Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
She carried her bowl of noodles to a seat where she could face the wall, and hid herself in a secluded corner. That way, no one would ever notice her ugly face. It was not that she was ashamed of her hideous face. She was just afraid that her appearance might disgust the others and cause them to lose their appetite.
She finished the bowl of noodles to the very last drop of soup. This was probably the first meal that she had eaten to her heart’s content after all these days. Despite feeling rather stuffed, she was satisfied.
After finishing her meal, she went to a mini mart and bought herself two packets of instant noodles. The food, including the biscuits in her bag, should be enough to last for the coming two days.
She returned to the train station and found herself a seat. She quietly waited for the time to pass and was anticipating the train’s arrival.
Yu City was considered a big city with people coming and going. At times, the station would be so packed it seemed like it would burst at the seams. Although it was not a newly built train station, the facilities were considerably good with sufficient new seats. The people at the station were from different places, speaking dialects of different regions, but the majority of them spoke the common language.
When the night fell, the train arrived punctually. She carried her luggage and boarded the train. Inside, she found her bunk. It was a lower bunk, which made it easier for her to move about.
Soon, her surroundings were filled with people. Those who knew each other were chatting among themselves whereas the rest were on their phones.
Occasionally, Yan Huan overheard some of the conservations before she quickly got distracted by another dialogue. She wanted to shut her ears to everything, but the atmosphere on the train was constantly noisy and unsettling. There were people moving around all the time, even during the nights.
Actually, Yan Huan could have treated herself better. After deducting the price for the ticket, she still had about 4000 yuan to spare. It should be enough for her expenses along the way.
However, she was really afraid that unexpected incidents might befall her. Hence, she began to save up and pinch every penny she could. Instead of buying the food on the train that cost 10 yuan per pack, she ate the biscuits in her bag. Those biscuits were no longer fresh, yet they were still fluffy rather than turning rock hard over the days.
She remained curled up and slept in her bunk for most of the time as she seldom talked. Only hunger would drive her awake to grab some biscuits. She barely interacted with anyone on the train and spoke nothing ever since she boarded the train. She was always alone. She liked to lean against the window and cast her eyes over the bleak view outside. Time slipped by as the sun set and rose again; she did not seem to bother at all.
The journey to Sea City was a lengthy 48 hours. Thankfully, Yan Huan managed to purchase a sleeper car ticket, otherwise she would not know how she would survive the long journey. Time continued ticking away and soon the high-rise buildings came into sight at the stops en route. The air of prosperity began to unfurl. The nearer they approached Sea City, the nearer they were to the economic centre of the country.
Sea City was indeed a hustling and bustling prosperous city..
Nonetheless, Sea City was indeed an ideal city to live in. Besides being known as the transportation hub, this bustling city was endowed with a collection of unique landscape. Apart from its 30% urban greenery along with modern technology, there were also entertainment companies mushrooming all over the city.
Here, a girl who had nothing to her name might have a shot at meteoric rise to fame.
An ordinary boy had a chance to transform into a superstar actor.
This was a prosperous city. This was a dog-eat-dog city, where everyone was battling for survival of the fittest.
By the time Yan Huan opened her eyes, the train had already stopped. Yu City was the starting point while Sea City was the final destination. Inside the train, she started to hear the din and clamor of the world outside. Even the air was filled with the distinctive scent of the sea.
She was born and bred here. This was also the place where she had spent her two lives.
Hence, she had an ineffable feeling toward Sea City.
Regardless of where she was, Sea City was what she missed the most, for this was her hometown where she was born and raised. It was the resting place of her late mother. In fact all her loved ones were here, with her husband, her children and her friends. Everything that she had was here.
Yan Huan waited for everyone to disembark the train before carrying her luggage. Taking her bag in one hand, she covered her face with the other.
She finally got off the train, but her legs felt weak the moment they touched the ground. As she stumbled along to the side, the young man next to her instinctively dodged. He seemed to be afraid of touching her. Or to be more precise, he was afraid of her touching him.
Nevertheless, there were still some kind souls who reached out and held her.
“Child, are you okay?” asked an elderly lady.
She had a compassionate smile and looked to be in her late fifties. She was probably here to visit her relatives as well, given how many bags she was carrying.
“I’m fine, thank you.” With gratitude from the bottom of her heart, Yan Huan put on a smile. However, it just took her awhile to realize that it made no difference whether she was smiling or not, since she had hidden her face.
Yan Huan intended to leave at first, but she made her way back upon seeing the amount of bags the lady was carrying. Lifting the largest bag up, she heaved it onto her shoulder.
“Aunt, let me help you.”
“It’s okay! Just let me carry it. This is too heavy for you.”
Hurriedly, the lady tried to take her bag back. She was aware of how heavy the bag was. How could she possibly trouble a young lady to carry it for her?
“It’s not a big deal. I can do it.” Yan Huan then slightly lowered her shoulder in order for the big bag to rest firmly on it. Since she did not carry much luggage herself, she could afford to carry an extra one. Moreover, she had been doing heavy chores in the village over the past year for very little in return but considerable strength and of course, the calluses and injuries.
She helped the lady carry her bags out of the station. The heavy luggage resting on her shoulder nearly broke her waist. Her footsteps were heavy, giving out loud thumps as she walked.
She felt like laughing.
Her current condition was just the same as those refugees.
Meanwhile, the lady told Yan Huan about the stories of her family. She said that she came to Sea City to look for her son. Her son was permanently residing in Sea City, and he seldom went home. Missing her son terribly, the old mother took the trouble to come all the way from the mountains, bringing a heap of local specialties along with her. Though they were not worth much, they certainly had a taste of home.
