The train rumbled forward. The scenery outside the window was mostly the same, only changing when they reached the north—the mountain ridges disappeared, replaced by vast stretches of flat plains.
This was the Lin family’s first time traveling by train, and their faces showed curiosity and wonder. At first, they were full of excitement, looking left and right, but after a while—combined with the exhaustion of the past few days’ long journey—they quickly lost their energy. After finishing their meals, they each went back to their berths.
The sleeper layout consisted of upper and lower bunks, four beds facing each other to form a small compartment.
Lin Aiyun, Xiao Cheng, Lin Wenkang, and Xiao Juan were all in one compartment. The young ones were full of energy—the latter two had gone off to play cards with Dongzi and the others to pass the time and hadn’t returned yet.
Zhang Wenhua and Lin Jianzhi had turned in early, in the compartment right next to theirs. But since Xiao Cheng had hung a small curtain over their space to avoid being disturbed by passing foot traffic, Lin Aiyun couldn’t see what was going on over there.
Right now, she was sitting on the edge of the lower bunk, reading by the light of a small lamp. She wore a white shirt and a black skirt, her long hair braided into a loose plait that hung over her chest. Her fair face was serious with concentration—at first glance, she looked like a schoolgirl.
Of course, that was only if you ignored Xiao Cheng, who was lying on her lap with his eyes closed, resting.
Lin Aiyun was thoroughly engrossed in her book, but before long, a hot palm covered her eyes, plunging her vision into darkness. She smiled helplessly, and then the book was taken from her hand. A familiar voice reached her ears: “Reading too long is bad for your eyes. You can continue tomorrow. Time to rest.”
“Mm.” It had been a while, and the lamp was quite dim—her eyes were indeed a little sore—so she nodded, letting him casually stuff the book into a bag.
She had already gone to the washroom to get water and freshened up earlier, so Lin Aiyun was about to climb into bed when she saw Xiao Cheng lying there motionless. When he noticed her looking, he simply turned over and patted the empty space against the wall, signaling her to get in first.
“Go sleep in your own bed.” Lin Aiyun reached out and pinched his earlobe, tilting her chin toward the other lower bunk a few steps away.
Xiao Cheng didn’t budge. He shook his head firmly, then sat up, wrapped an arm around her waist, and pulled her onto his lap. He personally took off her little leather shoes, removed her socks and tucked them inside the shoes, then firmly pressed her down onto the inside of the bed.
Throughout the whole process, Lin Aiyun’s feeble struggles were like a little chick flapping about—no deterrent to Xiao Cheng whatsoever.
“Xiao Cheng! A-Juan and Kangzi are going to come back soon!” Lin Aiyun looked at him, his arms and legs wrapped tightly around her like a vine, and couldn’t help reminding him. What would it look like if her younger brother and sister-in-law saw them like this?
In response, he didn’t answer, just pulled the thin blanket up over her. The further north they traveled, the lower the temperature dropped, and the difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures was significant. Wearing short sleeves out in the open for too long would raise goosebumps on your arms.
The sheets and blankets were their own, carrying the pleasant scent of soap.
“So what if they come back? What’s wrong with me sleeping with my own wife?” Xiao Cheng said matter-of-factly, burying his big, fuzzy head deep into the crook of her neck, nuzzling against her now and then. His warm breath fanned across her skin, sending shivers through her.
Lin Aiyun said a few more things, but Xiao Cheng brushed them all aside with various “twisted arguments.”
“Be good, wife. Don’t move. This isn’t a convenient place.”
The moment the words left his mouth, Lin Aiyun abruptly stopped her movements. The very obvious presence pressing against her lower back made her blush in the dim light, her face growing even hotter. Under the blanket, she caught his wandering hand and warned him sharply: “Xiao Cheng!”
Her voice pitched a little higher, but it came out soft and weak—less a warning and more like a coquettish whine.
Sure enough, the next second, Xiao Cheng’s low laugh sounded right by her ear, his voice tinged with a hint of hoarseness: “Just one touch. Just one, then we’ll sleep.”
If a man’s words could be trusted, pigs would fly.
Lin Aiyun grabbed one of his hands with both of hers, but he still found a way through. She couldn’t help letting out a small whimper, but the sound was barely out before Xiao Cheng’s other hand covered her mouth. “Shh. When we get home, you can scream all you want.”
She was on the verge of tears, but gradually, a secret thrill began to envelop her, and she stopped resisting.
That was when things began to spiral out of control. Just as they were locked in a heated, face-to-face embrace, the curtain was pulled back from outside. Before Lin Aiyun could react, the blanket was thrown over her head, covering them completely.
“I shouldn’t have played that card.” Lin Wenkang’s regretful mutter came through.
Xiao Juan’s voice followed in agreement: “I told you to listen to me, but you didn’t—and you lost, didn’t you? I swear Dongzi’s face was about to split from grinning. I’m so mad!”
“Tomorrow! Tomorrow I’ll win it all back! Ugh, my forehead is swollen from all the flicking!” Lin Wenkang rubbed his forehead as he muttered, took off his shoes, and was about to climb up to the upper bunk when his glance swept sideways and he suddenly froze, pointing at the spot that was supposed to be Xiao Cheng’s bed.
“Where’s my brother-in-law?”
Xiao Juan had just climbed up to the upper bunk. Hearing this, she leaned over to look below, then glanced at her own lower bunk. Upon spotting the large lump of blankets, she smiled knowingly and said, “Just go to sleep. My brother and the others are probably already asleep.”
“Oh, oh.” Lin Wenkang caught on belatedly. Once he realized, he quickly climbed into his own bed, pulled up the covers, and fell silent.
Under the blanket, Lin Aiyun’s heart was practically pounding out of her chest. Only when she heard no more movement above did she dare lift a corner of the quilt to take small, gasping breaths of fresh air. Then she reached down to pull up the clothes bunched around her collarbone.
But she couldn’t pull them down—Xiao Cheng was still suckling away, completely absorbed.
“…”
She gave him a slap, and only then did he crawl back up with a pitiful look, obediently helping her straighten her rumpled clothes like a child who had done something wrong. After that, he caused no more trouble, gently pressing a kiss to her cheek before closing his eyes to sleep.
Lin Aiyun ignored him, steadied her breathing, and soon drifted off.
But Xiao Cheng couldn’t sleep. He didn’t dare move around either, afraid of waking her, so he just stayed frozen in that position. At that moment, he deeply understood the meaning of “lifting a rock only to drop it on one’s own foot”—it was pure self-inflicted torment.
He didn’t finally fall asleep until the dead of night.
When dawn came, people began moving about the train, and the thin curtain offered little soundproofing. Lin Aiyun was soon woken up. Xiao Cheng had risen even earlier than her, and their eyes met in the air.
“Sleep a little longer?” The temperature had risen by now, so Xiao Cheng pulled the blanket down slightly, revealing his upper body.
Lin Aiyun didn’t want to get up so early either. She listened carefully for any sounds from the upper bunks—it seemed the card games from last night had been so fun that they were worn out. Xiao Juan and Lin Wenkang were still asleep, and the latter was even lightly snoring.
“Let’s both sleep a little longer.” She burrowed her face into his chest. Though his pecs were somewhat firm, they were warm and comfortable to rest on. Xiao Cheng hummed in response, gently patting her back to soothe her.
They didn’t get up until nearly eleven o’clock. Lin Aiyun and Xiao Cheng took their toiletries and headed to the washroom together. Having avoided the morning rush hour, there were very few people, and they didn’t have to wait long before a spot opened up.
Zhang Wenhua and Lin Jianzhi, being older and accustomed to early rising, had already eaten breakfast on their own and were sitting together chatting. They lifted the curtain when they heard the sound and greeted them.
“Father, Mother, want to have a little more with us?” Xiao Cheng put away the toiletries and asked with a smile.
“No, thanks. We’re full.” Zhang Wenhua waved her hand. Still, she couldn’t help smiling a little deeper at her son-in-law’s thoughtfulness.
Though the train offered meals, they were expensive and not very tasty. So Lin Aiyun had prepared her own food before boarding. With the pork canned goods that Xiao Cheng and his group had brought along, they could eat quite well.
“I’ll go buy two bowls of rice.” Xiao Cheng ruffled Lin Aiyun’s hair and got up to leave.
Lin Aiyun washed some fruit she had brought along and had Lin Wenkang deliver some to Zhou Jin and the others. Besides Zhou Jin, Jiang Yan, and Dongzi, a few other men had also joined the group—all Xiao Cheng’s people.
After a satisfying meal, Xiao Juan dragged Lin Wenkang off to another area, saying she wanted to avenge last night’s humiliation. Lin Aiyun’s heart stirred at the thought, and her gaze unconsciously followed them. In her previous life, A-Juan had taught her how to play cards, and she had found it quite fun. It had been so long since she’d played that her fingers were itching.
Noticing her little moves, Xiao Cheng raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile, “Want to go play?”
Lin Aiyun nodded sheepishly, and immediately Xiao Cheng took her hand and led her that way.
They hadn’t started yet. A large group of men was packed into one sleeper compartment, and the corridor was crowded with people—some familiar faces, some strangers. It seemed the card game had drawn the attention of other passengers.
It just went to show that no matter the era, playing cards was ingrained in the Chinese blood. In later generations, people even jokingly called it a “national pastime.”
So many people gathered in one spot had brought the conductor by several times, but seeing that it was just family and friends playing for fun—not gambling large sums—and that no arguments had broken out, he let them be.
“Cheng Ge, you’re here!” After exchanging greetings, they spotted the person behind Xiao Cheng and quickly added, “Sister-in-law!”
“We want to join in too.” Xiao Cheng nodded, getting straight to the point.
Someone quickly made room, saying obsequiously, “Cheng Ge, Sister-in-law—sit here.”
“Oh, no, no. If Cheng Ge plays, what’s the point for the rest of us? We’d definitely get our foreheads flicked off.” Dongzi covered his forehead dramatically, making everyone around laugh.
“It’s not me playing. It’s your sister-in-law.”
Seeing Dongzi’s clowning, Xiao Cheng’s lips curved into a faint smile as he led Lin Aiyun to the empty seat. The space was tight, and she was slender—when she sat down, it was like she was sitting right in his lap, intimate and close.
“Oh, that’s different.” Dongzi visibly relaxed, but then felt that might not have been the best reaction—after all, he didn’t want to publicly underestimate Lin Aiyun’s card skills. So he quickly added, “But Sister-in-law’s probably amazing too. Wuwuwu, looks like I’m not winning anything today.”
Lin Aiyun didn’t take Dongzi’s behavior to heart. After all, he had no idea how good she was, and her skills were indeed only passable at best.
“Sis, you know how to play cards?” Lin Wenkang sat to her left, right next to Xiao Cheng, looking a bit incredulous.
“Mm, I played a couple of times with classmates before.” Lin Aiyun brushed past the topic quickly and said with a smile, “But none of you go easy on me, okay? I want to have fun fair and square. Xiao Cheng, you’re not allowed to interfere—I’m winning on my own.”
Xiao Cheng naturally indulged her. He nodded and sat beside her without a word.
“Alright, let’s start, then.” Dongzi soon began shuffling and dealing the cards.
It was only at this point that Lin Aiyun noticed Zhou Jin was also there. She hadn’t expected someone of his temperament to join in on this kind of fun—and on top of that, he was the one dealing.
At first, Dongzi had been thinking of going easy on her, intending to let Lin Aiyun win the first round. But as the game went on, his expression turned serious. Suppressing his surprise, he started playing earnestly—and even then, he only barely managed to win.
“Come on, give it to me!” Having lost the very first round, Lin Wenkang was a bit deflated, but he still leaned his head forward generously. Dongzi didn’t hold back—he flicked him on the forehead, though not too hard, since this was Cheng Ge’s brother-in-law after all.
Turning to Zhou Jin, Dongzi let out a sly chuckle, rubbing his hands together as if he was about to unleash a big move. The onlookers all held their breath for Zhou Jin, while at the same time eagerly anticipating the spectacle. A few troublemakers even started egging him on.
Zhou Jin wasn’t one to take things too seriously. He leaned his face forward on his own.
Dongzi curled one corner of his mouth and flicked him hard—hard enough to leave a red mark on Zhou Jin’s forehead. Lin Aiyun, sitting to his left, winced. She hadn’t expected them to play so rough. But a bet was a bet—she wasn’t one to go back on her word—so she leaned her head forward too.
But before she could get far, Xiao Cheng pulled her back by the waist.
Xiao Juan noticed this and winked teasingly: “Sister-in-law, let my brother take it for you. I had Kangzi take the hits for me too. Men have thick skin—a couple of flicks won’t hurt them.”
Hearing this, Lin Aiyun hesitated. She was the one who had played and lost.
“What are you thinking? Your man is right here. Instead of letting me take it for you, you were about to do it yourself?” Xiao Cheng’s eyes darkened as he pinched the soft flesh at her waist under the table, sounding exasperated.
She felt a mix of amusement and warmth at being protected. Curving her lips, she said, “Then you take it for me.”
“That’s more like it.” Xiao Cheng leaned forward and offered his head.
Dongzi was dumbfounded. This was the first time he was going to flick Cheng Ge’s forehead—his palms were already sweating. Remembering Xiao Cheng’s iron-fisted methods from the past, his heart trembled a little. He was about to let it slide when Xiao Juan urged from the side: “Hurry up, don’t drag it out.”
“After the flick, we’ll start the next round.” Xiao Cheng also spoke up.
“Well, Cheng Ge, here I go.” Dongzi was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He didn’t dare go easy with so many people watching, so he pretended to flick with full force but actually applied only a light touch.
As soon as he was done, he quickly called for Zhou Jin to deal again.
“Does it hurt?” Lin Aiyun leaned in and whispered during a brief pause. She only relaxed when Xiao Cheng shook his head. At the same time, she felt a little regretful—as soon as they arrived, everyone had visibly held back. She decided she’d make an excuse to leave after a few more rounds and give the space back to them.
The next round came, and Zhou Jin won.
Strangely enough, he didn’t take the opportunity to retaliate with force—he just flicked with a standard amount of effort, earning several glances from Dongzi.
Over the following two or three rounds, unexpectedly, Lin Aiyun won every time. Having found her rhythm, she dominated the table—decades of accumulated card skills on full display. When she tried to leave, they wouldn’t let her, insisting they had to win back their losses.
But in the end, they barely won at all.
Xiao Cheng turned his head to look at Lin Aiyun. Her face was radiant, her smile bright, her fair skin and red lips stunningly beautiful—and he couldn’t help the curve of his brows.
“Sister-in-law, you’re amazing!” After the game, Xiao Juan clung to Lin Aiyun, pestering her to teach her how to play cards.
Lin Aiyun silently thought to herself: I learned it all from you.
But on the surface, she just smiled and agreed, linking arms with Xiao Juan as they laughed and walked back to their berths.
After playing all morning, the arrival time soon approached. A conductor walked through each carriage with a loudspeaker, announcing the stop. Everyone began packing up, and some had already lined up at the doors.
Someone else handled all the luggage—Lin Aiyun only had to carry the bag with her documents and money.
As soon as the train arrived, the crowd surged toward the exit. They waited until the rush thinned out before heading out. After all, this was the capital—the train station platform was spacious and bright, and it took a while to walk all the way to the exit.
In the small square outside, street vendors carrying their wares hawked their goods in the local Beijing dialect. It was lively as can be.
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