On the Train
“Taohua, how could you say that? We’re good friends, of course we should go together.”
As she spoke, Jian Mingyue lifted her foot and stomped toward Jiang Taohua’s shoe, putting all her strength into it. She was determined to make this bitch cry.
“Hmm?!”
But things didn’t go as planned. Just as she stomped down with all her might, Jiang Taohua pulled her foot back.
A muffled grunt of suppressed pain sounded beside her.
Jian Mingyue’s heart sank—she knew she had messed up.
[Ahhh, it’s all that bitch Jiang Taohua’s fault! If she hadn’t dodged, I wouldn’t have stepped on someone else.]
[But… is this the male protagonist? He’s quite handsome. If he’s rich, I wouldn’t mind playing around with him.]
Jiang Taohua also glanced at the man sitting to her right. Wasn’t this Shen Zhou, the male protagonist from the book?
He was Jian Mingyue’s official love interest. All of them were assigned to the same educated youth point. On the train, the two fell in love at first sight. Not long after arriving at the educated youth point, they confessed their feelings and started a sweet romance. Later, they returned to the city for college, graduated smoothly, and got married.
Today was supposed to be the day the male and female protagonists fell in love at first sight.
But…
Jiang Taohua looked curiously at the male protagonist, Shen Zhou. Why was he staring at the female protagonist with such disdain? Had the plot somehow gone off track?
Shen Zhou was certain—he could clearly hear this woman’s inner thoughts. He had initially felt some attraction toward her, but now it seemed she was nothing more than a shallow, money-grubbing woman.
Shen Zhou’s eyes turned cold, filled with impatience. This idiot actually thought she could play games with him? How dare she?
“Hmph, Comrade, stepping on someone and not apologizing—that’s quite rude, isn’t it?”
Jian Mingyue froze for a moment, then flushed bright red, stammering, “I’m sorry.”
Shen Zhou lowered his gaze and closed his eyes, pretending to rest.
Fuming, Jian Mingyue placed her luggage on the overhead rack and plopped down in the seat opposite Jiang Taohua.
The hard seats on this train were arranged in groups of four. Jiang Taohua and the male protagonist Shen Zhou sat side by side, while across from them sat Jian Mingyue and a young woman they didn’t know. The woman had a doll-like face, as cheerful and auspicious-looking as a New Year’s painting.
Jian Mingyue’s thoughts were in turmoil. This body was supposed to have the female protagonist halo—everything had always gone smoothly for her since childhood. Yet now, she had been humiliated here. She couldn’t accept it.
She was the female protagonist of the book, and Shen Zhou was the male protagonist. They were destined to be together. Hmph, this man wouldn’t escape her grasp.
Jian Mingyue had fair skin and striking features—she was a beauty in her own right and had great confidence in her looks.
The only thing that bothered her was Jiang Taohua.
The book had written that in the later stages, Jiang Taohua’s beauty was unparalleled. As the female protagonist, her own looks weren’t even a tenth of the supporting female character’s. How was that fair?
It infuriated her—the more she thought about it, the angrier she became!
“Congratulations, Host, for angering the female protagonist. You have received ten yuan.”
Jiang Taohua was utterly confused. She hadn’t done anything!
This ten yuan had come out of nowhere.
Still, she wasn’t about to complain about free money.
Jiang Taohua glanced discreetly at her “cash dispenser” and silently wished her a long life.
Then she glanced at the male protagonist Shen Zhou beside her. The book had mentioned that Jiang Taohua never returned to the city in the end—she died at his hands.
As the train rumbled on, the passengers began to grow drowsy, one by one closing their eyes to rest.
Suddenly, a crisp hawking voice rang out.
Jiang Taohua opened her eyes to see a tall female attendant in uniform pushing a small cart slowly down the aisle.
She was curious about what was sold on trains in the 1970s.
Leaning forward to look, she saw bread, biscuits, canned fruit, sunflower seeds, peanuts, and roasted chicken on the cart.
Food in this era contained no additives, so it was safe to eat.
Jiang Taohua took out five yuan and handed it to the attendant, buying a roasted chicken.
Then she pulled two white steamed buns from her satchel and began eating them with the roasted chicken, savoring every bite.
Across from her, a baby-faced girl took out two meat-filled buns made with white flour. When she took a bite, the aroma spread. Most of the people around were gnawing on coarse cornbread, and they stared at the meat buns in the baby-faced girl’s hands and the roasted chicken on the table, unable to help but swallow their saliva.
Jian Mingyue, doted on by her parents, also ate well. She unwrapped a paper packet, picked up her chopsticks, and ate dumplings one by one. Homemade dumplings were simply delicious.
An elderly woman with graying hair stared at them with naked greed in her eyes, as if she were about to snatch their food outright.
These few people were eating far too well—white steamed buns, dumplings, meat buns, and roasted chicken. It was truly enviable.
Tsk, these worthless girls were eating so well while her precious grandson was still gnawing on coarse cornbread.
The little boy beside her drooled all over his pants. Looking at the food in the hands of Jiang Taohua and the others, he let out a loud wail.
“Grandma, I want to eat meat buns and roasted chicken! I want dumplings too!”
“Wahhh, why are those worthless girls eating better than me? I want to eat too! Go snatch it for me!”
As soon as he started crying, the old woman’s heart ached for him.
She stood up, walked a few steps to where Jiang Taohua and the others were sitting, and shamelessly reached out to snatch the food. Jian Mingyue, caught off guard, had her half-eaten dumplings snatched away.
The old woman’s face wrinkled into a chrysanthemum-like smile as she handed the dumplings to the little boy behind her. “Here, my dear grandson, eat up.”
Jian Mingyue was furious. She sprang to her feet and pointed at the old woman, shouting angrily, “You old hag! That was my food! How dare you snatch it from me?”
The old woman scolded her indignantly, “You young girl, how can you be so heartless at your age? We’re supposed to respect the elderly and care for the young. Look at us—one old, one young. What’s wrong with eating a few of your dumplings? Why are you being so petty?”
Jian Mingyue was livid. Not only had her dumplings been stolen, but she was also being called petty. What nonsense!
She strode over to the little boy and reached out to snatch the dumplings back.
The little boy was happily munching on the dumplings. Seeing someone trying to take them, he clutched them tightly.
“Ptooey! Ptooey! Ptooey!!”
The old woman narrowed her triangular eyes and spat several times onto the dumplings before looking triumphantly at Jian Mingyue.
“Don’t say I’m unreasonable. Here, take your dumplings back. Go ahead and eat them!”