The train kept stopping and starting, and there were so many problems that it was driving everyone crazy. What should have been a two-day journey took five or six days. Fortunately, the train was heading towards Beijing, so things got better and there were fewer and fewer breakdowns.
Yan Xiaonan finally understood why her uncle always took so long to return home. It was almost the 1980s now, and the railways in the 1960s and 70s must have been even more difficult. She felt sorry for her uncle and Ai Dang, having to stay in that small carriage for so long. It was a little better in winter, as they could bring more food so it wouldn't spoil, but it would be terrible in summer.
The soft sleeper section is generally quiet, while the hard sleeper section is somewhat noisy, and the hard seat section is even more prone to incidents, which infuriates the train staff. For example, someone fainted from hunger, someone fell down and was tripped by someone sleeping under the chair with their legs sticking out, a child stole a steamed bun from the next table, and people started arguing, etc.
There was also a group of passionate young people who got into university and sang revolutionary songs with great pride and high spirits. They sang one song after another without stopping, waking up the sleeping children. The crying and singing were so loud that it gave people a headache, so painful that they wanted to jump out of the car.
After hearing Yan Xiaoqiang recount what had happened in the carriage ahead, Grandma Yan told him to stay in his own carriage and not go out, lest he cause trouble. She said it was better for him to be sensible to leave his hometown.
Yan Xiaoqiang nodded. He was really too bored. Just when he was bored out of his mind, someone came looking for him. Yan Xiaoqiang was surprised to see that it was the old bachelor and his educated youth wife.
Ye Chen'er knew something was wrong when she saw Li Ping. With her big pregnant belly, she must have come for help. Her older brother had guessed it. This persistent troublemaker was really shameless.
"Chen'er, Brother Bachelor said he saw Nan Nan's father. I thought he was mistaken, so I came to check. It's true! It's so nice and quiet here. It's so noisy over there. It's making my baby restless and kicking me."
Everyone glanced at her belly; she must be six months along. It must have been really tough on her.
Seeing that no one responded, Li Ping felt a little embarrassed: "Chen'er, can I sit here for a while? It's so noisy over there."
Ye Chen'er shook her head: "I'm sorry, Li Ping, this is the Yan family's private room. I'm just tagging along. Also, please call me Ye Chen'er."
Grandma Yan could tell from the conversation that the two didn't get along. That's good. With an outsider in the carriage, it's inconvenient to talk or eat. Besides, if you're not feeling well, you can tell the train attendant. Just pay a little extra for a better seat. Is it worth it to be so eager to take advantage of them?
Seeing that the other woman was ignoring her, the old bachelor looked at Yan Xiaoqiang and said, "Qiangzi, your bachelor uncle finally has a child, can't you be a little more understanding? It's just sitting for a while, can you be so stingy?"
Yan Xiaoqiang jumped up and said, "Who are you to me? What do I care if you have kids or not? You're so shameless. So what if I'm petty?"
The old bachelor was so frightened that he stepped back, his back bumping into Li Ping's stomach. Li Ping's eyes darted around, and she slowly squatted down against the door, wailing, "Brother bachelor, brother bachelor, child, child."
Yan Xiaonan's mind raced, and she sneered, "You must be Li Ping. Stop pretending. Let me ask you, do you have an older brother named Li Qiang? Where is he?"
When Li Ping heard Yan Xiaonan's question, she glanced guiltily at the old bachelor. In that one glance, Ye Chen'er seemed to understand something. She stared intently at Li Ping, but spoke to Yan Xiaonan: "Nannan, you don't know, do you? Li Ping's parents were one of the main people who framed my family. In the end, their cleverness backfired, and they were sent to the rural areas of Northwest China for reform."
Yan Xiaonan suddenly realized and said, "They say a judge's son is a judge, and a thief's son is always a thief. So Li Ping must have received a good education from his parents and framed his older brother, sending him to jail."
These words startled Li Ping so much that she took a few steps back and sat down on a bench by the carriage. The old bachelor's face also turned pale. The two of them were too obvious. Everyone knew that Yan Xiaonan had guessed correctly. My God, how could there be such a vicious person in the world?
Yan Xiaoqiang shoved the old bachelor out of the room with disgust: "Get out, don't dirty my floor, ugh, you two sluts."
The old bachelor hurriedly helped Li Ping up and they stumbled away. Yan Xiaonan's consciousness followed them. Suddenly, Yan Xiaonan saw something: a phoenix hairpin, a national treasure-level phoenix hairpin! She had seen it in the Palace Museum in her previous life. How could it be on the old bachelor?
Yan Xiaonan thought for a moment and decided to get the hairpin. The old bachelor would definitely sell this treasure when he ran out of money. If it fell into the hands of outsiders, wouldn't the country lose a valuable asset?
Seeing the old bachelor help Li Ping to the hard seat area, he memorized the seat number and planned to see if his superpowers could get the thing out after the lights were turned off that night.
Ye Chen'er had already told Grandma Yan and the others about how Li Ping's parents had framed their family. Grandma Yan was so angry that she kept cursing them as ungrateful wretches. Cuihua also patted Chen'er's back with heartache, saying, "My daughter has suffered so much. How could Ye Chenming's father be so cunning? Not only did he deliberately let the wolf into the house, but he also used some kind of scheme to send the person away."
Yan Xiaoqiang remained silent. He was just a farmer and couldn't compare to Ye Chenming's father, but he could still be on guard. He was extremely wary of the old bachelor and his gang.
You must be wary of these people in the future. And his older brother is called Li Qiang, right? Heh, don't fall into my hands, or I'll beat you so badly you'll be unable to take care of yourself for the rest of your life.
What happened to Li Qiang? After the college entrance examination, Li Qiang was released because the person who arrested him was also arrested and confessed to framing Li Qiang. So Li Qiang was released, but the bracelet was confiscated.
Li Qiang knew he had fallen into a trap set by the old bachelor and Li Ping, and he was so angry he almost bit his gums to pieces. He had been keeping watch around Mushroom Village, and when he learned that Li Ping had taken the college entrance examination, his hatred for her grew even stronger.
When Li Ping and the old bachelor left Mushroom Village, she secretly went into the old bachelor's house to see if there was anything she could take. Unexpectedly, the old bachelor's house was empty, except for half a vat of water and not even a single piece of firewood.
Out of desperation, he stole the hard-earned money from the educated youth while they were at work. He didn't just take from one person; he stole ten yuan from Yang Wei and fifteen yuan from Li Xiangyang, since Li Xiangyang had more money than Yang Wei.
He also took their food, clothes, and shoes with him, as he was starving and needed to eat before he could run away. He finally reached the train station, took the statement he had obtained from prison, and bought a train ticket to Guangzhou. He had heard inside that Guangzhou was a lucrative place.
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