Zhao Mengxue glared at Su Wan, her whole body trembling like a sieve.
She looked at the suitcase in Su Wan’s hand, and Su Wan shook it slightly.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. I haven’t divorced Huai Zhi; I’m going to follow the army.”
She touched her belly again, a blissful smile spreading across her face. “And I’m pregnant. Huai Zhi told me to go there and take good care of myself; I don’t have to worry about anything.”
Then she looked at Zhao Mengxue. “It seems you’re pregnant too, right? Too bad the Zhou family doesn’t approve. Otherwise, your child might be the same age as mine!”
Her voice was loud enough that a few of the educated youth nearby heard her and immediately started whispering and gossiping.
“Zhao Comrade isn’t even married yet. How could she have a child?”
“Oh my god… could she be pregnant before marriage?!”
Some of the male educated youth had been slightly interested in Zhao Mengxue. Among the girls, she was considered pretty.
But upon hearing that she was pregnant before marriage, their faces turned to disapproval, even bordering on disdain.
A woman who doesn’t respect herself? They wouldn’t want her. Who knew when she might cheat on them!
“You—!” Zhao Mengxue, of course, knew exactly how everyone would see her after Su Wan’s words.
She felt like needles were piercing her back. Her eyes were bloodshot as she lunged toward Su Wan, seemingly trying to grab her hair.
Su Wan, of course, wouldn’t let that happen. She lightly pivoted, stepping back a few paces to avoid her.
Zhao Mengxue, however, didn’t stop in time and slammed into the wall with a thud, her head spinning.
The staff accompanying the educated youth frowned and walked over. “Comrades, our bus is about to arrive. Are you finished talking?”
They also disapproved of this unruly and impure comrade, but since she was on the list for going to the countryside, nothing could go wrong.
“We’re done. Thank you for your hard work, comrades,” Su Wan said with a slight smile and turned to leave.
Zhao Mengxue’s hoarse voice rang out behind her: “Su Wan! Don’t leave! You bitch, how could you do this to me! …”
“Ugh ugh %…*￥#” Her mouth was quickly covered. The staff hadn’t expected her to curse so profanely and feared she’d completely lost her mind.
So, one person held her from each side, while another covered her mouth.
“Tch! Can’t believe it. She looks so quiet and gentle, but when she swears, she’s dirtier than some rural women.”
“Really brings shame to our educated youth. There were a lot of people watching just now!”
“Ugh, if anyone gets sent to the same place as her, better keep a distance. She doesn’t seem like a good person.”
Su Wan strode off, ignoring Zhao Mengxue’s loud curses behind her.
The angrier Zhao Mengxue got, the happier Su Wan felt. In an excellent mood, she went to a state-run restaurant and realized she was hungry.
She hadn’t had an appetite in the morning, but now her hunger returned.
After eating, she wandered around for a bit, and soon it was evening. Su Wan boarded the train and found her seat.
But on her lower bunk lay an old woman, and her seven- or eight-year-old grandson was even stepping on the bed wearing shoes.
Su Wan’s expression immediately turned cold. “Is this your seat?”
The old woman glanced up, seeing a delicate young woman in a dress, skinny and seemingly easy to bully.
She didn’t bother lifting her eyelids and closed them again, pretending not to notice.
Su Wan took a deep breath. “Which seats are yours? Get down, or I’ll get the conductor!”
Her good mood from sending Zhao Mengxue away vanished completely. The old woman’s behavior was infuriating—closing her eyes and pretending to be deaf!
The old woman suddenly sat up. “I’ve been sleeping here since I got on the train. What are you shouting for, young lady?!”
Su Wan sneered. “Where’s your ticket? This is my seat. Since when can two people sit in one spot?”
At that moment, two more people entered the compartment. It was a four-person room: a woman in her forties and a young man.
The old woman didn’t expect this seemingly gentle and fragile young girl to be so fearless. Her lips quivered as she tried to speak again.
But Su Wan wasn’t indulging her. “Are you moving or not? If not, I’ll get the conductor!”
“Oh, you young girl, you’re so stubborn! I’m an old lady with a grandson. Don’t you know to respect the elderly and care for the young? Haven’t you learned any manners?”
Su Wan slammed down her suitcase with a bang, chest heaving, eyes flashing with anger. The old woman had no reason and was now lecturing her on upbringing?
“I think you are the one with no manners. If you don’t move, I’ll call the conductor!” Su Wan started to walk.
The older woman glanced at her, noticing how well-dressed she was but unwilling to yield a seat.
“Nowadays, some young people have so little awareness, don’t know respect for the elderly…”
“Think about it, an old lady with a grandson, climbing such high bunks. This young girl really has no sense!”
She sighed again, shooting Su Wan a look of contempt, but refused to budge.
Su Wan looked at the woman, who was full of disdain, as if a young person refusing her was wrong.
Seeing Su Wan’s stare, the woman turned to the old lady to speak, occasionally glancing at Su Wan.
Seeing them chatting so cozily, saying things with hidden meanings, Su Wan’s expression grew colder. She turned and strode away.
The two women assumed Su Wan was intimidated. Whispering, they muttered, “Young people nowadays can’t compare to us back then.”
Su Wan went two compartments down, found a female conductor, explained the situation, and the conductor followed her back.
The old woman, seeing Su Wan had really brought the conductor, immediately began playing the victim.
“Leader, look at me, I’m old, carrying my grandson, climbing up and down, it’s really inconvenient. I just wanted to swap seats with this young comrade, but she won’t consider an old lady. Young people nowadays…”
She spoke while wiping tears, acting like she had no recourse.
The conductor was annoyed. Trains were crowded, incidents frequent; she had dealt with countless such cases.
The old woman clearly seemed unreasonable, but she was old and had a grandson, so climbing was inconvenient.
The conductor then looked at Su Wan. “Comrade, why don’t you switch seats with her? It would be hard for her with a child…”
Su Wan sneered inwardly. The conductor was just trying to avoid trouble, thinking Su Wan wouldn’t want to make a scene over an old woman.
If the conductor had asked politely, Su Wan might have considered it, given the old lady’s situation.
But now? No way.
The old woman was practically smug. She had expected this outcome, so she wasn’t worried when Su Wan went to find the conductor.
Last time she had been on a train, she encountered the same thing. That young girl had obediently given up her seat.
Hmph! Compete with her? She was too inexperienced!
Su Wan: “No! I bought the ticket for this seat. Just because you’re old doesn’t mean you can lie down wherever you want!”
The conductor hadn’t expected Su Wan to be so firm and immediately went cold.
“Oh, look at this young person. What’s climbing a bunk? Why target an old lady? Heartless!”
Even the woman on the opposite lower bunk joined in, egging her on.
“Everyone was young once. You should spare others when you can!”
Seeing the conductor’s impatience, Su Wan’s anger surged. “You’re a conductor and won’t handle this dispute? Letting someone take another person’s seat? Fine, I’ll report to your superior!”
The conductor panicked. She thought Su Wan would give in eventually. Young people were thin-skinned; with this old lady crying, she would surely back down.
“What are you rushing for? I didn’t say I wouldn’t handle it! Lady, you’re lying in this comrade’s seat. Go back to your own seat!”
The old woman was silenced. She hadn’t expected the conductor to side with Su Wan this time.
She had deliberately chosen the upper bunk because it was cheaper. She had planned to swap for a lower bunk later so she and her grandson wouldn’t have to climb.
Now that she had to climb to the upper bunk, she refused.
“How can that work? How am I supposed to climb up with a child? If I fall, who’s responsible?!” The old woman pouted and acted like she was being unreasonable.
The conductor, annoyed, tried to reason, but the old woman was stubborn.
The conductor looked at the woman across the bunk. “Why don’t you switch seats with her? It’s inconvenient for her with the child.”
The old woman realized there was another seat across from her after all.
“Miss, shall we switch seats? I’m old and have a grandson—it really is inconvenient!”
The woman across, displeased, snapped, her previous amused expression gone.