Chapter 169: Scenes at the Train Station
The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, Li Yi took his father out of the guesthouse and headed straight for the train station!
There were quite a few trains running from the provincial capital to Ning City, where Li Yi lived—whether departing from there or passing through—with at least seven or eight trips a day.
However, Li Yi could only take one of them. The reason was simple: after returning to the city, they would still have to transfer to a bus to get back to their county.
There was only one bus a day to the county seat, departing at 1:00 PM.
In other words, if they wanted to return to Qingshan County today, they had to arrive in Ning City by 1:00 PM.
Looking at it this way, the 7:00 a.m. train was their best option. If they missed it, they’d have to spend another night in the provincial capital or return to Ning City for the night.
Neither Li Yi nor Li Shankui seemed particularly keen on this, after all, there were plenty of things waiting for them back home!
Upon arriving at the train station and purchasing their tickets, the two sat in the waiting hall to wait.
The waiting hall was crowded, with most people hurrying about—clearly travelers waiting to depart.
But there were also some who didn’t fit this description, and they caught Li Yi’s attention.
He noticed several young people in the waiting hall. Although they were carrying backpacks or holding baskets, they were looking around restlessly and clearly didn’t seem like they were there to catch a train.
Just as Li Yi was observing them, a girl of about fifteen or sixteen noticed them too.
She walked briskly over to Li Yi and asked in a low voice, “Sir, would you like to buy some food? I have boiled eggs and freshly made sugar cakes.”
As she spoke, the girl lifted the cloth covering her bamboo basket.
Inside lay a neat stack of golden-brown sugar cakes, along with a dozen or so hard-boiled eggs.
Li Yi was somewhat surprised to see that this young girl was actually selling things here.
Immediately, Li Yi pointed to a few young men nearby and asked, “Are those guys selling things too, just like you?”
“Mm-hmm!”
“Does the station staff allow that?” Li Yi asked again.
The little girl’s face turned pale, and she immediately turned to leave.
Li Yi quickly said, “Don’t panic. I’m not going to report you. By the way, those sugar cookies look pretty good. How much are they?”
The young girl looked at Li Yi and said, “The sugar cookies are 15 cents each, and the eggs are 10 cents each!”
“How many sugar cookies do you have? I’ll take them all!” Li Yi said.
“All… all of them?”
The little girl was clearly startled by Li Yi’s words. She had been secretly selling things at the station for several months, but she had never seen such a generous customer before.
Li Shankui was also a bit surprised. Frowning, he said, “Your mom makes these sugar cakes too. Just buy a couple to try—why buy so many? Can you even eat that much?”
Li Yi smiled and said, “We’ve got a big family. One for each of us is already quite a lot. It’s perfect to take some home so my mom and the others can try the sugar cakes from the provincial capital!”
With that, Li Yi pulled out some change, ready to pay.
Seeing that Li Yi really intended to buy her sugar cakes, the little girl immediately began counting them.
“That’s 15 pieces total—two yuan and 25 fen. Just give me two yuan and 20 fen!”
Li Yi didn’t hesitate; he handed her 2.20 yuan and said, “Can we chat now?”
“Well… all right then!”
Although the little girl wasn’t entirely thrilled, Li Yi had just bought up all her sugar cookies in one go. Since he’d been so kind to her business, she couldn’t very well refuse him completely!
Li Yi smiled and said, “These eggs aren’t selling well, are they? If you’ll just have a good chat with me, I’ll tell you a trick in a minute that’ll guarantee your eggs sell fast and make you more money than anyone else!”
“R-really?”
“Mm-hmm! A man of his word—I’ll stand by it!”
“So what do you want to know?” the little girl asked immediately.
“Technically speaking, selling goods without authorization isn’t allowed right now. And since the train station is a public place with constant foot traffic, security should be even stricter. How dare you still sell things here?”
The young girl replied immediately, “We’re all children of railway employees, and most of us have parents who’ve had accidents. That’s why the uncles and aunts at the station turn a blind eye. But if someone reports us, we’ll still be punished!”
Hearing this, Li Yi immediately understood: it wasn’t that the station staff were turning a blind eye, but rather that they were giving these children with special circumstances extra consideration.
“So that’s how it is!”
Li Yi continued, “I see your goods are very cheap. You probably don’t make much money in a day like this. Let me tell you a way to make eggs—you can try it when you get back!”
“What method?”
“When you get back, first wash the eggs and boil them in cold water until they’re cooked. Then pour in some light soy sauce, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, and salt, add some water and a small handful of tea leaves, bring it to a boil over high heat, and set it aside. Once the eggs are done, crack the shells…”
After teaching the young girl how to make tea eggs, Li Yi added, “These tea eggs help stimulate the appetite and strengthen the spleen. You can sell them for 15 cents each.”
“That’s so expensive. Will anyone actually buy these tea eggs?”
“Whether anyone will buy them or not, you’ll find out if you give it a try—it won’t cost you much!” Li Yi said with a smile.
The appeal of tea eggs cannot be fully described in words. After all, this dish quickly became a sensation across the country just a few years later, and people were still selling them decades later—a testament to its enduring popularity in the market.
In those days of scarcity, if you could make good tea eggs, it was hard not to make money.
“Thank you. May I… may I ask your name?” the young girl asked.
“My name is Li Yi…”
No sooner had he finished speaking than the station’s public address system announced that boarding was about to begin.
Li Yi realized it was their train back to Ning City. He immediately apologized to the young girl, then hurried toward the boarding gate with his father, carrying their bags and packages!
By the time they returned to Ning City, it was already 11:00 a.m. After exiting the station, Li Yi took his father straight to the bus station across from the train station.
That’s right—the bus station and the train station in Ning City are right next to each other, separated by just a single street.
They went inside to buy tickets, but instead of waiting with his father in the waiting room, Li Yi led him across the street to a state-run restaurant.
Li Yi had never been one to deprive himself, especially since they’d only had a light snack that morning. If they didn’t have a hot meal for lunch, they’d have to wait until dinner.
Ning City is quite famous for its braised lamb. Li Yi had originally planned to treat his father to a bowl of it, but Li Shankui refused, insisting once again that it was a waste of money.
With no other choice, Li Yi ordered a bowl of fried noodles for each of them, settling for a meager meal.
As for the braised lamb, they’d just have to wait until next time!
Just as Li Yi was about to pick up his chopsticks, he spotted an acquaintance walking in from outside.