Su Qing had gone. "I saw you talking with someone just now. Was that a friend of yours?"

"Mhm, someone I met on the train ride back. She’s a really nice person." Li Huan’s eyes lit up as she spoke of Su Qing, and she beamed at her aunt.

"You met her on the train? Haven’t I told you not to talk to strangers when you’re traveling?" Li Yuan was alarmed. "You’re lucky nothing bad happened. If it had, it would’ve been too late for regrets."

"That would never happen! I’m a good judge of character," Li Huan said, quite confident in her intuition. Then, she asked curiously, "Auntie, what brings you to the train station today anyway?"

"Oh, I was seeing a friend off."

Li Huan nodded and grinned at Li Yuan. "Perfect timing, Auntie! I can get a ride home with you. That’ll save me from having to take the bus."

Li Yuan paused for a moment. "I didn’t come by car today," she said. "Let’s take the bus together."

Li Huan’s eyes widened in disbelief. ’Oh my god, has the sun started rising in the west? When has her aunt ever taken a bus? She always takes the car when she goes out. Her grandfather was a high-ranking official, with a guard, a housekeeper, and a driver. Her grandparents rarely left the house, so the car and driver had practically become her aunt’s personal service. And yet today, she actually took the bus to the train station.’

This was just too bizarre.

"What’s with that look?" Li Yuan was clearly uncomfortable but did her best to hide it. "Well? Are you coming home with me or not?"

"Of course!" Li Huan said quickly, pushing her questions aside. ’Maybe her aunt was just having a strange day or something.’

After parting with Li Huan, Su Qing went to the waiting hall. She waited for over an hour before boarding the train to Chuncheng.

The journey from Beijing to Chuncheng would take over forty hours by train. This time, Su Qing had managed to get a sleeper ticket.

In those days, a sleeper ticket wasn’t something just anyone could buy. But Li Huan had shown some sort of official document to the clerk at the ticket counter, who had promptly issued Su Qing a sleeper ticket—and for a lower bunk, at that.

It was clear that Li Huan came from an influential family. Su Qing even suspected that back in Bingcheng, Li Huan would have insisted on buying sleeper tickets if they hadn’t already been sold out.

The sleeper cars weren’t nearly as crowded as the hard-seat cars, so boarding wasn’t a crush of people. Su Qing followed the flow of passengers onto the train and made her way toward her sleeper compartment.

What Su Qing didn’t notice was that at the entrance to another sleeper car, a middle-aged man caught a glimpse of her profile and froze, so stunned that he stood rooted to the spot.

"Hey, buddy, are you going to move? There are people trying to get on behind you. Don’t block the door!" someone behind the man grumbled, seeing him standing there motionless.

"Oh, oh, my apologies." The middle-aged man snapped back to his senses and quickly boarded the train. As he recalled the sight from a moment ago, his brow furrowed in a deep frown.

Su Qing, however, was completely unaware that her presence had rattled someone. Carrying her rattan suitcase, she found her compartment. There were already two people inside: a man and a woman who looked to be in their twenties.

"Ahh—! Jeez, you’re hideous! Can you not go around scaring people like that?" the young woman shrieked the moment she saw Su Qing, then snapped at her irritably.