“With a face like yours, it would take a whole year just to ride a bike back to the starting point,” Ye Cai’e said, chewing slowly on a bun.
With these two oddballs beside her, the next three days probably wouldn’t be too boring.
Yao Yulan only realized after a moment what Ye Cai’e meant—how dare she say her face was big? She was widely recognized as the beauty of the compound, with countless suitors.
“How petty, knowing nothing. Mine is full of meat. Trade ten mini buns for it and you’d strike it rich,” Ye Cai’e said, showing off. She took out two more meat buns, one for Qi Jiahui and one for Yao Yulan.
While eating, she made sure to show Ye Cai’e the full, meaty filling, glancing at her as if to say it wasn’t too late to trade now.
Seeing Ye Cai’e never mention trading, the two grew furious, especially Yao Yulan. She had eaten two more meat buns in a fit of anger, leaving only two left. With three days still to go, how were they going to survive?
Time dragged. Ye Cai’e felt completely worn out. Without sleeper tickets, this long journey was practically deadly.
For the past few days, she could only watch the two of them amuse themselves.
If she had known, she would have spent more to get a sleeper ticket through connections. Now, possessing a space full of treasures, she couldn’t afford to shortchange herself.
Sleeping was also difficult; even worse than the green-sleeper trains of the later era.
Just as she slightly opened her eyes, she groggily noticed someone across the aisle quietly getting up. A scar on his forehead caught her attention.
Ye Cai’e recognized him, it was the young man a row away.
She glanced at the time: two in the morning. Just as she closed her eyes to think about what he might be doing, a scream rang out through the carriage.
By the third day, Yao Yulan and Qi Jiahui had eaten all their meat buns and even finished the dry rations she brought. The bag was nearly empty. She had even stealthily bought some extra food from others, all at Qi Jiahui’s expense.
After more than two days, everyone had eaten, drunk, and relieved themselves in this small space. She was starting to hate the smell.
After only a few hours of sleep that night, she couldn’t stand it and wanted to find a less crowded spot to breathe fresh air.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she habitually reached into her bag—but couldn’t find the small pouch holding her money. Panic immediately set in. She turned the entire bag upside down.
Finding nothing inside or out, she screamed.
“My money’s gone! There’s a thief!”
Her bag had held most of the money she brought. Since boarding, she had been extremely careful, even bringing it to the bathroom—but somehow, it was still stolen.
The carriage erupted into a commotion, spreading the news rapidly, with everyone checking their own money.
Qi Jiahui, who had hidden his money in his socks after buying a few things, didn’t carry much cash on the train. Others saw him as an easy target. Just buying food had cost him a lot.
The worst part, she hadn’t brought meal tickets, so she couldn’t buy food on the train.
At this point, he didn’t care and checked his socks.
No one paid him much attention. Money was precious, and everyone knew it could be hidden anywhere.
The chaos gradually subsided. Everyone who confirmed their money was safe started watching the drama unfold.
Yao Yulan nearly cried. “Brother Jiahui, what do we do? You know our situation. This is the most money my parents could give me. They knew the northeast would be cold and sent me to buy warm clothes and bedding. What if it’s gone?”
Qi Jiahui stood and glared at Ye Cai’e and Tong Xin. “Was it you two? You were the closest. Give it back to Xiao Lan, or I’ll report you to the authorities!”
Tong Xin, half-awake, was immediately angered. She was a deep sleeper and now someone was yelling at her.
“You bootlicker, you toad! Do you have any proof before spouting nonsense? You’re spreading lies and slander. I’ll report you to the authorities! Shameless!”
Ye Cai’e silently gave her a thumbs-up. Tong Xin looked gentle but spoke just as sharply.
Over the past two days, Qi Jiahui and Yao Yulan had been showing off. Their clothes were fine, they bought food for everyone, and they seemed wealthy, totally unprepared for this theft.
The conductor arrived quickly upon hearing the commotion. “What is it now, you two?”
They explained the money theft. The conductor questioned the rest and found that only Yao Yulan had lost money.
In those days, without surveillance, no one saw who did it while everyone was asleep. Some even suggested Yao Yulan made it up—nobody knew if she even had the money.
The train was almost at Ji Province, soon reaching the station. By then, it would be impossible to catch the thief.
Ye Cai’e wondered if it was the scarred man. But he didn’t seem like someone who would do that. He remained calm afterward, showing no guilt.
She also didn’t want to confront someone over two people who had been insulting her. Besides, what if she was wrong? In that era, losing money without catching the thief in the act was pointless.
As expected, even after three conductors searched at Ji Province, the thief was nowhere to be found.
With so many passengers getting on and off, it was impossible to delay the train for one person. Police with sniffer dogs searched briefly but found nothing. The scent on the money had been mixed up.
Ye Cai’e focused on the scarred man and saw he got off at Ha City in Hei Province. The police dogs were very cooperative, easing her suspicions.
Yao Yulan continued crying until Lianhua City in Hei Province, driving Ye Cai’e and Tong Xin nearly deaf, but it didn’t stop them from eating and drinking.
Ye Cai’e carried her large bag and found a cattle cart with Tong Xin at Yulin Village, North Wind Brigade.
The brigade chief, Niu Xiangqian, was surprised to see her. “Oh my, Cai’e, weren’t you taken by your biological parents to a good life? How come you’re back?”
“Uncle Niu, it’s a long story. I’ll come by your house later and explain properly,” Ye Cai’e said.
The North Wind Brigade chief treated Ye Cai’e well. When she was a child, the Ye family wouldn’t give her food. Uncle Niu secretly saved her some leftover bread crumbs.
Without him, she might not have survived to this day.