It seemed lunchtime had arrived. Guo Youning slowly sat up straight, stretched lazily, and rubbed her sore, swollen arms.
She glanced at the train attendant carrying a large tray filled with lunch boxes, each labeled differently. Surprisingly, there was quite a variety.
Beside her, the newly awakened Peng Hua and Liao Hanjie each ordered one—one chose Braised Pork Rice Bowl, the other Chicken Leg Rice Bowl.
She still had the meat patties her mother had prepared for her that morning in her space, so she didn’t order anything.
Li Wanrou didn’t order either; she pulled out a box of dumplings from her bag for lunch.
Each of the four had their own delicious food. Li Wanrou warmly offered Guo Youning some dumplings, saying, "Youning, my mom woke up at four in the morning to make these dumplings. They’re pure meat filling—try one, they’re really tasty."
Guo Youning found the aroma irresistible and politely tried one. It was exceptionally delicious.
She, in turn, offered Li Wanrou some small meat patties. Tang Xin’s cooking skills were excellent to begin with, and thanks to the space’s preservation function, the patties were still slightly warm when taken out. The perfect blend of wheat and meat aromas made them a rare delicacy.
Peng Hua and Liao Hanjie also shared the braised pork and chicken leg from their lunch boxes.
Occasionally, Peng Hua would cast a disdainful glance at the two girls’ food, as if being able to eat train boxed meals made him superior.
After eating more of the meat patties, Guo Youning began to feel greasy.
She decided to have some fruit and, after a moment’s thought, pulled four large honey peaches from her bag, giving one to each person.
She hadn’t originally intended to share with the other two, but since she’d accepted their chocolate earlier, she couldn’t be too stingy.
Otherwise, with the look Peng Hua had given her earlier, she’d rather throw away such fine peaches than give him one.
Li Wanrou held the fragrant honey peach in both hands, sniffing and admiring it, reluctant to take a bite.
She couldn’t help but ask, "Youning, where did you buy these peaches? In all my years, I’ve never seen peaches this good."
Guo Youning thought to herself, These are the result of countless rounds of grafting and improvement—naturally superior to the peaches of this era. But aloud, she said, "Just got lucky—traded for them with an elderly woman in the countryside."
With that, she began eating heartily. The fragrance of the honey peach grew even stronger after she bit into it, drawing glances from people in the surrounding seats.
A five-year-old boy two rows away stood on his seat and started fussing, "Grandma, I want to eat their peaches. Go get one for me."
Hearing this, Guo Youning urged Li Wanrou to eat quickly, lest her reluctance lead to someone else coveting the peach.
Li Wanrou was sensible and took several big bites, reducing the peach to half in no time. Her eyes sparkled with delight as she ate.
By the time the grandmother brought her grandson squeezing over to their seats, both girls had already finished their peaches.
But Peng Hua and Liao Hanjie, having eaten more slowly, still had their peaches in hand.
The grandmother and grandson, dressed in relatively new but grease-stained clothes, carried a sour odor. As soon as they arrived, they fixed their gaze on the peaches in the boys’ hands, their throats moving repeatedly.
The grandmother bared her yellowed teeth and said, "Comrades, you look like kind-hearted people. Could you spare one of these peaches for my grandson?"
Peng Hua shifted away disdainfully toward Guo Youning. "We only have one peach each, and they were gifts from someone else. We can’t share with you."
His eyes then flicked toward Guo Youning, as if to say, Do you have any more? If so, give them one to send them away quickly.
Guo Youning ignored him. She wasn’t about to indulge an old woman looking for a free ride.
Once you give them the peach, next they'll be eyeing your snacks, your money… In short, you must never set a precedent.
Seeing that Peng Hua was proving difficult, the grandmother turned to pester Liao Hanjie.
"Young man, I saw you eating white rice with a chicken leg earlier. With such a fine meal, missing one peach won't matter. My good grandson is at a growing age yet only has a steamed bun to fill his stomach. Young people should be kind-hearted."
Numerous eyes began gathering in their direction. Liao Hanjie felt as if sitting on pins and needles. That fragrant honey peach—he really liked it and couldn't bear to part with it, yet he didn't want to be pointed at and criticized either.
He cleared his throat, attempting to shift the conflict, and said to Guo Youning, "Comrade Guo, if you have any left, why not give one to this grandmother? The elderly have it hard."
Guo Youning inwardly clicked her tongue. Truly, one shouldn't judge by appearances—was Liao Hanjie already selling her out, pushing her forward as a shield? How irresponsible. If they were assigned to the same production team in the future, she must keep her distance.
He and Peng Hua were perfectly matched—both gold and jade on the outside, but rotten within.
Thinking he could shift the trouble onto her? Not a chance.
She took out the backpack she carried with her, patted it, and displayed it, saying, "There were only four to begin with, and now they're gone. If Comrade Liao truly sympathizes with them, he should make the sacrifice."
Peng Hua couldn't bear to part with the tempting honey peach. Seeing the conflict hadn't reached her, she quickly hugged the peach and took a big bite—it was just too delicious.
The grandson, seeing one fewer of the peaches he'd been staring at, began wailing and throwing a tantrum. "Grandma, grandma, I want the peach! Give me the peach now! That bad woman ate my peach!"
While crying, he reached out to hit Peng Hua, smearing snot and tears all over her new dress.
Peng Hua instinctively pushed him away, but used too much force. The chubby grandson fell to the ground, his head hitting the nearby seat and turning slightly red. His cries grew even louder.
The grandmother hurriedly hugged her grandson, cooing "precious" and "sweetie," then glared furiously at Peng Hua and began cursing.
"You vicious woman! How dare you bully my precious boy, how dare you steal and eat my precious's peach! I won't let you get away with this!"
The grandson continued crying and stirring trouble, "Grandma, you have to avenge me! Beat her to death!"
The old grandmother actually released her grandson, grabbed Peng Hua's hair, and her exquisite hair clip instantly fell to the ground as the sound of a slap rang out.
Good heavens! With just one move from this old woman, you could tell she was an expert fighter!
Liao Hanjie hurried forward to intervene, grabbing the old woman's hand and refusing to let go, compromising as he said, "I'll give my peach to your grandson, just let go now."
By this time, Peng Hua was both in pain and feeling wronged, crying pitifully.
Hearing the offer of the peach, the old woman still wouldn't release her grip, snarling viciously, "My grandson is seriously injured! This isn't something one peach can solve anymore. You have to compensate us fifty yuan!"
The surrounding passengers gaped—this woman was truly being unreasonable!
Liao Hanjie's face flushed red as he said, "Grandmother, your grandson's skin isn't even broken. This is extortion!"
The old woman tightened her grip on Peng Hua's hair, spraying saliva as she shouted, "Internal injuries! Do you understand?"
Peng Hua felt like her scalp was being torn off.
Just then, an authoritative voice rang out, "What's going on here? Everyone stop right now!"
It turned out the train attendant collecting lunchboxes had seen the chaos and called for the railway police.
The crowd made way for the two officers.
Only when she saw the police had arrived did the old woman finally release her grip, still muttering curses under her breath.