Chapter 562 - 577: On the Train

The next morning, An Ning set off with the three children. An Guoqing drove them to the train station in his electric tricycle.

The four of them sat in the cargo bed, each occupying a corner with their luggage in the middle. They clung to the sides of the tricycle, afraid An Guoqing would send them flying.

"B-Big Bro! You’re driving a tricycle, not a rocket!"

"What? You wanna launch a rocket?"

An Ning rolled her eyes to the heavens. ’How could he even think about that?’ Playing cards at a time like this—"launching a rocket" was a popular slang term for a card game in the northeast.

But in the next second, An Guoqing, driving with one hand, pulled a deck of cards from his pocket with the other and handed it to An Ning.

"Here you go, little sis!"

An Ning took them dumbly, a question mark on her face.

"Big Bro, why are you carrying cards?"

"For the pigs to play with!"

It was an answer no one expected, and the deck of cards in An Ning’s hand suddenly felt scorching hot. ’Should I play with them or not?’

After getting out of the tricycle, An Ning finally understood An Guoqing’s strange train of thought.

He had discovered that if you read to pigs or gave them other intellectual activities, their meat tasted better.

So, whenever An Guoqing had free time, he would take out a deck of cards and teach his pigs to recognize them.

An Ning handed the "educational tool" back to An Guoqing as she got out, saying with absolute certainty, "Big Bro, no wonder your pigs taste so good."

"Of course!"

An Guoqing was immensely proud. He watched the four of them board the train before leaving.

Time to go home and teach the pigs.

Once An Guoqing was gone, the four of them at the station couldn’t help but laugh. But they had to admit, An Guoqing really had a knack for raising animals.

Using the same methods as everyone else, his livestock always turned out better, and he always managed to sell them at a good price.

When others asked for his secret, he didn’t know it himself and couldn’t explain the reason why.

Regardless, An Guoqing had become the gold standard for farming in Shili Gou and the surrounding area.

What to raise this year? Look to An Guoqing.

At the station entrance, An Ning had Brother Xiao Zhou take Hei Dan’er to buy tickets while she waited inside with Tangtang.

"Tangtang, you’ve only just started learning to fight, so don’t travel alone. There are plenty of good people in the world, but there are even more bad ones," An Ning said earnestly, and Tangtang listened just as earnestly.

"I understand, Master. I’ll stick with you."

An Ning nodded, her eyes fixed in Brother Xiao Zhou’s direction. "Even though you’re older than him, he follows the path of the Mystic Sect. His ability to protect himself is stronger."

This was why An Ning dared to let the ten-year-old Brother Xiao Zhou take six-year-old Hei Dan’er to buy tickets.

Tangtang nodded. She understood.

Before long, Brother Xiao Zhou returned successfully with Hei Dan’er, who sat down next to An Ning, pouting.

"Auntie, do you think I’m really that dark?"

’Hmm... that’s a tough question to answer.’

An Ning dodged the question, asking instead, "Why do you ask?"

Hei Dan’er sighed like a little adult and pointed at the fair-skinned Brother Xiao Zhou. "People keep asking Brother Xiao Zhou if I’m his adopted little brother."

"They say our skin colors are too different. I think I look fine!"

Listening to Hei Dan’er, An Ning could tell he wasn’t truly upset.

"It’s fine. A dark complexion is a healthy one."

"Right? That’s what I said too! None of the other kids in the village can beat me in a fight, and I’m first in my class at school!"

Hei Dan’er was very self-assured. As he spoke, his confidence began to overflow.

"Auntie, I’ve got it! From now on, Brother Xiao Zhou and I will be called Black and White Impermanence!"

"PFFT—" An Ning spat out a mouthful of water.

Brother Xiao Zhou and Tangtang couldn’t help but laugh either. Black and White Impermanence? What a macabre name.

But they had to admit, it was actually somewhat related to Brother Xiao Zhou’s... profession.

One adult, three children, plus the duo of Black and White Impermanence and the pair of pretty "sisters"—this combination was exceptionally eye-catching.

After waiting for over an hour, the four of them finally boarded the train.

They were on an express train, the kind with soft seats and air conditioning.

But the air conditioning was blasting. As soon as they got on, all four of them shivered in unison.

"Did any of you bring a long-sleeved shirt?"

An Ning asked. The three children shook their heads.

None of them had!

"Alright, then we’ll have to use the one-word solution."

"Auntie, what is it? A peerless secret technique?"

Hei Dan’er leaned his head in close, only to be pushed back by An Ning’s finger.

"Watch less TV. The word is: Endure."

"I know, I know! Chen Zhen! HI-YAH!"

The restless Hei Dan’er really added a lot of joy to their journey.

The four of them found their seats according to their ticket numbers. It was a block of six, with two rows of three seats facing each other.

They had two window seats and two aisle seats.

"Excuse me, the window seats are ours."

An Ning took out their tickets and showed them to the two men sitting there.

One of the men opened his eyes, a simple-minded smile on his face. "Oh, uh, I didn’t know. I just sat here since it was empty. Hey, how about you take my seat? We can switch."

"We both have assigned seats, so it’s all the same where we sit."

’It’s all the same?’

An Ning wasn’t having it.

"Mister, if it’s all the same where you sit, then why are you occupying our seats, huh?"

"And you, the other mister pretending to be asleep—I can see your eyes moving under your eyelids. Are you having a sudden nightmare you can’t wake up from?"

The man pretending to be asleep snapped his eyes open and glared viciously at An Ning. But she stood her ground, perfectly still, her gaze unwavering, showing not a trace of fear.

"Lao San, let’s go."

The vicious-looking man spoke. The one who had been acting simple-minded dropped the act, sneering at An Ning.

"TSK TSK TSK... Big deal!"

Hei Dan’er, young but bold, wasn’t the least bit afraid of the two grown men. He was a real-life example of a newborn calf not fearing a tiger.

As for Brother Xiao Zhou, that was another story entirely. The man who had feigned simple-mindedness tried to shove past him pettily.

Not only did Brother Xiao Zhou not budge an inch, but with a slight shrug of his shoulder, he sent the man stumbling, a look of terror in his eyes.

"My apologies."

Brother Xiao Zhou gave a traditional salute, the aura of a young master from a noble family reappearing around him.

The vicious-looking man grabbed his companion and left without another word, turning to find their own seats.

The four of them sat down, none of them giving the incident a second thought.

The train gradually picked up speed. The two seats between them were still empty.

Just two minutes after the train accelerated, a woman laden with large and small bags squeezed through with her child.

"Excuse me, excuse me, let me through."

"This should be it."

"Oh my, we went the wrong way. Looked all over."

An Ning and the others stood up to let the woman get settled and sit down with her daughter.

The woman was clearly a talkative one. Once seated, she started asking An Ning and the children their names, their ages, where they were going, why their parents weren’t with them, and so on, but An Ning didn’t answer.

’It’s best not to respond to unprompted friendliness.’

It was true that skilled people are bold, but with three children in tow, An Ning chose to be extra cautious.

"Oh, come on now. I’m traveling with my own child, how could I be a bad person!"

"Here, here, have an orange. They’re from my own home. Super sweet."