Musheng purchased a smartphone for about a thousand yuan. She didn't intentionally choose a high-end one since the cost-performance ratio of thousand-yuan smartphones was quite high these days. Besides, she only needed it for making calls and sending text messages.
After returning home, Musheng revealed her thoughts to Ma Changying, expressing her desire to move to Capital City ahead of schedule. Upon hearing this, Changying was speechless for a long while before finally nodding with slightly reddened eyes.
Seeing this, Musheng frowned. She didn't really mean to do anything drastic; her sudden change in temperament could be hidden temporarily, but hiding it for several months or even years was unrealistic, especially with so many neighbors who knew her previous circumstances.
She could excuse her change in temperament by saying she nearly died from anger—after all, she had a high fever for an entire day. This reason could serve as an excuse for her drastic change. However, deep down, she was still the same person. It was impossible to completely become someone else overnight, changing even her living habits. While Changying and the others hadn't grown suspicious yet, she wanted to leave as soon as possible to reduce the likelihood of arousing Changying's doubts and let her adjust slowly.
After all, it was possible that this mother and this younger brother would be tied to her for a lifetime. Musheng wanted to get along well with them and not worry about potential issues—what if Changying suspected she was possessed?
Ma Nanji also liked reading novels and surely had read reincarnation stories. It's hard to ensure she wouldn't begin to have wild thoughts, especially when such musings could be very plausible.
Before she reincarnated, she herself didn't believe in reincarnation either...
"Don't overthink it. I just want to go to Capital City earlier to find a job and earn tuition money. The thirty thousand will last me at most two years," Musheng reluctantly explained. Changying wiped the area around her eyes and spoke with a slightly hoarse voice, "I can send you money..."
"No need, I have enough to get by. Nanji is still in her second year of high school, which is when expenses really start to pile up. Once I'm in university, I can support myself. Just take good care of Nanji for me."
Musheng tried to explain, but she hadn't thought about how to beat around the bush with her explanation. As soon as Changying heard Musheng's direct words, she immediately burst into tears, "… I know I've wronged you over the years, but don't worry. No matter what, Mom will make sure to earn enough for your university tuition!"
Musheng: "..."
She had never considered using Changying's money. Knowing that Changying was single-handedly supporting Ma Nanji, she understood, but clearly, Changying had misunderstood.
In the afternoon, Musheng bought a train ticket to Capital City for the next day. It was her first time taking a train. Previously, she only traveled by plane. Taking the train for the first time, Musheng found it quite novel.
Changying actually wanted to book a plane ticket for her, which Musheng declined. A plane ticket cost 1500, while a train ticket cost 450. It was just an extra two days of travel. She figured she could get through it eventually.
Musheng felt that she had handled the transition from spending money without a care to worrying about money quite well. Her psychological resilience seemed pretty strong.
When all her things were packed, Ma Nanji came home just in time for a family dinner, making for a complete reunion. Upon hearing that Musheng was leaving, Ma Nanji remained silent all evening.
The next morning, when Musheng was about to catch her train, she didn't ask Changying to see her off, but Nanji broke her usual habits and got up early, intending to see Musheng off. However, she was dismissed by Musheng's remark: "Get some more sleep. Wake up refreshed and try to pass the next exam!"
Nanji, feeling humiliated, retorted, "I won't answer when you call!" and then slammed the door on her way back to her room.
Musheng shrugged; she hadn't planned to call Nanji anyway.
Perhaps because Musheng was leaving, the weather in Huai City had warmed up that day. Musheng went back to wearing her simple white T-shirt. Upon reaching the train station, she was still surprised by the huge crowds.
People were everywhere, queuing in long lines, countless numbers toting their luggage. The sight was a stark contrast to an airport.
Even some fan meet-ups for celebrities at airports couldn't compare to this spectacle.
Musheng shook her head, carrying her luggage into the train station lobby. She arrived just in time as her train had begun boarding. Despite the crowd, the checks went quickly and Musheng easily made her way through, finding her train with the help of various signs. She had booked a hard sleeper, and when she arrived, there was no one else in her compartment.
The corridor was extremely narrow, and when Musheng located her bunk, she noticed the bedding was clean but clearly well-used. She promptly opened her suitcase, took out a new sheet that Changying had packed for her, spread it on the bed, placed her luggage underneath, climbed onto the bunk, and started playing with her phone.
She was lucky to have snagged a hard sleeper berth since it was a last-minute ticket for the next day's train. There were no seat tickets left, and had she not been a first-timer unfamiliar with the process, selecting a soft sleeper first—only to find it was sold out—she wouldn't have managed to secure a hard sleeper that had become available from a cancellation.
Musheng felt lucky and somewhat pleased.
She was the first to arrive, but soon others began to fill the train. The travelers came in all shapes and sizes. Besides a rather burly and tough-looking man, the occupants of Musheng's compartment were mostly average young people and young parents with children. Unexpectedly, there was also a very pretty young girl dressed in fashionable clothes, who was rather quiet and not inclined to talk, and was located right beside Musheng's bunk.
The train started to move. Musheng took out a pack of mint candies from the snack bag Changying had bought for her, not sure if she would get train-sick but knowing it was best to prevent it just in case.
Fortunately, she felt fine as the train moved along, albeit the closed space was not that pleasant smelling. At that moment, Musheng suddenly felt a scrutinizing gaze. She looked up and saw the head of the burly man across from her in the upper bunk withdraw.
Musheng curved her lips into a wry smile. She had the feeling that this train journey would not be entirely peaceful. That glance from earlier seemed somewhat—malevolent!
"Wahhhhhhhhhhh..."
Just then, a piercing cry of a child rang out, accompanied by the flustered sounds of a young couple across the way trying to soothe their child. Many passengers frowned, but since it was daytime, they weren't too bothered by the child's crying.
The young couple looked visibly embarrassed, and it took a good while for them to calm their one-year-old child. Suddenly, a crude and boorish voice sounded, "Damn, that's annoying!"
The voice was rough and deep. The young parents' faces flushed crimson, not knowing where the voice had come from. Musheng cast a glance in the direction of the burly man's bunk, paused a moment, and then refocused on her phone.