Chapter 100

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Wang Yumin felt that this semester, Feng Yiping had been getting more and more troublesome. Half a month ago, he took a leave for two classes for the first time, and now it was even worse; he was asking for a four-and-a-half-day leave!

She looked at Feng Yiping coldly. Although he seemed to be obediently lowering his head, the stubbornness and determination in him were evident, even to the little swallow by her side.

Once these usually good students got stubborn, it was really hard to deal with them. If a poorly performing student made such a request, she would reject it without a second thought. If they dared to skip class, she would handle it without hesitation.

A quiet person can suddenly become fierce. For someone like Feng Yiping, if she didn't approve his leave, he might really run away on his own. Then, would she deal with it or not?

"Fine, this time I'll approve it, but for this semester, no, for the whole year, don't ever mention taking leave to me again," Wang Yumin said through gritted teeth. She had originally wanted to ask Feng Yiping to bring his grandfather to school to verify the situation, but then she thought it over. What Feng Yiping said was a big deal. His family had a business in the provincial capital, so it was understandable for him to go there for a few days.

Downstairs, Feng Yiping couldn't hide his smile. Ha, a four-and-a-half-day leave, plus the one and a half days of the weekend, that made six days in total!

On Saturday morning, Feng Yiping reminded Wang Changning again, who had already moved in. If his grandfather or uncle came to deliver vegetables the next day, he must tell them that he had gone to Xiao Zhijie's house and not to slip up.

As for his real destination, even Wang Changning didn't know, fearing that he would worry and tell the adults.

This time, everything went smoothly. He rushed to the county and caught the first bus to the provincial capital at 9:00 AM. By 4:30 PM, he had arrived in the provincial capital.

Following his memory from the summer, he turned to the street behind the station. The train ticket agency was still open, but it was almost closing time. Only one window was still open, and an auntie was reading a newspaper inside.

He asked for a ticket to Yangcheng for the evening, "Do you have standing tickets?"

The auntie asked him in a routine manner, "Do you want a standing ticket?"

Of course, he couldn't take a standing ticket. Nearly thirty hours, how could he endure it? Even if he could, he was worried about his money being stolen. This time, he had brought quite a bit of money!

"Are there any sleeper tickets for tomorrow morning?"

"Only hard seats."

"What about tomorrow evening, are there any sleeper tickets?"

"No, only hard seats. Do you want to buy one?" The auntie was getting a bit impatient.

There was nothing he could do; the railway was so powerful, and everyone associated with it was the same.

Seeing no one else inside or outside, Feng Yiping leaned in and pleaded softly, "Auntie, I have an urgent matter and would prefer to leave today. But as you can see, I'm just a child, and standing tickets or hard seats are not safe. I know I can find someone at the station to buy a sleeper ticket, but I'm afraid of getting a fake one. How about this: I'll pay an extra thirty yuan, like I would at the station, and you help me find a way?"

The auntie looked at him suspiciously. Seeing that he was just a child, she thought it was probably fine and became a bit more friendly. "Sigh, you're about the same age as my child, in middle school, right? For someone your age, traveling alone, a sleeper is safer. I'll try to find someone to help you."

"Thank you so much!"

The auntie got up and went to the back room. After a while, she came back. "I found someone to get you a ticket, but it's an upper berth. Is that okay?"

"An upper berth is fine."

As long as it was a sleeper ticket, Feng Yiping didn't care. He paid her the ticket fare and handed over three ten-yuan notes.

"I'm not keeping the money; I'm giving it to the person who got the ticket for me. I won't get a cent."

"Sure, sure, thank you so much!" At this time, going to the station to queue for today's ticket, even getting a standing ticket would be good. At the station, he would still have to find a ticket scalper and pay the same amount. It was safer to do it here.

With the ticket in hand, he didn't rush to the station. He found a place to eat a bowl of noodles. While sitting in the noodle shop, he couldn't help but look around, trying to find something worth learning from. He found a lot of things that needed improvement, but no good points.

He bought a magazine and lingered in the waiting room until around 8:00 PM. This was safer than the station. After two transfers, he arrived at the station before 9:00 PM.

The station was still brightly lit and bustling with people. Speakers announced arrival and departure information, and people with suitcases and bags were rushing back and forth.

In the ticket hall, the queue for buying tickets extended to the square. The square was crowded with people, many sitting on the flower beds or on their luggage. The areas near the high lights were the most crowded.

On the way to the ticket check, at least twenty people asked Feng Yiping if he needed a place to stay or a ticket. Most of them asked, "Little brother, where are you going? Do you need a ticket?"

Feng Yiping slung his black backpack over his chest and walked through the crowd, heading straight to the ticket check to queue up.

Even here, people kept coming up to him, asking, "Do you need a ticket?" Feng Yiping thought this persistence and relentless salesmanship were worth learning from.

The waiting room was even noisier, with a mix of dialects from all over the country. The sounds of people talking, combined with the noise of trains arriving and departing, filled his ears. The only clear voices were those of the staff in uniforms with megaphones maintaining order.

The unique mix of smells at the station was even stronger here, strongly stimulating his sense of smell.

Feng Yiping thought that people who worked here long-term probably had poor hearing and cooking skills.

Strangely, the noise and the strong smells made people drowsy.

Even here, Feng Yiping didn't let his guard down. He kept his backpack on his chest and found a spot by the wall to stand.

For a long time, train stations were the most mixed and dangerous places, with all sorts of people. Being cautious and careful was always right.

Here, the order was much better. Most people queued up to board the train, though some tried to cut in line. If they were lucky, the staff would ignore them; if not, they might get a belt lash.

Although cutting in line was wrong, this seemed a bit too brutal.

From the overpass to the platform, no one walked; everyone ran, as if afraid the train would leave at any moment.

The train, of course, was the classic green car. He had heard that there were some red cars now, but not on this trip. As soon as he got on, Feng Yiping climbed to the upper berth, put his backpack and food on the bed, and lay down comfortably.

A few minutes before departure, the carriage finally quieted down. Soon, the auntie selling boxed meals walked through, shouting her classic catchphrase, and the lights in the carriage went out.

In the middle of the night, half-asleep, Feng Yiping heard a man talking to the female attendant at the carriage door.

The attendant said, "No, the sleeper car is closed at night. No one else can come in."

The man said, "I only have a standing ticket, but it's too crowded up front. Can I sit at the small table in the aisle for the night? I'll be at my destination by morning. Is that okay?"

"No," the attendant was firm.

After a few back-and-forth exchanges and some haggling, the attendant took fifty yuan and found him a seat at the small table in the aisle, warning him to move if the sleeper passengers needed it.

This was nothing unusual, but about an hour later, a dramatic scene unfolded. The man stopped the attendant as she passed by, "I've noted your number. Give me my money back, or I'll complain to the railway department when I get off."

Feng Yiping didn't know what the railway department was, but he found this scenario quite fresh. "Wow, this guy must have eaten a bear's heart or drunk a few bowls of 'Three Bowls Can't Pass the Ridge' to dare threaten the railway!"

What surprised Feng Yiping even more was that the attendant remained silent for a while, then there were some rustling sounds, and he heard the sound of high heels walking away.

The high heels stopped at the carriage door, and the metal ashtray clattered onto the carriage. Then the door to the attendant's compartment was slammed shut. She was clearly very angry, and it was evident that she had given in!

Feng Yiping heard laughter from the neighboring berths. It seemed everyone found it amusing. Ha ha!

Thank you all for your support, and a special thanks to the book friend, Little White Rabbit, for the tip!

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