51

Tang Shengkai barely slept a wink that night, glancing at the basket on his back every now and then.

The two thieves walked back and forth several times, but they didn't get a chance to steal anything, so they had to return to their seats dejectedly.

However, they held this grudge in their hearts. Tang Yue remained asleep, but her consciousness was always conscious, and she knew almost everything that happened in the entire carriage.

As dawn broke, rustling sounds began to fill the carriage.

Some people brushed their teeth and washed their faces, then took out the dry food they had prepared beforehand and started eating.

The young men who were guarding the group opposite them washed their faces, walked past them nonchalantly, paused to glance at them a few times, and then turned and left after finding nothing amiss.

A short while later, he came over carrying a tattered cloth bag and threw it on the small table where the group was sitting.

"Eat up, breakfast. I really don't know what the government is thinking. Do people like you even deserve to eat? Ha!"

The group remained silent until the young man left. Lu Zhanheng, who had been coughing the night before, reached out and untied the cloth bag, revealing several hard cornbreads inside.

Tang Yue looked over curiously and pouted, "The pancakes she made were nowhere near as good as her mother's. They were all pasted up, dark and hard, and the dough was really coarse. I don't know how she's going to swallow them."

Old Li and Tang Shengkai took turns taking the child to wash up. After washing up, they brought over a few bowls of hot water, took out steamed buns, and started eating.

While everyone was distracted, Tang Yue brought over a few more steamed buns and smiled at Lu Zhanheng.

Lu Zhanheng was surprised that this little girl knew what had happened last night. He just glanced at Tang Yue, his face cold and unresponsive.

Tang Yue didn't pay any attention and went back to continue eating.

The man who cursed yesterday is snoring loudly all night and is in excellent spirits.

While he was in the restroom, the two thieves from last night saw him. They exchanged a glance, got up, and followed him into the restroom.

Tang Yue was too lazy to find out what they were doing in the toilet, but she figured it probably wasn't anything good.

Sure enough, after that person came out, he went to Lu Zhanheng and the others and started shouting.

"Wow! The country is really benevolent these days, taking such good care of you bunch of stinking intellectuals, even letting you take the train to the cowshed."

In my opinion, you should be made to walk there. Weren't all those corrupt officials exiled to Ningguta in the past on foot? What makes you so special? Why should the state give you special treatment?

Lu Zhanheng and the others remained silent. The man's cursing was rather pointless, but since he had received money from the two thieves, he naturally had to work even harder.

"What? Now you know how to play the victim? Where were you all before? Weren't you all so arrogant when you were oppressing and exploiting us ordinary people's hard-earned money?"

Hey everyone, come take a look! There are a few stinking intellectuals sitting in our carriage.

Has anyone been ruined by those stinking intellectuals? Come on, let's settle our scores and settle our grievances!

"Everything these people eat, drink, and wear—isn't it all bought with the hard-earned money of ordinary people like us? They're worse off than capitalists. Quick, everyone, let's get them!"

Some people were indeed tempted, but after some deliberation, they all sat down again. Some people were disgusted by the current person's behavior and opened their mouths but ultimately didn't say anything.

That's how it is these days; if they chime in, who knows what trouble will ensue. Anyway, we'll be getting off soon, so it's better to avoid trouble; many people don't want to get involved.

Tang Yue was very annoyed. These people not only ruined her travel experience, but also made her feel that they were ill-mannered.

"What's going on with you guys? This stinking intellectual is even in our carriage! What's going on? We should all work together to kick them out, right everyone?"

With a "smack," the man slapped himself as he spoke.

Now everyone in the carriage was curious. This guy was so arrogant, why did he slap himself?

The man was dumbfounded. He stared at his hand in disbelief. What was going on? He had just felt a slight itch on his face and wanted to gently pat it, but for some reason he used so much force.

He reached out and rubbed his face, which was a little swollen from the beating, but didn't seem to care. He was probably a little angry when he spoke and didn't pay attention to the force he used.

However, the task assigned to him by those two people was not yet finished, and he still had to continue.

He slapped himself for no reason, which made him even more irritable. He bent down and pushed Lu Zhanheng.

Lu Zhanheng kept his head down the whole time, but his posture was very upright, only his head was hanging down forcefully.

Caught off guard, he was pushed hard by the man and fell backward.

Lu Zhanheng sat up straight and immediately felt uneasy. He had never been treated like this before. He was not an enemy, not an invader. He had risked his life for China, and all his military achievements were earned with his life. How dare these people do this?

But that's exactly what he did. He took two deep breaths, thought about his family, and Lu Zhanheng didn't say a word. He was prepared to swallow his anger.

Lu Yong now felt incredibly powerful. In the past, he would have had to grovel before these people, but now, even though he was bullying them like this, they didn't dare utter a single word.

Lu Yong became even bolder. A wicked smile curled at the corner of his lips, and he reached out and knocked the pancakes from their hands to the ground. Everyone immediately stood up.

They glared angrily at Lü Yong, who was taken aback by their imposing manner. However, he quickly recovered, straightened his back, put his hands on his hips, and thrust his chest forward.

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