Reborn: I'll Never Fail My Childhood Sweetheart Again-Chapter 254 - 112: I Endure—I’m the Legendary Ninja Turtle! (Part 3)
Su Zelin corrected.
"Oh, come on, how long have you been in Lin’an? You stay in school all day. How many people could you know outside?"
Xiaoyanzi naturally didn’t believe him.
Su Zelin thought to himself that as long as you have some cash, you can easily make lots of friends.
But then again, this situation will persist for a long time.
Even if you manage to buy tickets from scalpers, taking the train won’t be a pleasant experience; it’s just too crowded.
In a few months, I’ll be eighteen. I’ll get a driver’s license first.
Thanks to Zhejiang Province being a developed region, the highway construction within the province is faster than in many places.
The first highway is the Hangyong Expressway, which started construction in ’92 and opened in ’96.
The highway section from Jianglan to Lin’an was delayed by a few years, but it’s finally opening this year.
If necessary, I can buy a car myself, making it convenient for school and going home.
Such an expensive item is sure to get complaints from my parents. They’ll probably scold me for being wasteful. I might as well say it’s a company car for the digital store, which makes for a good excuse.
...
The train got delayed, and it was an hour and a half before it showed up in the waiting hall.
Everyone squeezed aboard with their luggage and found their seats.
Su Zelin bought a sleeper ticket from a scalper.
Getting such a ticket isn’t easy; the price is more than double the normal fare.
But Su Zelin didn’t care; the key was comfort.
The seating outside was uncomfortable, with the aisle of almost the entire carriage crowded with people, and the mixed odors were unforgettable.
The two guys took the upper bunks, letting the girls have the lower ones for convenience.
Once their luggage was set, Xiaoyanzi was thrilled: "Su Zelin, I didn’t think you could get sleeper tickets. My classmates said train tickets are incredibly hard to snatch, let alone sleepers. Even getting a seat ticket is a blessing, and some people from the north have to stand for days and nights to get home!"
"Haha, Zelin’s got connections. Xiaoyanzi, don’t think people who aren’t book-smart are useless. Someone like Zelin might outperform us in the real world!"
The good-natured person has been cheerleading for me since high school and continued even more so after entering college.
Had it been back at Second High, Xiaoyanzi might have scoffed at this.
But after going to university, it seemed spot on.
Among the few of us, only Su Zelin became a class monitor, worked part-time at school, and became a store manager, already holding two titles.
When it comes to snatching train tickets, a headache for every student, he effortlessly got us sleepers.
Back in high school, everyone focused on grades, and it was easy for someone like him to be overlooked, but now in the Ivory Tower, he can truly shine.
Su Zelin didn’t say anything. The laid-back guy climbed onto the upper bunk and lay there, reading a sports weekly, while the other three chatted away below.
The internet and newspapers always helped him remember a lot of useful information.
Oh right, the football lottery is launching this October, worth a try.
Unlike the welfare lottery, this one’s not so easy for underhanded tactics since the outcomes and scores are public.
At most, the bookie can only manipulate referees to change results.
If there’s no major butterfly effect, the previous results shouldn’t change much.
While Su Zelin was pondering this, someone poked his shoulder. It was Qin Shiqing.
"What’s up?"
The laid-back guy turned his face lazily and asked.
"Zelin, want some snacks?"
The girl handed over an opened snack bag.
Knowing they’d be on the train all day, the group bought a ton of snacks for entertainment.
Su Zelin took a glance. It was a pack of plums, and he shook his head: "What’s so good about plums, they’re sour and astringent. How about giving me some ’Tang Monk Dried Meat’!"
’Tang Monk Dried Meat’ is a type of tofu snack, similar to spicy gluten, with a cute monk image on the packaging. It was a childhood favorite of Su Zelin’s, so he randomly bought two packs for nostalgia on this ride.
"Why eat so much junk food all the time? Eating more plums is better for your health!"
Qin Shiqing scoffed and unceremoniously pushed a plum in his mouth.
"Mmmph mmmph..."
The laid-back guy protested to no avail and had to eat it.
Watching the two snow-white fingers, resembling green onions, coated with plum juice, glistening.
Su Zelin instinctively wanted to stretch his tongue out.
Nope, definitely not!
Resist, resist, resist!
I’m like the legendary Turtle-God!
...
Spring Festival train rides are even more delayed than usual; it was dark by the time they reached Jianglan Station.
After leaving the train station, they each took a bus home.
"Dad, Mom, I’m back!"
Dragging his luggage, Su Zelin yelled as he entered the house.
Su Jianjun and Zhao Lixia were already waiting at home, and both parents were delighted to see their son.
"Son, let Mama see if you’ve lost weight!"
Although Su Zelin had assured her that the college provided good meals catering to various tastes, a mother still worries about whether her child is eating well or staying warm outside.
Seeing that Su Zelin was as sturdy as ever, Granny Su was relieved.
"It’s good to have you back, it’s good to have you back!"
Though Su Jianjun was also pleased, his fatherly demeanor wasn’t as expressive.
To welcome their son’s homecoming, Granny Su prepared a big table of home-cooked dishes.
Old duck soup, clay pot fish head, stewed pork with dried vegetables, shrimp tofu, sweet and sour ribs, pineapple chicken...
There were dishes that Su Zelin liked and also ones that Qin Shiqing loved.
The Qin family and Su family had already planned on dining together tonight, giving them a chance to hear about the children’s lives and experiences in the Ivory Tower.
After unloading his luggage, before dinner, Su Zelin sneaked into the kitchen to grab a bite.
For some reason, what’s stolen always tasted better.
Before long, the Qin parents and Qin Shiqing arrived too.
Liu Sufen and Qin Shiqing helped in the kitchen, making Granny Su quite happy: "Wow, haven’t seen you for months, Shiqing is becoming more and more beautiful!"
"Aunty, not really."
Qin Shiqing felt a bit shy, suddenly remembering something, she added: "By the way, thanks, Aunty, for the down jacket. It’s warm, pretty, and fits well."
"Haha, as long as you like it!" Granny Su joked, "I was worried that my old-fashioned taste might not suit you young folks!"
"Not at all, Aunty, you’re still young at heart!"
Qin Shiqing replied while washing vegetables.
"Shiqing knows how to talk! My son, on the other hand, is more particular and said the styles I chose were outdated, didn’t even want to wear them out, really pissed me off!"
Zhao Lixia habitually complained a bit about Su Zelin.
Between her son and possible future daughter-in-law, the latter always seemed more pleasing.
During dinner, the adults were keen to ask about Su Zelin and Qin Shiqing’s lives at school over the past few months.
Although they occasionally called, long distance was expensive, so the talks were brief.
Su Zelin’s attention was all on the food, finally home for a meal of his mom’s cooking, he indulged. His responses to their questions were cursory, leaving Qin Shiqing to fill in the details most of the time.
Finding out that Su Zelin became a store manager at the college’s digital store, Liu Sufen felt a slight disappointment.
She thought the neighbor’s kid might become a boss as soon as he entered college, guess she was overthinking it.
Although he became a manager, in the end, he was still working for someone else, probably not making much either.
...
