Although Suifenhe Railway Station was the starting point, and several people were in a sleeper carriage, because it was the middle of winter and the train windows were not opened for ventilation, the smell inside the train was as stuffy and unpleasant as ever when Chen Lan and the others boarded. Su Dan Novel Network.
Since Sanmei Gugu's sleeper ticket was just bought before boarding, she was not in the same sleeper carriage as the others and needed to exchange it with the conductor.
Xiang Xi was very experienced in this matter, so he took another bag of things from Chen Lan and went to exchange tickets with Sanmei Gugu's sleeper ticket.
Chen Lan's sense of smell had become exceptionally sensitive due to her pregnancy. To prevent morning sickness, she put on a mask and covered it with a scarf as soon as she got on the train. Now, in the sleeper carriage, there was still a strange smell, including cigarette smoke, smelly feet, and an indescribable odor. Chen Lan quickly put on another mask and also handed out masks to everyone else to wear under their scarves.
At first, Xu Mingxuan and Xiang Xi didn't want to wear masks because they were not used to them. However, not long after the train started, the smell in the carriage made them unbearable!
Even with two masks, Chen Lan couldn't block out the smell. She was truly unbearable and suggested, "Mingxuan Ge, I think we should open the windows of the sleeper carriage first to air out the strange smell inside. Otherwise, no one can stand it for long."
So, everyone, fully equipped with quilts covering them, opened the windows and let the cold wind blow for about ten minutes. Finally, the smell in the carriage dissipated. The guests next door grumbled that they were being fussy. Xu Mingxuan had no choice but to close the window again.
Currently, due to the widespread famine, traveling by train was not very safe. Chen Lan, feeling unwell, climbed onto the upper bunk to sleep first. Xu Mingxuan and Xiang Xi took turns sleeping on Chen Lan's lower bunk, responsible for guarding and ensuring everyone's safety.
Chen Lan didn't concern herself with these matters. With Xu Mingxuan accompanying and taking care of her, Chen Lan felt very relieved.
The food on the train was all brought by themselves. After a few meals of bread and sausage, it was the next morning. The smell on the train was truly unpleasant. Chen Lan had no appetite and reluctantly ate a slice of bread. Fearing that her nutrition would not be enough for the baby, she secretly drank a bottle of yogurt with everyone else.
Around nine o'clock, the conductor was calling out in the carriage, "Harbin Station has arrived! Passengers who need to disembark, please get off quickly." Seeing that Chen Lan and the others hadn't moved, the conductor approached and asked, "Comrade, Harbin has arrived, why aren't you getting off?"
Xu Mingxuan immediately replied, "Comrade, thank you. We're not in a hurry. We'll get off when it's less crowded."
The conductor didn't bother with Xu Mingxuan and the others and continued walking and shouting.
Chen Lan was very puzzled and asked, "Mingxuan Ge, haven't we arrived yet? Why are we getting off at Harbin?"
Xu Mingxuan asked with a smile, "Lan'er, we need to get off and transfer to a train to Changchun. Didn't you transfer in Harbin when you went to Suifenhe?"
Chen Lan looked back at Xiang Xi, who was helping Sanmei Gugu prepare to get off, and shook her head. "I don't think so. I don't remember. Anyway, we were on the train for two days and one night, and we didn't. Because neither Xiao Xigua nor I got off."
Xu Mingxuan first packed his large backpack and then helped Chen Lan put on her coat and hat. He took her hand and prepared to disembark. As they walked, Xu Mingxuan said, "That's your good luck. Perhaps you just changed locomotives and went directly to Suifenhe Station. Usually, you need to transfer from Harbin to Changchun."
After a lot of trouble, the group finally boarded the train to Changchun. They found the conductor and went through a lot of hassle again before finding their sleeper carriage.
Once everyone was settled, Xu Mingxuan happily said, "I just asked the conductor, and he said the train will take another seven hours to reach Changchun. It's not yet ten in the morning. We should arrive in Changchun around five or six in the afternoon, probably after dark. We'll just stay at the train station hotel for one night. Tomorrow morning, I'll handle some business at the Changchun office, and then I'll find a car to take us home."
Chen Lan sighed. When she went to Suifenhe, she arrived in Changchun at night and couldn't see anything clearly in the dark. On the way back, she arrived in Changchun at night again, and it was still dark. It seemed she had no fate with Changchun.
When the group exited Changchun Railway Station, it was indeed pitch black outside. Fortunately, the railway station staff were quite enthusiastic. When Xu Mingxuan inquired about the train station hotel, they very warmly led the group to a hotel located diagonally opposite the railway station.
Chen Lan really didn't expect that the train station hotel business would still be so booming at this time. It was dark now, and she couldn't see the surrounding situation clearly, but she saw people coming and going at the hotel, all looking for a place to stay.
Xiang Xi took advantage of a moment when there were fewer people, gave the hotel attendant a bag of cornmeal steamed buns, and got a small private room.
The private room had a large heated brick bed along the wall. The quilts on the bed were unbearable to look at. All six of them were too lazy to wash up and squeezed onto the large heated brick bed to make do for the night. The next day, everyone woke up with sore backs and stiff necks. Xu Mingxuan had already gotten up early and had gone out to attend to business.
Sanmei Gugu patted her lower back and said with a smile, "As the saying goes, 'One who never leaves home is a blessed person.'"
Chen Lan chimed in with a smile, "If that's the case, then I seem to be an unlucky person. Ten years ago, I dragged my whole family from the capital to Panzi Ridge in Changbai Mountain. Ten years later, I went from Panzi Ridge to Suifenhe to visit relatives, and I even traveled around there. What a journey!"
Sanmei Gugu immediately explained, "Mira, that's not what it means. The old saying means that if you don't leave home, you don't need to go out to make a living, which means you have enough to eat at home. It's different from you going out."
Chen Lan thought about it and decided not to dwell on the issue of going out. The most important thing now was to pack up quickly. Before everyone else woke up, she needed to retrieve Xiang Xi's old Dongfeng car from the system warehouse so they could drive home later.
Chen Lan quickly tidied herself up and, after greeting Sanmei Gugu, left the room. Sanmei Gugu thought Chen Lan was going to the toilet and didn't ask any further questions. In fact, going to the toilet in the middle of winter was too much of an ordeal, so everyone was afraid to drink too much water.
When Xu Mingxuan returned, everyone had already finished breakfast and was waiting for him. Xu Mingxuan quickly ate two slices of hard bread and a few bites of Vika sausage to finish his breakfast. Chen Lan took the opportunity to quietly hand him the car keys to the old Dongfeng car.
Xu Mingxuan understood instantly when he saw the car keys.