Su Nian’an had already guessed what kind of person that older woman was the moment she saw her. She had encountered plenty of people like her before.
When you ran into someone like this, the simplest solution was to hit back harder than they did.
Once they suffered a loss, they would become afraid.
Back in her village, that older woman had probably been the kind of tyrant everyone was afraid to provoke, which was why she could act so arrogantly even outside the village.
The situation had become so unpleasant that even the train attendant, who had been trying to persuade the two of them to stop arguing, was at a loss. He sighed before saying, “Let’s all calm down. How about we each take a step back and return to our own seats?”
The corners of Su Nian’an’s lips curled upward. “I have no objection.”
After all, the woman had spread rumors about her, and Su Nian’an had already returned the favor with a slap.
Seeing everyone around them staring at her, the older woman wanted to lose her temper and say that she objected, but it seemed that no one present was on her side.
“Grandma, you can sit here yourself. I’ll go stand somewhere else.”
The boy, feeling humiliated, threw those words at the older woman before running away.
“Hey! You little brat! Where are you going?”
The older woman took the opportunity to chase after him, following him into another train carriage.
Because there were too many people, everyone’s view was blocked, and no one saw what happened between the two of them afterward.
Seeing how things had turned out, the train attendant could only sigh. He then smiled at Su Nian’an and said, “Since the two of them have left, Comrade, you can go back to your own seat.”
Su Nian’an nodded. She had no objection.
She moved the things on her little table farther inside, then shifted herself back into her own seat.
Only after settling everything did she look up again at the handsome man who had just stepped in to stop the older woman from hitting her.
“Comrade, thank you,” Su Nian’an said with a smile.
The man had a serious expression, making his eyes appear somewhat cold.
He nodded at Su Nian’an and replied, “You’re welcome,” before walking away.
Su Nian’an turned to watch his back and saw him heading toward the doorway of another carriage. Judging by that, he probably had a standing ticket too.
He was quite far away from her, which made Su Nian’an feel a little disappointed.
Such a handsome face. What a pity she couldn’t look at it often.
Otherwise, sitting on this train wouldn’t be so bad if she could occasionally admire such a stunning face.
Su Nian’an was a serious face enthusiast and not just a little.
Every single feature of that man’s appearance fit her sense of beauty perfectly.
What a pity.
She was going to get married, after all. She had to observe proper conduct as a married woman.
After Su Nian’an sat down, she noticed that the person sitting opposite her seemed to have been staring at her the whole time.
The man sitting across from her looked to be around her age. He had a youthful, baby-faced appearance and rather delicate features.
She looked at him and asked, “Comrade, why are you staring at me?”
This young man had also helped Su Nian’an earlier, when she had been arguing with the older woman. He had testified that the older woman had deliberately pretended not to know her grandson.
When the young man saw Su Nian’an looking at him, his face involuntarily turned red.
He stammered, “N-No, it’s nothing. I-I just think you’re really amazing.”
Su Nian’an: “……”
What was so amazing about that?
Then again, there were plenty of people in this era who relied on their age to bully others.
There really weren’t many young girls like Su Nian’an who dared to stand their ground against someone like that.
Most people, when faced with such a situation, especially those who were timid and afraid of trouble, would simply choose to swallow their grievances and consider themselves unlucky.
But Su Nian’an was not one of them.
“Am I? Thank you for the compliment.”
“N-No need to thank me. Comrade, where are you going?” the young man asked.
Su Nian’an noticed that his eyes were clear and innocent, and that he looked like a college student. Her guard gradually lowered.
“Are you an educated youth being sent down to the countryside?” Su Nian’an asked in return.
“Y-Yes.”
Su Nian’an nodded before asking, “Where are you being sent?”
“To the Jizhong Plain in Ji Province.”
Su Nian’an was a little surprised.
Although a large proportion of the educated youth from Beijing were assigned to Ji Province, she had not expected him to be going to the same general area as she was.
“I’m going somewhere around there too,” Su Nian’an said.
She deliberately did not tell him that they were actually going to the same destination.
If she did, he might suggest that they travel together. With a young man and woman traveling together, people would inevitably start gossiping.
That was one of the things that was troublesome about this era.
If an unmarried man and woman had even the slightest bit of contact, they could easily be drowned in gossip.
Even walking a little too closely together on the street could result in accusations of having an improper relationship.
“Oh, really? What a coincidence! Could it be that we’re going to the same place, maybe even the same village?” The young man looked at Su Nian’an with bright, excited eyes.
Su Nian’an smiled and said, “I’m going there to find someone, so I’m not really sure.”
“Oh, I see. Who are you looking for? I can help you ask around when we get there.”
“I’m going to find my husband.”
Su Nian’an did not hide it and simply stated her purpose.
As soon as the young man heard that Su Nian’an already had a husband, his enthusiasm immediately dropped by half.
“Oh, I see. You look so young. I didn’t expect you to already be married.”
Was that really something surprising in this era?
In some more conservative places, people were already getting married at sixteen, and some even earlier.
Su Nian’an chatted with him for a while longer before eventually becoming drowsy and falling asleep in her seat.
When she woke up, someone was already sitting beside her.
But it was neither the older woman nor her grandson.
Instead, it was a relatively young woman.
Judging by the situation, the older woman must have convinced someone else to switch seats with her again.
Perhaps she was embarrassed, or perhaps she had realized that Su Nian’an was not someone she could easily mess with, so the older woman had taken the initiative to find someone else willing to exchange seats.
Meanwhile, the young man sitting across from Su Nian’an was now chatting animatedly with the young woman sitting opposite him.
The two of them seemed to be from the same production brigade.
Through their conversation, Su Nian’an finally learned that the train she was riding had apparently picked up another group of educated youth who were being sent down to the countryside.
Perhaps because Su Nian’an did not pay much attention to him, or perhaps because he had learned that she was married, the young man sitting opposite her no longer tried to talk to her.
Instead, he continued chatting enthusiastically with the young woman who had arrived later.
Su Nian’an looked out at the scenery passing by the window and let her mind drift.
The two people beside her kept chattering away, but Su Nian’an paid them no attention.
When she felt hungry, Su Nian’an took out some of the candies and biscuits she had bought and ate them. Afterward, she drank some water.
Perhaps she had drunk a little too much, because she stood up to go to the restroom.
Seeing this, the young woman immediately moved aside without saying a word to let Su Nian’an out.
There were relatively few train services in this era, while the number of passengers was large. As a result, the train carriages were chaotic and the sanitary conditions were poor.
After finally making her way to the restroom, Su Nian’an discovered that someone was already inside.
She was getting a little desperate, but there was nothing she could do except wait.
Fortunately, she did not have to wait long.
Before long, the person came out.
When the restroom door opened, Su Nian’an was somewhat surprised.
It was actually someone she knew.
It was the handsome man who had helped her earlier.
She instinctively smiled at him and greeted him.
“Comrade, h-hello.”