I hate long-distance travel.
Among them, the outbound journey is the worst.
Around seven o'clock, or maybe a little earlier, the sound of selling boxed meals has already started.
25 yuan for a boxed meal, whether it's good or bad, it doesn't matter, anyway, I never planned to eat it.
But that damn smell of cooked rice, mixed with heat, still rushed over eagerly.
The old Uncle Shenbei, who is a drinker, a chatterbox, snores in his sleep, and is somewhat forgetful, is very punctual when it comes to eating. He never misses a meal, whether it's breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
It's just that his loud voice is really not commendable, ruthlessly shattering the vision of me getting through the remaining half of the day by dozing off.
I rubbed my stiff and sore hips that hadn't moved for half the night, stretched my legs, and kicked my backpack. Since the aisle was filled with passengers who got on before me and didn't know where to sit, I could only let the already narrow bed be occupied by a small part, which was another factor that prevented me from sleeping well besides the snoring guy across from me.
I took out the sealed toiletries and walked slowly towards the sink. The train's movement accompanied by regular swaying from side to side, combined with the slight hypoglycemia when getting up, made my steps unsteady and hard to control. Fortunately, the aisle was narrow enough and there were enough people, so even if I really fell, there would be ready-made cushions.
Well, I actually prefer to have an intimate encounter with the ground. Just thinking about that situation already makes me feel a bit nauseous.
After a hasty cleanup, more and more people started getting up. The already suffocating train compartment began to fill with the greasy smell of instant noodles, occasionally mixed with noisy and meaningless conversations.
My temples started to ache again. Unfortunately, with one hand holding onto the train body and the other carrying toiletries, there was really no way to alleviate this internal and external exhaustion.
The fat man sat with his legs crossed,
The young man pretended to be knowledgeable about traditional Chinese medicine for the old man,
The middle-aged man with a bald head spoke with an accent that couldn't be distinguished while explaining solid-state hard drives to the bald guy across from him,
The little girl in a pink dress ran around happily,
...
Feeling a bit dizzy, I quickly went back to eat something.
I took out a bread from my bag and found that the socket that had been occupied by the Five Volts One An for a day and night was finally available, which was somewhat unbelievable.
I dropped the bread lightly on the public seat, leaned against the train compartment, and tremblingly tore open the packaging.
There's always a feeling of a leader, glasses, and hands.
The speed of the train was neither fast nor slow, and the gloomy sky swayed back and forth in rhythm, then revealed the next gloom.
Feeling quite annoyed. I tore the soft dough fiercely with my teeth.
It's sweet. But I hate sweet food for breakfast.
I lightly stroked my stomach a few times through my skin, whether it was hunger or protesting against the sweet food, it twitched. In the end, I chose to take a big sip of mineral water to wash away the sweet feeling.
By the way, this kind of lukewarm water temperature, neither cold nor hot, is also the most annoying range.
With the corner of my eye, I saw the man on the upper bunk sticking his big feet in black socks down and kicking randomly in mid-air.
After a bit of tossing, he directly sat on my bunk.
Stay calm, stay calm...
I told myself, trying to focus my attention on the sweet bread in my hand.
Then, I saw him fumble around and take out a bag of pastries, placing it on my bed and eating it directly.
It's hard, but it's bread.
I let go of my hand, temporarily spared the poor guy who had been deformed, and pressed my forehead against the relatively bright train window, trying to use the cold temperature to force myself to calm down.
My heart was in chaos.
The narrow and enclosed space, the warm and chaotic smells, the noisy atmosphere, and the irregular heartbeat that has been a problem since COVID-19...
I'm even more annoyed.
Outside the window are several messy hills.
Scattered houses are located nearby.
Most of them are two or three stories high, with a small vegetable garden in front of the house, growing unknown green vegetables that are lush and green.
Dense, dilapidated, and messy.
Mechanically, I put the deformed bread into my mouth, chewing and swallowing.
Red soil, yellow mud, green vegetable leaves, arranged in a staggered pattern outside the window, pulled apart as the train moved forward, spreading and smearing into meaningless lines under the gray-white sky.
I stared blankly,
Trying hard to empty my mind, trying not to drown in the suffocating heaviness.
The train finally entered a long tunnel.
Pitch black, but unusually peaceful and calm.
I swallowed the last ball of dough that had been kneaded into a small ball, letting my thoughts flutter in the dim yellow light, flying towards an unknown distance.