Chapter 35 He made her feel itchy inside.
The well-mannered man was scolded by the woman so much that he didn't dare to lift his head and just kept smiling apologetically.
The woman didn't even bother to look at him properly. In front of Jiang Wanqiu and Zhao Wenchang, she mercilessly berated him: "Don't you know your own limitations? If you can't get things done, just behave yourself. You only embarrass yourself by coming to me!"
The man's face flushed red and then turned pale as he was scolded, but he still smiled and acted submissive.
Just then, a train conductor in a blue uniform walked over, holding a small notebook: "Comrade, ticket check."
The train conductor glanced at the man's ticket and frowned: "Sir, this ticket isn't for this carriage. Please go back to your own berth."
The man, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, readily agreed and slunk away.
The woman seemed to have just recovered, and forced a smile at Jiang Wanqiu, sighing, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, young comrade. That's my good-for-nothing son."
She started talking to herself, her tone full of disdain: "Back then, I was young and naive. I thought he had a promising future because he had studied for a few years and looked decent enough. Who knew he was just a pretty face! Not only does he have health problems, but he's also clueless when it comes to doing things. He even managed to buy the wrong two sleeper tickets. Can you believe it?"
Jiang Wanqiu could only listen blankly, not knowing how to respond.
It was late at night, and only a few dim wall lamps remained in the carriage. Outside the window, it was pitch black, with only the regular clatter of the train.
Jiang Wanqiu turned over. Without her military overcoat, it was a bit chilly at night with only a thin blanket.
A deep, slightly mocking voice came from the opposite bunk.
"What, are you still going to squeeze in?" Zhao Wenchang lay on his side with his arm as a pillow, his eyes shining brightly in the darkness, staring intently at her. "If you still want to squeeze in, I'll tighten my belt beforehand."
Jiang Wanqiu blushed, gritted her teeth, and glared at him in a low voice: "You never say anything nice! Aren't you afraid of being heard? Aren't you ashamed?"
Zhao Wenchang chuckled softly, the sound seeping into her ears and tickling them.
He didn't say anything more, turned over, and turned his back to her, seemingly falling asleep peacefully.
Jiang Wanqiu lay there sulking for a long time, but couldn't fall asleep no matter what.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but just as she was drifting off to sleep, she suddenly felt someone gently nudging her arm.
She instantly snapped out of it, thinking it was Zhao Wenchang trying to provoke her again. A surge of anger rushed to her head, and just as she was about to explode, she opened her eyes and was met with a familiar face.
It was the woman from earlier that day.
When the woman saw that she was awake, she quickly put a finger to her lips to make a "shush" gesture, and then beckoned to her to come out for a moment.
Jiang Wanqiu was completely confused, but she still quietly climbed out of bed and followed her to the passageway connecting the two carriages.
The wind was strong, and the sounds of scraping metal and rumbling wheels were deafening. The two men groped their way in the dark, leaning against the cold wall of the carriage.
"Young comrade," the woman whispered in her ear, her voice slightly blurred by the wind, "I heard from Comrade Zhao during the day that your 'fruit wine'... is particularly effective?"
Jiang Wanqiu nodded.
"I wanted to ask," the woman said, her voice tinged with urgency and embarrassment, "whether you're selling your wine...?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Wanqiu's mind immediately began to work.
We've got a job!
She had traveled all over the country with her father since she was a child, and she had learned the ways of the business world from a young age.
You can't rush into dealing with clients who are obviously rich and powerful; you have to keep a close eye on them.
She paused deliberately, feigning difficulty, before slowly saying, "Auntie, this wine is for my family to drink; we've never sold it outside..."
"Money is no problem!" the woman immediately replied, afraid that she would refuse. "As long as you're willing to sell, the price is negotiable!"
Having figured things out, Jiang Wanqiu didn't directly mention the price. Instead, she threw the question back at him, using her persuasive skills perfectly: "Well... it depends on how much you want."
She was testing the other party's bottom line.
The woman was clearly taken aback by the question. She hesitated for a moment, seemingly calculating in her mind, and finally, as if she had made up her mind, she gritted her teeth and said, "How many do you have? I'll take as many as you have!"
During the day, in the train toilet, a man said he had finally felt something after taking medication for several days, but before he could even take his pants off, he went limp again. Thinking about this, the woman felt a tightness in her chest from anger.
Jiang Wanqiu's heart skipped a beat, and she added another challenge, half-jokingly and half-probing: "What if I said I have five hundred yuan worth of wine here?"
These days, five hundred yuan is no small sum; it's enough for an ordinary worker to earn for several years.
Unexpectedly, the woman's eyes lit up, and she made the decision without hesitation: "Five hundred yuan is fine too!"
Now it was Jiang Wanqiu's turn to be surprised. It seemed that the couple's problems were indeed quite serious.
"Please wait a moment," Jiang Wanqiu said, calming herself down. "I'll go get it for you right away."
She turned back to her bunk, squatted down, blocked others' view with her body, and pretended to rummage through her large cloth bag.
With a thought, several bottles of dark liquid in simple glass jars appeared beside her. These wines were the most basic products in the space, and they seemed to be flowing out like free money with each upgrade.
Giving them wine isn't enough; we need to make sure the 500 yuan is well spent.
A thought flashed through her mind, and she took out about ten small pills wrapped in wax paper from her spatial storage. These things were much stronger than alcohol; one pill was enough to take effect.
She packed the items into a plastic bag and returned to the hallway.
The woman's eyes lit up when she saw what she was holding.
After receiving the items, he counted the money from his wallet with exceptional speed and accuracy, counting each "big unity" bill quickly and precisely.
The money and goods were exchanged, and everyone was happy.
The train swayed on the tracks for three days and three nights before finally pulling into Shanghai Station with a long, drawn-out whistle.
Before the train had even come to a complete stop, the woman hurriedly packed her luggage and rushed to another carriage like a gust of wind, seemingly to find her "good-for-nothing" husband.
Zhao Wenchang easily jumped off the train, carrying his heavy suitcase in one hand. He had only been to Shanghai once before, when he was on a mission.
But Jiang Wanqiu felt like a fish back in water, even her breathing became easy. Hands on her hips, feeling she had regained her footing, she raised her chin and issued a "threat" to the man beside her: "Zhao Wenchang, let me tell you, this is my territory now! You'd better listen to me obediently, or else… I might sell you out!"
Looking at her smug little face, Zhao Wenchang couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips, a deep laugh escaping his throat: "Is that so? Then it's really hard to say who's selling out whom."
Jiang Wanqiu led him through the alleys with familiarity, and soon found a three-story building with a sign that read "Red Star Hotel".
"This is it!" she proudly introduced. "This is my favorite place. The breakfast delivered in the morning is delicious, and most importantly—it has a bathtub!"
After being cooped up on the train for three days, she felt like she was going to rot all over.
She quickly booked a double room, and as soon as she got the key, she rushed inside like a rabbit, eager to take off her clothes and shower.
"Hey, what do you want to eat?" Zhao Wenchang called out to her from behind. "I'll go out and buy something."
Jiang Wanqiu was afraid that he would get lost in this maze-like alley, so she said without thinking, "Just go to the pan-fried bun shop across from the hotel, buy two servings of pan-fried buns and two bowls of wontons!"
The man responded and turned to leave.
The door closed behind her, and Jiang Wanqiu rushed into the bathroom. Hot water gushed down, washing over her body, and she let out a long, comfortable sigh.
After she finally finished washing and drying herself, she discovered a fatal problem.
She was in such a hurry that she didn't bring any clean clothes in! There was nothing in the bathroom except a few stiff white towels.
She hesitated for a moment, then listened to the sounds outside; it was quiet. Anyway, no one was inside.
She took a deep breath, picked up a towel, and barely wrapped it around her chest to cover her private parts. Then, barefoot, she cautiously peeked out.
The room was empty. She breathed a sigh of relief, crouched down, and hurriedly ran to her suitcase, squatting down to rummage through her clothes.
Just then—
“Clatter.”
Behind me, I suddenly heard the sound of a key being opened on the door.
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