Chapter 220: Going Home
Two hours later, the two of them arrived outside the waiting hall again. This time, she was really leaving.
An Han lowered her head and slowly let go of Su Peng’s hand.
Then suddenly, for no reason, she lifted her foot and stepped hard on the top of his foot.
“Hss—!”
The sudden pain shocked Su Peng, and he jumped to the side. “What are you doing?!”
“See you next semester!”
An Han grabbed her two suitcases and ran toward the waiting hall as if escaping. “And don’t even think about stepping on me back!”
“You… fine, bye.”
His voice came from behind.
Her steps slowed down. She forced herself not to look back, not wanting him to see her red eyes.
She didn’t know why, but even though the separation was only temporary, she suddenly felt like crying. It felt childish, even embarrassing.
She rubbed her thumb over the rough pattern on her gloves. When she reached the big doors of the waiting hall, she looked around, then walked toward the face recognition machine.
“What if the machine can’t recognize me anymore?”
She suddenly realized this might be a problem. But if she went to the manual check counter, the problem wouldn’t just be “not recognized.”
They might even question her gender…
If she couldn’t enter the station, she would have to find a shared ride back home.
Without thinking too much, she took out her ID card, pressed it on the machine, and looked up at the screen.
Passed.
It seemed like the system changed her facial features, but only within a range still recognized by the machine.
To her, the change felt huge, almost like having a completely new face.
After entering the waiting hall, An Han finally turned around and looked through the big glass wall.
Su Peng was still standing where she left him. When he saw her turn back, he smiled warmly and lifted a hand to wave.
An Han nodded slightly and found a random seat.
She leaned back in the chair, looking at the big information screen in the distance, waiting for the train to arrive.
Touching her cheek lightly, she remembered the scene in the underground parking lot, and the corners of her mouth curved up.
But soon after, she crossed her arms and rested one leg over the other. The blush she had whenever she was with Su Peng slowly faded.
Her expression turned cold, and her whole body gave off a “stay away from me” feeling.
After leaving Su Peng, the deep uneasiness she felt as a newly-turned girl returned again.
………………………
Late at night, in a small coastal town.
An old short-distance bus, smelling strongly of gasoline, stopped in the busiest street of the town.
The back door opened. The girl struggled to lift two heavy suitcases and wobbled her way off the bus.
She looked up. In front of her was the same lively street that had not changed in more than ten years.
Most buildings were no higher than seven floors. The ceramic tiles on the outer walls were old and falling off.
Three-wheeled taxis and motorcycles weaved through the crowded road.
Thick white smoke rose from barbecue stalls on the sidewalk and slowly drifted up into the night sky.
The smell of street food filled the air. But An Han first covered her chest and bent over, dry-heaving several times. Only then did she stand up straight and wipe away the tears pressed out by the retching.
“Damn it… when will they replace this stupid bus?!”
“So shaky and smelly.”
She cursed under her breath, took out her phone, and sent Su Peng a message saying she arrived safely.
“Pretty girl! Need a ride?”
Not far away, a three-wheeled taxi driver waved at her from his vehicle. “Where are you going?”
An Han ignored him and walked away quickly with a blank face, pulling her suitcases behind her.
Her home was at the edge of the town’s main street.
Dragging two suitcases, she reached the entrance of a small alley and immediately saw the familiar food stall there.
“Auntie, two oyster cakes, with meat.”
She hadn’t eaten much at night, and after taking buses for a total of three hours, she was already starving.
Both cities had oyster cakes, but the ones from her hometown were still the best.
The golden oyster cakes, sprinkled with a few peanuts, were soon ready. She scanned the code to pay, took the clear plastic bag, then glanced at the auntie with a slight frown at the corner of her mouth.
As expected, she wasn’t recognized.
The people in this alley were all her neighbors. Growing up here, she was basically “disliked by everyone”…
If this were before, the auntie would have already given her an extra oyster cake as “protection fee.”
“Auntie Wang, you don’t recognize me?”
Not satisfied, An Han moved her face closer.
The fifty-something Auntie Wang looked up, confused, and shook her head.
Looked like her change really was big. Or maybe because she was wearing girls’ clothes, Auntie Wang didn’t dare guess even if she had a hint.
She took a bite of the oyster cake, didn’t pay it much attention, and kept walking deeper into the alley.
The alley’s layout was like the Chinese character “ç›®”. Four openings, with rows of connected houses forming the shape.
Her home was in the middle. After passing the damp, dark alley and turning a corner, she saw her little sister playing on her phone at the door.
At the same time, her sister turned her head and saw her.
“Brother!”
Great.
When I’m wearing girls’ clothes, you call me “brother”!
Her sister turned back toward the house and shouted, “Mom! Sister is home!”
Her mother quickly rushed out, smiling warmly. “Why did it take you so long to get back?”
“There were some things at school. I had to change to a later train.”
An Han originally planned to give her sister a piece of the oyster cake, but now she wanted to keep it all for herself.
Her mother took her suitcase without questioning anything and asked with a smile, “Do you want something for a late-night snack?”
“I already ate on the way. I’ll shower and sleep first.”
Pretending to be tired, An Han yawned and followed her mother inside.
Their house had three floors, but each floor was probably no more than thirty or forty square meters. A staircase in the middle separated the front and back rooms.
On the first floor, the front room was a small, crowded kitchen/dining area. Behind it was the living room, with an old, bulky computer that her mom used to play mahjong.
The second and third floors were the same layout. The front room became a bathroom, and the back room was a bedroom.
An Han lived on the third floor. As soon as she entered the house, she picked up one suitcase and started up the stairs, asking her mom.
“Is my sister on break already?”
“She started her holiday two days ago.”
Her mother carried the other suitcase and followed her upstairs.
“Then did she move her things out of my room?”
Usually while she was away at school, her sister slept in her room. But now that she was home for the break, her sister was supposed to move out and sleep with their mom.
“She’ll sleep with you.”
“Huh?” An Han froze on the stairs.
“You’re both girls. Sleeping together isn’t a problem.”
But I like sleeping alone…
She turned her head toward the first floor and saw her sister grinning at her, so she glared back fiercely.
This brat is definitely going to be noisy all night!
She reluctantly accepted her mother’s arrangement. Now, she truly had no private space at all.
Even her video calls or voice chats with Su Peng would probably be watched by her sister.