"Woo~ woo~"
A mournful train whistle jolted Teacher Ke awake from her sleep.
"Oh no, we're almost at the station already."
Teacher Ke hurriedly climbed down from the upper bunk and began hanging her bags and parcels all over herself, blaming herself as she did for oversleeping.
In truth, it had been a long time since Teacher Ke had enjoyed such an easy journey.
The upper bunk in a hard-sleeper compartment was hardly comfortable, but it was clean enough and private enough, sparing her the crowding and suffocation of the seated carriages.
The toilets, which never required lining up, also meant that Teacher Ke did not have to worry about certain problems and could control her food and water intake.
When she opened the leather bag Li Ye had stuffed into her hands, she found sausages, cake, biscuits, and other snacks inside. She no longer had to endure the complicated looks of those around her while humbly yet stubbornly gnawing on cold, hard steamed buns.
Ten years ago, she would have disdained such treatment, but now it felt as though a lifetime had passed, leaving her with countless emotions.
Could those good days ever return?
Looking at the packed crowds beyond the train window, Teacher Ke, laden from head to toe, felt uneasy, yet she pressed ahead without looking back.
"Don't push, don't push! I have glass items here—they could hurt someone!"
Amid the surging, crushing crowd, Teacher Ke carefully protected the cigarettes and liquor in her bag.
Those things might amount to nothing in the eyes of important figures, but more often than not, it was the little devils who were hardest to deal with.
Fortunately, Teacher Ke was leaving the station, which was far smoother than trying to enter it.
After sweating through all her clothes, Teacher Ke