Lin Yinyin boarded the train on time. Her seat was indeed near the front, in a small, private compartment with two levels. It was much more compact than a regular sleeper, clearly designed as a resting space for railway staff.
No wonder they didn’t charge her but that was even better, quiet and comfortable.
Lin Yinyin immediately lay down and fell into a deep sleep, sleeping through the night until noon the next day, only waking when her empty stomach growled loudly.
Seeing the lower berth still empty, she pulled out a plain steamed bun with braised pork from her space smelled delicious.
After finishing two, she grabbed another bun and a tea egg!
She was so small and thin, and she planned that at her height of 1.6 meters, she wanted to reach at least 120 pounds to look perfect she liked a bit of fleshiness.
This wasn’t just a fleeting thought; it was a goal for her future life.
Just as she finished peeling the tea egg, the occupant of the lower berth returned.
The man wore a dark blue uniform still smelling faintly of coal clearly a train engineer.
He noticed the food in Lin Yinyin’s hands. “Little girl, there’s hot food and porridge in the dining car. You can go get some if you want.”
“No need, sir. The eggs and buns are enough to fill me up and are nutritious. I’m fine with these.”
The man nodded, putting down his enamel bowl. “Alright. This train ride will take two days. Lying around too much can get boring if you get restless, take a walk in the aisle for some fresh air.”
“Thanks for your concern, sir,” Lin Yinyin replied obediently, thinking to herself that she wouldn’t go.
She remembered exactly what kind of special train this was if she ran into Li Jinye again, she wouldn’t be able to escape on the train.
With food and drink at hand, she decided to rest quietly for the two days.
After the man left, she quickly finished her food and lay down to sleep again.
She woke once in the afternoon as the sun slanted westward, drank some water, and went back to sleep.
In total, she slept over twenty hours, finally letting all her accumulated fatigue drain away.
Looking at the train ceiling, she began thinking about the road ahead.
In eight hours she would see her sister. If her sister was suffering, she would rescue her; if her sister was living comfortably, she would leave quietly without disturbing her life.
As for her own future, she dreamed of finding a scenic place, claiming a hill or buying a large estate, planting vegetables, raising chickens, ducks, pigs, and sheep, and growing fruit trees—achieving food freedom and never worrying about daily needs again.
But how would she establish residence?
Household registration in China was strict, and she had no desire to return to Linjia Village.
There were only two ways to transfer registration: either marry, like her sister, or find formal employment and transfer through work connections.
But working as a supply and marketing cooperative salesperson, doctor, nurse, or factory worker was like being a beast of burden. She just wanted to eat, drink, and live leisurely.
So marriage was the only option.
In this era, soldiers were respected, and their families enjoyed certain privileges like her train ticket, which she had gotten as a “relative of a soldier.”
She could marry a soldier, transfer her registration to the military family compound, and once settled, divorce. Then she could claim a property anywhere and live freely.
Of course, she wasn’t planning to toy with the soldier’s feelings. If her spouse was a good person, she wouldn’t mind spending her life with him.
The more Lin Yinyin thought about it, the more feasible her plan seemed. Once she reached the military district and met her sister, she would ask her to help set up a match with a soldier.
“Mm, that’s the plan!”
With her decision made, she pulled out the half gourd-shaped jade pendant from her neck. “Sister, I’m coming!”
Moonlight filtered through the train window onto the jade, making its already translucent quality even more lustrous, with delicate ripples seeming to shimmer across the surface.
“What a fine piece of jade,” she couldn’t help but admire.
But the admiration soon turned to frown. The pendant was too delicate if anyone saw it hanging on her neck, they would surely ask questions.
So she tossed the pendant casually into her space.
The next moment, Lin Yinyin felt her mind go blank.
Then a dizzying, earth-shattering vertigo swept over her, a buzzing filled her ears, completely drowning out the clattering of the train.
Clenching her fists, she barely stifled a sound.
After an unknown length of time, the buzzing subsided, and the dizziness gradually faded.
As her consciousness sank into the space, Lin Yinyin froze.
What had been a cramped, dim 100-square-meter space had now expanded at least twofold.
Even more shocking, faint streams of light now penetrated the once pitch-black interior. Not blinding, but enough to illuminate the supplies inside.
“Space… upgraded?”
In the apocalypse, researchers had tried in vain to find a way to upgrade a space. Now, just because of a jade pendant, it had been achieved!
Lin Yinyin focused her mind and fully entered the space.
Previously, the air inside had been so stagnant that no living being could last more than ten minutes. Now, she felt the airflow improve did that mean she could stay longer?
She had to test it.
So she held Li Jinye’s watch, quietly waiting inside the space.
Seconds ticked by. When the hands reached 59 minutes and 59 seconds, her chest finally felt that familiar heaviness, and breathing became difficult.
Lin Yinyin immediately exited the space, so excited she wanted to jump.
Still on the upper bunk, her head banged against the train ceiling with a thud.
She held her head, wincing in pain, but the next second, a smile spread uncontrollably across her face.
In this era, everyone focused on food antiques and jade were worthless!
She could collect some, maybe even further expand her space, and stay inside longer. In case of danger, she could take refuge for an even longer time!
Lin Yinyin grew more and more excited. Did her sister still have the other half of the pendant? The anticipation of seeing her sister grew even stronger!
Seven hours just seven more hours to go!
Jisheng Train Station.
As the train came to a stop, Lin Yinyin squeezed through the crowd, almost running as she disembarked.
Finally she would see her sister.
However, when she reached the bus stop, she saw a long line stretching from the sign all the way to the road, everyone carrying large bags.
My goodness, how long would this take?
A kind older woman nearby said, “Little girl, judging by your look, you must be from another province, right? This train is for visiting military families. By the way, where’s your bag?”
The woman’s words reminded Lin Yinyin she had been so focused on eating, sleeping, and exploring her space that she forgot her basic disguise. She said to the woman, “Oh! I almost forgot—I left my backpack on the train! Thank you!”
She then turned and ran to the supply and marketing cooperative next to the station.
It was her first time visiting her sister’s house. If her in-laws were there, arriving empty-handed would be embarrassing. She needed to buy a decent gift to save face.
Inside the cooperative’s glass display cases were various goods. She quickly chose a dark blue crossbody cloth bag to use as a cover and bought a bag of apples, a pack of peach cookies, and two boxes of canned goods.
When she calculated the cost, it came to 3.2 yuan quite expensive, but worth it for her sister.