Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“Grandma, actually, someone who looks like a bad person might not necessarily be a bad person, and someone who looks like a decent person might not necessarily be a good person.”
3
The reason why Ye Tianxin made that statement was because she’d been reminded of the devastating earthquake that would occur two years from now; the earthquake that shook the earth and shattered the mountains, shocking the entire nation.
The citizens across the nation had stood as one, the people and the leaders united with one goal. They turned their pain and despair into the energy needed to rebuild and create a new home.
2
Daily, at every mealtime, the meal car would automatically deliver meals to Ye Tianxin and her grandmother.
Ye Tianxin found out, after asking the train conductor, that Yan Ge had paid for all their meals.
Ye Tianxin made a note to herself that, if given a chance in the future, she would pay Yan Ge back for the money he’d spent on their meals.
All thanks to Yan Ge, their journey of two days and two nights wasn’t too unbearable.
Also, her grandmother fared much better than Ye Tianxin had anticipated.
At past five in the afternoon on March 16, the train finally pulled into the capital train station.
Ye Tianxin lugged her luggage with one hand and held onto her grandmother’s hand with the other. As there was an especially huge crowd of people rushing out of the station, Ye Tianxin decided that she’d rather slow down than risk her grandmother being hurt by all the shoving and pushing.
When they finally got through the exit, they noticed that there were people everywhere.
Dusk set in, and the sky gradually darkened.
1
The street lamps and neon lights lit up and shone brightly, enveloping the city in their light like a glamorous cloak.
“Grandma, let’s first check into a hotel in the vicinity of the Film Academy.”
Ye Tianxin sought out the officers on duty near the train station and asked for directions to the bus station, where they hopped onto a bus.
“Grandma, take this seat.”
Since there was only one vacant seat on the bus, Ye Tianxin asked her grandmother to take it while she stood to the side, studying the bus route that was in front of her.
After traveling for about an hour, they finally arrived at the Capital Film Academy stop!
Ye Tianxin and her grandmother alighted from the bus. It was now totally dark.
“Grandma, let’s get something to eat first and then look for a place to stay, shall we?”
“Sounds good.”
Coincidentally, not far from where they were, there was a noodle shop selling Zhajiangmian. Ye Tianxin and her grandmother walked into the shop and ordered two bowls of Zhajiangmian.
“Ma’am, I’d like to know if there are places of accommodation, like hotels, in the neighborhood?”
The lady proprietor was seated at a side table and was peeling garlic while watching TV.
“Young lady, you’ve come at a bad time. Since the folks at the Film Academy are starting their interviews, all the hotels and inns in the vicinity have long been booked!”
“That figures,” Ye Tianxin thought to herself.
So, what should she do now?
They couldn’t possibly sleep on the streets!
On her own, she could’ve roughed it out, but her grandmother was in no condition to rough it out and sleep on the streets!
“Then are there public baths in the neighborhood?”
“Yes, on the street behind us.”
“Thank you, Ma’am.”
Two bowls of Zhajiangmiang were delivered to their table. Although the servings weren’t big, the sauce that came with the noodles was sweet and aromatic.
Ye Tianxin reached for her grandmother’s bowl first, pulling it toward her and mixing the noodles in the sauce with gusto before handing the bowl back to her grandmother.
“Grandma, try it. Is the Zhajiangmian in Capital City tasty? Or are the noodles in our hometown tastier?”
Her grandmother took a mouthful and found the noodles a tad salty. It wasn’t a flavor that she was accustomed to.
“Ma’am, do you have spicy sauce?”
“It’s right there on the table.”
After adding some spicy sauce to the noodles in her bowl, Grandma began to eat more heartily. As she watched her grandmother from across the table, Ye Tianxin felt a surge of guilt in her heart.
For a long period in her past life, she was extremely immature and selfish.
And when she finally matured and gotten herself straightened out, her grandmother had already passed on!
Now, with her grandmother still alive, she resolved to treat her better… much better.
All she wanted was for her grandmother to be healthy and happy.
If her grandmother was happy, she was happy too. She hoped her grandmother would live to a ripe old age and have everything going for her according to her wishes.
