The basic situation in the shop now is that the bun shop is managed by Sun Lanlan, with Sun Bingnan and Granny Sun assisting, while the cooked food section is managed by Su Wensong, with Ma Yingzi and Pang Yongli assisting.
The two booths that are already on track mean that Lin Chuxia can leave for a few days without any issues.
Sun Lanlan and Su Wensong, in particular, are all fired up, determined to make the bun shop even better while the boss is away, to show their worth.
Lin Chuxia bought quite a few daily necessities and food items for Old Sir He, and in the end, she also left behind fifty yuan.
Old Sir He refused to take the money, so she secretly placed it under his pillow.
After settling everything, Lin Chuxia boarded the train to the Northwest.
Her luggage was very simple, just a carry-on bag to throw people off, with most of her belongings stashed in her space.
She planned to find a place in the Northwest to transfer her things into her suitcase.
In the last letter from Qin Yang, in addition to the return address on the envelope, the address of his current workplace was also clearly written within. If it weren’t for her knowing his personality from the days they spent together, Lin Chuxia might have doubted if the letter was written on behalf of someone else.
She also wondered what his reaction would be when he sees her suddenly appearing.
Just thinking about that scenario made the corners of Lin Chuxia’s mouth curve up into a smile.
She needed to transfer trains midway to the Northwest and the journey would take three days, so Lin Chuxia bought a sleeper ticket.
She still needed a travel pass from the team to leave, but at least now buying sleeper tickets was not dependent on job titles anymore.
Otherwise, no matter how much money you had, you might not be able to get a sleeper berth.
After finding her place on the train, Lin Chuxia didn’t move much. In this era, the trains were full of pickpockets, though she wasn’t worried about being stolen from, she just found it a hassle.
She only went out for eating and using the toilet.
She had stocked up a lot of food in her space, meat buns, vegetable buns, and other cooked foods…, and the fact that they were still hot when taken out would arouse suspicion if done frequently.
She didn’t want to eat them cold beforehand, so she made do with the train’s boxed lunches.
Fortunately, the thermos was filled with spiritual spring water, so she didn’t feel tired along the journey.
When she reached the transfer station and changed trains, Lin Chuxia took the opportunity to take out her steaming hot meal—the first thing she did upon boarding the new train was to dive into her food.
It was mealtime, and many on the train were eating.
Across from her sat a mother and daughter. The mother, in her fifties, had gray hair and wore rather worn-out clothes, patched up in a few places.
The daughter looked to be in her twenties, dressed in a faded jacket, with her hair tied into two braids.
Each of them held a pancake, eating them with plain boiled water.
Next to Lin Chuxia was a man in his thirties, who appeared to be eating a boxed lunch from the train, with white rice, stir-fried pork with green beans, and spicy and sour shredded potatoes.
As soon as Lin Chuxia opened her lunch box, an enticing aroma wafted out.
This meal box was also prepared in advance and kept in her space, with white rice, braised pork, and a dish called “di san xian”.
The man next to her glanced over and asked, “Young lady, where did you buy this food? I just went to buy a meal, but I didn’t see any braised pork.”
“I got on at this stop, brought my meal from the state-owned restaurant outside.”
Lin Chuxia explained casually.
She put a piece of braised pork into her mouth, and the taste buds tormented by the last three days on the train were instantly satisfied. She looked up and saw the girl opposite staring straight at her.
She knew it wasn’t exactly polite to eat braised pork in front of others who were chewing on pancakes, but what could she do? Surely she couldn’t just chew on pancakes too, just to accommodate others?
She silently sped up her eating; this was the utmost kindness she was willing to show.
Before she could finish, the girl opposite spoke up, “Mom, I want some braised pork.”
It was clear the old lady opposite didn’t favor boys over girls, she comforted her daughter gently, “Be patient, my dear, once we arrive I’ll buy you some braised pork.”
“But I want it now, I’ve had pancakes for so many meals, look, I’ve even lost weight,” she said, lifting her sleeve to show her mother.
The old lady’s face immediately showed distress, “My poor girl, you’ve been wronged. Don’t worry, once we get some money, we’ll buy a couple pounds of meat. I’ll make you a big pot of braised pork so you can eat your fill and nourish yourself.”
“But I just can’t wait anymore,” as she watched the woman opposite eat faster and faster, the braised pork in the lunchbox dwindling, Liu Xiaohua felt her heart bleed.
Couldn’t she just give her two pieces? It’s not like she would burst from eating all that braised pork herself.
’Mother knows best,’ upon seeing the look in her daughter’s eyes, the old lady understood something and began to bargain with Lin Chuxia, “Comrade, could you spare us two pieces of your pork? Look at us, a widow and an orphan, we’ve been chewing on pancakes for two days.”
Lin Chuxia, who was engrossed in her meal, looked up in confusion, “…”
What did their days of eating pancakes have to do with her?
She had overheard the conversation between the two, but no matter what, she hadn’t expected things to develop in this direction.
Looking at the girl opposite, whose eyes were filled with resentment, Lin Chuxia flatly refused, “I’m sorry, Granny, but even after two days of pancakes, it’s been two days since I’ve had a meal.”
“Even if you hadn’t eaten in 8 days, you’ve had enough already after all that, what harm is there in sharing two pieces? My daughter hasn’t eaten meat in half a year, looking at how pretty and pale your daughter is, shouldn’t you have a bit of compassion?” After being kindly refused, the old lady instantly felt she couldn’t save face and spoke with displeasure.
Lin Chuxia: “…”
A sound came from beside her, the sound of someone eating their rice frantically, as if afraid that the mother and daughter opposite would shift their target.
Lin Chuxia was speechless too, “You don’t need to flatter me. You heard that I bought this meal from the state-owned restaurant. I’ll give you these few pieces of meat if you give me one yuan…”
“One yuan?” Before Lin Chuxia could finish, the old lady interrupted loudly, “You’ve already eaten from it, and you still want one yuan from us, do you have no shame?”
“If you have no qualms about asking for my leftovers, why should I feel ashamed asking for money? If it’s too expensive, then don’t eat. I haven’t finished myself,” Lin Chuxia picked up a piece of marbled braised pork, chewed it with relish.
The old lady looked at the lunch box, then at Lin Chuxia’s expression, a face of an old person stretched taut with anger.
Liu Xiaohua beside her was almost crying out of urgency, if they continued eating, there would be none left, “Mom…”
The old lady patted her daughter, speaking indignantly, “Don’t mind her, my girl. Let her eat until she gets diarrhea.”
Lin Chuxia picked up another piece of braised pork, tut-tutting, “They say there’s no beating the master chefs of state-owned restaurants, tender and flavorful, fat but not greasy, delicious. I would willingly make more trips to the toilet for such savory meat.”
“Pfft…”
A suppressed laughter came from beside her, Lin Chuxia glanced at the big brother next to her, who had his head almost buried in his rice bowl, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably.