1: Chapter 1 The "Repairman" on the Green Train

The green train was like an exhausted iron python, heavily clanking and grinding along the tracks, emitting bursts of ear-piercing noise. The scenery outside the window unfolded at an astonishing speed like a flowing scroll. The hustle and bustle of the city gradually faded away, replaced by rolling hills and vast, boundless fields.

The reflections on the glass curtain walls shimmered in the sunlight, as if swallowed whole by the rolling hills. The grayish-black of the asphalt roads was gradually replaced by the yellow-green of terraced fields, creating a sharp contrast. The scent in the air was also quietly changing, shifting from the choking smell of exhaust fumes to the fresh, earthy fragrance of vegetation, bringing a long-lost sense of peace.

The leaves of the poplars by the tracks looked somewhat withered under the scorching sun, their edges curling slightly and turning a scorched yellow. Yet, when a gentle breeze brushed past, they still rustled softly, as if whispering some secret.

On the distant hillside, a few water buffaloes leisurely soaked in a shallow pond, revealing only their dark backs and curved horns. A layer of green algae floated on the water's surface, tinting the clouds in the sky with a shade of green, like an elegant ink wash painting.

Chen Jie sat quietly by the window, propping his elbow on the sill, his gaze fixed on the scenery outside. His fingertips unconsciously rubbed against the thin callus on the web of his hand, his thumb joint gently rolling over it, as if feeling some subtle sensation.

Suddenly, as if he had discovered something interesting, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. He bent his finger and tapped gently on the window glass a few times. The sound was crisp and brief, as if greeting the glass. Right after, he grinned widely, his smile as bright as a flower blooming in spring.

"This train shakes even more than Wang Lei's broken freezer!" His voice carried a hint of teasing. "If it keeps swaying like this, I'm afraid the braised spices in my bag will spill out!" As he spoke, he patted the backpack next to him, seemingly genuinely worried about the spices spilling.

Zhao Kai, sitting diagonally opposite him, was clearly a bit impatient with his behavior. He frowned and slammed his phone onto the small tray table with a bang. Then, he said crossly, "I say, Jie-zi, can you stop smiling like an idiot at the window all the time?"

Hearing Zhao Kai's words, Chen Jie turned his head. His beard didn't seem cleanly shaven, the stubble gleaming a dark blue-black in the sunlight, giving him a slightly rugged look. When he smiled, fine wrinkles would gather at the corners of his eyes, making him look somewhat weathered, as if he had been through many trials and tribulations.

Chen Jie raised his hand and casually scratched his neat crew cut. The pads of his fingers accidentally brushed against his newly growing roots, and he suddenly felt a slight itch. He couldn't help but frown and scratch a bit harder, which slightly relieved the itch.

Then, Chen Jie's gaze fell upon Zhao Kai sitting opposite him. The corners of his mouth curled into a smile, and he said with a touch of playfulness, "What the hell do you know? What's so fun about going to the beach? It's crowded everywhere, you can't even find a place to stand, and what good stuff can you find? At most, you'll just pick up a couple of broken seashells."

As he spoke, he waved his hand exaggeratedly, seemingly completely uninterested in the beach trip. Then, his tone became excited: "But the mountains are different! Did you know, Grandma Zhang told me last time that her old home has a radio from the Republican Era? That's a real antique! If it can be fixed, it could truly become an heirloom! That's way more valuable than those ocean view photos you take!"

Chen Jie grew more and more excited as he spoke, as if he could already see the repaired radio sitting in his living room, becoming the center of everyone's attention. Just then, the train slowly passed through a dense bamboo forest. The emerald-green stalks stood tightly packed together like a solid wall, blocking out the sunlight and instantly dimming the light inside the carriage.

Chen Jie's gaze swept outside, then he suddenly jerked his chin toward the elderly man in the neighboring seat. "Uncle, if your tray table shakes any more, your enamel mug is going to start dancing ballet." Before the old man could respond, he had already bent down to drag a canvas tool bag from under his seat. The zipper opened with a sharp "ziip," revealing the tools inside. "Let me take a look. It's probably a rusted joint—this kind of minor issue is ten times easier to fix than Su Rui's old computer."

He squatted down, his knees making a dull thud against the floor, and ran his right index finger across the tray table's connecting joint,

pinching up a bit of rust. "Yep, just as I thought."

As he spoke, he pulled out a small can of machine oil. With a flick of his wrist, two drops of oil landed precisely into the joint hole. Then, he picked up a small wrench, pinched the end with his fingertips, and gave it a gentle turn,

with a "click,"

the stripped screw became compliant. He pressed down on the tray table with his left hand and patted it twice,

saying loudly, "All done! I guarantee it's sturdier than your dining table at home."

The old man nodded in surprise. "What a handy young man!"

"Oh, it's nothing, just a quick fix."

As Chen Jie stood up, he stuffed the tool bag back under his seat and patted the dust off his hands. His sleeve brushed against the corner of the table, getting a bit of machine oil on it. He rubbed it off on his pants and said nonchalantly, "This stuff is just like stewing meat; when the heat is just right, it naturally smells good—fixing things is all about finding the knack, blindly forcing it is useless."

The ceiling fan in the carriage spun lazily. Chen Jie leaned back against his seat, stretching his legs out to rest them on the luggage bag opposite him, his heels tapping to the rhythm of the train. He

pulled the bag of braising spices out of his backpack and sniffed it, smacking his lips. "When we arrive, I'll find a farmhouse to borrow a pot and show off my braised chicken feet. The pot I sent to Lin Wanqiu last time—the people at her nurse station were practically fighting over them. Of course, none for you, since you were just mocking me."

Zhao Kai cursed, "Get lost," and stood up to walk toward the dining car.

Chen Jie watched his retreating figure and shouted at the back of his head, "Remember to get two more chicken drumsticks! Otherwise, next time your computer breaks, I'll make sure it retires permanently!"

The green train continued to roll forward, carrying a carriage full of noise and anticipation deep into the mountains.

Chen Jie swung his legs, tapping a rhythm on his knee with his fingertips, planning where to head first once they reached the mountains. Regardless of what graduation trip this was, if he could find good items and stew a pot of fragrant meat, this trip would be worth it. He didn't know yet that this seemingly casual journey would lead him to kick a jade stone that would change the Three Thousand Universes, nor did he know that his hands, so accustomed to the Dual Cultivation of mundane objects, would in the future manipulate the gears of time and space.