Chapter 3 - 002: Pick-up
More than six hundred kilometers, taking the train takes an entire night, finally arriving at the station at around seven in the morning the next day. Half standing, half crouching, finally leaning against a chicken coop and falling asleep, if it were the Ye Ling from the past life, she would never endure this, but in this life, after spending a night leaning against a chicken coop, she only had one thought, which was that it was truly wonderful to have a chance to live again.
The northern winter is cold, a thick cotton-padded jacket and two pairs of cotton pants are still not enough, people’s heads are wrapped in thick hats, with straps fastening two cotton gloves together slung around their necks.
Old Mrs. Ye had lived through the wartime years, her legs bowed with the passage of time, standing like two semicircles. Wrapped in black cloth from the ankles to the outside of the knees, it prevents cold wind from penetrating from below. Wearing those high-faced shoes typical of old women in the 70s and 80s, simple in design yet warm.
On the upper body, she wears a teal cotton jacket with slanting lapels and loops, reaching all the way to below her buttocks, and a sheepskin hat with a turned-up brim on her head.
As for Ye Ling beside her, she wears a similar teal coat, grey trousers on the bottom, with black velvet cotton shoes, and a red plaid scarf around her neck. This kind of scarf is very popular now, usually only newly-wedded brides would have one, and Ye Ling’s was bought after she had a spat with Grandma Ye. Grandma Ye took out the money saved from a year’s worth of selling eggs to buy it for her.
When Ye Ling wore this scarf around the village, who among her peers didn’t envy her? That feeling of being above others, when thought back upon now, only makes Ye Ling feel ashamed. She was truly foolish for not understanding anything, how could she spend the hard-earned money saved by her grandma over a year on something, and still feel it was deserved?
Her parents acted as if they didn’t have a daughter; all these years, she was raised by her grandma.
Against the cold wind, Ye Ling tightened the scarf around her neck. In this life, she still wants to wear this scarf properly, not because it’s beautiful, but as a constant reminder to herself, not to be as foolish as she was in the past life.
Ye Ling took the initiative to grab the bag, supporting her grandma as they walked over the overpass with the crowd, reaching the exit. Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar train station exit, she didn’t expect to be back here again. However, Ye Ling remembered in her past life, she stood here for more than half an hour before dad came to pick them up. The reason, naturally, was to first take the younger sister who learned dance and mom also stayed with her, so only dad came alone.
The two grandparents stood side by side at the train station for more than half an hour. Ye Ling knew nothing had changed, just like in the past life, her dad was late, while she and grandma stood in the cold wind for so long, all because of that pampered little sister at home.