When Pei Yining got out of bed, she saw them chatting happily and couldn’t help but rub her eyes, afraid she was seeing things.
She lightened her footsteps, turned a corner, and headed to the living room to drink tea and bask in the sunlight, while also dragging the just-awakened Xu brother out to the courtyard to enjoy some sun and tea.
"Eh, the little sister hasn’t woken up yet?"
After sipping a cup of tea, Xu Nian’an noticed that it was already seven o’clock.
Pei Yining glanced inside the house, thought about eating breakfast, and that they should be catching the train soon, then headed to the kitchen.
Even though the sleeper train was crowded, once he reached the sleeping carriage, he felt a sigh of relief.
Xu Nianhua and Pei Yining were both in the upper bunks, while Pei Yicheng and Xu Nian’an had a middle and a lower bunk, respectively. During the day, Xu Nianhua and Pei Yining could sit on the lower bunk to chat and watch the scenery passing by the window.
Shortly after boarding the train, Xu Nianhua dragged Pei Yining to the restroom.
"Nianhua, aren’t you going to the restroom?" Pei Yining observed that the restroom was empty, yet Xu Nianhua did not go in.
"Yining, who actually made those soups?"
Xu Nianhua specifically asked this question because when she had previously asked Pei Yining, Pei Yining had insisted that she made them.
"That..." Pei Yining felt a bit guilty and said, "I made them."
Xu Nianhua pouted and said, "Yining, stop lying to me. Your brother already said that he made them."
"Nianhua, whether it was me or my brother who made it, does it make a difference?" Pei Yining, knowing that she had been found out, bluntly retorted instead of answering.
She thought carefully and seriously, and it seemed there was no difference.
"Is it that my soup tastes better, or is my brother’s not delicious?" Pei Yining asked teasingly, holding her hand, "Whichever of us siblings made it, it’s all the same heartfelt intention. It was tough on my brother, getting up at five every morning to make soup for you."
"My brother’s cooking skills are not particularly gifted; whenever he had time, he would ask Aunt Jin how to make soup properly."
Pei Yining took the opportunity to boost her own brother’s reputation.
"Your brother is very impressive, and the soup he made tastes really good." Xu Nianhua, thinking about the nourishing soups she drank those days, each day made with an early start at five, suddenly felt a warm feeling inside.
"Nianhua, don’t you think my brother is great?" Pei Yining earnestly promoted him.
"Yes, whoever becomes your brother’s wife will be very fortunate."
Xu Nianhua said this, then turned and went into the restroom.
Perhaps because she drank too much porridge in the morning, she genuinely needed to use the restroom.
"Nianhua." Pei Yining, watching the closed restroom door, blinked and thought to herself: Of course, it will be you who is fortunate in the future?
They boarded the train at ten in the morning, and wouldn’t arrive in South City until early the next day.
The slow-moving train clattered on, and Xu Nianhua didn’t mind at all; she sat on the upper bunk, continuing to read her book.
After watching the scenery for a while, Pei Yining found it boring and decided to lie back on her upper bunk to catch a bit more sleep; she had woken up at seven in the morning and was still sleepy.
At noon, when Xu Nianhua opened her black chicken soup, the whole carriage smelled it, and Pei Yining was woken up by the delicious aroma.
Xu Nianhua and Pei Yining shared the soup between them, although initially, she had intended it for four people. However, Pei Yicheng and Xu Nian’an each ordered boxed meals and had bought egg cakes specifically for the train ride, so they had already stuffed themselves full early on.
The black chicken soup was exquisitely flavorful. It wasn’t the steaming-hot kind just off the stove, but it still carried a warmth that, in the cold weather, made sipping the hot chicken soup extremely comforting, warming straight to the core.