**Chapter 61**

  "This is the wedding gift your mother and I prepared for you. Take it with you. Lin Zhibo handed a bag to Zheng Sen at the train station.

  Zheng Sen gnced at his mother and accepted it. "Thank you, Uncle Lin. Thank you, Mom."

  "We don't know when you'll be back next. Once you set a wedding date, let us know. We'll see if we can adjust our work schedules to attend your wedding," Lin Zhibo looked at his wife and said.

  Tong Yafang nodded. "Let us know in advance. We might be able to make it." Having finally reconciled with her son, she wanted to be part of every important moment in his life from now on.

  Zheng Sen nodded, gnced at his mother, and then at Lin Zhibo. He leaned in and whispered, "Uncle Lin, things aren’t looking good tely. Be careful. If things get too difficult here, find a way to come to us. Kept the address I gave you. As long as you go there, we can handle everything."

  Lin Zhibo nodded solemnly. He and Zheng Sen had discussed this before, and he understood the gravity of the situation. "Don’t worry. I’m not stubborn. Even if it’s not for myself, I’ll think of your mother. If things really go south, I’ll find a way to leave."

  Zheng Sen nodded and turned to his mother. "Don’t overwork yourself. Eat on time. Work is never-ending, so take care of your health."

  Tong Yafang smiled faintly. "Don’t worry, I know. After you and Shun get married, don’t rush to have children. Take time to recover. She lost a lot of blood this time, so be careful with her health."

  Daniu nodded. "Auntie, I understand."

  By then, it was almost time to board. "You should get on the train now. The other passengers will be coming in soon. We’ll head back," Lin Zhibo said to Zheng Sen.

  Zheng Sen nodded. "Take care on your way back."

  Lin Zhibo took his wife’s hand and walked away. Tong Yafang gnced back at them, smiled, and leaned on Lin Zhibo as they left.

  "They’re so good together," Daniu said, her voice tinged with envy.

  Zheng Sen took her hand. "No need to envy them. We’ll be just as good." With that, he led Daniu onto the train.

  "Zheng Sen!" a voice called from behind.

  They turned to see Zheng Sen’s older brother, Zheng Jianye.

  "Big Brother," Zheng Sen greeted.

  "I knew you’d board early. Dad asked me to bring you something. Here," Zheng Jianye said, handing over a small bag. "There’s also a wedding gift from me and your sister-in-w."

  Zheng Sen shook his head. "No need, Brother. I didn’t give you anything when you got married. We don’t need to be so formal."

  "Take it. I’m leaving tomorrow for the southwest. Who knows when I’ll be back? You’re in the northeast, and your household registration has been moved there. Who knows when we’ll see each other again?" Zheng Jianye said with a hint of emotion.

  Zheng Sen, however, wasn’t as sentimental. "We’ll meet again. Life in the southwest will be tough for you and Sister-in-w. If you run into any difficulties, write to me or send a telegram. Maybe I can help."

  Zheng Jianye sighed. "Alright. If you need anything, write or telegram me too. Once I’m settled, I’ll send you my address."

  He patted Zheng Sen on the shoulder. "Don’t hold a grudge against Dad. He just doesn’t know how to be a father."

  Zheng Sen remained silent. His father was undoubtedly successful in his career, but as a father, he had failed. Zheng Jianye had grown up with their grandparents in the countryside and only returned to the capital in his teens. Shortly after, he was sent to the military. Over the years, the only thing their father had done was use his connections to transfer Zheng Jianye to the southwest. Zheng Sen had initially thought it was to keep his brother out of the political turmoil in the capital, but now he realized it was because the southwest was the front line, and the situation there was tense and dangerous.

  Zheng Sen had little interaction with his father. When it came to him, his father had always been biased, believing Zheng Sen was irresponsible. Every time they met, it ended in arguments. As for his younger brother, their father thought highly of him, but only because he didn’t truly understand him. On New Year’s Eve, when the younger brother asked to borrow Zheng Sen’s house, their father was furious, but his anger was directed at Zhang Yushuang. He only scolded the younger brother lightly, not realizing that the boy had no fear of him. Who can say for sure what will happen in the future?

  Zheng Sen watched his brother leave, then led Daniu onto the train. They made their way to the sleeper car, where Heizi was chatting with a train attendant. They got on the train in advance, and their luggage was already stowed.

  "Linzi, everything’s set. I’ve told Erhang to come help you with the luggage when you arrive. It won’t take long," Heizi said and pointed at the attendant beside him. "I forgot to introduce you. This is Li Erhang, Qiming’s brother-in-w."

  "Nice to meet you," Zheng Sen stretched out his hand to greet him.

  Li Erhang shook his hand warmly. "Don’t worry, Brother Zheng. My brother-in-w has already entrusted me. If you or Sister-in-w need anything, just let me know. It’s a coincidence that I’m on this route." He looked at Daniu while speaking.

  "Thanks for your help," Zheng Sen said.

  ""I won't dey your farewell. Passengers are coming, so I’ll head to the entrance," Li Erhang said and walked out.

  Zheng Sen turned to Heizi. "We’ll keep in touch by letter. If there’s an emergency and you can’t send a telegram, call Shun. You have the number, right?"

  "Don’t worry, I’ve got it memorized."

  Seeing passengers starting to board, Zheng Sen pulled Heizi into their compartment. "Be extra careful with what you’re doing. The things I asked you to collect—store them in the basement. Be cautious."

  Heizi nodded seriously. "Don’t worry, I remember. I won’t mess up. I’ve got my sister to take care of. I won’t take any risks."

  Zheng Sen nodded. "Good. It’s better to not make money than to take risks. If the situation gets bad, just stay low at the waste collection station. If you need anything, let me know, and I’ll help."

  "I understand," Heizi said. He knew the stakes better than anyone, given what had happened to his family. His parents and siblings were scattered, and his once-decent job had been reduced to collecting scrap. He was acutely aware of how serious things could get.

  "Alright, you should go now," Zheng Sen said as more passengers began boarding.

  "Keep an eye on Li Hongda for me. Remind him he still owes me a meal at Dongishun," Heizi said with a grin.

  "I won’t forget," Zheng Sen smiled and waved his hand.

  Heizi got off the train, and Zheng Sen and Daniu settled into their compartment. They were in a soft sleeper cabin with four berths. Zheng Sen took the lower bunk, and Daniu took the upper. The door was closed, and the other two passengers hadn’t arrived yet. Zheng Sen opened the bag his father had given him. Inside, as expected, were money and ration coupons. His father had a decent sary, giving two-thirds of it to Zhang Yushuang to support the family and keeping the rest, which he usually used to subsidize the orphans of the soldiers who died under his command. Because of this, Zhang Yunshuang had quarreled with his father, but it was ter dropped.

  Zheng Sen gnced through the contents—fifty yuan and a stack of ration coupons, mostly for grain. There was also a bicycle coupon.

  His brother had given him another fifty yuan and ten industrial coupons. His brother had saved these himself, as he was entirely self-reliant. His sister-in-w was from Beijing, and most of her coupons likely went to her family. So saving these ten industrial coupons couldn’t have been easy.

  Zheng Sen handed the cloth bag containing the money and coupons to Daniu. "You take care of these."

  Daniu accepted it, and Zheng Sen opened the package his mother had given them. To his surprise, inside was a red cotton-padded jacket. "This is from Mom."

  Daniu nodded. "The fabric is nice." It was a deep red with a subtle floral pattern, made of velvet.

  "Probably something she saved from years ago. Some of the fabrics in the house were left to my mother. This must be one of them."

  Daniu ran her hand along the hem and noticed the fine craftsmanship. Then she felt something hard. Reaching inside, she pulled out a thick envelope. Opening it, she found a stack of new bills. "This is too much." It must be two or three thousand.

  "Put it away quickly," Zheng Sen said, standing up and locking the door.

  Daniu didn’t dare take it lightly. In this era, that amount of money was a fortune.

  She unbuttoned her coat, revealing a thin cotton-padded jacket. Inside the jacket, she had sewn a vest lined with silver fox fur. The jacket was reversible, with one side featuring fur and the other side pin. There was a hidden yer in the middle where she could stash the money. She pced both stacks of bills inside, secured the snaps, and buttoned up the jacket. She then took off her outer coat and set it aside. From her bag, she pulled out a rge sweater and put it on over the cotton jacket. The train had heating, but it wasn’t particurly warm. Wearing the sweater would keep her comfortable during the three-day journey, and no one would notice the hidden money in her jacket.

  Seeing that Daniu had hidden it well, Zheng Sen let the door open slightly. He unpacked their belongings, taking out their mugs and food for the journey, and pced them at the foot of the bed. Just as he finished, someone entered the compartment.

  "Hello, we’re also in this compartment," said the man who entered. He wore gsses and looked like an intellectual. Behind him was a woman in her twenties, dressed in a white wool coat with her hair in a braid. She looked fashionable, but Daniu couldn’t help but wonder if she wouldn't be cold dressed like this.

  Their train was a long-distance one, and soft sleeper tickets were only sold to people heading to Heilongjiang Province. That meant they were also heading to Harbin. Wasn’t she afraid of freezing in that outfit?

  "Hello. We’re heading to Harbin in Heilongjiang. How about you?" Zheng Sen asked.

  "What a coincidence, so are we." The man with gsses said as he put the luggage on the luggage rack above the aisle.

  Zheng Sen gnced at it and said, "There’s space under the beds. It might be better to store your luggage there. That way, you won’t have to keep an eye on it during the trip."

  The man looked under the bed and smiled. "You’re right."

  "My name is Wu Zhigao, and this is my wife, Xu Lili."

  "I’m Zheng Sen, and this is my fiancée, Ma Shun," Zheng Sen introduced them. It was important to get along well with their compartment mates for the next three days.

  Daniu and Xu Lili didn’t speak much. The train started moving, and outside, passengers were still settling in. They closed the door, and the compartment became much quieter.

  "Lie down and rest for a bit. You didn’t sleep well st night, did you?" Zheng Sen said. Their train had departed at 5 a.m., and they had gotten up at 4 a.m. Luckily, the station wasn’t far. But they had stayed up te packing the night before. There were so many things to buy in Beijing, and they had ended up purchasing quite a bit. They had originally pnned to bring some porcein home but decided against it because it was too bulky. Yesterday, they had visited several secondhand stores and bought a lot of te Qing Dynasty Jingdezhen porcein. The pieces were beautiful, and although they weren’t as valuable as earlier Qing Dynasty porcein, the prices were incredibly low—just a few mao each. Daniu couldn’t resist such bargains.

  Zheng Sen had also picked out a few antique pieces, though he wasn’t entirely sure of their authenticity. Since they were cheap, he bought them anyway.

  With so many purchases, they couldn’t carry everything, so they stored some items in the basement and decided to care about them ter.

  Although they hadn’t formally discussed it, they had an unspoken understanding that they would return to Beijing someday. So, it wasn’t crucial to bring everything back immediately.

  Daniu nodded. "I’ll sleep on the top bunk. You should rest too."

  Zheng Sen said, "Wait a moment. I’ll get some hot water."

  "Okay," Daniu said, re-yawning. She had been running around all day yesterday and hadn’t slept well st night. She was genuinely tired.

  Once she climbed into the top bunk, she fell asleep in a short while listening to the sound of the train.

  When she woke up, it was already bright outside. She checked the time—9 a.m. She had slept for quite a while.

  She could hear Zheng Sen and Wu Zhigao talking below. They were discussing machinery factories.Xu Lili was sleeping with her face inward.

  Hearing movement from above, Zheng Sen looked up. "Awake?"

  Daniu nodded. "You didn’t sleep?"

  "Not tired. Come down and have something to eat," Zheng Sen said.

  "Okay." Zheng Sen helped her down. "Take it easy." Her arm couldn’t bear much weight.

  Daniu went to the restroom to wash her hands. When she returned, Zheng Sen was pouring hot water from a thermos into a mug.

  "Where did that come from?"

  "Erhang brought it over. Having a thermos makes things much easier. We don’t have to go elsewhere for hot water," Zheng Sen expined, then turned to Wu Zhigao. "Feel free to use the hot water. There’s a water refill station near our compartment. It’s convenient."

  "Thank you," Wu Zhigao adjusted his gsses and didn't refuse.

  Zheng Sen made Daniu a cup of malted milk and handed her two ox-tongue pastries. "Have these to cushion your stomach. I’ll check the dining car at noon to see what’s avaible."

  "Don’t bother. We can just eat what we brought. The dining car is in the middle of the train, right? It’s too far," Daniu said.

  "It’s fine. I’ll bring food back in a lunchbox. The train doesn’t require meal tickets, so we’ll save some."

  Daniu didn’t argue. She ate both pastries—her appetite was always good—and took a few sips of the malted milk before handing it back to Zheng Sen.

  "Why aren’t you drinking it?" Zheng Sen took the cup and asked.

  "It’s too sweet," Daniu said.

  Zheng Sen took the cup and drank from it. "It is a bit sweet. Maybe I put too much in."

  Wu Zhigao, sitting across from them, observed the couple and said, "You two seem to have a really good retionship."

  Zheng Sen smiled but didn’t respond.

  By noon, Zheng Sen went early to get their meals. Daniu leaned against the bedding and flipped through the newspaper. The train was slow, and the constant swaying was making the passengers restless.

  The woman on the upper bunk had already come down and was waiting for her husband to bring back food.

  A short while ter, both men returned. Zheng Sen was carrying two lunchboxes and a rge mug, with four steamed buns skewered on a pair of chopsticks.

  "Be careful, it’s hot," Zheng Sen warned as Daniu reached out to take the boxes.

  "Just put it here," Daniu spread the newspaper on the bunk and gave the table to the couple.

  "You can actually order food on the dining car," Zheng Sen said.

  "Really?" Daniu was surprised. It was not possible when they came st time.

  Opening the lunchboxes, she found one filled with braised pork and the other with stir-fried pickled cabbage and gss noodles. There was also a dish of scrambled eggs with cucumber slices. "Wow, there’s even cucumber!" Daniu excimed. In this era, unlike in the future, fresh vegetables were seasonal, and cucumbers were a rare treat.

  "They said it’s a new supply," Zheng Sen expined.

  The rge mug contained hot and sour soup.

  "The cucumber and hot and sour soup were extra orders. Today’s main dishes were braised pork and pickled cabbage."

  Daniu gave him a thumbs-up. She sipped some soup first. Having a hot meal on the train, especially with a dish like scrambled eggs with cucumber, was incredibly satisfying.

  Just as they were enjoying their meal, they heard a ctter from the other side of the compartment. Xu Lili had thrown her spoon into her lunchbox. "I’m not eating anymore," she said, then stormed out.

  "Lili, wait!" Wu Zhigao chased after her.

  "What happened?" Daniu whispered.

  Zheng Sen replied softly, "The scrambled eggs with cucumber cost 70 cents. It was too expensive, so Wu Zhigao didn’t buy it. The braised pork came in two options—30 cents, with potatoes, or 50 cents, without." Daniu gnced at their lunchbox—they had the version without potatoes.

  "Also, they bought set meals, which have smaller portions. A set meal with meat costs 30 cents, while a vegetarian one is only 15 cents. It’s quite cheap." Zheng Sen and Daniu never skimped on food. Daniu had a good appetite, so Zheng Sen always bought rger portions.

  Perhaps their meal had made Xu Lili jealous.

  After a while, Xu Lili returned alone and sat on the bed without saying a word. Half an hour ter, when they had finished eating, Wu Zhigao came back with a box of scrambled eggs with cucumber. This trip made his forehead sweat all over.

  The train journey sted three days and two nights. They arrived at their destination at 4 p.m. on the third day. The trip went smoothly, and the soft sleeper compartment was more comfortable than their previous experience. Their compartment mates were tolerable, though Xu Lili didn’t talk much and seemed prone to envy.

  Daniu found it strange. She hadn’t done anything to provoke Xu Lili, so why did the woman seem so resentful?

  Seeing Zheng Sen fetch water and meals for Daniu, Xu Lili began ordering her husband around. Wu Zhigao, however, was good-natured, always smiling and speaking politely. Still, Daniu didn’t like him much. She felt he was insincere, always cheerful even when he clearly wasn’t happy.

  After they got off the train, Zheng Sen told her that Wu Zhigao was actually a top student, but he came from a rural family with no connections. He had met Xu Lili at school, and after they married, he worked in Beijing for a while before being transferred to a military-industrial group in Harbin. Although leaving Beijing was a setback, joining the group offered better prospects and benefits. From a career standpoint, it was a good move.

  The reason he put up with Xu Lili’s behavior was likely due to her family’s influence.

  "Of course, that’s just my guess. Maybe they’re just as loving as we are," Zheng Sen said with a cheeky grin.

  Daniu rolled her eyes, but he didn't refute it. The trip to Beijing allowed them to understand each other better. They didn't get along as intimately as others, but they had a kind of默契, always agreeing on things. Many things didn't need to be said out loud to know what the other was thinking.

  When they arrived, there was no train back in the evening, so they simply stored their belongings at the station, and Daniu took Zheng Sen to her house in Harbin.

  "Huh, you even have a house here," Zheng Sen was really surprised. Although the Ma family had good connections locally, their family was just average, and he really didn't expect them to have a house in a pce like Harbin.

  "What's so strange? I started going into the mountains at twelve and could gather some good medicinal herbs. It is normal that I could earn this much," Daniu said.

  "Speaking of medicinal herbs, I remember, in a few days, accompany me to the mountains again," Zheng Sen said while lighting the fire in the firepce.

  "Going again? It's better not to take those things out."

  "It's because of what you said about collecting, so I told Heizi to help collect some. I don't have enough money now. I gave the gold bars I took out st time to a friend of mine; his family had an emergency, and he took them to the south," Zheng Sen said.

  Da Niu frowned. "He went there?"

  "Yes," Zheng Sen nodded. "I sold the remaining two, and then, as you know, I often buy various things, but this time when I returned to Beijing, I left the rest of the money with Heizi. This is a long-term thing."

  Daniu thought for a moment, "Then you better not go get that. It's dangerous to exchange, and this time Uncle Lin and the others gave us quite a lot." Daniu took out the money from her pocket, opened the envelope, and counted three thousand.

  "I also have some money, making it five thousand. Let's send it back first. This is quite a lot; even if we just spend it without earning, it can st for a while. Any more would be too conspicuous."

  Zheng Sen thought and nodded, "Okay, let's do as you say. But this money is what Mom gave us to get married. It's for us to keep."

  Da Niu shook her head, "With or without this money, we can still get married normally. We both have saries, and our life won't be bad. Nowadays, a hundred yuan is already a huge amount for a family, let alone this much. It's probably half a lifetime's savings of Uncle Lin and auntie. I'm thinking of finding a way to compensate them in the future.

  And now that you're in the transport team, don't take too many risks. The situation is tense. It's not time to fish in troubled waters."

  I'll listen to you." Zheng Sen smiled after saying that.