Wang Liansheng was watched by the two children, smiled and took the wine glass to offer it to them, but Ling Chengyan across the table gave him a glare. He chuckled and withdrew his hand, then turned to the children and said with a smile: "You’re still young, you can’t drink yet, wait until you grow up."

Ling Chengyan didn’t respond, just lowered her head and ate noodles.

The noodles on the train, while not particularly delicious, were hot and with both noodles and soup, making her stomach feel comfortable after eating.

There weren’t many people in the dining car, making the environment somewhat better. The family didn’t rush to finish their meal and leave. After eating, Ling Chengyan watched Wang Liansheng drink beer but didn’t urge him, instead turning to the counter to get two cans of drinks for the two children, instructing them to take out the new books they bought in Hai City from the backpack and read.

After finishing his beer, Wang Liansheng went to the counter to talk to the staff, asking if they could switch to a sleeper compartment.

It’s known that sleeper tickets on trains are hard to buy, but many frequent train travelers know that after boarding, they can ask the conductors or staff, and often they can pay extra to switch to a sleeper.

If the journey is short, they might endure it, but their family would be traveling for nearly twenty hours, not arriving at the provincial capital until noon the next day. Sitting through it on hard seats is too much suffering, and the car gets crowded and noisy.

Ten minutes later, Wang Liansheng returned, his face joyful, and whispered to Ling Chengyan: "Give me some money; we can switch to two soft sleeper tickets."

Ling Chengyan gave him a sidelong look, seeing this face of seeking praise, really!

Wang Liansheng smiled and said in a low voice: "There are two beds, you and the kids can get some rest."

With the sleeper tickets in hand, the family walked directly through the dining car into the sleeper compartment on the other side.

Upon finding their spots, it was an upper and lower berth with people already occupying the opposite, an older and a younger. The older was over forty, and the younger was a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy. They both looked neat and respectable; the boy’s appearance was striking, with robust features and a spirited look.

Wang Liansheng greeted the middle-aged man, introduced himself, and then said hello to Ling Chengyan, mentioning he was going to the hard seat compartment to get their luggage.

They had only brought small personal bags to the dining car; the large luggage bags containing clothes and supplies were still on the racks in the hard seat compartment.

Ling Chengyan glanced at the middle-aged man opposite and stood up, saying: "You talk with Brother Xie, I’ll go get the luggage."

Wang Liansheng said: "There are two luggage bags..."

Ling Chengyan smiled: "It’s fine; they don’t weigh more than twenty kilograms in total."

During their endurance marches, they used to carry up to forty kilograms of gear.

Wang Liansheng understood what his wife meant, smiled helplessly, and Ling Chengyan quickly walked out.

Brother Xie smiled and said: "Your wife has a nice personality, very straightforward."

"Yeah," Wang Liansheng smiled and nodded, not saying more about his wife, and reassured the two children climbing up to the upper bunk out of curiosity before chatting with the man opposite.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, he learned that the middle-aged man opposite, surnamed Xie, also worked in a government office, and both were from Eastern Province. Although not from the same city, they found many common topics to discuss.

Ling Chengyan walked out from the quiet sleeper compartment, through the dining car, and back into the crowded hard seat compartment. The carriage was packed, and the connecting areas were also full of people. It was already eight o’clock in the evening; some were either sitting or lying down to sleep. The smell of sweat mixed with stinky feet was suffocating.

Ling Chengyan’s expression remained unchanged, her pace did not slow. She nimbly stepped over those lying down, sidestepping those sitting, and made her way to their previous hard seat compartment.

The hard seat was a seat people fought hard to get; their family had left for over two hours, and the seats were already occupied.

It was a middle-aged couple accompanied by an elderly person.

Ling Chengyan didn’t intend to linger, patted the shoulder of the middle-aged man who was sitting down, and said in a low voice: "I need to get my luggage down."

The man jumped up at once, smiling a bit apologetically, "We were just sitting here for a while to rest..."

As he spoke, he was about to wake the elderly person and his wife.

Seeing him react this way, Ling Chengyan quickly waved her hand: "You sit right here; I met an acquaintance in the next compartment and need to go over there to chat for a while."

She didn’t mention that she was going to the sleeper compartment nor that they wouldn’t be returning.

Everyone suffers in the hard seat compartment; mentioning they switched to a sleeper could easily arouse resentment. As for the latter, it was a way to spare this family from any trouble. Just sitting temporarily or possibly not attracting attention, but if they knew their family wasn’t coming back, someone might jump up to grab the seat.

The middle-aged man smiled earnestly and gratefully, bustling to help her with the luggage bags. He said: "Take whatever you need, leave the bags here, and I’ll keep an eye on them for you."

Feeling pleased with his kindness, Ling Chengyan smiled: "I need quite a few things; I’ll take everything over and bring it back later."

Seeing her determination, the man didn’t insist further, helped her take the bags down, and said: "The bags are pretty heavy; I’ll help you carry them."

Smiling, Ling Chengyan shook her head, took the bags, and turned to leave.

On the way back, she encountered the grandfather who had shared canned food with the kids earlier. Seeing her, a lone woman carrying two large bags, he offered to help, but she declined. Then he mentioned their seats being taken, sighing: "The elderly lady is ill, and the son and daughter-in-law are taking her to see a doctor. Seeing that, I didn’t have the heart to speak up for you."

Ling Chengyan smiled, "That’s okay, we’re going to the next compartment to visit an acquaintance, let them sit for now."

The old man smiled and nodded: "Ah, it’s clear you folks are good-hearted people, and good deeds are rewarded."

She smiled at him, said goodbye, and left.

Returning to the sleeper compartment, she was somewhat surprised to find that the previously standoffish teenager was now joined by Xiao Xing and Shi Tou, engaged in reading the books they bought in Hai City.

Wang Liansheng was sitting on one side with the man surnamed Xie, appearing to enjoy an engaging conversation. The small table was piled with snacks and drinks, with biscuits and luncheon meat bought by Wang Liansheng at the station, and duck feet, chicken wings, and smoked fish obviously brought by the other party.

Seeing Ling Chengyan return, Wang Liansheng quickly got up to take the luggage and placed it under the bed.

He said: "You go up and sleep first. Once they’re tired, I’ll arrange them."

Seeing the three children absorbed in their reading, Ling Chengyan didn’t say much, nodded to the man named Xie, efficiently climbed up to the top bunk, and lay down to rest.

Having spent most of the day running around, she was indeed tired. Moreover, with her strong adaptability, she could seize even a ten-minute window to nap, unaffected by insomnia. Thus, after lying down, listening to the low whispers below, she quickly fell asleep.

The man surnamed Xie across the compartment observed her and shook his head slightly in contemplation. Wang Liansheng seemed shrewd, yet his wife appeared straightforward and unsophisticated, seemingly lacking in handling social interactions. How such contrasting personalities came together was a curiosity to him.

Unbeknownst to Ling Chengyan, someone quietly criticized her, but even if she knew, she wouldn’t care.

Her sleep was relatively calm. During her nap, there was a knock on the door; it was the sleeper compartment attendant checking tickets.

Just as Wang Liansheng was about to retrieve their tickets to explain, the man named Xie stepped up first, exchanged a few words with the attendant, then turned and smiled at Wang Liansheng: "There are two more beds in the next compartment. How about we both go and sleep over there later?"

Hearing that there were sleeper beds available delighted Wang Liansheng, who eagerly nodded in agreement, promptly stepping forward to pay the fare difference as the man named Xie smiled and stepped aside.