The train attendant brought the food very quickly, almost within a minute, from another carriage.
As Xie Zhuo looked up at the middle-aged woman, he glanced at the train attendant and noticed that there was another train attendant behind her, carrying several meals, which he probably had brought from the dining car in advance.
"Is there something you need?" Xie Zhuo asked the middle-aged woman while reaching for his lunchbox.
The middle-aged woman also reached out to take another portion.
Unexpectedly, the train conductor didn't even glance at her, bypassed her hand, and placed both boxed meals directly into Xie Zhuo's hands.
The middle-aged woman was momentarily embarrassed, her hand still frozen in mid-air. "The other one is..."
The other one was bought for my daughter by this young man.
Before the middle-aged woman could finish speaking, the train conductor didn't even glance at her and turned to deliver the next dish.
"What kind of attitude is that?" the middle-aged woman muttered, then looked at Xie Zhuo again, preparing to take the portion that Xie Zhuo had bought for her daughter.
Although the young man was already married with children, it wouldn't be good for him to get too involved with Hongning, but no one on the train knew them.
Besides, they didn't intend to have anything to do with this person, but they figured they might as well take advantage of the opportunity.
She reached for the lunchbox with a big smile, but before her hand even touched it, Xie Zhuo had already grabbed it and was looking at her with a bewildered expression.
"What are you doing?" Xie Zhuo asked.
"I..." The middle-aged woman was momentarily speechless. "Isn't this something you bought for my Hongning?"
Xie Zhuo's expression became even more bewildered. "No, I don't know you at all."
As soon as he said that, someone nearby burst out laughing.
The middle-aged woman's expression immediately changed, and she glared at Xie Zhuo with anger and embarrassment.
"No? If not, why did you buy two boxes? If not, why are you staring at my Hongning?"
Xie Zhuo remained calm throughout and didn't argue with her. However, when he heard her questions, he narrowed his eyes imperceptibly, but his face still showed the same innocent expression as before.
"Oh, this is my first time taking a train, I don't quite understand. Is this a rule on the train? Can each person only buy one boxed meal?" he asked in return.
A woman sitting next to them immediately said, "Of course not. As long as you have money and meal tickets, you can buy ten servings."
"Oh," Xie Zhuo responded in a drawn-out tone, then said, "I thought I couldn't eat two boxed meals at once."
The middle-aged woman opposite him realized she had misunderstood. She was both ashamed and angry, and wanted to say something, but before she could open her mouth, Xie Zhuo interrupted her.
"As for your comment about me looking at your daughter," Xie Zhuo continued slowly, "I don't think I looked in your direction once, except for when you called me just now. But your daughter..."
Xie Zhuo paused, his expression turning colder. "You've been staring at me all morning."
As soon as he finished speaking, the middle-aged woman's face turned extremely ugly, but she couldn't say anything to refute him.
Her good-for-nothing daughter did stare at him for a long time, and she secretly pinched her several times, but it didn't work.
Nie Hongning never expected Xie Zhuo to say it so directly in front of everyone. Even if she was bold, she was now too ashamed to lift her head. She stood up, walked past the female comrade sitting near the aisle, and rushed towards the toilet.
"Hong Ning!" The middle-aged woman got up and chased after her.
Xie Zhuo acted as if nothing had happened, eating and drinking as usual. He finished both boxed meals in less than twenty minutes, and returned the meals to the train conductor when the conductor passed by their carriage again.
The middle-aged woman and Nie Hongning returned after a long time. Nie Hongning had red eyes and didn't say anything. She sat back down and started eating silently.
Xie Zhuo went to the restroom, washed his hands, stood at the connection between the carriages for a while, and then went back.
When I'm at home, time flies by as if it has wings. I wander around the east room, go to the west room to find something, and before I know it, it's time to eat.
Time passes very slowly on the train.
For the next few days, Xie Zhuo spent his time reading books over and over again, and thinking about Xu Yan and the two little ones.
When the train finally arrived in the southern province after four days, he felt uncomfortable all over his body, with back pain and numbness in his legs.
The temperature in the southern province is much higher than in Qingshan Brigade. As soon as you get off the train, you can feel a wave of dampness. Even though it is mid-November, you can't see many people wrapped in thick cotton-padded coats.
Fortunately, Xu Yan had anticipated the hot weather here and brought Xie Zhu a thin sweater and a few new clothes that had been made before.
Xie Zhuo meant that the more worn and tattered the clothes, the better, ideally, the kind that would make a thief too embarrassed to steal them.
Xu Yan still felt that it was okay to dress like that on the train, but it wouldn't be appropriate to dress like that to meet Xiao Bao's mother.
In the end, Xie Zhuo couldn't keep a low profile on the train, because he was really hungry and wouldn't be full without two boxed meals.
For four consecutive days, he ate four boxed meals a day, and he became famous in several nearby train carriages.
Everyone knows that there's a handsome and wealthy guy named Da Gao who eats boxed lunches like they're free.
As Xie Zhuo got out of the car, he vaguely heard someone say, "With a family like this, what kind of wealth would it take to support someone like this?"
Xie Zhuo: "..."
Since it had been a long time since his last visit to Nan Province, Xie Zhuo couldn't quite remember the route. So he first found a place where he could send a telegram to Xu Yan to reassure her that he had arrived safely.
Then I found a guesthouse, showed the letter of introduction to the staff there, took a shower and changed my clothes before going to Jing Keying's house.
Xu Yan, who had been on edge for the past few days, finally breathed a sigh of relief when he received the telegram from Xie Zhuo.
My mood improved considerably when I chatted with Yang Shulan that evening. After hearing Xie Zhuo's arrangements, Yang Shulan thought that Xu Yan was afraid to sleep alone at night and even planned to sleep with her.
Xu Yan rejected him.
“It’s okay, Auntie, I can really sleep alone,” Xu Yan said. “Besides, I have Da Bao and Xiao Bao.”
Upon hearing this, Da Bao and Xiao Bao immediately clenched their little fists and stood in front of Xu Yan, saying, "Yes, the two of us can protect our third aunt."
Yang Shulan was amused by their little expressions and didn't insist on accompanying Xu Yan. She just came over every night to chat with her and went back home when it was time to go to bed.
Sometimes Li Aihua would bring Xiao Shuanzi over to play.
These days have been more lively than when Xie Zhuo was around, but Xu Yan still felt empty inside. She only felt a little better after receiving that thin piece of paper today.
"Is the third brother alright?" Yang Shulan asked, even though she could already tell the answer from Xu Yan's expression.
"It's alright," Xu Yan smiled, "I just don't know... whether this trip will go smoothly."
Yang Shulan, one of the very few who knew the specific reason for Xie Zhuo's long trip, glanced at Da Bao and Xiao Bao, who were playing around, and said, "Let's hope so."
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