Chapter 3: On the Train

Ye Fan said, "I need to get off the bus early tomorrow morning, and I am really afraid of oversleeping"

At this moment, the bespectacled fat man had lost his identification card, was penniless, and had just eaten half an orange before falling into a deep sleep in the fields beside the railway in the small mountain town.

Ye Fan straightened his back and let out a sigh, having seen that brother, who was not wearing glasses, sitting cross-legged on the bed. He was quite self-aware, knowing to cover his feet with the quilt. However, Ye Fan felt utterly heartbroken; that was his own quilt. With such antics, wouldn't it leave him with only half the night to "smell and cover" it himself?

This back cover was absolutely refused to be used again, and was immediately thrown into the corner of the bed, where I lay down fully clothed to sleep. Originally, the plan was to pretend to be asleep, but at this moment, the foul odor lingered for a long time, making it impossible to sleep even if I wanted to.

The bespectacled, plump man smiled warmly and said: "Brother, is this your first time on a sleeper train? Don't worry, didn't the conductor just collect your ticket? When it's time for you to get off, the conductor will come and return your ticket to you."

The young lady across was quite kind, noticing that Ye Fan had nowhere to place his suitcase, and kindly invited him to put it under her bed

After finishing all the tasks, he threw the collected items into a paper bag, then stuffed it onto the luggage rack and climbed back onto the bed. Ye Fan understood that he would definitely have to get off at the next stop, and he was always prepared for it

As soon as the train came to a stop, the stout man jumped out of the door. Just a few meters away, he heard someone behind him say, "Brother, you forgot something."

As soon as he bent down, he saw that beneath his bunk were large boxes, small boxes, big bags, small bags, large containers, and small containers piled up to the brim, along with two worn-out shoes that were like the characters from "East Evil, West Poison," one to the east and one to the west. Ye Fan's tears immediately began to flow. The heavy odor had likely almost solidified by now. That must be why it had been stuck under the bed and couldn't float up.

The train had been traveling for a while when the lights in the sleeper car were turned off. Initially, there were still occasional sounds of coughing and whispers in the car, but gradually only the rumble of the train remained

At last, the train began to move slowly. Ye Fan noticed that the young lady had started yawning repeatedly, and he himself mumbled, "I'm so sleepy, so sleepy."

The young woman's clothes and the bag by the pillow were thoroughly searched by him, and then he began to feel his way towards Ye Fan. Ye Fan remained motionless, allowing him to search him completely. Afterward, he went to search the overweight man in the middle bunk, shaking his head while pinching his nose. Ye Fan secretly found it amusing.

Upon boarding the vehicle and locating my seat, I discovered that my berth was already occupied by two men resembling livestock. Both were similarly overweight and lewd, with the primary distinction being that one of them was wearing a pair of Valentino glasses, which accentuated his lewdness and made him appear even more vulgar than depicted in the illustrations.

The two stout men quickly got up upon noticing the smell, politely saying: "You sleep, you sleep"

The bespectacled chubby man adjusted his glasses and said with a serious expression: "Alright, university students should cultivate their ability to live independently. The children in China nowadays..."

The two comedic performers then noticed that another living person had arrived, one called "Bro" and the other "Brother." The questions they posed were surprisingly consistent: "Where do you come from? Where are you going?"

However, at this moment, Ye Fan began to feel suspicious. Since practicing the "Star Killing Technique," his five senses had been continuously enhanced, including his sense of taste. As soon as the orange was placed in his mouth, he sensed something unusual. His first thought was that the orange had gone bad. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the lewd smile of that fat man hiding behind his glasses. A shiver ran through his heart, and he felt that this guy must have something strange going on.

Ye Fan noticed that the other person was not interested in him but rather in that young lady. Just as he was sweating from the effort of moving the suitcase, he slipped away to get some fresh air before the train departed. When he returned a moment later, the bespectacled man was still discussing the issues of Chinese education, and was now engaged in a dialogue comparing Eastern and Western perspectives, attempting to outline a path for strengthening the nation and empowering its people.

Two people were spitting and competing to boast about something to a young girl in the lower bunk opposite them. They were shaking with laughter as if they were performing a comedic skit, throwing out jokes and punchlines without restraint. When no one else laughed, they would laugh first, and after finishing their laughter, they would say to others: "You didn't get it, did you? Let me explain, here's how it goes..."

As soon as Ye Fan returned, the bespectacled chubby guy finally stopped his speech, eagerly climbed up to his upper bunk, and brought down a bag of oranges to share with everyone. The foul-footed chubby guy, probably feeling thirsty from talking too much, unceremoniously peeled one and began to munch on it heartily. The girl and Ye Fan hesitated for a moment, but seeing his enthusiasm, they decided to accept it. After handing out the oranges, the bespectacled chubby guy was not willing to give up, staring intently at the two and urging, "Go ahead, see if it's sweet." The girl and Ye Fan hesitated for a moment, but seeing his enthusiasm, they decided to accept it. After handing out the oranges, the bespectacled chubby guy was not willing to give up, staring intently at the two and urging, "Go ahead, see if it's sweet."

Returning to his own bunk, he smiled at the two overweight individuals and said, "This sleeper car is really not that crowded; everyone has squeezed into the hard seats. These two bunks are still empty!"

Ye Fan and the young lady each ate a slice; although it was extremely sour, they still grinned and exclaimed together that it was sweet

The person in the adjacent bunk covered his nose, and a boisterous man in the next bunk shouted loudly, "What is that smell! What is that smell?" Perhaps he was particularly sensitive to gas leaks, as he even crawled out of his sleeping bag to look around. He immediately spotted Ye Fan, who was holding a corner of his backpack. The disdain in his eyes made Ye Fan feel like ending it all; he really wanted to go over and break that fat man's two legs.

This is the first time Ye Fan has taken a train in his life, and it is inevitably a bit novel for him. He originally intended to buy a seat ticket to experience the life of the masses, but unexpectedly, all the seat tickets had already sold out. In the end, he had no choice but to purchase a sleeper ticket.

He then inquired about where the smelly-footed fat man and that girl had gone. Upon hearing that it was a place farther than City A, he completely relaxed.

In a hurry, he stuffed the original one back into his pocket, peeled the new tangerine, and swallowed half of it in a few bites while walking back.

The ticket-selling lady was very enthusiastic, allowing Ye Fan to choose his seat. For convenience, Ye Fan opted for a lower berth.

Ye Fan reported truthfully

The chubby man paused briefly but continued to walk forward, only feeling a light breeze at the back of his head, as an arm had already draped over his shoulder. A hand waved in front of his eyes, holding half an orange, and the voice from earlier said in his ear: "Big brother, you forgot to take your orange." The chubby man turned his head and saw Ye Fan's face, which bore a smile that was not quite a smile.

Without making a sound, he stealthily stuffed another segment into his mouth and pretended to walk away. Once he was out of sight, he immediately spat the two segments of orange back into his hand. Looking around, he noticed a bag of oranges conveniently placed on the bed ahead, and his heart leaped with joy. As he passed by, he leaned his body against it, waved his hand to swipe, and without anyone noticing, he took one.

Indeed, as the train was about to arrive at the station, the stout man once again slipped down, holding only a bag containing stolen goods, with nothing else in hand. After casting a glance at the three who were sound asleep, he chuckled lightly and hurriedly left with the book.

Ye Fan feigned realization and then went to tidy up his bed. However, as soon as he lifted a corner of the blanket, he nearly fainted. The stench from the fat man's foot, which had been covered for so long, had reached its peak concentration, and Ye Fan almost suspected that it was a gas trap set for him by the other party.

At this moment, the overweight man on the top bunk began to stir. He carefully climbed down from the bed, glanced around, and immediately started to get busy.

Ye Fan felt a chill run down his spine. He noticed that although only three of the six people had arrived at their beds, the luggage rack was already full. His own suitcase was not large, so he decided to simply place it under his own bunk.

The train continued its journey as Ye Fan lay back down on his lower bunk. He had already returned the belongings of the girl and the fat man. At this moment, he was fiddling with a wallet under the light of the bedside lamp. An ID card was pulled out, revealing a photo of a chubby, round face. However, the cute expression could not conceal the lewd gaze, perhaps due to the lighting, Ye Fan thought, as he casually tore it up and tossed it into the trash bin under the table along with the wallet. As for the money in the wallet, it had already been placed into Ye Fan's pocket.

The bespectacled chubby man nodded in agreement: "Indeed! I wanted to buy a hard seat but couldn't get one, how frustrating." As he spoke, Ye Fan perfectly devoured an orange under his eager gaze