Chapter 17: Brother, you must have been waiting for me a long time, right?

Swaying with the movement of the train carriage, Shen Man let out a yawn.

She took a brand-new quilt out from her space, folded it simply, crawled into the bedding, and settled in for a comfortable nap.

Tangyuan, meanwhile, was in the space, tirelessly organizing their belongings.

Its master hadn't managed to trade for live chickens or ducks yesterday, but she had traded for fertilized eggs.

It had built a grass nest in the corner of the small courtyard wall for the fertilized eggs, and every now and then it would come over to incubate them, trying to solve its master's worries.

When hungry, it would nibble on a piece of sponge cake; when thirsty, it would take a sip of the Spiritual Liquid from the pool. Life was full of hope.

Its master had said that once they reached the Sea Island, she would catch sea fish and shrimp for it to eat.

As a pure-bred inland feline, it had never eaten sea fish or shrimp before!

For the next few days, aside from eating and going to the restroom, Shen Man almost never left the carriage.

Inadvertently, this saved a lot of trouble for those looking after her.

Likewise, some of the troubles that occurred on the train didn't find their way to her.

Shen Man used this free time when no one disturbed her to explore the space.

She sorted the supplies into categories, stored them properly, and tidied up a private area inside the small house to make it convenient for her to stay and rest in the space.

She collected the Spiritual Liquid in jade bottles, adding only one drop to her drinking water each day to improve her physique, saving the rest. She had a premonition that it would be of great use in the future.

When the train slowed down and the temperature rose significantly, Shen Man took off her thick cotton-padded coat and changed into light spring and summer attire.

She folded her own cotton quilt neatly on the bed and put it into the space.

She dragged the two suitcases, one large and one small, out from under the bed.

Her own suitcase was the small one, containing only one set of clothes to change into and her toiletries.

The large leather suitcase was prepared by her grandfather; it was packed full of food, drink, and daily necessities, and it was quite heavy.

Fortunately, the large suitcase had four wheels, so she could manage to push it along.

"Respected passengers, please be advised: the train is about to arrive at the station. Please gather your belongings, and after the train reaches the platform, please disembark in an orderly fashion..."

The train staff walked through each carriage, repeating the announcement with a megaphone.

Shen Man glanced at the watch on her wrist; it was 11:00 AM. When she got off the train and saw her brother, the two of them could find a place to have lunch, chat about their recent lives, and strengthen their sibling bond.

Perhaps it was the pull of blood ties, but she felt a bit more anticipation for this brother she had never met.

According to her grandfather, her brother had doted on her when she was little, and he hadn't forgotten her, his sister, all these years.

She figured that upon their reunion, her brother shouldn't dislike her, right?

Thinking this, the train soon arrived at the station and stopped.

The door to the carriage was knocked upon: "Knock, knock, knock."

"Little girl, we've arrived."

"Okay."

It was the train conductor. Shen Man picked up the key on the table, opened the door, thanked him politely, and returned the key.

"Wait five minutes before getting off. The station is crowded right now; it's quite packed."

The middle-aged man took the key, gave a kind smile, looked at the young girl with concern, and couldn't help but offer a reminder.

"Okay, thank you, Uncle."

Shen Man nodded. After watching him leave, she felt the chill of the breeze passing through the corridor and turned to put on the scarf that had been lying on the bed.

"Master, I want to come out and get some air too."

In the space, Tangyuan meowed. It was tired of incubating eggs and wanted to go out and see the world outside.

"Alright."

Shen Man nodded, slung her bag across her waist, and with a thought, Tangyuan's tiny body was inside the bag.

"Meow, meow, meow~"

Tangyuan found a comfortable position, poked out its furry little head, and gazed at the world outside the window with curiosity in its eyes.

After waiting about five minutes, Shen Man carried her small suitcase in one hand and pushed the large suitcase with the other, heading out of the carriage...

There was only one platform at this station, and as soon as the train doors opened, a swarm of people crowded out.

Near the exit passage, those who were being met usually took a few extra looks at the people outside the platform railing.

Seven or eight minutes passed, and the number of people getting off the train dwindled.

The man holding the sign was getting a bit impatient.

Lu Xiu Bai wouldn't be playing a trick on him, would he?

It was this train, and the time was correct, so why hadn't he seen the man's sister yet?

Could she really be so ugly that she was afraid to be seen, and was dragging her feet until the very end?

Just as he was wondering whether to smoke a cigarette to ease his restless mood, the sound of suitcase wheels came from the platform passage...

Deep eyes met a pair of spirited eyes, as if it were a fated bond.

Jiang Ye's heart rate accelerated, and the blood in his whole body was roaring wildly. It was her; it was definitely her.

When the girl saw him, her eyes immediately curved into crescents. She dropped her suitcase and ran into his arms.

"Brother~"

The soft, delicate tone of her voice, so incredibly affectionate, made Jiang Ye's heart tremble. A feeling of numbness washed over his bones, and the cigarette he had been holding in his mouth fell straight to the ground.

Before coming, Lu Xiu Bai had said his sister was a chubby girl, so in his mind, he had pictured a plump girl with two braided pigtails.

But the girl who had thrown herself into his arms was fair-skinned, beautiful, with hair down to her waist, and was movingly lovely—a great beauty who made his heart skip a beat at first sight!

The "Brother" she called out was impossibly sweet. Under the influence of hidden greed and a palpitating impulse, he tacitly allowed her unrestrained affection.

It was just that his tongue pressed against his upper palate, and the string in his mind called "reason" snapped...

"Brother, you must have been waiting for me a long time, right?"

Shen Man looked up, filled with the joy of their long-awaited reunion, her beautiful eyes staring straight at her brother.

Just now, seeing him from afar, she had thought this brother in the military coat was really handsome, very tall, and looked like he provided a great sense of security.

Up close, she only felt that although her brother didn't share a single feature with her, his eyes were filled with lingering tenderness.

Jiang Ye's throat was dry, and he couldn't make a sound. Instinctively, he used his right hand to protect the girl's slender waist in his arms.

The soft touch transmitted from his palm burned into his heart.

Forcing himself to calm down, he instinctively let his gaze fall on the back of her hand, where the black hair reaching her waist looked like fine silk, shimmering with a healthy luster under the sunlight.

His gaze uncontrollably shifted back to the girl's porcelain-white face, which was stained with a faint blush, carrying an unconscious charm amidst her purity.

A breeze brushed her face; up close, there wasn't even a trace of fuzz on her skin. Even the wind, at this moment, was exceptionally fond of her.

"Brother?"

Shen Man was puzzled, her beautiful eyes full of confusion.

What was wrong with her brother?

Was he not happy to see her?

"Stand steady."

After Jiang Ye steadied her, he restrained his emotions. His voice was as indifferent as ever, and he didn't dare look the girl in the eye.

"Huh?"

Shen Man was stunned. Shouldn't a first meeting between siblings involve hugging and crying, then smiling at each other, with a harmonious sibling relationship?

Jiang Ye took off his green military coat, gave it a shake, and draped it over the girl.

"I'll take you to have lunch first, and then I'll get you settled."

After saying this, he went to get the suitcases.

Shen Man was completely wrapped up in the coat, like a rice dumpling, with only her bewildered little head poking out.

She lowered her head and sniffed, catching a faint scent of soap on the coat, and thought that her brother was quite clean.

Cold on the outside, warm on the inside?

It felt like there was a bit of a difference in personality from the brother her grandfather had described.

Although her grandfather had shared photos of her brother from when he was little with her, they were black-and-white photos, and with the traces of her grandfather rubbing them over the years, the photos were already blurry, and she could barely make out a silhouette...

Shen Man comforted herself, perhaps it was because her brother had been away from home for six years, and his personality had changed, becoming more steady. ===== CHAPTER 18 =====