America: John Wick 1924

Chapter 12 Li Yu's Back View

After entering the train station, Jeanne looked around curiously.

It's easy to see that she rarely takes the train, and all the facilities at the train station pique her interest.

For Li Yu, the train station held little appeal.

No matter how big or luxurious a train station is in this era, can it surpass a high-speed rail station in the 21st century?

Li Yu and Jane squeezed through the crowd to the ticket counter and bought two tickets to San Francisco—the train departs at 13:30 PM, and if all goes well, they will arrive in San Francisco this evening.

Li Yu held his train ticket and glanced at the clock in the waiting hall—it was 12:50—there were still 40 minutes before departure.

Li Yu fell into deep thought about how to pass this long period of time.

Just then, a clear, childlike voice drew his attention:

"Sir, would you like to buy a newspaper?"

Suddenly, a newsboy appeared in front of Li Yu, holding a newspaper.

The newsboy's old clothes were patched in many places, his face was dirty, and his slightly sunken cheeks showed an extremely unhealthy complexion.

Li Yu looked the newsboy up and down thoughtfully, then smiled and shook his head:

"Sorry, I don't want to read the newspaper right now."

Upon hearing this, the newsboy immediately put away the newspaper and took out a box of chewing gum from his pocket.

"Sir! Would you like a pack of chewing gum?"

"Do I need chewing gum to do something stupid?"

Li Yu's question startled the newsboy.

He'd been selling chewing gum for so long, and no one had ever asked him that question before.

After a brief moment of surprise, he stammered in response:
"My chewing gum is mint flavored. Chewing gum can keep your breath fresh. When you lick the gum, the minty aroma will stimulate your brain and keep you alert..."

Li Yu spread his hands, adopting a deep, scholarly tone as if lecturing:
"Young man, we men should let our tongues lick where they're supposed to. Like ice cream."

After saying that, he patted Jane on the shoulder.

"I'm going to buy some ice cream. You stay here and don't move."

There were several vendors waiting for customers outside the platform railing. To get to that platform, you had to cross the railway tracks, jump down, and climb back up.

Li Yu strode to the railway track, nimbly leaned down, crossed the tracks, grabbed the top of the platform with both hands, pulled his legs up, and lightly leaped up, effortlessly climbing onto the platform.

His back view was so relaxed, as if he were strolling leisurely.

Li Yu walked straight to the ice cream vendor, took out a few coins, and laid them on the counter:
"Excuse me, three milk-flavored ice creams, please."

A short while later, Li Yu returned to Jane and the newsboy with three ice creams.

"Young man, here, lick it."

As he spoke, he handed an ice cream cone to the newsboy.

The newsboy stared in disbelief as he looked at the ice cream Li Yu handed him.

"S-Sir, is this ice cream for me?"

"Am I giving this ice cream to you, or to that bald uncle 300 meters away? Hurry up, the ice cream is starting to melt, and the cream is about to drip onto my hand."

The newsboy's disbelief turned into unparalleled excitement:
"Sir! Thank you so much! Thank you so much!"

He reached out with both hands and carefully took the ice cream, holding it to his chest as if it were a fragile item.

He probably wanted to go somewhere undisturbed to quietly savor this rare delicacy, so he hurriedly turned and left.

However, he had only run a few steps when he remembered something, stopped, turned around, took off his newsboy cap, and solemnly bowed to Li Yu to express his gratitude.

After completing the entire set of formalities, he put his hat back on, jogged away, and disappeared in no time.

[Ding! Delivered ice cream to the poor newsboy. Successfully played the role of "Good Samaritan"] ["Good Samaritan" Progress: 10% → 11%]

After watching the newsboy leave, Li Yu smiled slightly, then handed the other ice cream to Jane:

"Sister, eat."

Jane blinked her beautiful eyes and cast a surprised look at Li Yu.

"Huh? For me?"

"Are you really going to be so heartless as to let me eat two ice creams?"

Looking at the ice cream right in front of her, Jane pursed her lips, took it with a reserved expression, and softly said, "Thank you."

"The bus doesn't leave for another 40 minutes. Let's find a place to sit and wait."

Jane nodded gently, obediently following Li Yu's instructions.

Soon, the two found an empty bench, sat side by side, and leisurely ate their respective ice creams.

For Li Yu, this ice cream was nothing special; the taste was ordinary, far inferior to the McDonald's ice cream cones he loved in his previous life.

However, Jane, who was standing next to him, seemed to be enjoying her meal.

The moment her lips lightly touched the cream, her beautiful eyes sparkled with joy.

Li Yu noticed the change in her expression and asked curiously:

"Sister, haven't you ever had ice cream before?"

A hint of reminiscence appeared on Jane's cheeks.

“I’ve only had it once… On my 8th birthday, my adoptive mother took out the money she had painstakingly saved and treated me to an ice cream.”

She seemed unwilling to discuss the topic further, only touching on it briefly, and Li Yu considerately refrained from asking any more questions.

At this moment, Jane raised her gaze, looked in the direction the newsboy had left, then looked at Li Yu beside her, and asked curiously:

"Pastor, do you like children?"

Li Yu shook his head without hesitation:
"No, I don't have a particular preference for children. It's just something I do out of interest; I occasionally treat children to ice cream."

"Inviting kids to eat ice cream...what a unique hobby!"

Li Yuwan'er:

“I have a wide range of interests. Sister, allow me to remind you, your ice cream is about to melt. If you don’t eat it soon, your hands will be covered in cream.”

Upon hearing this, Jane belatedly realized that the ice cream in her hand had melted like snow, with thick cream dripping down.

Her face changed drastically, looking just like a child who had made a mistake, her cheeks filled with panic.

She quickly stuck out her pink tongue and clumsily but diligently licked the melted cream.

In the blink of an eye, a happy and blissful expression returned to her cheeks, her eyebrows curved, and she unconsciously stretched out her legs, the tips of her two small boots gently touching each other.

……

……

The 40-minute wait for the bus passed in the blink of an eye.

When the platform announcement said, "The train to San Francisco has arrived," Li Yu and Jane picked up their luggage and strode towards the platform not far away.

The closer you get to the train, the stronger the smell of coal becomes, making you instinctively hold your breath.

Upon seeing the train bound for San Francisco, Li Yu couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

He'd seen plenty of high-speed trains, but this was the first time he'd ever seen a steam train.

Compared to the high-tech feel of high-speed rail, steam trains are full of rugged power and pure mechanical feel!

(End of this chapter)