CHAPTER 210: CHAPTER 210: SWITCHING SEATS

Zhang Yuan came to his senses first and looked at the man on the upper bunk.

The man seemed just over twenty years old, slender with distinct facial features, and indeed, he looked quite good.

But the way he looked at Lin Xue didn’t make Zhang Yuan feel any good about him.

"No! I’m just doodling!" Lin Xue heard someone asking and felt obliged to respond, so she put down the pencil and answered.

She no longer felt like drawing, so she took out a ceramic cup and prepared to get some water.

"I’ll get the water for you, don’t burn your hand!" Zhang Yuan immediately stood up, almost fleeing towards the hot water tank near the carriage connection.

Actually, Lin Xue wasn’t feeling awkward anymore; not only were such things quite common in later times, but half a day had already passed, so there was nothing to feel awkward about.

Watching Zhang Yuan’s back as he walked away, she suddenly felt good and sat on the bed, laughing softly.

"Comrade, my name is Liu Jianguo, and you?" asked the man on the upper bunk after Zhang Yuan walked away, introducing himself.

"My last name is Lin..." Lin Xue wasn’t planning on giving her full name, but since he introduced himself, it would be impolite not to acknowledge, so she just gave her surname!

"Hello, Mr. Lin! By the way, is he your brother?" Liu Jianguo asked eagerly.

After speaking, he swiftly climbed down from the upper bunk. Lin Xue glanced at him; his build wasn’t bad, but in terms of looks... he definitely wasn’t as good-looking as Brother Yuan.

"That’s my boyfriend!" Lin Xue replied.

The answer shocked Liu Jianguo; he hadn’t expected the two to be in a relationship.

Since boarding the train, the two interacted very little; he had been observing. After Lin Xue boarded, she looked out of the window, then took out paper and pen to draw. While the train wasn’t extremely bumpy, it wasn’t as stable as on flat ground, yet Lin Xue’s drawings were lifelike.

The more he watched, the more he liked them, finally unable to resist greeting her.

He assumed the person across was either a colleague or at most Brother Zhong, since both looked remarkable, so he guessed he was her brother.

He hadn’t anticipated a romantic relationship.

"What’s going on?" Li Jianshe had been observing the carriage here, having no sleepiness after a full rest, and heard everything, including Lin Xue not giving her name to the other party, so he leaned over to ask what happened.

"It’s nothing!" Lin Xue simply replied.

With Li Jianshe’s interference, Liu Jianguo felt embarrassed to further chat with Lin Xue, clearly warned.

A bit awkward, he came down intending to chat with Lin Xue, but now had to feign heading to the bathroom, hurrying away.

This was just a minor episode; Lin Xue did not mind at all, and Zhang Yuan soon returned with hot water.

"Xiao Xue, it’s hot; let it cool before drinking!" Somehow, in this short span of fetching water, Zhang Yuan felt much less awkward than earlier.

"Okay! Want some sunflower seeds?" Lin Xue placed the water on a small table and asked.

"Sure! We’re bored anyway!" Zhang Yuan nodded.

Just as they got the sunflower seeds out, Li Jianshe came over and sat on Zhang Yuan’s bed.

And so, the three leisurely munched on seeds, chatted, and gazed at the scenery.

By dinner time, Lin Xue eagerly awaited the boxed meals on trains from this era.

As the conductor’s sales call echoed, everyone lying down sat up to peer into the aisle.

Like everyone else, Lin Xue watched curiously.

The trolley contained aluminum meal boxes with rice and dishes, costing twenty-five cents per serving, purchased per head, each person buying only one portion.

When they reached Lin Xue’s place, she handed over a dollar, pointing to herself and Zhang Yuan, "We’re three people!"

"Alright, grab your chopsticks!" the conductor replied flatly, handing her seventy-five cents in change.

Only then did Lin Xue realize that, indeed, train boxed meals in this era didn’t require food coupons.

She had heard her dad mention it later, but he just heard it from others.

After all, by the time her dad grew up, the collective was gone, and the fields were allocated to individuals.

Lin Xue didn’t grab chopsticks, instead explaining, "We brought our own!" as two cents were returned.

The conductor glanced at Lin Xue and nodded, pushing the cart forward.

The folks upstairs had already bought theirs, drawn by the sales call, swiftly getting their meals from the front.

Zhang Yuan and Li Jianshe had already set out the boxed meals on the table, waiting for Lin Xue to pull out something good for dinner.

Casually, Lin Xue retrieved a tea egg from her bag under the bed, deciding not to fetch anything else, as their lunch had been rich, so tonight shouldn’t stand out too much; she kept the chicken legs and sausages stored, preventing spoilage.

In times where filling one’s stomach was challenging, they dressed formally, but eating too well could invite thieves, can’t take chances.

This wasn’t modern times; without surveillance or mobile phones, one might get targeted.

After packing the bag, she placed it leaning against the carriage wall, then looked at the boxed meal.

Green pepper shredded potatoes and green pepper dry bean curd, two dishes with no oil, the main dish was sorghum rice, instantly extinguishing her appetite.

She reached again into her bag, fetching three tea eggs.

Although this drew attention, she felt she’d hardly consume a boxed meal. Apart from anything else, she sincerely didn’t like coarse grains; hard to describe, it felt scratchy.

Mostly psychological, she realized, yet dislike remains, can do nothing about it.

"It’s alright! Enjoy your meal!" Zhang Yuan observed Lin Xue’s concerns and comforted her.

His presence assured no threat to Xiao Xue, not to mention his adept combat skills, strengthened further by the equally skilled Li Jianshe, and Xiao Xue wasn’t lagging; just safeguarding belongings should suffice during this trip.

"You all eat too, while it’s still warm!" Lin Xue handed each a tea egg, then took out her chopsticks.

The tea egg and pickled vegetable’s aroma were light, and with everyone occupied, few noticed their proceedings.

Lin Xue focused on peeling eggs, eating one with pickles, then gazing at the meal box confusedly.

Her hunger already dissipated; hungry or not, she couldn’t eat the meal, call it picky if you like. Despite enduring food-scarcity times with her family not having endured hunger since her arrival, consuming refined grains and abundant meat and eggs, plus her dairy routine of milk and yogurt.

She only knew hunger from others, making consumption of unappealing meals difficult now.

"Xiao Xue, if you’re not hungry, save the meal in our boxes!" Zhang Yuan quipped, knowing she felt reluctant.

Though curious watching Li Jianshe relish the meal, contemplating if the man lacked taste buds.