Chapter 119: Chapter 119: Why Are You So Fussy, Little Girl

But before Su Qing could say anything, Li Huan spoke again. "Hey, you’re looking at me the same way my mom does. When I left home, she warned me over and over: don’t talk to strangers, don’t eat food from strangers, don’t go to secluded places with strangers. I swear, she wishes she could just tie me to her hip so she could watch me all the time. Only then would she feel at ease."

Su Qing couldn’t help but smile at Li Huan’s description.

"Hey, don’t laugh! My mom is really like that," Li Huan said. "She worries about everything I do. She’s always convinced that the moment I’m out of her sight, I’ll get kidnapped." Then, she added in a hushed voice, "My mom doesn’t even know I’m going back to Beijing by myself this time. If she knew, I bet she’d be too worried to sleep all night."

Su Qing replied, "Your mother is right. A young girl traveling alone should be careful."

"I know, I know," Li Huan said with a laugh. "I’ll be careful. I don’t just go around talking to strangers, you know."

Su Qing was speechless.

"I’m serious," Li Huan hurriedly added. "The only reason I’m talking to you is because you looked familiar the moment I saw you. Seriously, you just look so familiar. Are you sure you’ve never been to Beijing?"

"I haven’t," Su Qing said, shaking her head.

"Oh well." Li Huan sighed. "I guess it must just be a random feeling."

"But," Li Huan said with another laugh, "look, this just proves we’re fated to meet! Otherwise, why don’t I go around thinking other people look familiar? Right?"

Su Qing was silent. ’Well, she kind of has a point.’

"Anyway, I have a really good feeling about you, so let’s be friends! We can get to know each other gradually. We can exchange addresses and start as pen pals. What do you say?" Li Huan asked, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Su Qing.

Looking at the bright sparkle in Li Huan’s eyes, Su Qing found she couldn’t bring herself to refuse. After a moment, she said, "Alright, then."

When Li Huan saw Su Qing agree, she was so delighted her eyebrows practically danced. She quickly pulled out a small notebook, scribbled down her address, tore out the page, and handed it to Su Qing. "Here’s my address."

"Thanks." Su Qing accepted it with a smile. After glancing at the address, she folded the piece of paper and put it away, then wrote her own address in Li Huan’s little notebook.

"Lihua Village." Li Huan softly read the address Su Qing had written, then asked, "Are there mountains around your village?"

"There are."

"Are they pretty? Is it fun to go into them?" Li Huan asked, her interest piqued.

"Soon, the heavy snow will make the mountains impassable, so no one really goes in around this time of year. But other times, they’re beautiful, especially in the fall. That’s when all the wild fruits and other things ripen, and there’s so much to eat—like wild chestnuts, hazelnuts, and mushrooms. If you’re lucky, you might even catch a pheasant or find some wild bird eggs. The wild vegetables are really tender then, too."

"It’s that amazing?" Li Huan’s eyes lit up. She blinked a few times, looking at Su Qing with a hopeful, pleading expression. "Su Qing, can I come visit you in Lihua Village next year? Could you take me into the mountains to pick wild fruit? Oh, and I want to forage for mushrooms! That must be so much fun."

Su Qing laughed. "Of course. You can come visit whenever you’re free."

"That would be amazing!"

All the way from Xiyuan County to Bingcheng, Li Huan chattered away, asking endless questions about the novelties of the mountains. Su Qing felt she wasn’t quite herself today; she found herself patiently answering every one of Li Huan’s questions, which in turn made Li Huan so excited she wished she could just skip past the new year and head straight into spring to go exploring with Su Qing.

Time always flies when you’re deep in conversation. It felt to Su Qing like no time had passed at all, but the bus was already pulling into the Bingcheng Bus Station.

Since they were both heading to the train station, Su Qing and Li Huan went together. Su Qing was on her way to Yun Province, which required a transfer in Beijing, while Li Huan was heading home to Beijing. Naturally, they booked tickets for the same train and even managed to get seats next to each other.

"You’re going to Yun Province? That’s so far away!" Li Huan exclaimed upon hearing Su Qing’s destination. "I’ve never been anywhere that far. Xiyuan County is the farthest I’ve ever traveled. I hear Yun Province is gorgeous. I’d love to go see it someday if I get the chance."

Su Qing smiled. "That’s exactly why I’m going. I heard it was beautiful, so I decided to take advantage of the quiet winter months to go take a look."

"That’s wonderful! When you get back, you have to tell me all about the scenery there," Li Huan said eagerly.

"I will."

The train to Beijing was scheduled for 4:30 p.m., so the two found a state-run restaurant to grab a bite to eat. Li Huan insisted on treating, her reason being that she was older. She had learned Su Qing was only sixteen, while she herself was eighteen, so she had already appointed herself Su Qing’s big sister. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

After their meal, they browsed the shops near the train station for a while before heading to the waiting room to prepare for boarding.

This was the train’s departure station, so many people were getting on. Su Qing and Li Huan hadn’t managed to get sleeper tickets, so they had bought hard-seat tickets instead. The other passengers were all laden with bags big and small. Su Qing and Li Huan were the exceptions, each carrying only a single wicker trunk. Su Qing’s was the larger of the two; she had managed to find it at Zhang Erlai’s place, and she was quite fond of its good quality. Aside from her trunk, she also had the small bundle from Fu Yuzhen, which was filled with snacks Fu Yuzhen had made for her.

They followed the crowd onto the train. Li Huan, bursting with excitement, led the way toward their seats, calling back to Su Qing, "Su Qing, come on, hurry up!"

Li Huan eagerly rushed toward her seat, but when she arrived, she found it already occupied by a woman in her fifties and a little boy who looked to be eight or nine years old.

"Excuse me, Ma’am," Li Huan said politely. "I think you’re in the wrong spot. These are our seats."

The woman occupying their seats barely lifted her eyelids to glance at Li Huan. "Oh. Well, you can just go sit over there," she said. "Look, in seats one and two."

The woman pointed toward the back of the car.

Su Qing glanced over and immediately understood why the woman wanted their spots. Seats one and two were right next to the toilet. Aside from the terrible smell, not everyone in the hard-seat car had a ticket, so that area was already crammed with standing passengers. Their bags and bundles clogged the aisle and even took up the space under seats one and two. Sitting there would be incredibly uncomfortable.

And since she and Li Huan had boarded late, all the other good seats were already taken. It was only logical that this woman would take her child and occupy theirs.

Li Huan had clearly noticed the situation as well. "Ma’am," she said, "since you have assigned seats, please return to them. These are ours."

The woman immediately bristled. She rolled her eyes and snapped, "A seat’s a seat. What’s the difference? Why do you young girls have to be so picky?"