Chapter Ten: The Train to Mount Huang

A few days after the New Year, the winter break arrived. Before the holiday, Lele had been complaining to me that she’d never seen snow in her life and insisted I take her north to see it. To fulfill her wish, I planned our trip carefully and finally settled on Huangshan as our destination for the winter vacation. Haozi, who had recently started dating a new girlfriend and was in the midst of a passionate romance, heard we were going to Huangshan and eagerly asked to join us.

Traveling is always livelier with more people, so I happily agreed. As soon as the break began, we signed the contract at the travel agency, then stayed at home, resting and counting the days until departure.

Lele was full of anticipation for our first “honeymoon trip.” Although there were still several days to go, I could already sense a distinctly different excitement in her voice compared to her usual tone.

On January 24th, 2003, we finally set off. Since our train was at 2:30 in the afternoon, I ate lunch early, grabbed my luggage, and left home in a hurry.

At the agreed crossroads, I found Lele waiting. She wore a thick, pink down coat, with adorable little fur balls dangling from the creamy white cotton trim, and a black woolen scarf wrapped tightly around her neck.

Accustomed to the mild southern climate, I was dressed only in a thin pullover sweatshirt and a short-sleeved T-shirt underneath—the same outfit I wear year-round. Standing side by side, we looked oddly mismatched.

Lele glanced at my outfit and gave me a mixed look of exasperation and amusement: “You pighead, the temperature at Huangshan is minus ten degrees! Are you really going like this?”

“Uh, I have more clothes in my bag… Don’t worry, I can handle the cold.” Her reminder made me regret my choices, but I stubbornly insisted otherwise.

“Pighead!” Lele shrugged helplessly, as if resigning herself to fate.

It was already late, and even if I wanted to go home for more clothes, there wasn’t enough time. I consoled myself with the spirit of Ah Q: “I’m a living person, surely I won’t freeze to death! Worst case, I’ll buy clothes when we get to Huangshan.” With that, I felt reassured and flagged down a taxi.

The roads were crowded. We had barely put our luggage in the trunk when we looked up to see seven or eight cars already blocking the taxi from behind. The drivers peered impatiently through their windows.

I dared not delay any longer, hurriedly dragged Lele into the cab. Never had I expected traffic jams even at midday; what should have been a fifteen-minute ride took nearly an hour.

As we reached the square in front of the train station, I spotted Haozi and his wife from afar. They seemed anxious from waiting. Seeing us, Haozi waved his arm and pointed to his watch, signaling that time was running short. After a hurried reunion, the four of us dashed off, barely exchanging greetings, and managed to board the train at 2:24.

Just as we set down our luggage, the train started moving—what luck! Our carriage was filled with fellow tourists heading to Huangshan, and the hats from various travel agencies made the cramped car a riot of colors.

After departure, the tour guide came by to check our names, gave a few brief instructions, and quickly left.

We had booked one lower bunk, two middle bunks, and one upper bunk. Since there was only one lower bunk, the four of us had to squeeze together: Haozi’s wife beside him, Haozi next to me, and me leaning against Lele. Across from us sat a young mother and her son, who was about ten years old and very mischievous. As soon as he boarded, he ran off to play with new friends he’d just met in the carriage, leaving his mother alone, quietly resting and lost in thought.

“Wife, this is my buddy Li Xiaobei, and that’s Xiaobei’s lovely wife, Lele,” Haozi said, placing his hands on my shoulder and his wife’s in turn. “Bei Pig, my wife, Xiaofei.”

“Nice to meet you.” We smiled and nodded, and that was our introduction.

Since we weren’t familiar yet, conversation was sparse. Xiaofei rummaged through her backpack and pulled out a bag of tangerines, handing them around, and offered one to the aunt across from us: “Here you go, Auntie,” she said sweetly.

“Thank you,” the aunt replied, sitting up quickly and smiling as she accepted the fruit. Xiaofei naturally sat beside her and the two began chatting, hitting it off quite well.

With Xiaofei gone, the space felt less cramped. Following Haozi’s suggestion, the three of us took out a deck of cards and started playing “Fight the Landlord.” A few hours later, feeling stiff and sore, I stood up to stretch, then pulled Lele over to sit on the folding chairs in the aisle. Lele rested her cheek in one hand, while her other hand clung tightly to my pinky under the table, gazing out at the scenery flashing by, gradually lost in a dreamy haze.

Haozi, left to himself, gloomily gnawed on the chicken feet he’d bought before boarding, occasionally chiming in on Xiaofei and the aunt’s conversation.

After dinner, darkness began to fall, and the scenery outside vanished into night. Haozi rented a mini VCD player from the train staff, climbed onto a middle bunk, and watched movies, laughing foolishly at the funny moments.

“Stupid Haozi, keep it down,” I reminded him several times, but nothing could quiet him, so I just let it go. Xiaofei and the aunt, having chatted all afternoon, were finally tired and came over to join us for another round of cards. After a few games, everyone grew more comfortable and started joking around. Before long, Xiaofei began to quietly recount Haozi’s awkward antics when he first pursued her. Haozi, hearing his secrets exposed while he was watching movies, instantly fell silent, occasionally poking his head out and glancing nervously below.

Time slipped by unnoticed; another few hours passed, and when I looked around, the mischievous boy across the aisle was already sleeping quietly beside his mother.

Soon, the carriage lights went out.

“Go to sleep,” Lele said softly, gently patting my shoulder.

“You sleep first, I’ll sit a while longer,” I replied, shaking my head.

“Alright,” Lele agreed, bent down to take off her shoes, stepped onto the ladder. “Sleep early—we have to get up early tomorrow.” Standing on the ladder, she turned back to remind me, then climbed to the upper bunk, poked her head out in my direction, and settled in quietly.

Haozi and Xiaofei lay face to face on the middle bunks, still whispering sweet nothings. In the quiet of the night, accompanied by the rumbling of the train, I rested my head on the table and drifted int