Daily Life in the 70s-Chapter 143: Arrival

Qiao Ying let her continue to sleep, "Are you feeling unwell?"

Yang PeiMin pulled her to sit down, lightly shaking her head, saying dizziness was just an excuse she made up for having a backup plan.

She handed her a steamed bun, "My mother-in-law made these, she’s very skilled, want to try one? I can’t finish them all anyway."

Qiao Ying didn’t stand on ceremony, accepting it, "I’m actually a bit hungry, I have some canned fruit on my side, as snacks for the trip, I’ll bring you some later."

"Being away from home, seeing you, a young lady on her own, wanting to take advantage of some opportunity, you have to be careful. Sometimes, when you can’t resist, it’s okay to suffer a little loss, but you are very capable, and you have a way with children," Qiao Ying said with admiration.

Yang PeiMin chuckled.

Thankfully, she had Qiao Ying on the train, so she wouldn’t be too bored.

When women hit it off, they never run out of topics to talk about.

Qiao Ying talked about the pressure from her family to get married, appearing to be quite troubled, "The match is well-suited, but it would be difficult to continue dancing after marriage, and they keep pushing for kids too, I don’t want to end my dancing career so early."

She didn’t expect Yang PeiMin to respond, just wanting to vent a bit, and quickly shifted the topic.

"Are you home on a family visit as part of military duty, or just staying for a few days?"

"I plan to stay for about seven or eight days. It’s already May, I need to hurry back to take the college entrance exam."

This surprised Qiao Ying even more, "I didn’t expect you to have such aspirations. The country is in urgent need of talent, actively taking the exam is contributing to the nation as well as to yourself..."

Yang PeiMin smiled, "As for a lofty ideal, I really don’t have one, I just hope to do some small things that interest me in the future."

Qiao Ying’s eyes lit up, extending her hand, "Pei Min, I support you. If you encounter any difficulties with these matters in the future, you can always come to me."

Yang PeiMin also extended her hand and they shook, "Thanks in advance."

Basking in the light of Qiao Ying’s military aura, the two women in the upper bunk and across didn’t cause any more trouble.

Finally, she endured the two days and nights.

Around six in the evening, she arrived at the T city provincial train station.

Before getting off, Yang PeiMin took out a mirror and a comb, tidied up her hair, used a handkerchief dampened with water to wash her face, applied some face powder, and as for the discomfort of not having showered for two days, she forced herself not to mind.

And the couple across from her was getting off at the same station. The woman, after seeing her primping, looked uncomfortable and, after a while, even had the cheek to come over and ask to borrow her mirror.

Yang PeiMin didn’t lift her eyelids, pretending not to hear.

The woman cursed at her in anger, "Stingy."

Qiao Ying came over to ask if someone was picking her up.

Yang PeiMin nodded, she had already spoken to Shen Yiguang on the phone before coming, and he was coming to pick her up.

She disembarked and followed the flow of people out.

Qiao Ying came up to her, saying she would wait until she found Shen Yiguang before leaving, but since she was with a group, it wasn’t feasible to have a whole team wait with Yang PeiMin, so Yang PeiMin disagreed, "It’s okay, I can find him myself. Don’t delay your comrades’ time, go ahead."

They hadn’t even reached the outside yet, and although it wasn’t as crowded as future train stations would be, it still felt impressive. Looking around, everything was shades of black and gray, and the people’s faces were simple yet spirited.

But she didn’t see Yiguang.

She stood and looked around for a while.

Then, from behind her, a rich and resonant voice called out, "Wife!"

Yang PeiMin’s heart immediately settled down, and she turned around with a smile.

Yiguang, in military uniform, stood tall and straight, exuding an air of integrity and righteousness, his brows relaxed, and a smile hovered on his lips as he took large steps toward her.

This scene reminded Yang PeiMin of a past life when she returned from studying afar and her family came to pick her up at the airport. She had enough experience to quickly step forward, ready to give Yiguang a warm embrace.

Only, Yiguang held her elbows with his hands, and then she remembered that this era was different from the future; subtlety was key.

"Are you exhausted?" Although Yiguang maintained a distance with his hands, his gaze was even more intense than before, like facing the sun. He took the luggage from her hand and looked her over.

Yang PeiMin was still wearing the same outfit she had put on before boarding the train: a shirt covered with a beige wool sweater and black trousers, her hair simply combed into a low ponytail at the back of her head, leaving a smooth forehead in front, her face a little fleshier than during New Year’s, her eyes bright and clear, and her skin glowing with a translucent rosy hue. She looked radiant, almost dazzling to the eye.

Only the dark circles under her eyes reminded them that she hadn’t rested well.

"Are you hungry?"

Yang PeiMin shook her head. She never neglected her own needs and had already eaten a meal on the train. But how long had he been waiting for her here? In those days, information was not readily available; there were no late notices or phone calls. He only knew that she would arrive today, not the exact time, so he must have been waiting all day, repeatedly checking the crowd. It was tough on him.

"Boss, boss, you ran too fast. I almost couldn’t find you," a young man, also in military uniform, ran up to them.

Seeing Yang PeiMin, he immediately greeted her, "Hello, sister-in-law!"

Yiguang introduced him, "This is Xiao Xu. He was kind enough to help drive today."

Yang PeiMin hadn’t expected someone else to be waiting for her and felt a bit embarrassed, "Hello, Xiao Xu. Have you been waiting long?"

Yiguang gestured for them to walk and talk, "Not too long. By the way, are you hungry?" he asked again.

Yang PeiMin shook her head, "I’ve eaten. But what about you guys? Don’t starve yourselves. Let’s buy something to eat, shall we?"

Xiao Xu immediately replied, "Don’t worry, sister-in-law. The boss and I also bought some snacks to hold us over. We’re not hungry."

Xiao Xu had a clever look about him and was good at reading the room. Spotting the luggage in Yiguang’s hand, he offered his help, "Boss, let me carry that."

But Yiguang merely gave him a dismissive glance, "No need, it’s just a few things."

Xiao Xu scratched his head and looked at Yang PeiMin before saying, "Sister-in-law, you’ve come at just the right time. The Labor Day is coming, and there will be a performance. Cultural Troupes from other military regions will also participate. It’s going to be exciting."

Yang PeiMin also seemed pleased, "That sounds wonderful."

"Doesn’t it? Our military region is a bit remote..."

Yiguang cut him off, "First, go get the car out. We can’t see the road from over there, so we won’t go over."

Xiao Xu nodded, "Right away." He executed the order swiftly.

At this moment, they were standing by the side of the road outside the train station. Yang PeiMin glanced in the direction Xiao Xu had run off to—it was just a twenty-meter turn up ahead, near some station shops. The lighting was fine over there, wasn’t it?

Yang PeiMin looked at Yiguang.

Yiguang smiled at her, "That silly boy is always a bit clueless."