Fifteen minutes later, a single train car, pulled by an invisible gravitational force, set off from the station, accompanied by the sound of a whistle from no discernible source.
"This is it?"
Huai Shi looked around the carriage in astonishment. "What happened to the promised luxury? The esteemed experience? The goddamn wonderful memories?"
He gnashed his teeth, suddenly feeling the urge to draw his knife and sharpen it a little.
I want to cut someone.
If only there weren't any train staff in this carriage!
It bore not the slightest resemblance to the luxurious train, esteemed experience, and meticulous service he had anticipated. Not only was there just a single carriage, but there wasn't even an engine!
The interior of the carriage... This is totally just a freight car they barely modified, isn't it?
No air conditioning, no seat cushions, and even the windows were broken!
At least the seats were first-come, first-served—not that it made any difference. They were all just cheap five-yuan folding stools from the market, carelessly welded to the floor.
And they weren't even welded on securely!
Even if I'd bought a standing-room-only ticket, this is too much!
How is this worth five hundred thousand?
Someone just said people from the Current Circumstances are all liars, and here I am at the Border encountering such blatant, malicious fraud! They even dare to scam the Astronomical Society!
Was it easy for me to embezzle a little stolen loot?!
This piece of junk isn't even average, and they dared to offer it for free as a limited-time promotion!
Huai Shi was so furious he felt like blowing up this carriage...
After a long while, he finally suppressed his anger and let out a long breath. Can't be helped. Plans never keep up with reality—I'll just get off at the next stop.
The key is to latch onto a Gold Thigh first...
He slowly turned his gaze to the Man in Grey sitting on a folding stool beside him. The prematurely aged, middle-aged office worker clutched his briefcase, leaning against the rust-stained carriage wall, swaying with the clatter of the rails and the movement of the car.
He looked utterly pitiful.
This is outrageous! How could these people treat Brother Gold Thigh like this!
Huai Shi sat directly opposite him with a THUD, which seemed to startle the man. As the man looked on in bewilderment, the serious-faced youth before him suddenly squeezed out a fawning smile and reached into his coat.
"Big Bro, have a dwink!"
A bottle of Happy Water, still cold, emerged from the slit in his chest.
"Ah? Oh, thank you."
The Man in Grey, stunned, accepted it gratefully. Before he could even open the can, he saw Huai Shi take out a lunchbox Uncle Fang had made for him before he left. Huai Shi opened it briskly, and a rich aroma diffused through the air.
He shoved it into the Man in Grey's hands. "Big Bro, have some chicken weg!"
"...Ah, okay."
Then, Huai Shi dug into his pocket again, producing a pack of cigarettes from a metal case with a clink. He presented them respectfully with both hands. "Big Bro, smoke dis, it's potent!"
"..."
A minute later, the Man in Grey—Happy Water in his left hand, lunchbox in his right, and two cigarettes already stuffed into his mouth—watched in stunned silence as Huai Shi pulled a bag of Uncle Fang's special homemade salted peanuts from his saddlebag.
"Big Bro, have some peanutz!"
Just as the Man in Grey, his arms now piled high with things, awkwardly accepted the peanuts, Huai Shi, as if by magic, produced a small violin from his pocket—one he'd idly carved out of boredom—and smiled enthusiastically.
"Big Bro, take your time eating. I'll play some accompaniment for you..."
This is too much!
The Man in Grey's expression twitched. He helplessly grabbed Huai Shi's hand. "My young friend, there's no need for all this, truly no need..."
"Just call me Little Huai, Big Bro! Don't be such a stranger!"
Huai Shi raised his hand, earnestly stopping such behavior that, in his view, disregarded their proper hierarchy. "As the saying goes, 'At home, rely on your parents; when away, rely on your brothers.' We two brothers hit it off right from the start! This is just a small token of my respect, please don't refuse it."
Are you kidding? I was even planning to give Brother Gold Thigh a back and shoulder rub later!
I finally stumbled upon such a prime Gold Thigh to latch onto, and he's awesome enough to be on par with Green Day's boss! If I let this slip by, would I even be human anymore?
This brotherhood, I, Huahai Road Little Peppa, am determined to forge with you!
Seeing Huai Shi's increasingly fervent expression, the Man in Grey became troubled. "Even if you treat me so lavishly, there's really nothing I can do for you..."
He cut Huai Shi off as he was about to speak and sighed. "Actually, I'm just an ordinary retiree... I'm nowhere near as capable as that lady made me out to be. Please don't expect anything from me."
"Besides, given your status, you wouldn't have had trouble staying there even without me, right?"
Saying this, he carefully placed the Happy Water and peanuts on the briefcase on his lap. He then raised both hands and earnestly patted the young man's shoulders, his expression solemn.
"You need to have more confidence in yourself, Huai Shi. Don't sell yourself short."
Gripping the young man's shoulders, he said earnestly, "You don't need to rely on anyone. You're already a big shot."
"Huh?"
Huai Shi was baffled. Why does this big brother think so highly of me?