Chapter 77: Journey to Pengcheng
Chapter 77: Journey to Pengcheng
Lu Jiaxin had timed her arrival carefully, but as she entered the waiting room, she found it packed with people, making it difficult to even squeeze inside. During times like these, she particularly missed the convenience of high-speed rails and airplanes.
Gu Wenfeng, aware that crowded places made her uncomfortable, suggested, "Let's sit outside and come back when it's time to board."
Lu Jiaxin glanced at her watch and said with a smile, "We'll be boarding in about ten more minutes. Let's just wait here."
After a brief pause, she added, "I don't get motion sickness on trains."
In fact, she didn't get motion sickness when traveling in Si Jiucheng either. It was only when traveling back to her rural hometown, where the roads were bumpy, and the vehicles were overcrowded with passengers and their poultry, that the strong odors became too much for her, and she'd end up feeling nauseous.
As they were talking, an announcement came over the loudspeaker, calling for passengers heading to Pengcheng to proceed with ticket inspection and boarding. Since this was the starting station, passengers were allowed to board half an hour in advance, so they weren't in a rush.
When most of the passengers had boarded, Lu Jiaxin and Gu Wenfeng made their way to the ticket checkpoint. They had quite a lot of luggage with them this time. In addition to a change of clothes, two sets of calligraphy and painting, and the ink stick, they also brought along biscuits and fruits. However, Gu Wenfeng carried most of the load, while Lu Jiaxin only had a canvas bag.
They had purchased two tickets, one for the lower bunk and one for the middle bunk. When they found their carriage, they saw an elderly man sitting in the lower bunk assigned to them.
The elderly man looked embarrassed as he said, "Young man, I bought a ticket for the upper bunk. But as you can see, at my age, it's really inconvenient for me to climb up and down."
"Don't worry, we won't take advantage of you. If you're willing to swap with us, I'll not only pay the difference in ticket prices but also give you an additional ten yuan as compensation."
Noting his white hair and the wrinkles on his face, Lu Jiaxin estimated him to be in his sixties. Without hesitation, she offered him the lower bunk. She declined the extra compensation but accepted the difference in ticket prices.
Having woken up early that day, Lu Jiaxin felt exhausted. She climbed up to the upper bunk and exchanged a few words with Gu Wenfeng before falling asleep. By the time the train started moving, she was already in dreamland.
Meanwhile, XUE Mao Yao finally arrived home after a grueling 30-hour journey that left his backside sore. The driver was friendly and dropped him off at Guangming Road. Seeing the amount of luggage XUE had, the driver even helped carry it into the house.
XUE Mao expressed his gratitude by giving the driver and the accompanying staff some fruits. After seeing them off, he promptly locked the door and, following Lu Jiaxin's instructions, hid the paintings in a secret compartment in her wardrobe and placed the ink stick and inkstone in the vegetable cellar.
With everything safely stored away, XUE Mao Yao's tense nerves finally relaxed. He took a shower and then went to bed.
"Bang! Bang! Bang..."
The loud banging on the door startled XUE Mao Yao awake from his slumber. He heard Lu Jiajie's voice calling out from outside, and he rubbed his eyes and went to open the door.
Lu Jiajie's first question was, "What were you two doing in the ancient capital, and why are you only returning now?"
He had initially thought that Lu Jiaxin would be back within ten days at the latest. He never expected it to be over half a month. If it weren't for his eldest brother receiving phone calls every two or three days, he would have gone back to the ancient capital to look for them.
XUE Mao Yao had already discussed this with Lu Jiaxin, so he remained calm and replied, "My biggest dream is to own a house. To help me fulfill this dream, my sister bought me a house in the ancient capital. However, the house was in poor condition, so we stayed back to find people to renovate it."
Lu Jiajie didn't know what to say. "XUE Mao, you should know that Jiaxin is still financially dependent on her father. If San Shu learns about this, he might stop giving Jiaxin money."
Lu Jiajie asked, "What were the two of you doing in the ancient capital, and why are you only returning now?" He had initially expected Lu Jiaxin to be back within ten days. He never anticipated that it would be over half a month, and if it weren't for his eldest brother receiving phone calls every few days, he would have gone back to look for them.
Xue Mao feigned helplessness and replied, "My sister said that now that I have a house in the ancient capital, I've put down roots. I strongly objected, but she was insistent. Big Brother, you should know what she's like. Once she's made up her mind, no one can stop her."
Lu Jiajie, feeling both anxious and angry, said, "If your uncle stops providing for you, what will you do when you've spent all the money? How will you survive?"
But Xue Mao remained unconcerned. "Don't worry, Big Brother. Even if Uncle stops giving us money, we can support ourselves."
Lu Jiajie frowned. "I know Jiaxin has some savings left after buying the house, and I know you can make money with your snack stall. But she's developed a habit of spending lavishly. What will happen when she gets married? Which family would dare to take in such a spendthrift daughter-in-law?"
Xue Mao didn't like hearing this. "My sister does spend a lot, but she's never been wasteful. She only spends money where it's due. And besides, she's excellent at making money and doesn't need to rely on a man's finances."
Seeing that Xue Mao was still unwavering in his support for Lu Jiaxin, Lu Jiajie felt exhausted.
Xue Mao, however, changed the subject and asked about Lu Jiajie's parents. Upon hearing that they had already left, he couldn't help but express his surprise. "I thought they came to see Qiangqiang and Xiaofeng. Why would they leave so soon?"
After all, it wasn't easy to come to Si Jiucheng, and one would typically stay longer when they made the trip. Their sudden departure didn't make sense.
Without batting an eye, Lu Jiajie explained, "Our cow back home fell ill. That cow is like my father's life. As soon as we got the call, we rushed back."
Xue Mao yawned and let out an 'oh,' unable to suppress another yawn.
"Why are you so tired?" Lu Jiajie asked. "Did someone on the train keep you from sleeping?"
The last time Lu Jiaxin returned, she bought hard seats because she didn't have much money. This time, she must have purchased a sleeper berth. Usually, sleeper berths are quite comfortable unless one has the misfortune of encountering strange companions.
Xue Mao shook his head. "I hitched a ride. After sitting for over thirty hours, not only is my backside sore, but my whole body feels like it's fallen apart."
Lu Jiajie was astonished. "You hitched a ride back?"
Previously, Lu Jiaxin had told him that she didn't get carsick on trains but did on buses. And Lu Jiaxin wasn't the type to endure such discomfort willingly.
Xue Mao told the truth, knowing that Lu Jiajie would find out eventually. "Your sister didn't come back. She went to Pengcheng with Gu Da. They won't be returning for some time."
"What's she doing in Pengcheng?" Lu Jiajie asked.
Lu Jiaxin had already prepared an explanation, which Xue Mao relayed. "Your sister bought a painting from an antique market. She believes it's genuine, but she thinks it won't fetch a good price in the ancient capital. She's heard that there are many people from Hong Kong City in Pengcheng, so she took the painting there, thinking they would be big spenders."
Lu Jiajie was flabbergasted, and as he came to his senses, he became anxious again. "She thinks a random painting she bought from a street vendor is real, and now she's gone all the way to Pengcheng to try and sell it to someone from Hong Kong City? If they find out it's a fake and report her, your sister could end up in jail!"
There were no easy fortunes in this world. His older brother had said that Lu Jiaxin had become sensible and knew how to act appropriately, but this was just reckless.
"Big Brother," Xue Mao said, "those rich people aren't fools. They'll definitely get the item appraised before buying it."
While they believed the item was authentic, getting an expert appraisal would provide additional assurance. If it weren't for Lu Jiaxin's desire to make a substantial sum to secure the next five years, Xue Mao wouldn't have agreed to sell the painting.
Lu Jiajie, however, wasn't listening, and he rushed off in a panic.
(End of Chapter)
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