That sour smell unique to fermented dough once again filled the entire carriage.
Su Ci touched her stomach.
Empty.
She wandered through the prepared-food section of her spatial mall.
At first, she wanted to grab a freshly baked beef Wellington—but after thinking about it, that required a knife and fork.
In an era where everyone was eating coarse grains and vegetables, using cutlery for Western food might get her mistaken for a spy.
She needed something down-to-earth… but still irresistibly tempting.
Got it.
Su Ci reached into her seemingly bottomless luggage bag and rummaged around.
She pulled out a silver aluminum lunchbox.
It looked ordinary, even a bit dented along the edges.
But the lid was tightly sealed.
Even so, a domineering, rich aroma of oil slipped through the cracks—like tiny hooks tugging at people’s souls.
She set it on the small table, polished to a shine.
“Ahem.”
She cleared her throat theatrically.
Her long, fair fingers hooked the edge of the lid and gently lifted it.
Boom—!
An overwhelmingly rich meaty fragrance exploded like a compressed bomb at that very instant!
This wasn’t just any meat aroma.
It was top-quality pork belly, slowly braised over low heat, caramelized to perfection—fat and lean blended flawlessly.
Star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves released their soul-stirring fragrance.
There was even a hint of sweetness, balanced with just the right savory richness.
Everyone who had been chewing on dry rations froze mid-bite.
Dozens of eyes snapped toward her like searchlights.
Inside the lunchbox—
Half of it was filled with crystal-clear, perfectly separated white rice.
The rice was dazzlingly white—clearly premium grain, not the yellowed old coarse kind.
And on top—
A thick layer of braised beef!
The beef was cut into mahjong-sized cubes.
Each piece was tender, richly colored, glistening with thick sauce that trembled slightly.
Chunks of potato had soaked up the broth, their edges softened to a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
And that wasn’t all.
Like a magician, Su Ci took out a small jar of chili oil pickles—bright red and glistening.
And a bottle of orange soda, considered a luxury in this era.
The glass bottle was still beaded with cold droplets.
Gulp.
Someone swallowed audibly.
In the suddenly quiet carriage, the sound was especially clear.
Then came a chorus—
Swallowing, stomachs growling like thunder.
The aunt beside her, who had been eating a corn cake, suddenly found it tasteless.
Even rough.
She stared fixedly at the trembling chunk of beef in Su Ci’s lunchbox, eyes nearly popping out, saliva gathering at the corner of her mouth.
It smelled too good!
What kind of background did this girl have?
Bringing braised beef on a train?
And it even looked freshly cooked!
Su Ci ignored the wolf-like, green-eyed stares around her.
She picked up a spoon, scooped a piece of beef along with sauce-soaked rice, and put it into her mouth.
The beef melted instantly.
Fatty but not greasy, lean but not tough.
The rich flavor exploded in her mouth, satisfaction spreading through every pore of her body.
She narrowed her beautiful eyes, like a cat that had successfully stolen cream, utterly content.
“So delicious…”
She murmured softly.
That single sentence—
Was a critical hit.
The child sitting diagonally across could no longer hold it in and burst into tears:
“Mom! I want meat! I want that meat! Waaaah!”
The child cried so hard that snot bubbled out, tossing his coarse bun to the ground.
His mother awkwardly covered his mouth, trying to soothe him while sneaking glances at Su Ci.
Her eyes were filled with envy, jealousy, and a trace of resentment.
“Stop looking! That’s food for rich capitalists—we poor people can’t afford it!”
Though she said that, her tone was so sour it could pickle three jars of cucumbers.
Su Ci ate slowly and deliberately.
Every bite carefully chewed.
In this dirty, noisy carriage, she carried herself with the elegance of dining in a Michelin restaurant.
She intended to live her life like poetry—even in a place like this.
Who said following the army meant suffering?
She would prove otherwise.
Even on this shabby train, Su Ci would be someone others looked up to.
By the end of the meal, those around her were practically writhing in discomfort, drooling.
After finishing the last bite of rice, she wiped her lips with a handkerchief.
The aunt who had been staring finally couldn’t hold back.
She leaned forward, forcing a wrinkled smile, her greedy gaze fixed on the empty lunchbox.
“Oh my, young lady, where are you headed? Eating like this—even a county magistrate wouldn’t dare!”
Su Ci unscrewed the orange soda and took a sip.
The carbonation danced on her tongue, cutting through the grease.
She glanced at the aunt lazily.
“Going to the island. To find a man.”
The aunt froze. “Find a man?”
“Mm.”
Su Ci paused deliberately, then smiled weakly—yet with an air of subtle boasting.
“My health isn’t good. My man was afraid I’d starve on the way, so he had this specially prepared.”
“After all…”
She touched her delicate, flawless face and sighed.
“If I don’t eat well and fall ill, it’ll cost even more to treat. Not worth it.”
The aunt was completely stunned.
What kind of man was this?!
Preparing braised beef just so his wife wouldn’t starve?
What kind of family was that?!
In the corner of the carriage—
A pair of sinister eyes had been locked onto Su Ci from the moment she revealed the dish.
A thin man in patched blue work clothes sat there, looking honest on the surface.
But his murky eyes gleamed with calculation.
As he stared at Su Ci’s wrist and her bulging luggage bag, his tongue pressed against his cheek unconsciously.
This wasn’t some ordinary young wife heading to join the army.
This was a clueless, well-fed fat lamb.
Su Ci seemed to sense it.
She tightened the soda cap and casually turned her head.
Her gaze pierced through the crowd, landing precisely on him.
Their eyes met.
The man expected fear. Avoidance.
Instead—
Su Ci smiled faintly.
There was no fear in her eyes.
Only amusement.
Like a hunter watching a mouse walk into a trap.
Want to eat the lamb?
Better be prepared to break your teeth.
Because this lamb… bites back.
And shocks.
The rich, sweet-savory aroma of braised meat still lingered in the air, hooking everyone’s senses.
Su Ci, full and satisfied, leaned lazily back against a silk cushion.
Her eyelids drooped, like a Persian cat basking in the sun—radiating elegance utterly out of place in this carriage.
“Grrr—”
The child nearby’s stomach growled loudly.
The chubby little boy stared fixedly at her empty lunchbox, drool hanging from his mouth.
A thin layer of red sauce still clung to the sides.
The essence of the dish.
“Grandma… meat… I want meat…”
The aunt’s expression shifted.
Then suddenly—
She grabbed the child and shoved him toward Su Ci.
The child’s dirty hands, nails packed with grime, reached straight for the lunchbox.
“You city girls don’t understand how hard life is for us poor folks!”
“Look at my grandson—he’s starving!”
“You’ve eaten the meat already, so at least let the child lick the box, right?”
“When you’re out traveling, people should help each other! Don’t be so selfish!”
Though she spoke like it was a request—
Her actions were aggressive, almost devouring.
Blatant moral coercion.
“I’m not asking for your meat—just to lick the box. You can’t refuse that, can you?”
If you refused, you’d be heartless.
Cruel.
Su Ci’s lips curved slightly.
She didn’t dodge.
Instead, she gently turned her wrist, avoiding the filthy hand.
Then—
Under their eager, greedy gazes—
She calmly took out a thick white wet wipe.
Her movements were elegant, like cleaning a priceless treasure.
Once.
Twice.
She wiped the inside of the lunchbox clean—every trace of sauce gone.
The white wipe turned a deep reddish-brown.
Then she pinched it between two fingers and tossed it into her trash bag.
Plop.
That was the sound of the aunt’s heart shattering.
The aunt froze.
The child froze.
Two seconds later—
“Waaaah! Bad woman! She threw it away! Waaaah!”
The piercing cry nearly lifted the roof.
The aunt’s face darkened.
“You heartless girl! How can you be so cruel?!”
“You’d rather throw it away than give the child a bite? That’s not paper—that’s life-saving oil to us!”
People around them began murmuring.
Resentment toward the rich flared up instantly.
“What a waste.”
“Typical rich girl behavior. Needs to be criticized.”
Encouraged, the aunt grew bolder.
She shoved herself closer, her sock with holes stepping right onto Su Ci’s Hermès silk cushion.
“And another thing—”
“This carriage is so crowded. Is it appropriate for you to take up so much space alone?”
“Move over and let my grandson lie down!”
Shameless.
Absolutely shameless.
Su Ci looked at the smelly foot nearing her skirt.
Disgust flashed in her eyes.
The next second—
She suddenly clutched her chest.
Her body went limp, collapsing weakly against the window.
“Cough! Cough—!”
The coughing was violent, as if her lungs might come out.
Her already pale face turned even paler.
Trembling, she pulled out a bottle of pills and shakily poured some into her mouth.
“A… Auntie…”