At the connecting section of the train carriage, Gu Mufeng opened his luggage and took out two washed apples and a kettle.
He handed the apples to Lu Qiqi and Lu Chuan, then poured two cups of water for them.
“Qiqi, Chuan, here are some fruit and water I brought. Go ahead and eat, don’t get thirsty,” Gu Mufeng said gently.
Lu Qiqi took the apples and water, a warm feeling rising in her heart.
She knew this was Gu Mufeng caring for her and looking out for her.
Even though they had not known each other for long, Gu Mufeng had already proven through his actions that he was someone worthy of trust.
“Thank you, Mufeng,” Lu Qiqi said sincerely.
Lu Chuan looked at the apple in his hand, almost reluctant to take a bite.
To Lu Qiqi, apples held little appeal—after all, in the modern era, what kind of fruit hadn’t she eaten?
Besides, the apples Gu Mufeng had brought looked a little wrinkled.
But in the 1970s, these were precious things. Fruit was scarce back then, and only people of some means could afford to eat it.
Watching Gu Mufeng calmly take out the two apples, Lu Qiqi grew even more certain that Gu’s family was no ordinary rural household.
Coming back to her senses, Lu Qiqi saw Lu Chuan staring blankly at his apple and quickly spoke up.
“Chuan, eat it quickly—your brother Mufeng gave it to you. Apples are good for you. You need plenty of fruits and vegetables to build up your health right now.”
Lu Chuan nodded.
“Mm. Sister, you eat too.”
Lu Chuan took a crisp bite of the apple. Its sweet, rich flavour instantly filled his mouth.
A young boy sitting on the bunk to the left had a clear view of Lu Chuan eating across the aisle. Watching him, the boy sniffed loudly, wiping a long streak of snot back up.
“Grandma, I want an apple too.”
The elderly woman stood up. Seeing Lu Qiqi and Lu Chuan each holding an apple, she narrowed her slanted, shrewd eyes and spoke.
“Girl, my grandson wants an apple. Would you be willing to give yours to him?”
How shameless!
At her words, Lu Qiqi couldn’t help but let out a cold snort. Even in this era of scarcity—let alone in later times when everyone had enough to eat and wear—few people would be so brazen as to ask a stranger for something.
Especially someone they had only just met.
When Lu Qiqi remained silent, the woman grew impatient and pressed on.
“Girl…”
“No.”
“I beg your pardon?” The woman stared, stunned by the refusal.
In her experience, girls of this age were usually too thin-skinned to say no. If you asked for something, they almost never turned you down.
Lu Qiqi met her astonished gaze, finding it almost amusing. She was not the sort to be pushed around. Orphaned early, she had navigated life on her own and seen every kind of odd, unreasonable person imaginable. She would not be bullied, and certainly would not give in to such outrageous demands.
“I said no. If your grandson wants an apple, go and buy one,” Lu Qiqi replied evenly.
The woman’s face darkened instantly. She had not expected this girl to be so uncooperative, so bold as to refuse her.
“How can you be so rude, young lady? I’m merely asking to borrow it! I’ll pay you back—you can come and collect it from me later.”
Lu Qiqi burst out laughing.
“Borrow it? Pay me back? Do you take me for a fool? You borrow an apple, then I’m supposed to track you down to get it back? Where would I even find you? Do I know who you are or where you’re from? Even if I had another apple, I still wouldn’t give one to someone as unreasonable as you.”
The woman was left speechless, caught off guard by how sharp-tongued this girl was. She glanced at her grandson’s pleading eyes and hesitated—yet she had gotten this far by talking her way through every situation, and she had no intention of giving up so easily.
Changing tactics, she looked at Lu Qiqi with a pitiful, tearful expression.
“Girl, look at how young my grandson is. Could you really bear to let him watch you eat and drool? We’ve had such a hard journey together. Please, have a heart—just let him take one bite.”
She spoke and pretended to wipe away a few tears.
Lu Qiqi watched the performance with quiet amusement. She had seen enough of the world to recognize such cheap tricks; they no longer worked on her.
“I said no, and I mean it. Crying won’t change a thing.”
Seeing that Lu Qiqi would not budge, the woman grew angry. Furious at being dismissed by a girl so much younger, she decided to stop wasting time and turned instead to Gu Mufeng.
“Young man, your wife is being so unreasonable—aren’t you going to say something? An old woman travelling alone with her grandson has it hard. Won’t you show some kindness and give us that apple?”
As she spoke, she deliberately flashed a silver bracelet on her wrist. It was worn, yes—but silver was silver, and worth a great deal in these times. She assumed Gu Mufeng, seeing it, would be tempted by the prospect of such a small reward and hand over the apple.
She was mistaken. Gu Mufeng was not the sort to be swayed by petty gain. He did not so much as glance at the bracelet, speaking in a cold, steady tone.
“My wife may do as she pleases. The apple is hers, and she said no. If you want apples so badly, buy one. Do not stand here blocking the way.”
Gu Mufeng’s reply left the woman’s face flushing alternately pale and red. She had never expected a young man to deny her so openly. Huffing in indignation, she turned and stalked back to her bunk.
Lu Qiqi and Lu Chuan exchanged a look and smiled. Neither had expected Gu Mufeng to stand up for them so firmly.
“Mufeng, thank you.”
Gu Mufeng glanced at Lu Qiqi and smiled gently.
“Qiqi, you are my wife. Of course I stand by you. Rest assured—no matter what happens in the future, I will always stand firmly on your side.”
His words filled Lu Qiqi’s heart with warmth. This man is truly a good one, she thought. If that’s the way things are, I suppose I wouldn’t mind spending my life with him.
All because of one apple—barely after the train had departed—she had earned the enmity of the elderly woman and her grandson in the next bunk. For the rest of the journey, the woman shot Lu Qiqi nothing but venomous glares. Lu Qiqi, however, paid her no mind. She bit into her apple again and again with loud, crisp, satisfying crunches—until eventually, the boy across the aisle, driven completely mad with longing, burst into tears.
As the train drew near to their destination, Gu Mufeng stood up…