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.
The boxed meal costs 25 yuan per serving, whether it is good or bad quality, it doesn't matter to me because I never intended to eat it.
But that damn smell of cooked rice, mixed with hot air, still rushed towards me.
The man opposite me, Uncle Shenbei, who is a heavy drinker, talkative, snores while sleeping, and somewhat forgetful, is very punctual when it comes to eating. He never misses a meal, whether it's breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
His loud voice is really unbearable and completely shatters my vision of spending the remaining half of the day in a light sleep.
I rubbed my stiff and sore hips that hadn't moved all night, stretched my legs, and accidentally kicked my own backpack. Since the aisle was already filled with passengers who boarded before me and took up all the available space, I had to let my already narrow bed be occupied by someone else, apart from the loud snoring of the man opposite me. This was another factor that prevented me from sleeping well.
I took out my sealed toiletries and walked slowly towards the sink. The train's movement accompanied by the regular swaying from side to side, combined with the slight hypoglycemia when getting up, made my steps unsteady and difficult to control. Fortunately, the aisle was narrow enough and there were enough people, so even if I really fell, there was already a ready-made cushion.
Well, I actually prefer to have an intimate encounter with the ground. Just thinking about the situation above 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 fatigue.
The fat man sitting next to me crossed his legs arrogantly,
The young man who looked decent was explaining traditional Chinese medicine to an old man,
The middle-aged man with a bald head, speaking in an indistinguishable accent, was fixing a solid-state hard drive for the bald man opposite him,
The little girl in a pink dress was running 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 power outlet that had been occupied by a charger for a whole day and night was finally available. It felt somewhat unbelievable.
I dropped the bread lightly on the public seat, leaned against the train compartment, and tremblingly tore open the bread 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 in rhythm, retreating and revealing the next gloom.
I'm really annoyed. I fiercely tore the soft dough with my teeth.
It's sweet. But I hate sweet food for breakfast.
I lightly touched my stomach, which was twitching either from hunger or protesting against the sweet food, through my skin. In the end, I chose to swallow a mouthful of mineral water to wash away the sticky feeling.
By the way, this kind of lukewarm water temperature, neither cold nor hot, is also the most annoying range.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the man on the upper bunk, with his big feet in black socks, dangling in the air and kicking randomly.
After a bit of fuss, 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 still bread.
I let go of my hand and temporarily spared the poor deformed fellow, pressing my forehead against the relatively bright train window, trying to use the cold temperature to force myself to calm down.
My heart is 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 the COVID-19 pandemic...
I'm even more annoyed.
Outside the window are several chaotic hills.
Scattered houses are located nearby.
Most of them are two or three stories high, with a small vegetable garden in front, 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 muddy water, green vegetable leaves, arranged in a staggered manner 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 to empty my mind, trying not to drown in the suffocating heaviness.
The train finally entered a long tunnel.
Pitch black and lightless, but unusually peaceful and calm.
I swallowed the last ball of dough that had been pinched into shape, allowing my thoughts to flutter in the dim yellow light, flying towards an unknown destination.