Transmigration: On the Gossip Front
Chapter 498 - 499 Sister Flowers Educated Youth 16_1

Chapter 498: Chapter 499 Sister Flowers Educated Youth 16_1

Just as she was about to ask, they heard the announcement that their train was about to arrive at the station.

The train station, already filled with the sound of some people sobbing, suddenly saw many more burst into tears.

Although in theory, the sent-down youth had the right to return to the city for familial visits, considering the cost of the journey and the travel time, unless they lived close by, very few took the opportunity.

This time, as they set out for the Northeast, unless they were returning to the city, the chances of coming back were slim.

The old lady pinched Shen Jie’s hand; everything was said in that silent gesture.

After a lot of bustling about, all the luggage was finally passed through the window onto the train, with Zhang Yamei helping to place it.

Just before getting off the train, "Remember to write a letter if anything happens."

"Xiao Dan, I’m entrusting Xiao Jie to you, and if Shen Yuan comes looking for her, just keep an eye out," Zhang Yamei didn’t believe that Shen Yuan would stop looking for Shen Jie after arriving in the Northeast.

It was just two days ago that there had been an unpleasant altercation, and just a while ago she had glowered at Shen Jianshe, yet it didn’t stop her from asking to borrow money.

Zhang Yamei had seen her fair share of shameless people, but it was rare to see a child this brazen in their actions.

In dealing with such a person, one really had to be vigilant, and Feng Dan acknowledged with an "Mhm," "Auntie, I understand."

"Mom, don’t worry, I’m not a fool." Shen Jie felt quite helpless; she could handle the situation herself without having someone keep an eye on her.

Zhang Yamei uttered several words of agreement, giving her daughter some face in this situation.

"Don’t skimp on food during the journey, eat what you should." Food on the train could be bought as long as one had money, no ration tickets required.

Plus, with the heat, the food would spoil after a few days, so they had prepared less than two days’ worth of food.

"I know," Shen Jie hugged Zhang Yamei again, "Mom, if there are problems with Grandpa, let my dad and Xiao Hui do some work."

"Don’t take on everything by yourself."

"If Grandpa or anyone else is unwell, send me a telegram..." Although the original host’s wish list did not mention anything about Old Master Zhang and the other two.

But from the original host’s memories, it was clear that the young girl was quite fond of the old couple from the Zhang family.

Including this time when she became a sent-down youth, the three of the Zhang family, upon learning about it, had her aunt visit immediately, bringing a treasured wolf pelt coat from Old Master Zhang, saying it would be warmer if sewn into a quilt.

"Tell Grandpa that once I arrive in the Northeast, I’ll see if there are any ginseng roots,"

"Then I’ll prepare them for Grandpa, Grandma, and Aunty to enjoy in their tea."

Zhang Yamei sniffed, "Alright, once you’re there, call home; you remember the phone number. We’ll mail you the items."

Shen Jianshe, on the platform, saw that Zhang Yamei still hadn’t come down but instead was leaning out of the train window.

"Comrade Zhang Yamei, the train is about to leave; you should get off," Shen Jianshe became anxious, worrying about what would happen if she failed to disembark.

Zhang Yamei hastened off the train in a flurry; it would be a major problem if she hadn’t. Not long after she stepped off, the conductor boarded the train to close the doors, making her grateful she had left in haste.

But she didn’t have much time to dwell on her relief; she rushed to the window, "Take good care of yourself."

"Don’t let yourself suffer."

"You should support each other." Fortunately, she remembered there were certain things she shouldn’t say.

Otherwise, she would have blurted out the thought of taking leave to come back if they didn’t want to stay on the farm.

As the train started up, it quickly left the platform, and the relatives who had come to see them off disappeared from sight.

Someone let out a loud cry, and soon there were even more people crying.

Shen Jie couldn’t help but cry too, not knowing how long she had been crying or realizing that even if she continued, there was no way to go back.

Shen Jie felt that it must be time for dinner as everyone was getting hungry and they started eating the food they brought with them.

Shen Jie took out some food as well—buns made by Lady Shen Li—and handed Feng Dan two, followed by picking up the pickles that went with the buns.

Feng Dan looked inside and saw, "There’s also shredded meat."

"So we need to finish them today, otherwise, they’ll go bad by tomorrow," Shen Jie gestured for Feng Dan to help herself without holding back.

"It’s better we eat them than letting them spoil outside," Shen Jie said as she piled a large helping of pickles onto Feng Dan’s plate. "Eat up, then take a little rest."

You wouldn’t know from the crying spell we had over homesickness that soon enough, as everyone began to recover, they would surely start singing songs and reciting quotations.

If you didn’t join in then, it would seem very strange, so it was better to rest while you had the chance, to recuperate a bit.

"I didn’t sleep well last night," Shen Jie explained briefly.

Feng Dan kept nodding, "Me neither."

"Every time I think about going to the Northeast, and not knowing when I can return, I just can’t control myself."

Once she said this, several people around them started saying they hadn’t rested well the night before either.

"After eating, I need to rest a little too."

"Yeah, what else can we do?" We have to take the train for such a long stretch, and we have no idea when we’ll arrive.

Shen Jie, still eating, heard this and thought this was bad news—someone had definitely opened Pandora’s box, and soon there might be a suggestion to sing or something.

"How about we sing a song?" someone suggested enthusiastically.

She knew it, Shen Jie sighed in her heart, but she couldn’t let it show.

With so many people around, and their backgrounds unknown to each other, she rolled her eyes discretely while bowing her head to keep eating.

It was incomprehensible to her why people would choose to sing songs on a train trip, rather than resting, chatting, or reading, thereby infringing on the rights of others who wanted to rest.

Unfortunately, those were her thoughts, which she couldn’t voice out loud, as it could implicate issues pertaining to her ideological consciousness.

No sooner had the suggestion been made than it seemed to gain approval from everyone, and not long after, it was unanimously agreed upon.

Shen Jie could only sigh helplessly in her heart, knowing that if others could persevere, she could too.

Fortunately, some things are truly ingrained in one’s marrow, and since it was a chorus, as long as she didn’t mess up her lip-syncing too badly, no one would pay her much attention.

This way, she managed to bluff her way through, which came as a relief to her.

Luckily it was summer, and singing was exhausting and dehydrating, so by the time it got to 2 p.m., everyone was struggling to keep going and the group singing finally came to a temporary halt.

Taking advantage of the lull, Shen Jie quickly closed her eyes to rest; having slept poorly the night before and waking up early, her body was already giving her warnings.

Even if she stayed silent, just trying to keep up with the rhythm was quite strenuous.

Yawning briefly, she fell fast asleep without much preamble.

It was good that she fell asleep quickly. Feng Dan had stepped out to use the restroom, and by the time she returned, the continuous snoring sounds in the carriage darkened her expression.

It wasn’t that she didn’t expect some people to snore, but she hoped it wouldn’t interfere with others’ rest.

Turns out the noise could really be that loud, and she feared what she would do if her future roommate in the dorms turned out to be a snorer too.

As she sat down, Feng Dan looked enviously at the already peacefully sleeping Shen Jie; she felt a quiet envy that she couldn’t quite express.