Chapter 6: Chapter Six: Protected City and the Train

The driver used all his strength, the wheels almost smoked, and finally they safely arrived at the destination, Four Nine City Station. He stopped the car and said to He Yuzhu, "How was it? Is this three mao worth it?"

He Yuzhu got off the car, laughing, and said, "Hmm, not bad, comrade, you still need to work hard." After saying that, He Yuzhu ran into the train station, leaving the driver bewildered in the crowd.

After entering the train station, He Yuzhu found the ticket window and queued up; soon it was his turn. I have to say, the ticket clerks of this era are still quite efficient.

He Yuzhu walked to the ticket gate with his ticket, handed it to the ticket clerk, and followed the crowd toward the platform.

As he approached the platform, He Yuzhu was dumbfounded—it was a sea of people. He was wondering how to squeeze aboard when he saw some people tossing their luggage through the train windows, then climbing in after it.

Seeing that, He Yuzhu laughed, asked an attendant comrade if the train was headed for Protected City, got an answer, then darted to the rear carriages, found a less crowded car, and clambered aboard.

Thanks to He Yuzhu's years of practice, he scrambled into the carriage in a few moves, checked the car number on the door, glanced at his ticket—it matched this carriage—"This saves trouble," he thought. After boarding the carriage and finding his seat, He Yuzhu sat down.

Soon the carriage was packed with people, luggage of all sizes filling the racks to the brim; seeing no room left on the racks, some put their bags under the seats.

The train seats nowadays aren't the kind we're used to; they're still wooden, with plenty of space underneath, so you can stash a lot of stuff. Before long, an eighteen- or nineteen-year-old girl sat in the spot opposite He Yuzhu near the aisle. This little girl was very delicate—how to describe her? (You can look up Asuka Saitō.) Cough, back to the story.

He Yuzhu was instantly dazed by her, but then he snapped out of it—staring at a girl like this in this era could be dangerous.

Unable to bear it, He Yuzhu collected his thoughts, opened the peach pastry and began eating. After running back and forth all morning, he was genuinely hungry, and a few bites swallowed the whole pastry—but after finishing, he regretted it.

He had forgotten to bring water. He choked……

No choice—He Yuzhu put the pastry on the table, got up, and walked toward the toilet, chewing as he went.

After He Yuzhu cupped two handfuls of water and drank it down, that cool, refreshing feeling—in the deep winter, right after a snowfall, still cold water—who knows how cold it feels…

After returning to his seat and sitting down, He Yuzhu dared not eat again, fearing another choke; he wrapped the pastry in its packaging and placed it back on the table.

With a woo—, a hiss, large amounts of white smoke spread above the train, and the train started moving.

Trains of this era are still relatively slow; the trip from Four Nine City to Protected City takes about four hours. He Yuzhu closed the window and watched the train pull out of the station.

With one hand propping his head, gazing at the scenery flying by, He Yuzhu fell into thought. Having been reborn less than a day ago, today, whether rushing or dawdling, he has generally followed his own plan.

So why, despite experiencing his past life's events, does He Yuzhu still need to go to Protected City? Because he has matters to confirm with He Daqing, and of course some things need to be clarified—like the money for He Yushui, which cannot go through He Zhonghai. In his previous life, He Zhonghai had collected the siblings' allowance for over twenty years without giving any to He Yuzhu.

After He Daqing's departure, He Yuzhu and his sibling went from meal to meal with nothing guaranteed; He Yuzhu could manage to fill himself in the cafeteria, but He Yushui could not, relying on her brother to bring her food. Consequently, He Yushui has suffered malnutrition since childhood.

He Yuzhu gathered his thoughts, felt drowsiness rising, and leaned against the window to fall asleep.

When He Yuzhu woke up, the train had already reached Hundred Ditches Station. He looked up and saw the delicate girl reading a book, while a man with triangular eyes stood beside her, staring at her—but not at her book, at her pocket.

He Yuzhu saw a handkerchief holding something peeking from the girl's pocket, and realized: this was a pickpocket.

He Yuzhu fixed his gaze on the man, watching him slowly reach for the handkerchief. When the man pulled the handkerchief out of the girl's pocket, He Yuzhu suddenly shouted, "You bastard, what are you doing?" After yelling, he sprang to his feet and kicked the man to the ground.

An "ouch" came from the triangular-eyed man's mouth; nearby passengers all turned to look, and those farther away stood on their seats to get a better view.

He Yuzhu stepped onto the triangular-eyed man, snatched the handkerchief from his hand—the very one he had just stolen.

He turned, handed the handkerchief to the delicate girl, then in one motion twisted the triangular-eyed man around, seized both his wrists, and shouted, "This is a thief—quick, call the police uncle!"

Soon, two police uncles wearing red armbands arrived; they first had He Yuzhu release the triangular-eyed man, then asked, "Comrade, what's going on?"

He Yuzhu said to the older uncle, "Comrade, it's like this: I just woke up and saw him stealing this comrade's belongings, so I shouted and kicked him down, fearing he'd flee, I subdued him." After speaking, He Yuzhu looked at the delicate girl.

The delicate girl quickly nodded at the police uncle and said, "Exactly, police uncle, that's what this comrade said."

"Is that so?" the older police uncle asked the triangular-eyed man, who merely stammered, "I, I," and said nothing else.

"Take him to the duty room," the older police uncle told his younger colleague, then turned to He Yuzhu and said, "Hello, comrade. I am Chen Weihai, the captain responsible for this train. Thank you very much for your brave act just now. Please now make a statement with this female comrade."

"It's fine, Comrade Chen. I'm He Yuzhu; this is what I ought to do. I believe anyone else seeing this would act the same. Let's go." After saying that, He Yuzhu glanced at the delicate girl, and the three of them headed toward the dining car.