CHAPTER 213: CHAPTER 213: SNEAKING A CHICKEN DRUMSTICK

When Lin Xue returned, Shu’er was still sitting there waiting and hadn’t eaten anything from her meal box. Zhang Yuan was sitting across from her, feeling a bit unsure about how to communicate with such a young child, so he decided to wait for Lin Xue to return.

"Shu’er, why aren’t you eating?" Lin Xue asked as she returned. Fortunately, it was scorching summer, and the food hadn’t cooled down too quickly, plus Sister Kang ate quickly.

Sister Kang is Shu’er’s mother, named Kang Chunmei, something Lin Xue learned during their conversation.

She admired Kang Chunmei’s ability to introduce herself and briefly explain her travel situation even while taking big mouthfuls of food.

She mentioned having some education, and Lin Xue thought her education level wasn’t low, at least she’s a middle school graduate.

"Sister..." Shu’er started to explain that she wanted to wait for her sister to return before eating.

"Shu’er, call me Auntie, okay? I’m only a few years younger than your mom!" Lin Xue gently stroked the little girl’s head.

Though her hair was a bit yellowish, it felt clean to touch.

Kang Chunmei had Shu’er at eighteen, and now she’s only twenty-three years old, making Lin Xue realize that people of this era got married rather early.

"Oh! Shu’er understands now! Auntie, I wanted to wait for you to come back before eating!" Shu’er said sweetly.

"Alright! Then eat quickly now!" Seeing her reminded Lin Xue of her own little ones at home, wondering what they were up to.

"Okay, Auntie!" Shu’er replied sweetly, cautiously picking up her chopsticks and started eating.

A child is still a child; once she found the food tasty, she forgot about her previous restraint and ate heartily.

The meal box was quite generous; adults could get full from it, and though a child might be very hungry, she couldn’t finish it all. Shu’er ate about a third before stopping, blinking her big eyes at Lin Xue, "Auntie, I’m full!"

"Alright! If you’re full, stop eating! Here! Drink some water!" Lin Xue had already taken a small enamel cup from her shopping space under the cover of her handbag.

"Thank you, Auntie!" Shu’er was indeed thirsty, so she drank it immediately.

Watching Lin Xue take such careful care of the child made Zhang Yuan blush unexpectedly, reminding him of how he imagined them having a cute little daughter if they took their relationship further.

The more he thought about it, the stronger his impulse grew to settle the little lady in the Capital City and marry her.

Soon, someone came to collect the meal boxes. The boxes needed to be washed and reused for the evening meal. Seeing Lin Xue hand over three boxes, with one still half full, the collector lady looked at them puzzled.

"Comrade, this is what the child ate; children can’t finish it all, left until tomorrow it’ll spoil! Take it away!" Lin Xue said apologetically.

"Such a waste!" The meal box collector lady grumbled as she took away the box.

The other boys in the upper bunk said nothing and quietly handed over their boxes.

Only Liu Jianguo from Lin Xue’s bunk showed a distinct expression.

He admired such a kind-hearted girl, thinking that the guy across did not deserve such a good girl.

He had a distant demeanor towards Lin Xue, without much concern for or appreciation of her, which made Liu Jianguo quite annoyed.

If not for his gentlemanly principles, he might have considered making a move.

Little did he know, at this point Zhang Yuan felt a bit embarrassed towards Lin Xue but remained stoic around others.

As the sky gradually darkened, Shu’er continued to sit obediently where Lin Xue had placed her, not moving or speaking unnecessarily.

Only when Lin Xue chatted with her did Shu’er respond earnestly.

"Brother Yuan, I need to wash up. Keep an eye on Shu’er!" Lin Xue stood up and spoke to Zhang Yuan, who had been gazing out the window.

She understood Zhang Yuan; people of this era could be a bit sentimental.

What she didn’t know was that Zhang Yuan had spent the whole afternoon embarrassing himself in his own fantasies.

"Alright, go ahead!" Zhang Yuan finally turned his head, feeling that the little girl before him looked even prettier.

Lin Xue headed toward the train’s restroom, but instead of washing up outside, she entered the toilet, locked the door, and quickly checked into her space.

She hurriedly freshened up, not daring to take a shower since people needed the toilet, and she didn’t want to hold it up too long, so she brushed her teeth, washed her face, applied skincare, and had a glass of milk before emerging.

She had a habit of drinking a glass of milk before bed, or else she’d feel like she couldn’t sleep.

When she returned, Zhang Yuan had fetched hot water, filled up Shu’er’s cup, and warned her that it was too hot to drink yet.

"Brother Yuan, you go wash up! I’m done!" Lin Xue winked at Zhang Yuan.

The two had great rapport, and Zhang Yuan immediately understood that Lin Xue had washed up in the space, though it seemed she didn’t shower. Understandably, with so many people around, it wasn’t good to be in there too long.

"Alright, I’ll go first!" Zhang Yuan said as he headed towards the compartment door.

Lin Xue turned back to the obedient little girl, "Shu’er, get down and stand for a bit. Auntie’s going to make the bed; it’s dark now, time to sleep!"

"Alright!" Shu’er nodded compliantly and promptly got down, standing aside.

The other people in the compartment had already gone to bed; only Lin Xue and Shu’er were still up.

Lin Xue pulled two blankets she’d prepared from her bag and spread them on the bed. It was hot, no need for a quilt; she spread the quilt as padding underneath and covered it with the soft blankets.

She arranged Zhang Yuan’s bed similarly. As for Li Jianshe’s side, being a grown man, he took care of himself.

Lin Xue, being biased, laid Zhang Yuan’s bedding without considering a grown man’s indifference.

"Done! Shu’er, you sleep inside, Auntie will sleep outside! This way you won’t fall off!" Lin Xue clapped her hands, pleased.

"Auntie, can I go see mom? I’ll just take a quick look and come back!" Shu’er asked quietly.

"Sure! You can go see your mom anytime! Let’s go! Auntie will accompany you!" Lin Xue considered and agreed.

She was still too young, and though it was just a few steps, accidents or getting lost might happen.

Lin Xue brought Shu’er over to see Kang Chunmei, who was already leaning against a sack snoozing comfortably.

"Auntie, mom is sleeping, I saw her and she’s fine! Let’s go back!" The little girl had been anxious about her mom, and now felt reassured upon seeing her.

"Okay, let’s go back! Feeling better now?" Lin Xue nodded and led Shu’er back to her spot.

Zhang Yuan might have been washing up, as he’d just entered the space; Lin Xue lay down with Shu’er after making the beds.

Despite being in bed, Lin Xue felt she wouldn’t fall asleep yet, so she let her consciousness enter the space, seeing Zhang Yuan... eating chicken drumstick.

She knew he loved meat, definitely preferring to skip the train’s meal box if meat was available.

Lin Xue regretted not grabbing a drumstick herself before emerging; she missed her chance.

No matter, she’d sneak in for a bath and some goodies when it was quieter at midnight.