Love in the Fast Lane - Chapter 54 - This Time We're Not Alone on the Road

The train let out a long whistle, piercing the night sky of the city. Slowly, it started moving, carrying a mixture of hopes, anxieties, and perhaps more complex emotions that couldn’t be easily articulated. Some passengers were deeply asleep, some lay quietly, while others engaged in idle activities they wouldn’t normally do.

Tang Ning and Mo Zihan had bought sleeper compartment tickets, which were relatively easier to obtain. Otherwise, it would’ve been nearly impossible to get seated tickets. The journey from here to their hometown city would take at least a full day and night, meaning they wouldn’t arrive until the next afternoon or even evening. After that, they would still need to transfer to a bus to reach the county where their family home was.

Originally, they could’ve disembarked immediately after getting off the train, but this year, they were spending the New Year in their family home, which was in the county. Thus, the transfer became unavoidable.

There were significantly fewer people in the sleeper compartment compared to the hard seat¹ cars. They had reserved upper and lower berths; Tang Ning took the upper bunk and Mo Zihan the lower. Tang Ning worked on his laptop, while Mo Zihan also had a notebook, a new one that Tang Ning had bought for her. She had planned to watch some movies and listen to music during the trip, but when Tang Ning mentioned his laptop might not have enough battery life to finish his work, she decided to let him use it instead.

Slowly, the lights went out. In the dim glow, Tang Ning sat up in his bunk, lightly tapping away at the keyboard. Over the past couple of months, Mo Zihan had grown accustomed to this sound, falling asleep and waking up to it. As Tang Ning put it, this was their livelihood, their salary, and what was left over could be used to buy her clothes and good food.

Gradually, everyone in the sleeper compartment was asleep. Amidst the snores, Tang Ning furrowed his brows slightly, frequently pausing. It wasn’t writer’s block; his thoughts wandered to the upcoming holiday. He would be spending more than ten days at Mo Zihan’s family home. During this time, how should he present himself and behave in front of Mo Zihan’s family?

Pretend? It seemed there was no need to pretend, as he was genuinely feeling this sense of nervousness.

Maybe he’s afraid of showing any flaws, or perhaps it’s a genuine feeling within him. However, he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was. Maybe once they reached their destination, these thoughts would slowly settle.

At this moment, he couldn’t fully understand what was going on, but he wanted to clarify these feelings.

It was already midnight. The cold wind whistled through the wheels and drifted into the compartment, chilling the passengers. From below, Mo Zihan’s sleep talk softly filled the air. She was muttering something, but it was too faint to discern.

Tang Ning looked down, the weak light from his phone illuminating Mo Zihan sleeping soundly, lying on her back with her lips gently moving. Her sleep talk floated out from those lightly trembling lips.

“Oh dear, why does it feel colder the further south we go?”

“Isn’t it supposed to get warmer as you head south? Why don’t I feel that way? Could it be that I’m just not used to traveling south?”

“But Mo Zihan, a Southern region² girl, has adapted so well to the Northern region³. How does she manage it?”

It was truly perplexing. Tang Ning muttered to himself. Then he heard another sleep talk from Mo Zihan below. It was contagious, making him feel drowsy too. He let out a big yawn but knew that once they were at Mo Zihan’s hometown for the holiday, there wouldn’t be much time for writing. He had been stockpiling drafts, and there was still quite a bit left to finish. He had tonight and tomorrow to complete his work. Otherwise, if he wrote at night upon arrival, he wouldn’t have the energy during the day. If he met Mo Zihan’s family while yawning, it would make a bad impression. But if he wrote during the day, his habit of needing complete focus without interruptions would be inconvenient for others.

Therefore, within tonight and tomorrow, he had to get his work done. Then, for however long they stayed at Mo Zihan’s hometown, even if it was a month, he would need to devote all his energy to interacting with her family.

The next day blessed them with fine weather. Mo Zihan rubbed her eyes and climbed out of her sleeper compartment bed. She heard the light tapping of the keyboard and, after putting on her shoes, looked up to see Tang Ning still working. Groggily, she said, “The sun’s up. You should take a break. Staying up all night isn’t good for you.”

Tang Ning’s eyes were dry, but he smiled and said, “It’s okay. I’m used to it. We might need to find a place to rest tonight. I checked the weather forecast, and there’s snow expected. It’s not safe to travel by bus at night, so we’ll have to wait until tomorrow morning. I can find a place to charge the laptop and write some more drafts.”

Mo Zihan laughed, “So, I can watch movies and listen to music today, right?”

Tang Ning stretched and replied, “Yep, both of these laptops are new and from the same brand. They aren’t great, but at least they have good battery life. You can play all day without any worries.”

Mo Zihan went to wash her face and then handed Tang Ning a damp towel. “Wipe your face first. Even if you want to sleep, it’s already 10 AM. Trying to write while being half-asleep won’t produce quality work. I also have some preserved plums; do you want some?”

Around 10 AM, Tang Ning finally lay down. Knowing he liked his pillow to be higher, Mo Zihan noticed that the train’s pillows were quite flat. She threw her own pillow up to him and climbed up to adjust it for him, then quietly climbed back down.

A neighbor in the next compartment chuckled, “Newlyweds visiting your parents, eh? Seeing such affection, I’m quite envious!”

Mo Zihan didn’t argue and instead smiled sweetly. However, she admitted to herself that her smile was actually quite forced.

The train was delayed and only arrived at their destination a little after six o’clock. Tang Ning woke up, washed his face, and noticed Mo Zihan grabbing several large bags, ready to rush off. He caught her and said, “You can tell you don’t travel by train often. That’s inexperienced.”

Mo Zihan asked curiously, “How do you know that?”

Tang Ning sat down on the bed with an air of authority and waved his hand, “When getting off the train, it’s not like getting on. You have to be quick getting on to grab a seat, but getting off, what’s the hurry? As people get off, the train becomes less crowded. Besides, the train is stopping here for nearly half an hour. We can wait a few minutes, take a break, maybe have a smoke. It’s much better, right?”

Mo Zihan shrugged, “Alright, Mr. Experienced, I’ll follow your lead.”

After a bit of stumbling, Tang Ning carried the large bags and luggage while Mo Zihan dragged two suitcases. These were filled with gifts Tang Ning had bought, including local specialties his mother had sent back after returning home. These were for Mo Zihan’s parents.

As it turns out, both sets of parents had grown quite fond of chatting on the phone, as Qi Xiaomeng had reported. With Tang Ning’s situation, her drama mom had even eased up on pressuring her.

Once they reached the city, Mo Zihan relaxed and found a hotel for them. When it came time to book a room, Tang Ning hadn’t even spoken before Mo Zihan booked a double room. Once inside, Tang Ning joked, “What made you so agreeable today?”

Mo Zihan replied irritably, “We’re practically at my doorstep. Who knows what friends my mom’s made? If we run into someone during the New Year and our lodging arrangement gives us away, wouldn’t all our efforts be wasted? Right?”

Tang Ning gave her a thumbs-up, “Smart, very smart. Cunning and strategic!”

Mo Zihan kicked him onto the bed, “Whatever, just take a bath and get a good sleep. Tomorrow morning, we need to head to the hometown.”

Tang Ning laughed, “I praised you for being strategic, and now you’re being foolish. If we sleep well tonight, then tomorrow we’ll be wide-awake and ready to face the interrogation from your relatives, right?”

Mo Zihan felt like Tang Ning was even more cunning than she was and asked, “So what’s your plan?”

Tang Ning chuckled, “Simple. We don’t rest well tonight. If we show up groggy tomorrow, we can avoid at least one round of questioning, right? If we’re not well-rested, what can they say? If their plans are uncomfortable for us, they’ll understand if we act a bit out of character, right? By the end of the day, we’ll have at least figured out the situation, making it easier to deal with.”

That night, maybe because of being back home and with Tang Ning typing away on the keyboard beside her bed, she slept exceptionally well.

Footnote:

1. Hard Seat(硬座): A basic, non-cushioned seat commonly found on Chinese trains, similar to a standard or economy class seat on public transportation in Western countries.
2. Southern Region(南方):In China, the South usually refers to the areas south of the Yangtze River. These places typically have a warmer climate, with mild winters and hot summers.
3. Northern Region(北方):In China, the North usually refers to the areas north of the Yangtze River. These places typically have a colder climate, with cold winters and warm summers.