Axolotl Translations

Wei Jiajia walked ahead, Qiao Haoyu close behind, carrying their luggage and shielding her from the crush of the crowd as they made their way toward their carriage.

By the time they finally reached their compartment and set down their belongings, Wei Jiajia was perspiring heavily, her hair slightly disheveled.

Just moments before, she had witnessed someone boarding the train with several live chickens in tow. She shuddered to think what it would be like to share a compartment with them in this sweltering heat—what kind of stench would permeate the air?

Thankfully, Qiao Haoyu had managed to secure sleeper tickets at the last minute, using his officer’s credentials. Otherwise, after two days of this journey, she would have been utterly exhausted.

Now, she truly understood why her great-aunt was always so concerned about her well-being.

“Sit down and rest a bit,” Qiao Haoyu said, concern in his voice. “I’ll get you a damp towel to freshen up.” With that, he pulled a towel from their bag, grabbed the water flask, and stepped out of the compartment.

Wei Jiajia carefully arranged their luggage before settling by the window, her gaze drifting across the bustling platform.

She observed hurried travelers clutching their bags, tearful goodbyes between reluctant loved ones, and warm embraces filled with promises of future reunions.

Everyone had their own journey to undertake, each moving along their predetermined path. Watching this tableau unfold outside the window, she was suddenly overcome by a wave of emotions she couldn’t quite articulate.

Just then, a voice drifted down from the upper berth across from her.

“Young lady,” the voice said, “that young man who just went out—he’s your brother, isn’t he? You two look so well-matched. Your parents must be truly blessed to have such fine-looking children!”

Hearing the voice, Wei Jiajia glanced up. A middle-aged woman, around fifty, lay on her side in the upper berth across from her. Her short, practical haircut and gaunt features gave her a somewhat stern appearance.

The woman’s wide, inquisitive eyes scanned Wei Jiajia from head to toe with such undisguised curiosity that it made her slightly uncomfortable, prompting a subtle frown.

“He’s not my brother—he’s my fiancé,” Wei Jiajia corrected her politely.

“Oh my!” the woman exclaimed. “You two make such a handsome couple! And he’s so attentive, even going out to get you a towel. Unlike my husband—ugh, that man wouldn’t lift a finger even if an oil bottle spilled all over the floor at home! I have to wait on him hand and foot every single day…”

Upon learning that these two well-dressed, refined young people were a couple, the middle-aged woman became even more animated. She launched into a tirade about her own marriage, venting years of pent-up frustrations as if eager to unburden herself onto Wei Jiajia. Interspersed with her complaints were occasional expressions of envy regarding their relationship, along with subtle, probing questions.

Wei Jiajia simply smiled politely, choosing not to engage, allowing the woman to continue her one-sided conversation.

Eventually, after an extended monologue, the woman seemed to sense Wei Jiajia’s lack of interest and finally fell silent.

Just then, Qiao Haoyu returned, handing Wei Jiajia a damp towel before placing the freshly filled thermos of hot water on the small table by the window.

“If you’re tired, lie down and get some rest,” he suggested gently. “I’ll sit here and keep watch while I read for a while.” He took the towel from her hands and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

“I’m not sleepy yet,” she replied. “I’ll read for a while—otherwise, I’ll be bored to tears!” She got up to rummage through her bag for a book.

Qiao Haoyu gently pressed down on her shoulder and said with a smile, “I can manage this. Just sit and relax.” He then crouched down and began rummaging through the bag himself.

The middle-aged woman watched their interaction with unconcealed disapproval. She smirked and muttered under her breath, “So pretentious.”

In her opinion, this soldier was spoiling his wife excessively. Sure, the girl was attractive, but did he really have to coddle her like this? Not letting her lift a finger, waiting on her hand and foot—if he continued this behavior, wouldn’t she end up taking advantage of him?

With that foxy-looking beauty of hers, who knew how many men she had charmed while her husband was away? In the woman’s mind, a wife shouldn’t be too pretty—such women were difficult to control.

Of course, Wei Jiajia and Qiao Haoyu were oblivious to her judgmental musings. They each settled comfortably on their respective bunks, engrossed in their books.

The train lurched into motion, yet the last empty seat in their compartment remained unoccupied.

When lunchtime arrived, Wei Jiajia retrieved the food that had been prepared for them at home.

Two aluminum lunchboxes were filled to the brim with plump, white flour dumplings, meticulously made that morning by Aunt Fen. The dumplings were neatly arranged, their soft, white dough a stark contrast to the coarse, red flour buns that were common fare during those times of scarcity.

The middle-aged woman climbed down from her berth and sat across from them, gnawing on a coarse red flour bun. Her eyes, however, remained glued to their lunchboxes.

She was now certain—her initial assessment had been correct. These two must come from a privileged background; otherwise, how could they afford such delicacies? A thought flickered through her mind—if she asked them directly, would they be willing to share some of their bounty with her?

Although the woman was quite talkative and rather shameless, this was, after all, her first time traveling such a long distance alone. Seeing the composed demeanor of Qiao Haoyu and his wife, she hesitated, unsure whether she should broach the subject of their tempting lunch.

Meanwhile, the couple had already begun their meal.

As soon as Qiao Haoyu bit into a dumpling, he tasted the savory meat filling. A flicker of surprise crossed his face as he looked at his wife.

Their wedding banquet had required both families to pool together several months’ worth of meat ration tickets. He could only imagine the effort the Wei family had put into preparing these dumplings.

Wei Jiajia met his gaze, silently urging him to continue eating. This wasn’t the time to discuss the contents of their lunch—white flour dumplings alone were already attracting attention. If others knew there was meat inside, it would only fuel envy, or worse, resentment.

Qiao Haoyu was acutely aware of the severe food shortages. Even in the army, soldiers had struggled to get enough to eat over the past two years. The mess hall staff did their best to ensure the troops received adequate nutrition for training, but without their own livestock farm, even they had difficulty sourcing meat.

The air inside the train compartment was stifling, and Wei Jiajia found her appetite waning. After eating six or seven dumplings, she couldn’t manage another bite. She glanced at her husband.

How long had it been since he’d enjoyed such a satisfying meal? He was savoring every bite, devouring one dumpling after another. When he finally finished, he wiped his mouth with an expression of contentment.

A wave of affection washed over her. She pushed her lunchbox toward him.

“Not hungry anymore?” Qiao Haoyu asked. He paused, then smiled. “Don’t worry about me. This was more than enough.”

Wei Jiajia gave him a sidelong glance. “I don’t have much of an appetite,” she said. “You should eat the rest—they’ll spoil if we leave them out in this heat until tonight.”

Qiao Haoyu studied her face and, seeing that she genuinely wasn’t hungry, picked up her lunchbox and continued eating. The dumplings wouldn’t keep long in this heat anyway.

Concerned he might choke from eating too quickly, Wei Jiajia poured him a cup of water and placed it beside him.

Seeing the dumplings rapidly disappearing, the middle-aged woman panicked and finally spoke.

“Hey, comrade,” she began, her tone a mix of boldness and supplication, “could you share some of your dumplings with me? I’ll trade you this flatbread.” She held out a partially eaten red wheat flatbread.

The couple exchanged stunned glances.

What kind of offer was that? Red wheat, while considered a relatively good grain, was hardly an equal exchange for meat-filled dumplings.

And she had already taken several bites out of it!

The sheer audacity of the request left them speechless.

Fearing that Qiao Haoyu, with his military background, might feel obligated to agree, Wei Jiajia spoke first. “You seem to be doing quite well yourself,” she observed, her voice laced with subtle sarcasm. “Eating red wheat flatbread and all.”

At this, the woman couldn’t help but puff up with a hint of pride.

Of course she was doing well! She was traveling to her son’s home to help care for her daughter-in-law after the birth. Her son was a dutiful and generous man who sent her a regular allowance. And her daughter-in-law was the daughter of a high-ranking official!

With these thoughts swirling in her mind, she straightened her back, feeling quite pleased with herself and certainly no less well-off than this young couple.

Wei Jiajia, however, was completely unconcerned with the woman’s smugness. Her expression softened, a hint of melancholy entering her eyes as she looked at Qiao Haoyu. Then, turning to the middle-aged woman, she spoke.

“My husband has been serving in the army for years,” she began, her voice tinged with sadness. “He’s endured so much hardship. He came home so thin and… and worn out that our whole family was heartbroken. These dumplings,” she continued, gesturing to the lunchbox, “were made with flour that my family has been saving for months, just so he could have something… nutritious.”

“We should all support our soldiers,” she declared, her voice gaining strength. “They dedicate their lives to protecting our country. It wouldn’t be right if they came home and weren’t even given a decent meal, would it?”

“I can see that your family is doing well,” she added, her gaze sweeping over the woman’s attire. “So why don’t we just… forget about the trade? You can always make dumplings when you get home. But for us? Who knows when we’ll have the chance to eat them again?”

As she finished speaking, a look of righteous indignation settled on her face, as if she were genuinely appalled by the woman’s audacity.

You think you can play the innocent act? Well, so can I.

The woman was utterly speechless.

What? Was she suddenly the villain for not supporting the troops? All she had wanted was to trade for a few measly dumplings!

She glanced down at the partially eaten flatbread in her hand, her face reddening with frustration. With a huff, she shoved it back into her bag, climbed onto her bunk, and turned her back to them.

Qiao Haoyu had never seen his young wife handle a situation like this before, and all for his sake. He was both amused and deeply touched. He gave her a discreet thumbs-up.

Wei Jiajia raised a playful eyebrow in response, then mouthed, Of course!

In truth, she wasn’t usually this ungenerous. If the woman had genuinely seemed to be in need, she wouldn’t have hesitated to share.

But this woman? She was clearly trying to exploit their generosity.

Wei Jiajia wasn’t naive. She wasn’t about to let her own husband go hungry to feed someone who was clearly trying to take advantage.

Did she really look that gullible?

That evening, to avoid attracting the woman’s attention again, Wei Jiajia packed a simple meal—coarse grain flatbread and a jar of homemade chili sauce.

The woman glanced at their supper, saw that it was similar to her own, scoffed, and then turned away, leaving the compartment.

Watching her go, Wei Jiajia playfully stuck her tongue out at Qiao Haoyu.

He lightly tapped her forehead. “Hurry up and eat,” he whispered. “She’ll be back any minute.”

Later that night, the train stopped, and the last vacant berth in their compartment was finally occupied.

Half-asleep, Wei Jiajia groggily opened her eyes and saw a man in his thirties entering the compartment.

Qiao Haoyu was still awake. Noticing her restlessness, he moved closer and gently patted her back in a soothing rhythm. His voice was low and reassuring.

“Go back to sleep,” he murmured. “I’m right here.”

Lulled by the comforting rhythm of his hand, Wei Jiajia gradually drifted back to sleep.

Once she was sound asleep, Qiao Haoyu carefully tucked the blanket around her before returning to his own berth.

The next morning, Wei Jiajia was awakened by the sound of unfamiliar voices.

Listening attentively, she realized it was the middle-aged woman chatting animatedly with the man who had joined them the previous night.

She couldn’t discern the topic of their conversation, but the woman’s frequent bursts of laughter punctuated their exchange.

Just then, Qiao Haoyu entered the compartment. He saw his wife lying on her bunk, gazing blankly into space, still half-asleep. She looked adorably disoriented.

Her eyes didn’t register his presence until he was right beside her, and then they lit up with a spark of recognition.

“You’re awake?” He set down the toiletries he was carrying and sat on the edge of her bunk, lowering his voice. Gently, he brushed a few stray strands of hair away from her face.

“Mmm,” she murmured, her voice still thick with sleep. It was soft and languid, a tone that made Qiao Haoyu wish they weren’t in such close proximity to other passengers—otherwise, he would have leaned down and kissed her right then and there.

“Come on,” he coaxed, “get up and wash your face. The meal cart will be coming around soon. Do you want anything?”

Wei Jiajia considered for a moment before shaking her head.

She couldn’t imagine the train food being particularly appetizing. Even in her previous life, train food was expensive and often barely edible—she doubted it was any better now. The food she had packed herself was probably the safer option. But after the incident at lunchtime yesterday, she hesitated.

Qiao Haoyu immediately understood her apprehension. “I’ll go check out the dining car,” he offered. “The food might be pricey, but at least it doesn’t require ration coupons.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “It doesn’t?”

The prospect of food that didn’t require ration coupons was certainly appealing.

Qiao Haoyu chuckled, his eyes softening as he looked at her bright, eager face. She was utterly endearing when she was being so frugal and practical.

“You…” he teased, lightly tapping the tip of her delicate nose with his index finger. Then, picking up the meal container, he stood and headed out.

Wei Jiajia quickly rose as well, going outside to freshen up while she waited for his return with breakfast.

As soon as the couple left the compartment, the middle-aged woman pursed her lips and turned to the young man across from her, whispering conspiratorially. “Honestly,” she muttered, “what a pampered little princess! Sleeping in this late and expecting her husband to wait on her hand and foot. If she were my daughter-in-law, I’d send her packing back to her parents’ house in no time.”

The young man simply smiled noncommittally. Inwardly, he thought, If I had a wife that beautiful, I’d be more than happy to spoil her rotten. She could walk all over me, and I’d still be thrilled.

He was still reeling from the shock of what had happened earlier that morning. When he had climbed down from his upper berth and caught sight of the woman sleeping below—practically a celestial being in human form—he was sure his expression had been priceless.

If not for the fact that the soldier across from him had been glaring daggers at him, eyes brimming with what looked like murderous intent, he might have stood there gawking for much longer.

As it was, he had endured an entire morning of the man’s death stares. He had been so unnerved that, after a quick trip to the restroom, he hadn’t dared to leave his bunk again.

The middle-aged woman watched him and scoffed silently. Yet another fool completely bewitched by that little vixen, she thought.

Wei Jiajia, naturally, was oblivious to their thoughts.

By the time she had finished freshening up and returned to the compartment, Qiao Haoyu had already brought back breakfast.

After enjoying a hot meal together, they settled back into their routine, each engrossed in their respective books, just as they had been the previous day.

As night fell and the train finally approached their destination, Beijing, Wei Jiajia let out a long sigh of relief.

What an ordeal! she thought.

And to think that the train journey to the military base would be even longer. She didn’t even want to contemplate how she was going to survive that journey.

---

Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter