The two of them were busy, while the people across them also arrived.
First, there was a family of three, a young couple bringing along a four or five-year-old girl.
The man took the lower bunk, leaving the woman and the little girl to the middle bunk.
After a while, another middle-aged man came over.
Once everything was settled, the train slowly started to move.
It was still early, and Lin Chuxia didn’t want to rest in her bunk yet, so she sat on the lower bunk chatting with Gu Peng.
To be honest, apart from work, there were rarely opportunities for them to chat.
When they first met, Gu Peng seemed very aloof and didn’t smile easily, making Lin Chuxia feel uncomfortable and hesitant to get close to him. This was a good opportunity.
Lin Chuxia chatted with him casually, primarily wanting to know how he got out a year early.
This matter had always been a mystery to Lin Chuxia. Even though her rebirth caused many butterfly effects, none seemed to have anything to do with Gu Peng, as they had never interacted before.
Gu Peng answered honestly, saying that he had been inside long enough and was determined to get out by behaving well.
As for whether his sentence could be reduced, he wasn’t sure himself.
The two of them talked until noon, and Gu Peng came back with some food.
After lunch, Lin Chuxia wanted to sleep on the upper bunk for a while, but then realized the middle bunk was still unoccupied.
Seeing her confusion, Gu Peng explained directly, "I bought three sleeper tickets, so you can sleep on whichever bunk you like."
Lin Chuxia understood, "You’re really thoughtful."
It’s not like she wanted to occupy two bunks; it was just inconvenient to have a stranger between them or above them.
A train ticket only costs a few dozen bucks. If it weren’t for the worry of not being allowed, she’d want to buy out the whole compartment.
Lin Chuxia lay on the upper bunk, preparing to nap for a while. Although the carriage was noisy, she needed to sleep on such a long journey.
At this moment, the man in the opposite upper bunk returned.
The man, in his forties, was dark and fat, making the space feel even more cramped.
The most unbearable thing was the strong smell of sweat coming from him.
Not only that, but after lying down, the man faced Lin Chuxia directly, openly staring at her, making her very uncomfortable.
Lin Chuxia turned her back to him, facing inward.
But it felt like his gaze was still on her, like a thorn in her back, making her uneasy.
Lin Chuxia sat up, tidied her bedding, and moved to the middle bunk.
Gu Peng was on the lower bunk, entertaining himself with a deck of cards. Seeing Lin Chuxia come down, he asked, "What’s wrong?"
"Nothing much, just thought the middle one is more convenient."
Gu Peng looked at her face, glanced around, and finally fixed his gaze on the upper bunk opposite.
The man had closed his eyes, seeming to sleep.
Gu Peng withdrew his gaze and helped Lin Chuxia make the bed.
Opposite the middle bunk was the woman with the child. The child was asleep, and the woman lay outside her.
Lin Chuxia felt more comfortable, lying down, listening to the chatter and the clattering of the train. She dozed off for a bit.
The middle bunk had the added benefit of being closer to the window, feeling the breeze coming in.
Lin Chuxia wasn’t in a hurry to get up, lying there watching the scenery outside the train window.
But soon, she had that feeling again. Lifting her head, she indeed met the man’s gaze.
Although it was the middle and upper bunk, and the two faced each other, the man only needed to lean a bit to see her.
Their eyes met, and the man even smiled at Lin Chuxia.
That smile revealed teeth yellowed from smoking, making his face look even more sleazy.
Lin Chuxia frowned slightly.
That wasn’t the end of it; the man straightforwardly asked, "Young lady, where are you headed?"
Chitchat on trains is common, given the long journey and the lack of time-passing tools in this era.
But Lin Chuxia wasn’t interested in responding to his advances.
Usually, if there’s no reply, the conversation ends, as no one knows anyone.
But the man seemed oblivious, "Meeting here is fate, young lady, you seem like a good-tempered person, let’s chat to pass the time."
This time, Gu Peng interrupted before Lin Chuxia could respond, casting a cold glance at the man, "Who has fate with you?"
The man was stunned for a moment but began to tease, "How is it not fate? There’s a saying, a thousand years of cultivation brings a boat’s crossing, and ten thousand years, a shared pillow. Although we’re on a train, it’s the same. Shows at least a thousand years of fate."
He looked at Lin Chuxia again, "Brother, you’re lucky to have such a beautiful wife. You must be newlyweds, right?"
From his experience, flattery like this usually starts a conversation.
The two in front seemed unusual, wearing clothes that didn’t look cheap and using things very delicately.
Lin Chuxia frowned even deeper. But there was no need to explain to a stranger, so she grabbed a book to read.
Gu Peng showed even less interest in humoring him, "What relationship we have is none of your business. Shut your foul mouth, or I’ll deal with you."
After two rebuffs and seeing Gu Peng’s dark expression, the man finally dared not continue.
But he still muttered quietly, disgruntled, "Just chatting, talk if you want, no need to be like this..."
Facing Gu Peng’s cold gaze, he said nothing more.
Quickly, he spoke to the man in the lower opposite bunk, "Watch my luggage, I’m going for a piss."
With that, he hurried out of the compartment.
In less than fifteen minutes, the man returned looking relieved.
This time, he didn’t dare to chat with Lin Chuxia and Gu Peng, instead speaking to the man on his lower bunk.
Just about where he came from, where he’s headed, what he’s doing.
The man on his lower bunk seemed honest, answering straightforwardly without elaborating.
Probably feeling a conversation with such a man was dull, the middle-aged man climbed back up.
He even took off his shoes before getting into the top bunk.
The already narrow space was instantly filled with a pungent odor.
The little girl opposite had woken up, immediately covering her nose, "It stinks."
The little girl’s mother smiled apologetically at the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man waved it off, "Ah, it’s nothing, just sweaty feet."
The smell made Lin Chuxia’s head hurt, and she felt unlucky.
Taking a train, she dreaded being next to someone like this.
In public places, with just a ticket to ride, not much can be said.
But the smell was overpowering, and she couldn’t sit still, wanting to walk around a bit.