Chapter 417: The Girl's First Train Ride

After further discussing the details with Bureau Chief Tang Qiusheng, Lu Cheng only then left the office, ready to catch the train to the site immediately.

"What's the situation? Why did it take you so long to come out?" Yang Yin followed right behind.

"First, take the train to the site." Lu Cheng wasn't riding a bicycle; the Traffic Police Unit's station was not far from the Platform, and the bicycle was safer kept in the courtyard.

Lu Cheng's legs moved so fast that Yang Yin could only jog to keep up.

"Going to the site? Are you going alone? But there are so many Educated Youth causing trouble there; how can you manage by yourself! If a fight breaks out, you won't even have a helper…"

The little girl was really noisy, so Lu Cheng stopped, and Yang Yin almost bumped into his back.

"Didn't I tell you not to get involved in my work?"

Yang Yin muttered, "I'm not afraid you'll get beaten; I'm just looking out for you."

Lu Cheng kept walking: "Don't worry, I'm not going to fight, but I can't guarantee anything. If you're scared, you can go back to school."

"I... I won't go back; I still have to take the train."

Although Yang Yin has a brother who goes abroad by plane, she herself has never traveled far, and today is her first time taking a train.

Following Lu Cheng, she didn't even need to buy a ticket and got on the train.

Yang Yin, suddenly very curious, said: "So this is the inside of a train. I've only seen the outside before; it's so long. I didn't realize it could hold so many people. Does it always carry this many? Can the train actually pull all that? Hey, is there a restroom on the train? If I need to go, what do I do? Do I have to wait at a stop to use it...?"

Lu Cheng led Yang Yin straight to a Bunk Car: "You'll sleep here tonight."

Yang Yin stepped inside, looked around, and said, "You still haven't answered my earlier questions."

"There are too many; I can't answer them all," Lu Cheng replied, lying down on one of the bunks.

Yang Yin gave an apologetic smile: "I was just too curious. Let me ask one by one—are you the Train Captain on this train?"

"No."

This train line is overseen by another Train Captain; the line Lu Cheng is responsible for didn't depart today, so to save time he chose a train that was about to leave.

Yang Yin nodded: "Oh, I see. Everyone else is sitting on hard seats; how can I sleep in one with a bed? And I haven't bought a ticket—does that make it a bit awkward?"

"If you feel embarrassed, you can go outside and swap with another passenger."

Yang Yin pursed her lips: "Then never mind; I can't sleep sitting there. By the way, where do you sleep at night?"

Lu Cheng gestured: "Right here."

"Huh?" Yang Yin sprang up: "We share a carriage? That's like sharing a room, and I'm a girl."

Lu Cheng closed his eyes to rest: "This is a train, not a home. When you're out, you have to make do; it's normal for men and women to share a carriage and sleep together."

Hearing Lu Cheng say that, Yang Yin's impression of train travel took a big hit.

"Then, is there no private Bunk Car? I can pay."

Lu Cheng opened his eyes: "Miss, it's National Day now; you didn't see that the train doesn't even have a station stop. You can have a Bunk Car to sleep in because our captain gave the order, and the Train Captain temporarily freed up one."

It was Captain Lei who wanted him to rest well, so he would have enough energy to handle the site.

So, that means I'm still getting some benefit from being with you.

Lu Cheng didn't need to answer; the situation on the train was evident—when the train is packed, having money doesn't guarantee a Bunk Car; you also need internal connections.

Fortunately, Yang Yin quickly adapted to the train environment; as Lu Cheng said, many tired passengers crawl under their seats, spread a mat, and lie down to sleep.

She then realized how blissful it is to have a Bunk Car to sleep in on a train.

All the way, Yang Yin perched at the window, gazing at the splendid scenery outside, shouting excitedly.

"Wow, so that's what the outside looks like—so beautiful! Thank you, Lu San'er, for taking me out to have fun; I'll remember this day forever."

The train was packed, and Lu Cheng this time figured out his official travel allowance, so he didn't have to be on duty and just stayed lying on the small bunk.

"Don't stick your head out; you might hit a utility pole and have your head sliced off."

Yang Yin turned back: "Could you stop saying such destructive things when I'm admiring the beauty of our motherland? There's no romance at all."

Lu Cheng said he wanted some romance, but dealing with the Educated Youth was just a nuisance.

To be honest, although he swore he would go to the site to handle it, he himself wasn't confident he could manage it.

Soon night fell; outside the window was pitch black, nothing visible, and Yang Yin lost interest.

She walked around to other carriages; some hungry passengers had already taken out their Dry Rations and were nibbling.

Seeing them eat so heartily made Yang Yin's stomach rumble.

Back in the Bunk Car, she perched on the doorframe: "Why are you still sleeping? I'm hungry, but we didn't bring any food."

Lu Cheng sat up; once on the train, his circadian rhythm went haywire.

"Let's go; I'll take you to the Dining Car for a meal."

"Ah, there's food on the train? Then why are they still gnawing on big biscuits?"

Lu Cheng glanced at her; after all, she's the professor's daughter, overly protected since childhood, likely never having faced real hardships.

"Many of them are poor; a single train ticket might be saved by a whole family through frugal living."

Yang Yin fell silent; she realized how foolish her question had been, like the textbook example 'Why not eat meat porridge?'

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that..."

Lu Cheng laughed: "It's fine, no one blames you. This trip has given you a lot of experience. Come on, I'll take you to eat and try our train's meals."

"Mm."

Obviously, very few people could get into the Dining Car to eat, and since everything on the train is already expensive, ordinary folk can't afford it.

After finishing the meal and returning to the Bunk Car, Yang Yin sat on the small bunk, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

The mattress was hard, but on a train the conditions are limited, so you just make do; opposite her, on the Iron Bunk Bed, was Lu Cheng.

And the carriage was so cramped that it was practically the same as sharing one bed.

"What are you looking at? I'm sleeping."

The farther northeast they went, the colder it got, and Lu Cheng casually draped a thin blanket over himself.

Yang Yin muttered: "Just sleeping like this, fully clothed?"

Lu Cheng turned his head and looked over: "If you don't mind, you can take it off."

Yang Yin frowned: "I didn't mean that… Ah, never mind, let's just sleep like this, but don't be a pervert in the middle of the night while I'm asleep."

Lu Cheng closed his eyes: "It's fine, if I act like a pervert, you can call the Train Police."

"Then aren't you the Train Police…"

Lu Cheng smiled without replying, his mind thinking about how to solve the Educated Youth matter.