Chapter 76: Train Station

Chapter 76: Chapter 76: Train Station

Tuantuan kept her mother’s instruction about what she shouldn’t say firmly in mind. "That’s bad luck. You have to say, ’I wish you a smooth journey and a safe trip home.’"

Fubao, her mouth covered by Tuantuan’s hand, nodded hastily.

Only then did Tuantuan let go. "Say it."

Fubao readily complied. Not only did she say it, but she also added a heap of good wishes. Hearing this made Tuantuan so happy that she took off the small bamboo basket on her back, lifted the cloth covering it, and reached inside to rummage around.

"Darn it, how dare you betray me." After searching for a long time, Tuantuan sniffled. Her eyes welled up with tears as she fiercely threatened the basket in a hushed whisper.

Fubao finally realized that Tuantuan had a secret friend she couldn’t bear to betray. Her heart practically split in two. She wondered why she was only finding out now that she wasn’t Tuantuan’s only best friend. Before she could even figure out who this rival was, she was about to lose Tuantuan.

Despite her inner grief, Fubao maintained the appearance of a caring older sister. "Who betrayed you?"

Tuantuan blinked and held back her tears, looking a little wronged. "WAAAH! It was the me from last night. I promised myself I’d only eat a little bit and save the rest of the snacks to share with Fubao today, but the me from last night actually ate them all! WAAAH!"

Fubao’s sorrow turned to joy. "Don’t be sad, Tuantuan. I have lots of snacks. Let’s eat them together."

Just then, Zhang Ci Hao came to Fubao’s house to pick Tuantuan up so they could go to the village chief’s house for dinner. Fubao’s little brain was much sharper than Tuantuan’s. She grabbed Tuantuan to stop her from leaving. "Tuantuan, why don’t you stay and have dinner at my house? I’ll sleep with you tonight, and tomorrow, your parents can take you back."

Tuantuan really wanted to refuse, but Fubao clung to her tightly like a giant baby sloth, nagging Tuantuan to spend one last night with her and asking if Tuantuan truly loved her.

"I have to talk to my mom first and ask for her opinion," Tuantuan mumbled, trapped in Fubao’s embrace.

Zhang Ci Hao smiled and leaned down to ask Tuantuan, "Do you want to stay? If you do, I’ll go tell your mom, and you can keep playing at Fubao’s house."

Tuantuan didn’t particularly want to, but she wasn’t entirely against it either. While she squirmed and hesitated, Fubao made the decision for her. Being uncharacteristically willful for once, Fubao even launched a kissing attack on Tuantuan, bawling loudly between smooches.

Tuantuan’s chubby face was covered in saliva. Feeling hopeless, she covered Fubao’s mouth, unable to even find a chance to wipe her own face. Seeing Fubao cry until her face was a messy smudge, crying even harder and starting to hiccup, Tuantuan could only say, "Oh, alright. Of course I want to stay and keep you company."

"Then you’re staying right now." Crying so fiercely didn’t affect Fubao’s ability to speak at all; she even managed to act first and report later. "Goodbye, Uncle Xiao Zhang! Tuantuan, hurry up and say goodbye to Uncle Xiao Zhang."

Zhang Ci Hao watched the two children’s interaction with amusement. "Goodbye, Fubao. Goodbye, Tuantuan."

The two children stayed tangled together until Fubao’s mother heard the crying and hurried over, finally rescuing Tuantuan.

Tuantuan’s little face was flushed red from the intense struggle. The moment her brain got a breath of fresh air, she quickly came up with an idea. "It’s not like we’ll never see each other again! In the future, you can come visit me! Or I can ask my mom to bring me back to visit you. Mom said it only takes a day to get there."

Fubao thought about it and agreed, though she was still reluctant to part with Tuantuan. She brought out all her favorite things and, during dinner that night, even took the initiative to put delicious pieces of meat into Tuantuan’s bowl.

If Tuantuan hadn’t tried so hard to stop her, Fubao would have even tried to spoon-feed her.

It wasn’t that Tuantuan didn’t want to live a life of luxury like a little emperor, but Fubao was simply too small. The very first spoonful she offered ended up shoved right into Tuantuan’s nose.

Fubao bustled about serving Tuantuan like a little adult. Tuantuan sat on a stool, her two short legs swinging in the air. She held her bowl with both hands, drinking honey water, and genuinely felt that it was wonderful she had stayed!

By eating at someone else’s house, she wouldn’t have to wash her own little bowl, hehe.

When the two little ones went to bed that night, they insisted on snuggling under the same blanket. Fubao’s mother replaced Fubao’s small blanket with a large, adult-sized one. She had to get up several times during the night to check on the two babies, making sure they weren’t suffocating under the heavy covers.

Early the next morning, the two little girls woke up groggily. They had roasted sweet potatoes for breakfast, and Fubao’s mother put two extra roasted sweet potatoes in Tuantuan’s basket, worried she might get hungry on the road.

Fubao insisted on escorting Tuantuan back to the Knowledge Youth Institute. As a result, the man of the Jin Family walked briskly back to the Knowledge Youth Institute with one child sitting on his shoulders and the other cradled in his arms.

Deng Yuyuan was dressed in dark, short work clothes, wearing a headscarf and a face covering. After thanking the Jin Family, she changed Tuantuan into a set of similarly plain clothes.

Since there were many items at the Knowledge Youth Institute that they couldn’t take with them, Deng Yuyuan asked Fubao if she wanted any. Fubao naturally did and happily picked out quite a few things.

The man of the Jin Family, however, felt embarrassed and repeatedly shot pointed glances at his daughter.

"Let Fubao take them. If she doesn’t, I’ll just leave them here at the Knowledge Youth Institute for the other villagers anyway. I’d much rather give them to adorable Fubao than to villagers I barely know," Deng Yuyuan said with a smile. She picked Fubao up and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.

The two little ones each kissed her on the cheek in return.

Deng Yuyuan had taught Tuantuan the habit of kissing, and Tuantuan had subsequently taught it to Fubao. Now Deng Yuyuan had her own sweet burden, taking out a handkerchief to wipe her face.

Zhang Ci Hao drove an ox cart to take them to the train station. Meng Deyin had his own way of traveling and didn’t need them.

Deng Yuyuan only carried one large bamboo basket on her back, carrying Tuantuan in it. Tuantuan had already given her own small basket to Fubao, so she took out her sweet potatoes and placed them in her little wooden bowl.

Once they arrived at the train station and were waiting for their train, Deng Yuyuan let her down. Tuantuan immediately plopped down next to her mother’s feet, placed the little wooden bowl on the ground, and held the slowly cooling sweet potato with both hands, nibbling at it diligently.

With her big, watery eyes, she curiously watched the legs of the people walking back and forth. Fortunately, Deng Yuyuan had found a corner for her to tuck herself into; otherwise, little Tuantuan might have been trampled into a rug.

Two coins traced a smooth arc in midair and landed with precision right into Tuantuan’s little wooden bowl.

Tuantuan looked down at her bowl. "You shouldn’t throw trash into Tuantuan’s bowl... Wait, it’s money, Mom."

Holding the sweet potato in her mouth, Tuantuan balled her two hands into fists and instinctively tapped into her Lunar New Year muscle memory. "Wishing you prosperity and wealth!"

"Wait! This is my child, she isn’t here begging," Deng Yuyuan called out, wanting to stop the person. But the woman had already walked far away, and Deng Yuyuan couldn’t possibly abandon her child to chase after her.

"What does begging mean?" Tuantuan’s little hands had already fished the two coins out of the bowl, holding them up to her eyes to inspect them carefully.

"Put your little bowl away first."