Quick Wear: Cousin, Come to the Bowl Quickly

The air in Tianjin at night carries the dryness and coolness unique to the north, mixed with the complex smell of coal smoke, sweat and various snacks, which hits you in the face.

There were crowds of people outside the platform, with shouts, hawking, and calls for people coming one after another. People in colorful clothes were walking hurriedly, forming a sea of ​​noise.

The bright electric lights and dim gas lamps intertwined, stretching everyone's shadows to be longer or shorter.

Lin Xi subconsciously followed Shen Jingyuan closely, fearing that they would be separated by the bustling crowd.

The chaotic and unfamiliar northern metropolis scene before her was completely different from the exquisite and prosperous Shanghai she was familiar with. It had a rough and vigorous vitality that made her feel a little timid, but she was deeply attracted and couldn't help looking around.

At this moment, a man wearing a tattered cotton jacket and looking panicked ran past the two of them recklessly. His shoulder hit Lin Xi hard, causing her body to tilt and almost fall.

"Be careful!" Shen Jingyuan reacted very quickly. As soon as the voice came out, he had already held her steadily.

Lin Xi was still in shock and hadn't fully reacted when Shen Jingyuan beside her quickly reached out and accurately grabbed the wrist of the man who was about to squeeze into the crowd, and exerted force.

The force in his hands was so great that the man let out a scream like a pig being slaughtered, and his clenched fingers involuntarily loosened.

"Snapped!"

A half-worn blue cloth purse fell to the ground. The crowd that was originally trying to squeeze out was attracted by the movement. They stopped and looked over with some confusion.

Lin Xi was startled and subconsciously lowered her head to avoid everyone's sight, then reached into her arms.

It was not until her fingertips touched the outline of the purse that she had specially sewn into the inner layer of her clothes, which was still stiff and contained important banknotes, that she secretly breathed a sigh of relief and felt at ease.

Next to them, a woman who was originally carrying an old bundle and holding a thin little boy, suddenly exclaimed after seeing the money bag on the ground, "My money!"

She threw herself to the ground in a panic, clutching the purse tightly in her hand as if it were a lifeline. Then she raised her head and cried and cursed at the man who was being restrained by Shen Jingyuan and grimaced in pain, "You damned thief! This is the money I used to pay for my child's medical treatment, and you have the heart to steal it!"

The thief saw more and more people gathered around him, and the sound of pointing and talking was getting louder and louder. He looked anxious and struggled desperately to get rid of Shen Jingyuan's grip, shouting obscenely: "Let me go! Which eye of yours saw me stealing things! Mind your own business!"

Shen Jingyuan glanced at him coldly. His eyes were icy and piercing, carrying an unquestionable deterrent force, which made the thief's shouting instantly stuck in his throat.

Lin Xi looked at the increasing number of gazes coming from all around and couldn't help but reach out and tug at the corner of Shen Jingyuan's clothes.

Shen Jingyuan's eyes darkened slightly, and he did not bother with the thief any more. He flicked his wrist and pushed the man away. A tall and strong man saw this and slapped the thief in the face, throwing him to the ground.

There were a few sporadic cheers around. Shen Jingyuan had no intention of staying and quickly withdrew his gaze. While everyone's attention was still focused on the thief, he reached out and took Lin Xi's hand, saying in a deep voice, "Let's go."

There were thin calluses on the palms of his hands from years of holding guns. They felt rough but unusually stable and powerful, instantly calming Lin Xi's originally somewhat panicked heart.

Lin Xi subconsciously tightened her fingertips that were holding his, nodded obediently, and let Shen Jingyuan lead her, quickly leaving this dangerous place and blending into the wider crowd.

Outside the station, the scene was even more chaotic. Rickshaw drivers, touts holding hotel signs, newsboys shouting and selling newspapers... they swarmed over like fish smelling fishy smell, surrounding the passengers who had just got off the train, pulling and shouting, almost blocking the passage.

Facing the various arms stretched out in front of him and the extremely attentive faces, Shen Jingyuan's expression remained unchanged, and he only protected Lin Xi a little tighter.

With a cold and stern face that kept strangers away and the three words "not needed" that were so concise that they were almost stingy, he fended off the crowd's entanglement and walked quickly with Lin Xi through the dimly lit and crowded square in front of the station.

They did not stop in front of any hotels soliciting business. Shen Jingyuan seemed to have planned every step of the route in advance. He glanced sharply at the row of rickshaws parked at the edge of the square and waved to one of them that looked cleaner and had a more honest driver.

He put the luggage away, helped Lin Xi sit down, and got into another car himself.

"Tai'an Inn."

Two rickshaws, one in front and one behind, merged into the streets of Tianjin where lights were just coming on.

The evening breeze brought with it strange shouts from afar and faint gramophone music.

Lin Xi looked curiously at the Chinese and Western-style buildings on both sides of the street, the flashing neon signs, and the passers-by with different walks of life. The uneasiness in her heart was gradually replaced by novelty.

The rickshaw finally stopped in a relatively quiet street, in front of a three-story Chinese-style building that looked quite old. The plaque on it read "Tai'an Inn".

Shen Jingyuan paid the taxi fare, picked up the luggage, and walked in with Lin Xi. The shopkeeper behind the counter was a thin old man wearing reading glasses. He looked up at them but didn't ask any questions.

After Shen Jingyuan reported the information, the shopkeeper looked down at the book and handed over a key with a wooden sign with the word "C". "Room C on the second floor. The hot water kitchen is always available."

There is only one key.

Lin Xi was slightly startled and subconsciously wanted to ask if there were any rooms available, but she swallowed the words back when they reached her lips.

She remembered that on the train, Shen Jingyuan had already told her that they should pretend to be a "husband and wife" to avoid unnecessary trouble. If she asked to live in separate rooms now, wouldn't that reveal her flaws?

Thinking of this, she could only lower her eyelashes and silently took the only key handed to her by Shen Jingyuan, her fingertips feeling a little hot.

The room is neither big nor small, and is divided into two parts by a screen. The furnishings are simple, but it is clean.

However, unlike the narrow double bunk in the train compartment, the bed in the room covered with clean blue sheets was particularly eye-catching under the light.

Lin Xi's eyes swept across the bed that was large enough to accommodate two people. Her cheeks involuntarily became slightly hot, with a barely perceptible blush appearing on them. She didn't know where to put her hands and feet.

Shen Jingyuan took in her discomfort and silently placed his luggage against the wall. He spoke naturally, "The room was booked in advance, so there aren't any extras. You sleep on the bed, and I'll sleep on the floor."

Hearing this, Lin Xi's inner uneasiness immediately dissipated. She breathed a sigh of relief and nodded quickly, "Okay."

After three days and two nights of traveling, it was a great honor to have a safe place to rest. Lin Xi didn't think about it anymore and washed up quickly. He felt that all the fatigue in his body was taken away by the hot water.

When she came out from behind the screen, Shen Jingyuan had already quickly taken out another quilt from the cabinet and spread a simple mat on the space next to the bed.

The lights went out and the room fell into darkness.

Lin Xiben thought that she would not be able to sleep in the unfamiliar environment and bed.

However, perhaps she was really too tired, or perhaps it was because she knew she was not the only one in the room.

In the darkness, she could clearly hear Shen Jingyuan's steady and regular breathing. The sound carried a strange, reassuring power, like a silent guardian. As she listened, her consciousness gradually became blurred, and she fell asleep faster than she had imagined.

However, peace in troubled times is always short-lived.