The old man and Jiang Qiao sincerely wanted Song Lianfeng to have a full meal, so Song Lianfeng didn't stand on ceremony with them and ate five steamed buns in one go.

“Auntie, we’re leaving now. I think my grandfather’s patient can still come over. He has the key, so it’s fine if he comes. But the others won’t be able to come. Please keep an eye on them.”

"Then come back soon. With you guys around, I can find someone to gossip about."

Jiang Qiao and his grandson set off by car before dawn, heading straight for Qiao Jie's hometown.

To be honest, Jiang Qiao really didn't like taking the train. Not only was it too slow, but there were also a lot of people, visiting relatives and friends, and people fleeing famine, all sorts of people. The whole carriage made her feel a little suffocated.

Qiao Jie stared silently at the scenery outside the car window, and Jiang Qiao was too lazy to speak either. The two sat together, each lost in their own thoughts.

But the people around me were so talkative. It was a matter of fate to meet someone on the same train, especially in a foreign land. Before long, everyone around me was chatting.

Jiang Qiao closed her eyes and listened intently. Sitting in this car, with different destinations and origins, she treated it as a way to learn about the situation in different places.

As she had anticipated, she had to bear the bitter consequences of her actions. With limited production, it was ultimately the villagers who suffered the most.

Hearing the sighs of admiration around her, Jiang Qiao's lips curled up slightly. Heaven had been kind to her, at least allowing her to bring back supplies. Otherwise, how could she possibly survive on a meager monthly allowance?

The old man said that all flour comes with bran, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to buy pure flour these days.

When it was mealtime, I saw that the people around me either just watched or took out their own dry food. Some who were better off bought the meal boxes sold by the train attendants.

Jiang Qiao glanced at the food in the lunchbox and thought it looked really good, especially since it was hot. It would be fine for her to eat it, but Qiao Jie was so old, it wouldn't be right to make him eat cold food. She wanted to take out something hot, but she couldn't explain it to him.

They promptly paid for the meal, a balanced mix of meat and vegetables, which the grandmother and grandson ate together.

"Grandpa Qiao, dinner's ready!"

Seeing that Jiang Qiao had brought back the food, Qiao Jie quickly got up to help. The two of them ate quietly with their heads down, but Jiang Qiao, with her sharp ears, heard a slurping sound coming from somewhere.

Looking up, I found a little boy standing by the table, sucking his fingers and swallowing his saliva as he watched them eat.

The little guy is quite sensible; although he's greedy, he doesn't ask for it.

It was this kind of child that made Jiang Qiao feel sorry for him, so she bent down and looked directly at the little boy.

"Little brother, if you don't mind, how about you eat these?"

The little guy's eyes held longing but also hesitation as he turned to look at the adult dozing off by the aisle.

Jiang Qiao understood everything. Qiao Jie overheard their conversation, and the old man beckoned to the little guy, "Child, come here to Grandpa, Grandpa will give you some to eat—"

The little guy's eyes were still hesitant. He looked at Jiang Qiao and Qiao Jie, then turned back to tug at the old lady.

"Grandma, Grandma, dinner—"

The old lady opened her eyes and saw the old man holding out his lunchbox to hand food to his child.

"Brother, this won't do. The journey is tough. You keep it for yourselves. Beans, if you're hungry, Grandma has some food."

Seeing the old lady take out a crumbly wild vegetable dumpling from her bag, Jiang Qiao and Qiao Jie both felt a pang of pity.

"Grandma, I've only had a few bites of this. If you don't mind, you two can have it. One lunchbox is enough for Grandpa and me."

Qiao Jie, standing to the side, advised, "Sister, as you just said, it's not easy for anyone to be away from home. My granddaughter bought too much, so please consider it a favor to us. We can't waste things these days, otherwise it would be a sin."

The little boy tugged at the old woman's hand and shook it, saying, "Grandma, I'm hungry, I want to eat—"

Jiang Qiao got up and handed the lunchbox directly to the old lady, then took out two pairs of chopsticks from her bag.

"Grandma, please eat. These are new chopsticks, please don't mind them."

The old lady sniffed, "How could we possibly complain? It's all because you're all so kind-hearted. Thank you, I won't be polite."

The old lady was really hungry. She had been holding back her food, wanting to save some for her grandson. She fed him first, and then ate the rest herself. If she hadn't had to return the lunchbox, she would have kept it for the child.

After the little one had eaten and drunk his fill, he yawned slightly. Jiang Qiao quickly got up and said, "Grandma, bring the baby over and sit down. I'll stand for a while."

The old lady waved her hand repeatedly, and Jiang Qiao pulled her to sit next to Qiao Jie. In that way, they started chatting with the old lady.

“Sigh, life at home is really tough. I was thinking of sending the child to his father’s place. My daughter-in-law will take care of the child a little longer and go there first. I thought that if the child doesn’t go hungry, I’ll send him to his parents first.”

Upon learning that the old man's son was a soldier, Jiang Qiao took extra care of the grandmother and grandson for the rest of the journey.

After getting off the train, the group still needed to take a boat. Once they got to know each other, they traveled together.

As everyone walked and talked, they boarded the boat. Jiang Qiao had been on a boat before, but today she felt a bit nervous. She didn't know why; it was just her intuition.

Jiang Qiao and the others were in a regular cabin, the kind with shared beds. She originally wanted to buy a better cabin, but the old man thought it would be more lively with more people.

"Grandpa, please sit down first, I'll go out and take a look."

The old man was still worried. "Girl, don't get lost, come back soon."

When she arrived in an unfamiliar place, Jiang Qiao had gotten into the habit of observing her surroundings. Otherwise, she would always feel uneasy, and she didn't know why, but she always felt like something was about to happen.

Because they needed to catch a boat, Jiang Qiao and the others barely ate anything after getting off the train. She also needed to find a secluded place to take out her things. She had already eaten the food on the train, but it wasn't very good.

It's already evening. Those who were enjoying the scenery on the deck should go home or have dinner. After all, it's so cold, who wants to be out in the wind? What if they get sick?

When Jiang Qiao came out, there were still a few people standing on the deck.

After getting some fresh air outside for a while, Jiang Qiao felt much better. To be honest, the air in the economy cabin was too stuffy, and there were too many people talking loudly, creating a buzzing sound. If it weren't for the cold outside, she wouldn't have wanted to go back.

Just as she turned to leave, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure quickly disappearing around the bend in the deck.

Normally, this situation wouldn't be a big deal, but the man's movements and footwork made her feel that something was wrong. This person was obviously trained, and his sneaky behavior clearly didn't seem like a good person.