Xiao Mandong told Xiao Manxue to sleep in the upper berth for a while, while she paced back and forth in the lower berth to stretch her legs.
Xiao Manxue had not slept at all the previous night, and even now she still felt as if she were dreaming. She never could have imagined that she would get the chance to attend a Workers’, Peasants’, and Soldiers’ University. Such an incredible stroke of good fortune had actually fallen into her lap.
Xiao Manxue had just climbed into the berth when an elderly couple came in. They looked to be in their sixties, and the old woman was quite talkative.
“Oh my, you two girls look so much alike. Are you twins? You’re about the same age as my granddaughter. Where are you headed? We can look after each other on the journey.”
Xiao Manxue did not respond, nor did she even smile. Xiao Mandong had already told her all about the tricks human traffickers used. She could not cause her sister any trouble now. Her sister had warned her not to speak with strangers, not to eat anything given to her by strangers, and not to help anyone, because she did not have the ability to do so.
Xiao Mandong did not respond to the old woman either. She merely gave her a faint smile as a greeting.
“How rude! Grandma is talking to you, and you won’t even answer her.”
A voice suddenly came from behind them. A girl in her teens walked in, wearing a plaid shirt, straight-leg trousers, and little leather shoes. From her appearance, it was clear that her family was fairly well-off. A woman who did not look much older followed behind her.
Xiao Mandong paid her no attention. She had no desire to get into pointless arguments with people while traveling.
Hearing the girl’s remark, the old woman began chatting with her enthusiastically. During their conversation, they learned that the girl was named Jiang Yue and was from the capital. She had returned to her hometown to visit her sick grandmother, but since the new school term was about to begin, she had to head home early.
The girl had bought the middle berth across from them. She had deliberately chosen it because the upper berth was difficult to climb into, while she was afraid people would sit on the lower berth. In her opinion, the middle berth was the best option.
“Miss, you see, my husband and I only managed to get one lower berth. The other ticket is for an upper berth. Could you exchange berths with us?”
The smile on Jiang Yue’s face instantly froze.
“My father pulled a lot of strings to get this middle berth. How could I possibly exchange it?”
Then her eyes shifted, and she looked toward Xiao Mandong.
“Hey, you’re in the lower berth. You’d be perfect for exchanging with Grandma. She’s quite old, and climbing into the middle berth must be difficult for her. Why don’t you switch with her? Respecting the elderly and caring for the young is one of our nation’s traditional virtues.”
Xiao Mandong could not even be bothered to spare her a glance.
“I’m talking to you. Can’t you hear me? Are you deaf?”
The woman who had come in with Jiang Yue spoke up.
“Jiang Yue, mind your manners.”
“None of your damn business. You’re only my stepmother. Who do you think you are to order me around?”
The woman’s face flushed at Jiang Yue’s retort.
“Jiang Yue, whether I’m your stepmother or not, I’m still your elder. How can you speak so viciously?”
“You did something shameless, so don’t complain that I’m speaking harshly. If it weren’t for you, why would my father have divorced my mother? You’re the shameless woman who seduced my father. My grandmother said that women like you would have been drowned in a pig cage in the old days.”
“You... How can you say such nonsense? Your father and mother were already divorced when I met him.”
“My grandmother said that if you hadn’t interfered, my parents would have gotten back together long ago. They only had a minor problem between them. You’re the one who destroyed my family.”
Tears of anger sprang into the woman’s eyes.
“You really are a horrible child. You know perfectly well why your parents divorced, so why do you keep twisting the truth?”
The woman finally pulled the blanket over her head and began to cry.
Jiang Yue merely curled her lip when she saw the woman cover herself with the blanket, then continued harassing Xiao Mandong.
“You’re not pretending to be deaf just because you don’t want to exchange berths, are you?”
Jiang Yue had never met anyone like this before. No matter who spoke to her, she would not say a word, as if she were mute.
The constant noise was beginning to annoy Xiao Mandong. She could not understand why this girl was being so obnoxious.
“I’ll exchange with you. I’ll take your middle berth, and you can have my lower berth. Then you can exchange with Grandma. That way, you still get to play the hero. How does that sound? I’ll even write a letter of commendation to your school afterward.”
Jiang Yue was speechless.
What was wrong with this woman? She had only refused to exchange berths, yet somehow she had turned the whole thing around and trapped Jiang Yue with her own words.
“I’m not exchanging!” Jiang Yue huffed. She climbed into the middle berth and stopped paying attention to the old woman.
Xiao Mandong was thoroughly speechless. Some people had no morals of their own, yet were always trying to use morality to pressure others.
After chatting for so long without managing to change berths, the old woman could only close her mouth awkwardly.
Before long, Xiao Manxue’s steady breathing came from the upper berth. With nothing else to do, Xiao Mandong closed her eyes and rested.
Half asleep, she heard someone climbing into the berth across from them. Her eyes opened to a narrow slit, and she saw the old man climbing up. His movements were far too agile for someone in his sixties.
After climbing into the berth, the old man’s eyes swept across Xiao Mandong’s side of the compartment like an eagle’s. Xiao Mandong hurriedly shut her eyes tightly. There was something deeply unsettling about his gaze, as if it could see straight through her.
Could he be holding a grudge against her because she had refused to exchange berths?
Lost in uneasy thoughts, Xiao Mandong eventually fell asleep as well. When she opened her eyes again, it was already evening, and only the two sisters remained in the compartment.
“Sis, you’re awake?”
“Mm. Are you hungry?” As she spoke, Xiao Mandong took four lunch boxes from her backpack. She handed one to Xiao Manxue and placed another on the table.
“I’m going to take food to Xiao Ding and the others. I’ll bring back some hot water while I’m at it.”
With that, Xiao Mandong left the compartment.
Xiao Ding was chatting with Shen Linzhou on his berth. To avoid unnecessary trouble, both men were dressed in plain clothes.
Only then did Xiao Mandong get a proper look at Shen Linzhou. He wore a simple white shirt that outlined the muscles beneath it. Tucked into his trousers, it made his legs look especially long.
Shen Linzhou was very tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. He was genuinely handsome.
“Neither of you slept? I made these dumplings. They must be cold by now, so just use some hot water to warm them up and make do.”
With that, Xiao Mandong placed the lunch boxes on the table.
After exchanging a few polite words with the two men, Xiao Mandong left. She urgently needed to use the restroom.
Train toilets in those days were truly foul-smelling. Xiao Mandong planned to use the restroom as cover to enter her personal space.
It was not that she was being overly particular. Since she had the means to enjoy better conditions, why should she force herself to suffer?
She had only been inside her space for a short while when she heard someone knocking on the door outside. Xiao Mandong did not respond. Then she suddenly heard a train attendant unlocking the door with a key.
“See? I told you no one was inside. If someone had been there, how could they not have answered after I knocked for so long?”
It was the voice of the old woman from the berth across from theirs.
Xiao Mandong was speechless. How was she supposed to get out now?
After the train attendant left, the old woman’s voice changed. It was clearly no longer the voice of an elderly woman. Instead, it sounded young.
“The things are here. Keep an eye on them. We have to succeed tonight.”
The woman who had been pretending to be the old woman lowered her voice.
A deep male voice followed. It was the old man who had climbed into the berth so nimbly earlier.
“Mm. Be careful. We’ve been following this person for far too long. This is our last chance. What do you think of that little brat Jiang Yue?”
The woman disguised as an old lady lowered her voice even further. “It’ll work. Once we get the thing, find a way to get her to take it off the train.”
The man’s voice sounded again. “All right. That woman across from us seems to know the two men next door. They look like soldiers, so be careful.”
Xiao Mandong felt that the voice sounded familiar, but for the moment, she couldn’t remember where she had heard it before.
