By the time Lin Jingwan woke again, it was already completely dark outside.
Li Zhaoye noticed her stirring and asked with concern, “Are you awake?”
“Mm.” Lin Jingwan got up and climbed down from the bunk, wanting to stretch her limbs.
Li Zhaoye closed his book. “There’s warm water in the kettle. Drink some first. I’ll go to the dining car and get us some food.”
“Okay. Don’t buy too much. Two dishes will be enough. I brought steamed buns in my bag.”
“Got it.” Li Zhaoye nodded and walked out.
Lin Jingwan watched his retreating figure, warmth spreading through her chest.
This man knew exactly how to be considerate without going overboard. Being with him was surprisingly comfortable.
Before she could finish feeling touched, a sharp, spiteful female voice suddenly rang out.
“Well, aren’t you lazy? Making your man wait on you and fetch your food. What a pampered little thing.”
Lin Jingwan looked up and saw a woman sitting on the opposite bunk. She had a square face, a flat nose, small eyes, and rather ordinary, rough features. At that moment, she was staring at Lin Jingwan with undisguised jealousy.
Lin Jingwan immediately saw through her thoughts. The woman was simply jealous because Lin Jingwan was pretty.
So she fired back, “My man is willing to do it. What business is it of yours?”
With that, she climbed onto the upper bunk, intending to take a steamed bun from her bag.
As soon as she got up there, she saw Luoluo and Hanhan whispering to each other. The two children were staring curiously at a strange bulge beneath the blanket on the neighboring bunk.
Hanhan immediately leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Sis, there’s a little kid hiding under that blanket.”
Lin Jingwan didn’t find that particularly strange. It was perfectly normal to travel with a child. But in the next moment, the blanket lifted slightly, and a little head poked out, taking big breaths of air.
That single glance made Lin Jingwan pause.
It was an exceptionally beautiful little girl.
She had large double-lidded eyes and fair, delicate skin. Her gaze was cautious and timid, making her look especially pitiful.
Following the girl’s line of sight, Lin Jingwan noticed that she kept staring at the steamed bun in her hand and swallowing.
So Lin Jingwan handed her one.
The little girl reached out and accepted it with a radiant smile before pulling the blanket back over herself.
“Sister, that kid is really strange,” Hanhan said again with certainty.
Lin Jingwan rubbed the children’s little heads and gently reminded them, “She is a little strange.
“But when you’re dealing with people, don’t judge everything by appearances. Things may not be what we think they are. There’s no harm in being patient and observing a little longer.”
She had caught sight of the bruises from pinching on the little girl’s arm earlier. But she didn’t know the whole story yet, so it was better to observe first.
Luoluo and Hanhan nodded and stopped discussing the girl.
Not long afterward, Li Zhaoye returned carrying a lunchbox.
Inside were two meat dishes: minced pork with eggplant and shredded pork with pickled vegetables. The moment Lin Jingwan saw them, her appetite immediately returned.
She had just taken out her chopsticks and was about to start eating when a sour, foul smell suddenly wafted over.
What the hell?!
What had she just seen?
That woman had actually taken off her shoes!
And that intoxicating stench was coming from her!
Damn it! She was practically dropping a poison gas bomb right when Lin Jingwan was eating!
She had done it on purpose!
Lin Jingwan immediately opened the door and kicked the offending shoe straight out into the corridor.
“What are you doing?!”
Tian Jia instantly flew into a rage and rushed outside to retrieve her shoe.
Lin Jingwan shut the compartment door behind her and pushed open the window to air the place out.
Her good mood and appetite had completely vanished.
Seeing this, Li Zhaoye said gently, “It smells terrible in here. Take the kids to the dining car to eat. I’ll stay here and watch the luggage.”
“Yay!” The two little ones obediently nodded.
It really did stink in there. They could only leave their brother-in-law to suffer.
But just as Lin Jingwan took the children’s hands and was about to leave, hurried pounding suddenly came from outside the door.
“Open up! Open the door right now!”
Lin Jingwan raised her hand and opened the door.
Standing outside were the furious Tian Jia and a man.
The man had dark skin, small single-lidded eyes, and a sinister gaze. He looked like someone who was definitely not to be trifled with.
Tian Jia pointed at Lin Jingwan and shouted angrily, “This is my berth! Who gave you the right to shut the door? And who gave you the right to kick my shoe?!”
Lin Jingwan was still studying the pair’s faces when an idea suddenly occurred to her.
“Comrade, having smelly feet isn’t your fault, but if they interfere with my meal, then that’s your fault.
“Even rats have fur and people should have manners. If you can’t keep yourself clean, you shouldn’t be subjecting everyone else to your stench, either.”
“What rats? What manners?” Tian Jia looked completely confused.
Lin Jingwan’s eyes darkened slightly.
She didn’t understand? Even better.
So she continued, “What I mean is, even a fox knows better than to expose its smelly tail. You’d be better off keeping your feet away from other people.”
“Why did it suddenly become a fox?”
“Pfft!”
A soft laugh suddenly came from the doorway.
Everyone turned to look.
A woman in her forties stood there. Her complexion was somewhat dark, marked by years of hard labor. Her short black hair was neatly and briskly cut, giving her a spirited appearance. At that moment, she was looking over with an amused smile.
Standing beside her was a tall, upright man who was quietly trying to persuade her.
“Your health isn’t good. Don’t stand around watching the commotion. Let’s go back and sit down.”
“Okay.”
Although she said that, the moment she returned to her berth, she leaned toward the wall and perked up her ears to eavesdrop.
Zhao Zhigang: “……”
Fine. His little aunt rarely took an interest in anything, so he might as well let her enjoy the show.
Tian Gang’s face darkened as he looked at his confused sister.
“You’re young, but don’t be so arrogant. With that sharp tongue of yours, sooner or later you’ll stumble and take a hard fall.”
“Who do you think is going to fall? You two?”
Lin Jingwan lifted her chin proudly.
“I’m a law-abiding citizen who values public morality. I uphold the virtues of being a good young person. Unlike certain people who have no sense of public decency and absolutely no manners.”
Lin Jingwan said proudly, “I’m a law-abiding citizen who values public morality and upholds the virtues of a good, well-rounded young person. Unlike certain people who have no sense of decency and absolutely no manners.”
Tian Jia understood that perfectly. “Who are you calling uncivilized?!”
“Whoever responds is the one I’m talking about.
“A person ought to have some self-awareness. It’s one thing to have a rather unfortunate face, but to have such delusional thoughts on top of that?
“You were just eyeing my man a moment ago. Where did you get the nerve? A toad dreaming of sleeping with a frog ugly as sin, but dreaming all kinds of pretty dreams.
“Tsk. Didn’t your mother even give you a face worthy of that confidence?”
“Pfft hahahaha!”
Zhao Mingzhu covered her mouth, her whole body trembling with laughter.
She really liked this sharp-tongued young woman!
Beside her, Zhao Zhigang helplessly shook his head. His little aunt really was something. If she was going to eavesdrop, couldn’t she at least keep her voice down?
Meanwhile, Tian Jia was so furious that her face had turned bright red.
“You! You !”
She raised her hand, about to strike.
Li Zhaoye immediately shifted his footing and stepped in front of Lin Jingwan protectively. Seeing this, Tian Gang hurriedly reached out and grabbed his sister’s arm.
Lin Jingwan gently pushed Li Zhaoye aside and smiled at him before continuing to provoke Tian Jia.
“What? Can’t argue with me because you’re in the wrong, so now you want to throw a tantrum and resort to violence?
“You can’t win an argument, and you don’t even have the guts to throw your weight around properly! If you’re still unhappy, why don’t we find a train police officer and let them decide who’s right?”
At the mention of the train police, Tian Jia visibly stiffened. A flicker of guilt immediately flashed through her eyes.
Li Zhaoye stood to the side, taking in both Lin Jingwan’s unabashed sharpness and the reactions of the Tian siblings. He stepped forward, quietly assuming a defensive stance.
At this point, Tian Jia’s chest was heaving violently. She was clearly furious.
But Lin Jingwan continued provoking her.
“What? Don’t dare?
“So you’re really all bark and no bite a pathetic clown, a shameless fool, dressed up like a respectable person but rotten to the core!”
“AAAAAH!”
Tian Jia couldn’t take it anymore.
That damned woman kept hurling insults at her that she couldn’t even understand!
The first time Lin Jingwan had insulted her, she had been testing a theory. After that, she was doing it deliberately.
She deliberately insulted Tian Jia and deliberately provoked her, all to confirm her suspicions.
Sure enough, Tian Jia finally snapped.
She suddenly twisted her wrist and flipped her arm, trying to wrench herself free from Tian Gang’s grip.
But Tian Gang reacted extremely quickly. He dropped his arm and redirected her force, easily neutralizing her struggle.
Suppressing his anger, he barked in a low voice, “Tian Jia! That’s enough. Settle down!”
Lin Jingwan watched their swift and practiced movements and smiled.
Beside her, Li Zhaoye had also taken in the entire scene, his eyes growing more serious.