Sure enough, this little girl before her was a troublemaker, stirring up the emotions of everyone in the carriage with just a few words.
These educated youths were also fools, charging into battle over a few sentences.
They didn’t bother to think things through properly.
The conductor didn’t want to waste words on her and directly played a trump card.
“Just because you don’t qualify doesn’t mean Comrade Ruan doesn’t. She’s the child of a martyr and is entitled to priority purchase of sleeper tickets.”
The conductor’s words left Xiao He speechless, and the gazes of everyone else in the carriage shifted as well.
Those who had spoken up for Xiao He now felt regretful and deeply ashamed. Why had they meddled in something that wasn’t their business?
They couldn’t control their own mouths.
Why should the daughter of a hero give up her seat? That sleeper berth was something the girl had paid for.
Of course, the daughter of a hero had the right to priority purchase of sleeper tickets. What right did they, protected by soldiers, have to question it?
Everyone was filled with regret, casting hostile glances at Xiao He. It was all this woman’s fault.
If she hadn’t pretended to be pitiful and deliberately stirred things up, they wouldn’t have targeted the hero’s daughter.
“Why couldn’t you just sit quietly on the train? First, you tried to steal someone else’s seat, and now you’re questioning this girl’s right to priority purchase of a sleeper ticket. Have you no shame?”
“Exactly! Who are you putting on that pitiful act for? If you hadn’t started accusing the girl as soon as you got on, we wouldn’t have followed along.”
“How can you be so wicked?”
…
Listening to the accusations from those around her, Xiao He was genuinely hurt this time, tears welling up in her eyes.
This was the first time she had been criticized by so many people. In the past, whenever she put on a wronged expression, everyone would blame the person who had wronged her.
She knew that, on one hand, those people were trying to curry favor with her parents, and on the other, her face was naturally deceptive.
What Xiao He couldn’t accept the most was that these people were all spineless, yet they pushed all the blame onto her.
She wiped her tears, lifted her head, and shouted at the people around her, “What good people are you pretending to be? You all wanted a sleeper berth too, so why are you blaming only me?”
Her words made those who had just accused Ruan Sui’an flush with embarrassment, because deep down, they knew Xiao He was right.
They had indeed wanted a sleeper berth badly, and that was why they had criticized Ruan Sui’an earlier.
Seeing that no one could refute her, Xiao He’s expression remained unpleasant, but a hint of smugness flickered in her eyes.
The conductor, observing Xiao He’s grim expression, wasn’t about to let her off easily and maintained a stern face.
“Comrade, do you still think Comrade Ruan isn’t entitled to priority purchase of a sleeper ticket? If she isn’t qualified, who do you think is? You?”
The sarcasm in her tone was unmistakable, yet no one felt the conductor was in the wrong.
In fact, they thought the conductor had spoken well, brilliantly, and deserved applause.
The conductor was telling the truth. Among everyone here, only Comrade Ruan had the right to priority purchase of a sleeper ticket.
Everyone else could only step aside.
These words made Xiao He lower her head, hiding the resentment in her eyes. She clenched her fists tightly, an unprecedented sense of humiliation surging through her heart.
Since childhood, when had she ever suffered such humiliation? Her father was the deputy director of a textile factory, and her mother was a workshop supervisor.
Ever since she was a child in the residential compound, she had been someone others tried to curry favor with. Many parents told their children to build good relationships with her.
The children in the compound also followed her around, treating her as their leader.
For example, Zhao Youcai, who went to the countryside with her, obeyed her every word. If she said east, Zhao Youcai would never dare go west.
Damn it!
How did things end up like this? Why didn’t everything go according to her plan?
It was all that Ruan woman’s fault. What right did she have to be the daughter of a hero?
And she herself was the daughter of a deputy director of a textile factory, yet she never received such preferential treatment.
A sudden thought flashed through her mind: If only her father were a martyr, then she too could enjoy special treatment everywhere.
She might even get easier tasks in the countryside, or perhaps not have to go to the countryside at all.
But she quickly snapped out of it. How could she think such a thing?
Her father loved her dearly. How could she wish for his death just for some preferential treatment?
She really shouldn’t have thought that.
Xiao He’s father: I really thank you. You’re going to “filial piety” me to death.
Ruan Sui’an followed the train attendant to the sleeper carriage, paid for the sleeper ticket, and only then did the attendant leave.
Ruan Sui’an sat on the lower bunk, feeling quite pleased.
She was glad she had the lower bunk, as climbing up and down would have been too troublesome.
The other three passengers in the carriage were an old man and two young men. The old man was reading a newspaper and only glanced up when she entered.
Then he continued reading his newspaper.
The two young men also glanced at Ruan Sui’an, and she politely greeted them.
"Hello."
The old man nodded. "Hello!"
The two young men also nodded and politely returned the greeting.
Ruan Sui’an placed her suitcase under the bunk and her backpack beside the pillow.
She removed the black homemade mask, revealing her fair and pretty face.
The other three in the carriage couldn’t help but take a look, noticing how beautiful and fair-skinned the young girl was.
It seemed as if her skin was glowing.
In truth, all three were quite curious about who this young girl was, to have the train attendant personally seek her out.
Although curious, none of them asked anything, as they were all strangers.
Everyone was a stranger, and asking too much might make them seem like traffickers.
Indeed, the sleeper carriage didn’t have such strong odors. There was a reason it was more expensive.
Her stomach rumbled, reminding its owner that it was hungry and needed food.
Ruan Sui’an crouched down, pulled her suitcase out from under the bunk, and used her body to block the view of the three people behind her.
She pretended to take the lunchbox from the suitcase, though it was actually from her Space.
She took out a box of rice and a box of sour and spicy shredded potatoes. As for the meat buns and braised pork, she decided not to eat them for now.
Mainly because she wanted something light on the train. The meat buns and braised pork were too greasy and didn’t suit her current appetite.
She placed the lunchbox on the small table in the sleeper carriage, zipped up her suitcase, and pushed it back under the bunk.
When she opened the lunchbox, the aroma of sour and spicy shredded potatoes immediately wafted out, and Ruan Sui’an’s stomach rumbled even louder.
She thought to herself: I know you’re hungry, I’ll eat right away. Can you please quiet down?
Her stomach seemed to be defying her, not only refusing to quiet down but rumbling even louder.
Even the sound grew louder, until the rumbling of her stomach could be heard throughout the entire compartment.
It seemed to protest Ruan Sui'an starving herself, while also warning her not to do this again in the future.
A helpless expression appeared on Ruan Sui'an's face as she quickly took a bite of shredded potatoes and a mouthful of rice.
She hoped her stomach would stop growling—it was really embarrassing, wasn't it?
The boy sleeping on the upper bunk above the old man couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.
"Hahaha…"
This girl was truly adorable. The helpless look on her face made him want to pinch her fair, tender cheeks.
Ruan Sui'an glanced in the direction of the laughter, meeting the young boy's grinning face.
She glared at the boy and ignored him, continuing to eat her meal.
The boy on the upper bunk felt extremely awkward and simply lay back down on his bed, out of sight, out of mind.
How could he have been caught?
He didn't even consider how loud his laughter was—it wasn't as if she was deaf, so of course she could hear it!
But the boy didn't think he had done anything wrong. If anything, it was this girl's fault for being too adorable. Even without making any exaggerated gestures, she reminded him of a little rabbit baring its teeth.
What Ruan Sui'an didn't know was that the old man on the opposite bunk, though reading a newspaper, was also smiling behind it.
He adored granddaughters, but his two sons had only given him four grandsons—not a single soft, sweet granddaughter.
Because of this, he often sighed in frustration, blaming his sons for being useless, unable to even produce a granddaughter.
So useless!
While other families hoped for sons, his family only wished for a soft, sweet, and adorable little granddaughter.
And this little girl before him fulfilled all his fantasies about a granddaughter. It was a shame she wasn't part of his family—he could only admire her from afar.
After finishing her meal, Ruan Sui'an picked up her lunchbox and prepared to wash it in the dining car. As soon as she stepped out of the sleeper compartment, she collided head-on with a middle-aged woman holding a child.
The lunchbox in her hand slipped and fell to the ground with a loud clatter.
The noise was unusually loud, and people from the two nearest sleeper compartments poked their heads out to see what had happened.
Seeing nothing serious, they quickly withdrew.
But Ruan Sui'an grew alert. There was something strange about the middle-aged woman holding the child.
The woman wore a tattered red cotton jacket covered in patches, and her pants were similarly patched—clearly, her family was not well-off.
Yet the blanket wrapped around the child in her arms was unusually clean.
Most importantly, the blanket was made of silk, which clearly wasn't cheap.
The stark contrast between the child and the adult made it obvious that something was off.
The middle-aged woman hurriedly apologized, "I'm sorry, little girl, I didn't mean to. I was just in a bit of a hurry. If nothing's wrong, I'll be on my way."
A flicker of panic flashed across the woman's face—not very obvious, but Ruan Sui'an noticed it.
She waved her hand nonchalantly, her voice calm. "It's fine, you can go."
Without looking at the woman again, she crouched down to pick up the lunchbox from the ground.
In the 1970s, lunchboxes were made of aluminum—they wouldn't shatter, but they could dent. The lunchbox was now slightly misshapen from the impact.
Holding the lunchbox, Ruan Sui'an quickly stood up and followed the middle-aged woman.
After just a few steps, she caught up with her.
The middle-aged woman heard footsteps behind her. Instinctively, she tightened her grip on the child in her arms, her body stiffening slightly.
Such a subtle change did not escape Ruan Sui'an's notice. It seemed her suspicion was correct—this middle-aged woman was a human trafficker.
The child in her arms had likely been drugged with sleeping pills. Otherwise, why hadn't the child woken up from the loud clatter of the lunchbox hitting the ground?
Ruan Sui'an followed the woman discreetly, her sharp eyes suddenly catching sight of something that had fallen from the child's swaddling clothes.
The object was small, and the sound it made upon hitting the ground was faint. The middle-aged woman, unaware of what had fallen, quickened her pace instead.
She hurried away even faster.
Ruan Sui'an stepped forward, bent down, and picked up the object from the ground. As she saw what it was, her pupils contracted sharply.