The train passed many stations, each offering different views, and the children were as curious as ever.
But they didn't chatter incessantly or shout about; if they encountered something peculiar or amusing, several would discuss it together, and only if they couldn't make up their minds would they ask an adult—a very well-behaved bunch.
In one of the carriages, which was a soft sleeper, each berth had its own door, so they didn't bother others much.
The children had plenty of energy and no sadness to speak of; after all, the person they were going to see was someone they had never met. It seemed unreasonable to have them share in the grief.
Yet, for Han Dongchen, who had grown up in the Han Family, it was entirely different—he did not show a smile throughout the journey. They could only make phone calls at major stations for a few minutes; nowadays, there weren't as many signal towers as there would be later, and there was no signal when the train traveled through rural areas.
