179. Entertainment on the Train

Seeing Qingxin’s cute little expression, Gao Shen’s lips curved into a faint smile as he said in a low voice, "Qingxin, it’s still early. Why don't you lie down and sleep a bit longer?"

If it weren't for the passengers in the upper berth, Jing Qingxin definitely would have fought back and teased him. Obviously, the occasion wasn't right, but Jing Qingxin reached out and pinched Gao Shen’s lean waist, raising her chin with a proud and pampered look, as if saying, "This is your punishment for bullying me."

Gao Shen’s eyes were filled with smiles, his expression extremely gentle, as if he didn't feel the slightest bit of pain at his waist.

Jing Qingxin also knew it was still early, and there was nothing to do on the train. Since she had indeed woken up quite early this morning, she obediently lay down to rest. Sleeping for a while might make time pass faster.

Gao Shen tucked the small blanket over Qingxin and sat on the edge of the bed where she was resting, acting like a guardian, shielding Qingxin who was sleeping on the inner side of the bed.

Gao Shen continued to read his book, and time slipped away quietly, bit by bit...

At noon, the train attendant pushed an iron cart loaded with boxed lunches, selling lunch car by car. Hearing the commotion, Gao Shen glanced at his wristwatch and realized it was time for lunch.

Turning his head to look at Qingxin, who was still sleeping soundly, and worrying that she might go hungry, he gently patted her shoulder and spoke in a soft voice, "Qingxin, wake up! Have some lunch before you sleep more~"

The middle-aged couple in the upper berth seemed to have heard the noise as well. Rustling about, they got up, climbed down, and turned to leave, presumably going to the dining car for lunch!

Hearing Gao Shen’s call, Jing Qingxin blinked her eyes open, still half-asleep. Seeing this, Gao Shen immediately took the towel out of his military bag, poured some water from his canteen to dampen the towel, and then handed it to Jing Qingxin.

"Here, wipe your face," Gao Shen said softly.

Jing Qingxin took the towel. The cool sensation washed over her face, instantly making her feel much fresher, followed closely by a gnawing sense of hunger.

Gao Shen took the towel back and asked, "What shall we have for lunch? Is there anything you specifically want to eat? They are selling lunch on the train too."

"No need. Godmother packed quite a few meat buns. We can just have them with chicken soup!" Jing Qingxin replied softly.

Gao Shen put away the towel and agreed readily, "Mhm, alright!"

He wasn't entirely clear on what food Qingxin had prepared because most of it was stored away in her spatial dimension, and she was in charge of managing their supplies along the way.

The night before, after seeing off Aunt Li and her family in the kitchen of their little courtyard, she had specifically simmered a wild chicken, adding some mushrooms and medicinal herbs, preparing it precisely to be eaten on the train.

And this morning, Godmother had steamed meat buns and packed plenty of them for them. Delicious chicken soup paired with snowy white meat buns—that was definitely a great choice!

To make it convenient to carry and take out, Jing Qingxin had specially packed it in a thermos container. She had found this container among the items her parents had bought for her. One had to say that her father and mother were extremely thorough in their preparations.

Jing Qingxin pretended to take a large cylindrical thermos bucket out of her military bag and unscrewed the lid. On top were two small shallow compartment layers. After removing the bowl-shaped compartments, the lower half and more of the space was filled to the brim with rich chicken soup.

Jing Qingxin poured chicken soup into the empty bowl compartments until they were full—those two empty bowl compartments only took up about half of the chicken soup in the thermos. Then, she used chopsticks to pick out plenty of chicken pieces, and finally, she took out the plastic bag containing the meat buns.

Between the left-side berths was a small table, which happened to serve perfectly as a dining table. Jing Qingxin and Gao Shen sat facing each other. Jing Qingxin pushed one of the bowl compartments in front of Gao Shen, along with a meat bun and a pair of chopsticks.

"Eat while it's hot!" Jing Qingxin said gently.

With that, the two of them nibbled on the big meat buns, sipped the chicken soup every now and then, and ate a few pieces of chicken meat—simple yet utterly satisfying!

The conversational voices throughout the carriage were relatively low to begin with, and coupled with the fact that most people were likely eating lunch at this hour, the surroundings of Gao Shen and Jing Qingxin were completely quiet. Naturally, no one paid attention to this cozy little corner.

After finishing lunch, Jing Qingxin tidied up the table. Meanwhile, the couple from the upper berth seemed to have finished their lunch and returned. Judging by their movements, they must have gone to the dedicated dining carriage; otherwise, it wouldn't have taken them so long.

As the couple returned to their berth, they caught a faint scent of chicken soup mixed with the aroma of meat buns. They couldn't help but glance at Gao Shen and Jing Qingxin, thinking to themselves: These two youngsters are certainly well-prepared and meticulous with their meals; they're eating very well! Most people riding the train just ate some flatbreads, pickled vegetables, or boiled eggs!

There was even a thermos bucket sitting on the table, and things like that weren't cheap. It was safe to assume the conditions at these two people's homes must be quite good, and both of them possessed extraordinary poise and temperament.

The middle-aged couple merely thought about it briefly before dismissing it without paying further attention or asking questions, settling into their respective berths.

Jing Qingxin cleaned up the tabletop, while Gao Shen took the bowl compartments away to wash them—division of labor between the two!

Not long after, seeing Gao Shen return from washing the dishes, Jing Qingxin decided she also wanted to go to the washroom to take care of personal needs.

"I'll go with you!" Gao Shen said immediately.

Jing Qingxin smiled and said, "No need, it's not that far. Just watch the luggage!"

When Jing Qingxin returned from the restroom, she saw two young women standing by the berth area, their backs turned to her as they talked to Gao Shen. Her eyes flickered slightly.

"Mister Soldier Brother~, do you think you could let us sit in this spot? We bought our tickets too late and couldn't get seats, and we're lugging our bags around, which is really inconvenient~ Please be kind and have mercy on us~" said the woman in the blue cloth jacket, her voice sounding sickly sweet, almost cloying enough to induce nausea.

"Yeah, Soldier Brother, if everyone squeezes together a bit, we'll make it~" echoed another woman, who had her hair braided into two pigtails.

Pausing for a moment, Jing Qingxin listened to a few sentences and roughly figured it out. So, seeing her A-Shen wearing a military uniform, these two were trying to take advantage of him?

"Pardon me, please move aside. You're blocking my way in," Jing Qingxin called out.

The two women, who had been sweet-talking and flirting with Gao Shen in a flattering manner, heard the voice and hurriedly turned around, wanting to see who was so blind as to interrupt them!

Jing Qingxin curved her lips into a smile and said, "Older Sisters, please move aside. You're blocking my way to get inside!"

"Older Sister?!" the woman in the blue cloth jacket widened her eyes and her mouth twitched slightly. She was only twenty years old, alright? Which of her eyes made her look like an older sister? What an odious woman.

The other woman with the two braided pigtails also glared angrily at the suddenly appearing woman who happened to be better-looking than both of them. They say opposites attract and likes repel, and there was certainly some truth to that.

Jing Qingxin reached out, gently pushed between the two women, stepped into the berth area, and sat down on the bed where the military bag was placed. Then, she looked at Gao Shen with an inquiring gaze.

Gao Shen shook his head slightly, expressing his helplessness. He hadn't even opened his mouth to speak yet; those two women had been chattering endlessly, giving him a headache!