Chapter 71 Can you do me a favor?
By the time Du Ruoxia finished shopping, the car was almost ready to start, and the staff had already begun urging everyone to get on.
Wang Hu carried the things and helped Du Ruoxia into the car. They encountered the little boy again. He was holding food and had stopped crying. His grandmother was protecting him. The little girl behind him only had the broken doll.
Du Ruoxia saw it all, but she also knew that this was the girl's fate.
Du Ruoxia returned to her seat. Gao Songbai was already awake, and a man opposite her was packing his luggage.
The boxed lunch brought by the train attendant was placed on the table. Du Ruoxia asked, "Why aren't you eating?"
Gao Songbai touched his head sheepishly, and Du Ruoxia knew he was shy.
"Take one and eat it, I'm hungry too." Du Ruoxia picked up one and pushed another one over to her.
The man opposite her, who was tidying up his luggage, turned around and glanced at Du Ruoxia. When he saw her face, he paused for a moment, but then continued.
Wang Hu, on the other hand, was quite at ease and took a portion to eat in the aisle.
Du Ruoxia sat down and opened her lunchbox. She never dreamed that she would attract a thief as soon as she opened it!
"Wow, it smells so good!" a child's voice rang out.
Before Du Ruoxia could react, the chicken leg in her box was gone, and then she saw the little boy holding the chicken leg and starting to eat it!
"Mmm, milk, it smells so good!" the little boy said as he ate, while his grandmother looked at him with a loving expression.
Du Ruoxia remained expressionless, her gaze slightly cold, as she quietly watched the boy eat.
"I'm sorry, the child is just being silly. How much was your meal? I'll pay you back!" The woman looked at Du Ruoxia apologetically from behind.
Du Ruoxia ignored her and stared intently at the little boy.
Perhaps it was because her gaze was too calm, a calmness tinged with an unusual seriousness, that the little boy was so frightened that he backed away repeatedly, and then started crying again.
As soon as the boy cried, the old woman and the man next to her all looked at Du Ruoxia.
"Young lady, look at you, you scared my grandson. He doesn't eat food from ordinary people. He only took a liking to your chicken leg today because you seem kind," the old woman said to Du Ruoxia with a smile.
The man opposite, who was tidying up his luggage, looked displeased, but his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly as he glanced at the woman behind the old lady.
Du Ruoxia stirred her lunchbox a couple of times and then put down her chopsticks. "Wang Hu, how much is this meal?"
Wang Hu had already stood up. He hadn't finished eating yet, and he was looking at the little boy with displeasure as he held his food.
"What are you doing? It's just a chicken leg, why are you being so stingy!" The old lady immediately pulled the little boy into her arms.
"I've lost my appetite. I'll ask them for money and go to the restroom." Du Ruoxia lost her patience and got up to leave.
"Hey, what money are you going to give me? It's like a kid eating a chicken leg and it's going to kill you, isn't it? You're such a shameless person!"
"Honey, stop packing. Ah Long will eat these chicken legs. What can they do about it?"
"It's your good fortune that my grandson wants your chicken leg. I have no money, but I'll give you back the chicken leg!" With that, the old woman threw the chicken leg back into the child's hand, causing the child to burst into tears.
Du Ruoxia felt a throbbing pain in her forehead when she heard that the man was with them; she desperately needed a quiet place to hide.
She stayed in the middle aisle of the carriage for half an hour before going back, thinking that she had sorted things out by now, but little did she know that it would be the climax.
As Du Ruoxia stepped into the carriage and walked towards her seat, she heard a loud shout.
"I don't care, I don't have a single cent, I'm just an old man, take it or leave it!" It was the old woman's voice.
Du Ruoxia tried to turn around, but someone recognized her.
“Girl, don’t bother with that kind of scoundrel. Her son is willing to pay, but she just won’t budge. She’s such a tightwad,” a middle-aged man in a suit said helplessly to Du Ruoxia.
Du Ruoxia had no choice but to give a thank-you smile and walk back.
"Mom, please stop arguing. The train police officer already said it was our fault," the old woman's son pleaded, his face already showing his impatience.
"No way! You have to use your connections to solve this. If I give you money, where will I put my face?" The old woman refused no matter what.
Wang Hu looked serious and showed no sign of backing down, which frightened Gao Songbai so much that he tried to make himself as inconspicuous as possible.
"Sir, your son did eat that person's chicken leg, and the person hadn't even touched it. They've already done more than fair by paying you the original price," the train police officer advised the man.
Unlike other places, meals on trains are not served immediately when you order them.
The train police officer was speechless. It was already past lunchtime, and the original owner hadn't eaten. Who could he complain to while he was starving?
"That's no excuse for demanding so much. We only ate one chicken leg from her, and she wants us to pay the whole bill!" the old woman retorted.
“Auntie, that’s not how it works. After you guys did that, no one would want to continue eating. I think you should finish your meal and pay them back!” The train police officer tried to persuade the old woman again.
"No way, that little bit of rice and a few cabbages are worthless, I don't want them!" the old woman said disdainfully.
"You know the chicken leg is the valuable part, and that's why she ordered it—she wanted to eat chicken leg!" the train police officer said softly to the elderly woman.
"The original price will be paid in full, or we will call the police!" Du Ruoxia appeared in front of the group with a cold expression.
Everyone looked toward the source of the sound, and when they saw it was Du Ruoxia, the atmosphere became even more lively, and everyone made way for her to enter.
The train police officer frowned. This heartless old lady wouldn't give him a single penny, let alone two yuan.
"No way," the old woman said fiercely.
Her son was already ashamed beyond belief. When Du Ruoxia returned, his face became even more embarrassed, and he didn't dare to look at anyone when he stood with his wife.
"You're openly robbing people! Train police officer, you should call the police!" Du Ruoxia looked at the train police officer.
"You think I'm scared? I'll give you 50 cents, take it or leave it, look at your poor, pathetic appearance!" The old lady threw 50 cents directly onto the food.
Du Ruoxia's eyes turned cold, and she looked at the train police officer with serious eyes.
The train police officer, quick-witted, immediately walked over to the elderly woman.
The old woman's face changed, and she immediately pulled her son aside, saying, "My son is an official, a high-ranking official! How dare you!"
Du Ruoxia looked at the man with a half-smile. Having such a useless teammate as a mother is really something.
The old woman's son had no choice but to come over and say, "Officer, may I have a word with you?"
The train police officer, not daring to take the old woman's words lightly, followed her to the aisle between the two trains.
"This won't end like this, don't worry," Wang Hu assured him.
Du Ruoxia's eyes lit up; it seemed Wang Hu had a plan!
"You mean?" Du Ruoxia asked Wang Hu.
“There’s no rush. There will be plenty of opportunities later. He’s probably heading to the same destination as us, so he might be of some use to you,” Wang Hu said earnestly.
Du Ruoxia realized that the man was no ordinary government official; he was probably planning to settle scores later!
Soon the train police officer arrived, and he pursed his lips as he looked at Wang Hu.
"Comrade, that comrade is also traveling on official business. Why don't you do me a favor and let it go?" the train police officer pleaded.
Du Ruoxia raised an eyebrow and looked at Wang Hu. Wang Hu's expression remained unchanged, and he lowered his eyes as if he was thinking.
After a moment, he looked at Du Ruoxia and asked, "What do you think?"
“We can’t just keep our grievances to ourselves. There has to be some compensation.” Du Ruoxia looked at the train police officer with a cold expression.
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