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Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Ye Tianxin first went to buy the train tickets. She had originally planned to get a sleeper for her grandmother and a seat for herself.
However, when she arrived at the ticket booth, the female salesperson informed Ye Tianxin, “There are no more sleepers or seats. Do you still want tickets?”
“Yes, I do!”
Ye Tianxin was very determined and bought the tickets anyway. She reasoned that they could always board the train and wait until a sleeper became available. When that happened, she could exchange her grandmother’s ticket for a sleeper.
Having bought the train tickets, Ye Tianxin went to look for her grandmother.
Her grandmother was seated at a street corner, a tray displaying insoles in a multitude of colors in front of her.
Auntie Zhu was seated beside her grandmother and was talking to her.
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Incensed by Auntie Zhu’s shameless and despicable behavior, Ye Tianxin said, “Grandma.”
Auntie Zhu raised her head and, seeing Ye Tianxin’s pretty face, said awkwardly, “Oh, Tianxin. Shouldn’t you be at school? Have you played truant again?”
At Auntie Zhu’s words, the other stallholders around them looked up at Ye Tianxin, their eyes all saying the same thing: Why are you being such an inconsiderate and immature child? Your grandmother is already so old. Why are you making her life miserable?
That’s what they were all thinking.
Helping her grandmother pack up, Ye Tianxin berated Auntie Zhu. “Auntie Zhu, how can you smear another person’s reputation so casually? As to why I’m not at school, why don’t you ask Ranran during lunch? It’s market day today. Why aren’t you minding your own store instead of coming here to seek out my grandmother? Don’t tell me you’re still talking about being Grandma’s caregiver in the future?”
“Young lady, your auntie is right. You’re a girl, so you’ll eventually be married off. Surely you can’t be at your grandmother’s side all the time?!”
“Isn’t it a good thing that you’ll be relieved of the burden of having to take care of your grandmother with your auntie’s offer to be her caregiver?”
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Ye Tianxin helped her grandmother up and was about to make a rebuttal, but just then she felt her grandmother pat her hand gently, as if to signal to her to stop talking.
“Elder sisters, this sun is too hot. Sell off your wares quickly and get home soon! These are family matters, and I know what I’m doing.”
Ye Tianxin supported her grandmother as they walked away together. Watching the grandmother and granddaughter leave the scene, Auntie Zhu exclaimed, “My aunt is an old muddleheaded so-and-so! That wild girl is uneducated, has no skills, and is always staying away from school, getting into fights, and everything else. What has my aunt got to look forward to in that girl? You people, please tell me, am I not trying to do a good thing here? Why is it that, in their eyes, I’ve become the bad person? I give up. I’m not going to waste my time with them. In time, she’ll be shedding rivers of tears…”
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After they had walked for some distance, Grandma asked, “Tianxin, shouldn’t you be in school? Why did you come back?”
“Grandma, we need to go to Capital City. The Capital Film Academy has asked me to go for an interview. We need to hurry!”
“In that case, you go on home and pack while I go buy the tickets.”
Grandma looked like she was about to hand her things over to Ye Tianxin and prepare to head out to the train station to buy the tickets.
“Grandma, I’ve bought them already.”
Very softly, Ye Tianxin whispered, “I saved up all the money that you gave me. I didn’t spend unnecessarily.”
“Good girl.”
The ticket was for that afternoon at one o’clock.
The pair went home to pack and then left for the train station.
Between them, Ye Tianxin and her grandmother had very little luggage: just a change of clothes and the deposit book that showed no more than fifty thousand dollars.
Grandma had insisted Ye Tianxin bring the deposit book along with them. “Poor at home, rich on the road,” her grandmother said, explaining that while it was all right for one to be poor in one’s own home, one needed money at hand to feel secure when away from home.
The train was arriving soon!
Walking out of the train station, Ye Tianxin and her grandmother noticed rows and rows of young men standing at attention.
“Grandma, let’s join the end of the line.”
“Young lady.” A man clad in a white T-shirt walked toward Ye Tianxin and asked, “Where are you going?”
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