The passengers who had reboarded stared incredulously at the floor, trying to find the spot that had been vomited all over, but they saw nothing. Instead, they noticed a faint, pleasant fragrance in the bus, masking the unpleasant smells of gasoline and rubber.
Passengers who usually felt dizzy as soon as they boarded now looked noticeably more relaxed.
“Hey! Am I dreaming? Why does the bus smell so nice? What is that scent? I’ve never noticed it before!”
“No idea! We’re wondering the same thing!”
“It must be the work of the ticket seller. I saw her bustling around earlier, sweeping and mopping. Otherwise, the floor wouldn’t be this clean!”
“Right, right! I saw it too! I’ve never seen such a diligent ticket seller before. In the past, whenever we took the bus, people would vomit all over the place, and no one would clean it up until we reached the final stop. I thought I’d have to endure the stench the whole way!”
…….
Everyone chattered away, and when Miao Yunwei came over to check tickets, they all praised her, making her feel quite embarrassed.
The woman who had vomited earlier was now sitting behind Miao Yunwei. She pulled out a cold sweet potato and stuffed it into Yunwei’s arms. “Comrade, thank you so much for earlier. It was my first time on a bus, and I never expected to get so motion sick!”
As she spoke, she leaned close to the window, hoping it would make her feel better.
Yunwei quickly handed the sweet potato back, speaking earnestly, “Comrade, I’m a bus attendant. Taking care of passengers is my duty, and I’m just doing my job. I can’t take your things. Rest a little longer. We’ll have a half-hour break at the next stop, and this sweet potato will be perfect to fill your stomach.”
The woman was still feeling nauseous and didn’t have the energy to insist, so she reluctantly took the sweet potato back.
When they arrived at Quanzhou Station, Yunwei first helped the departing passengers with their luggage, then carefully inspected the bus before following Miao Pingkang off.
Pingkang locked the bus door and limped along as he led Yunwei to the temporary rest area.
“Every station has a cafeteria where we can buy meals. It costs money and meal coupons. Dad used to bring his own food when he drove, and he’d just heat it up at the cafeteria. Today was a bit rushed, and Mom didn’t prepare a meal for you, so I’ll take you to buy something.”
The cafeteria was small, and the aunt serving food at the window spoke in a dialect Yunwei could barely understand.
Yunwei ordered two liang of rice, which cost four cents plus two liang of grain coupons, and a serving of stir-fried vegetables for eight cents. Pingkang wanted to order her a soup, but she stopped him.
“Brother, I just became a regular employee, and I don’t even know how much my salary will be yet. Let’s save where we can.”
Pingkang chuckled and ruffled her hair. “Don’t worry. For long-distance trips like ours, we get a meal allowance of thirty cents a day. A simple soup only costs a few cents—it’s not expensive.”
Yunwei’s eyes lit up in surprise. “There’s a meal allowance? Do I get one too?”
How had she not known about this?
Pingkang nodded. “I only found out after I started working. The longer your tenure, the higher the meal allowance. I’ve seen Auntie Zhang order one meat dish, one vegetable dish, a simple soup, and two liang of rice every time she eats.”
Yunwei clicked her tongue in amazement. “No wonder she’s built like that.”
As they talked, Pingkang brought her a simple soup. The siblings ate their lunch and dozed off in the reclining chairs.
Pingkang lowered his voice and asked, “I didn’t get a chance to ask earlier, but you checked tickets so quickly. Are you sure you didn’t make any mistakes? Auntie Zhang always takes at least ten or twenty minutes to do it.”
Miao Yunwei looked surprised. “How could such a small task take so long? How did she manage that?”
Miao Pingkang shook his head, looking relieved. “Thank goodness I’m partnered with you. If we were in the army, your efficiency would earn praise from our squad leader.”
When the bus had stopped at the previous station, he had planned to use the restroom and then come back to help. But by the time he returned, the cleaning was already done—he hadn’t even had a chance to touch a broom.
Yunwei proudly lifted her chin. “Of course! I can even handle loading and unloading quickly and well. Ke Youzhi kept a close eye on me, trying to find fault, but I left him with nothing to say!”
Pingkang gave her a thumbs-up.
When it was time to depart, the siblings boarded the bus again. This time, half the passengers had changed. At this stop, Yunwei noticed that many passengers were carrying sweet potatoes as luggage, with each bag weighing around fifty to sixty pounds.
The tall, sturdy loaders at the station were panting heavily as they moved the bags.
Yunwei leaned out of the bus window and asked curiously, “Comrade, why are there so many sweet potatoes?”
The loader looked up, and upon seeing Yunwei’s face, his dark skin flushed slightly. He scratched his head sheepishly and explained, “Sweet potatoes are abundant here. Most people bring them when traveling far for business or visiting relatives. They’re useful everywhere, especially in the cities, where food and meat require ration coupons. Sweet potatoes can be used as food and are very popular.”
As a cross between coarse grains and vegetables, sweet potatoes held a special place in the state monopoly purchase and marketing system. They were classified as “coarse grains” or “non-staple food,” meaning no ration coupons were needed to buy them.
Yunwei became intrigued and pressed further, “How much do sweet potatoes cost per pound here? Where can I buy them?”
“You can find them at non-staple food stores or state-run markets. I’m not sure about other places, but here, sweet potatoes are never in short supply. They cost two cents per pound, and during the peak harvest season, it’s common to find them for one point eight cents per pound!
Right now is the peak harvest season, and this year’s yield is good. If you want some, I can help you get them. Just come find me tomorrow. My name is Cai Zhiming.”
Without hesitation, Yunwei rummaged through her bag, pulled out one yuan, and handed it over. “Comrade Cai, thank you for your trouble. I’ll definitely come find you when the bus returns tomorrow. My name is Miao Yunwei.”
Cai Zhiming stared at Yunwei’s bright smile, his heart skipping a beat. He grinned foolishly as he went back to work.
Yunwei began checking tickets.
After the bus started moving, Pingkang quietly asked, “Second Sister, why are you buying so many sweet potatoes?”
Yunwei looked at her older brother, feeling somewhat frustrated. “Brother, have you not eaten at home at all lately?”
Pingkang paused. “I eat breakfast at home.”
Yunwei sighed helplessly. “Breakfast doesn’t count. Every household eats porridge for breakfast. When you and Dad are on the road, Mom adds extra rice to your lunchboxes. If you ever have a chance to stay home for dinner, you’ll understand what kind of life we’re living!”
Dinner in their household was merely a formality. As Meng Suling often said, since no one was working at night, eating too much grain was a waste.
Yunwei often woke up hungry in the middle of the night. If she could buy some sweet potatoes to bring home, they could cook sweet potato porridge for dinner—saving grain while still filling their stomachs. Comrade Meng Suling would surely be pleased.
Pingkang silently took his sister’s words to heart.
Later on the bus, someone got carsick and vomited. Having dealt with this before, Yunwei handled the situation quickly and efficiently.
Unfortunately, the System did not remind her of the task progress again. It seemed that solving the same problem could only count as one instance—the System’s rewards were not so easy to obtain.
When the bus arrived at Pu City, she took advantage of the rest break to repeat the same method, quickly cleaning up before continuing the journey.
It wasn’t until nightfall that she finally reached the terminal station in the provincial capital.