Winter vacation was too cold for comfortable travel, but this summer heat didn't make the journey much easier. The wind blowing in through the open train window was a scorching blast.
Xu Changqing looked at Shen Weimin, who, before leaving, hadn't forgotten to rope Bai Chenggang into staying behind in Beijing to wait for the two of them to come back so they could all return to their hometown together. She was both amused and exasperated.
Inside the hard-sleeper car, Shen Weimin turned his back to their two other schoolmates in the same compartment and winked at Xu Changqing. 'See? This time, you can't escape even if you want to.'
"You should sit down. Aren't you tired, being so tall and having to bend over just to make faces?" Xu Changqing patted the empty spot on her lower bunk beside her.
Seeing his chance, Shen Weimin grabbed a water cup and sat down next to her. "Here, have some water first. It'll cool down after sunset. You two should sit too. It's tiring to stand."
