At noon, the group had some tea and stretched their muscles at a roadside rest stop.
Su Jin bought some fruits and cold snacks to take with her when she left in the morning. The weather was hot and humid, so she took them out to fill her stomach.
Qi Yuanyuan walked over with a piece of cake in her hand, staring longingly at the fresh and delicious food on the table, drooling all over the place.
Su Jin smiled and handed him a fruit and a glutinous rice cake.
The little boy's eyes lit up, and he took it and stuffed it into his mouth as if he hadn't eaten anything decent in centuries.
Qi Sanliang walked over, slapped Qi Yuanyuan on the forehead, and scolded, "You good-for-nothing, have I been short of food for you? You're a disgrace, get back home."
"How can you talk to your own child like that?" Mai Zizi's eyes widened in anger.
Qi Sanliang immediately put on a smiling face, "Young man, you don't understand. Boys need to be disciplined. They won't amount to anything without it. If it were a girl, I would definitely cherish her and hold her in my hands."
"You still have the nerve to talk back!" Mai Zizi slammed her hand on the table, unable to stand Qi Sanliang's attitude.
Qi Sanliang's face also darkened. "I can educate my own child however I want, and outsiders have no right to interfere."
"You!" Mai Zizi was so angry she couldn't speak.
"Zizi." Su Jinxia spoke softly, shaking her head at Mai Zizi.
Since Li Wenci hadn't said anything, they naturally couldn't interfere.
Mai Zizi sat down angrily, glanced at Qi Sanliang and felt disgusted, then turned around and went back to the car.
"Miss Su is indeed sensible." Qi Sanliang said with a smile.
As he spoke, Qi Sanliang sat down without any hesitation, glanced at Su Jin a few times, and said, "Miss Su is young and beautiful, how come you are all alone? It must be difficult for a woman to travel alone without anyone to take care of her."
Su Jin smiled but remained silent.
Qi Sanliang leaned forward, waving a folding fan that appeared out of nowhere, and said with a warm smile, "I wonder what kind of man Miss Su likes? Maybe I have a suitable one that I can introduce to you."
Su Jinxia gently turned her gaze to Qi Sanliang, her expression ambiguous.
Qi Sanliang changed into clean clothes in the carriage, combed his hair neatly, and washed his face, revealing a handsome appearance.
He looked like someone who had never suffered much hardship. He could put on a show of elegance, but the dark circles under his eyes and the cunning in his gaze ruined what little composure he had left.
Su Jin glanced at Li Wenci, who was comforting the child, and said calmly, "I like men who are responsible and have a sense of duty."
Qi Sanliang deeply agreed, "Indeed, a man should have responsibility and be accountable, and I have always reminded myself of this idea."
"Oh? Is that so?" This was the first time Su Jin had ever seen a man so shameless, completely oblivious to his own limitations.
"certainly!"
“In that case, you should treat your wife and children better, don’t you think?” Su Jin stared at him and said.
Qi Sanliang paused for a moment, then chuckled awkwardly, "Yes, yes, I was really injured today, that's why I asked my wife to drive. I usually do all the hard and tiring work, I can't bear to let my wife and daughter suffer at all."
Su Jin naturally didn't believe this.
"Really, you believe me!" Qi Sanliang wanted to swear to the heavens.
“I only trust my own eyes. I will gradually see what kind of person you are. You don’t need to rush to say these things,” Su Jinxia said softly, taking a sip of tea.
Su Jin appeared calm and collected, her mind clear and in complete control.
Qi Sanliang couldn't help but be convinced, nodding repeatedly and flatteringly saying, "What you say is right, Miss. Whatever you say is correct."
Su Jin put away the food. "I've finished eating. You all rest slowly. Let me know when you're done, and we'll continue our journey."
"Okay, I'll help you."
"No."
Su Jin quickly packed her things and returned to her car.
Mai Zizi was still angry, and when she saw Su Jin come back, she poured out all the complaints she had been holding back.
Although Qi Sanliang did not commit any murders or arson, he mistreated his wife and children and was not a real man.
Mai Zizi had been surrounded by people like Shen Qianxue and Shen Xi since she was a child. Compared to them, she found Qi Sanliang disgusting.
Su Jin lifted the curtain and looked outside.
Li Wenci grabbed Qi Sanliang, her face full of anger, "Are you trying to make a move on Miss Su? Let me tell you, you'd better put away those filthy thoughts. Before, you were out drinking, gambling, and whoring, and I couldn't control you because I was in the inner quarters, but now we're on the run! Besides, Miss Su is our savior!"
Qi Sanliang retorted, "What nonsense are you spouting? Do you think I'm that kind of person? You know how I've treated you. If we weren't on the run, would you have been short a penny? And now you dare to lecture me?"
Qi Sanliang never took Li Wenci seriously. He reprimanded her mercilessly and continued, "Miss Su is highly skilled in martial arts. I flatter her so that she can accompany us and protect us. Otherwise, the journey would be too dangerous. We would all die before we even reach Qishan. You women only have such petty and narrow-minded views."
Li Wenci was speechless with anger, her eyes welling up with tears. She turned away, too lazy to care about him anymore.
A short while later, Qi Sanliang led his carriage over and told Su Jin that they could set off.
Su Jin nodded.
Qi Sanliang smiled and invited Li Wenci and Qi Yuanyuan to get into the carriage. He said that he couldn't bear to let Li Wenci and her son suffer. He told them to just get into the carriage and rest, and that he would drive.
The superficial efforts were rather obvious.
The carriage sped along, and Mai Zizi, no longer excited as she had been the day before, drifted off to sleep.
The days of traveling by train have been exhausting.
What puzzled Su Jin was that Mai Zizi never asked her why she was in such a hurry to get going, or why she wanted to go to Qishan in the southeast.
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