Bai Ci followed up smoothly, “Oh? Is that so? Hearing that makes me want to meet him too.”
Just then, Vigi walked out of the kitchen carrying three trays. Hearing their conversation, he slammed the trays onto the table with an annoyed clatter.
“What's there to see? He's just like anyone else, two eyes and a mouth. Nothing special. He just had a good father, that's all. Without his father's reputation, how could he possibly be the deputy trainmaster?”
With that, he curled his lip, turned back into the kitchen, and slammed the door shut behind him.
After a moment, Violita smiled gently to ease the tension. “It seems our attendant doesn't think very highly of Deputy Trainmaster Vigi.”
“But it's understandable. Some people do hold prejudices against others out of jealousy.”
“The deputy trainmaster's name is Vigi?” Bai Ci heard the unexpected name, but the roles seemed to have swapped. “Mr. Violita, do you know what this Mr. Vigi looks like?”
“I've only read about him in the newspapers. Unfortunately, there were no pictures of Mr. Vigi. Did something happen for you to ask that, Miss Lora?”
Violita explained first, then asked astutely.
Bai Ci put on a slightly embarrassed look, her fingertips gently rubbing the rim of her teacup. “It's nothing major, really. It's just that when I arrived at the dining car earlier, no one was on duty yet.”
“I saw a notebook on the counter and flipped through a few pages out of curiosity. The signature on the records was Vigi, so I subconsciously assumed the attendant was Vigi.”
She paused, then added, “It was filled with weather and road condition records. You could tell a lot of care went into it. At the time, I was thinking how admirable Mr. Vigi's dedication to learning was.”
“Only after hearing you mention that the deputy trainmaster is also named Vigi did I realize I probably made a mistake. The attendant must have a different name.”
Hearing this, Violita fell into a brief moment of thought before slowly speaking.
“It might not necessarily be a mistake, Miss Lora. While there might not be many people with the same name on this train, it's not entirely impossible.”
At this point, he smiled, speaking in a somewhat playful tone, “In fact, perhaps he really is the deputy trainmaster.”
Bai Ci laughed along. “How could someone who serves as the deputy trainmaster be reduced to watching over the dining car?”
“After all, you just said he's the descendant of the engineer who built this railway line and is highly skilled in meteorological observation. No matter how you look at it, he shouldn't be just an ordinary dining car attendant.”
Though she said this, Bai Ci secretly believed there was a fifty-fifty chance of it being true.
After all, this was an Anomalous Infection instance. It was only natural for things that defied common sense to happen.
The joking conversation passed, and the two chatted idly about the passing scenery and other trivial matters.
Although Violita's spirits had improved, he still appeared somewhat weak. It didn't take long before he began to show signs of fatigue.
Seeing this, Bai Ci took the initiative to end the conversation, and the two ate their breakfast in silence.
As she slowly chewed her bread, Bai Ci quietly observed the dining car. Vigi was still busily moving back and forth between the kitchen and the counter, his face wearing that same world-weary expression.
He occasionally glanced in their direction but showed no intention of coming over to chat.
Just then, the rain outside began to let up, and the dark sky brightened a bit.
Bai Ci instinctively looked out the window. Scattered buildings began to appear, gradually increasing in number. It seemed they were approaching the next station.
A long, low whistle blew, causing the carriage to vibrate slightly. The train began to decelerate before coming to a smooth halt beside a small platform.
The doors slid open, and the voice of a platform staff member drifted in, reminding passengers to board and disembark.
Violita set down his cup, coughed softly twice, and nodded slightly to Bai Ci. “Miss Lora, I shall take my leave first. I have some business to attend to off the train, but I will return shortly.”
Bai Ci nodded, offering a polite, routine reply, “It's still raining out there. Take care.”
Violita smiled and gestured for Marg to push his wheelchair.
Marg gave a respectful reply and pushed the wheelchair toward the carriage door.
Watching Violita and Marg's figures disappear, she withdrew her gaze and finished the rest of her breakfast.
After breakfast, Bai Ci walked back toward Carriage One.
The train was gradually filling with passengers, and the corridors were becoming crowded. She carefully avoided the oncoming travelers as she made her way forward.
When she returned to Carriage One, it was still quiet, with no other passengers inside.
Bai Ci walked over to her seat, sat down, and habitually looked out the window.
The side she sat on was not the platform side where passengers boarded, but instead faced a sealed-off guardrail.
Vines of some plant had crawled up the guardrail. Judging by the flowers, they were morning glories, lush and full of life.
Just as she was about to look away, the corner of her eye caught something at the very bottom of the glass window.
A tiny, tender green leaf tip was pressed flat against the glass, looking as though it were caught in something.
Bai Ci leaned closer to the window to inspect it.
The leaf tip was very small with serrated edges. Its color was a fresh, pale green, and it did not look like a common plant.
She felt a bit puzzled. The train had been traveling through mountains and forests. Could it be a plant that had accidentally gotten caught on the train during the journey?
Driven by curiosity, Bai Ci stood up, stepped down onto the platform, and walked around to the other side of the train.
She was thankful this was an old-fashioned steam train track and platform rather than a modern high-speed rail station structure.
Otherwise, it would have been difficult to move about so openly and inconspicuously. By taking a slight detour to avoid the main exit, she was able to reach the other side.
By now, the rain outside had dwindled to a light drizzle.
The air was filled with the fresh scent of earth and vegetation. A cool breeze brushed against her cheek, carrying a hint of dampness.
Bai Ci ran to the spot beneath the window of her seat and bent down to inspect it. Sure enough, she saw a thin vine tightly wrapped around the gap in the window frame.
The leaf tip she had seen earlier belonged to this vine.
The vine was very thin and light brown, bearing a few small green leaves. The leaves were smooth with fine, dense serrations along the edges, looking somewhat unfamiliar.
Bai Ci reached out and gave it a gentle tug. The vine wasn't very sturdy and came off with a single pull.
It was about the length of an arm, with only a few leaves, no flowers, and no other distinctive features.
For the life of her, Bai Ci couldn't identify what kind of plant it was.
Since she couldn't figure it out, she didn't waste time standing around. Worried she might miss the train, she clutched the vine and ran back.
Not long after Bai Ci sat back down, the whistle blew, and the train slowly began to move.
Rate on N.U.
