Xu Zhenzhu was already used to such looks and felt quite pleased with herself.
This was her newest and most fashionable outfit, a gift from Lu Kai. The county department store didn't even have such trendy items; she bought it from the supply and marketing cooperative of the county machinery factory. It was her only set.
Those sandals were said to have been imported from Shanghai, and there were no more than five pairs in the entire Jingshan County.
He straightened his back, raised his forehead, and boarded the bus with an arrogant expression.
As soon as I got on the bus, I frowned and covered my nose because of the smell. I muttered in disgust, "Why does it smell so bad?"
Those who heard her words wanted to say something, but seeing her attire, they knew she wasn't from an ordinary family. They were afraid of offending someone they shouldn't have, so they just pursed their lips and held back.
Xu Zhenzhu pinched her nose, tiptoed two steps back, and only the last row of seats was left.
Not only is the last row the most bumpy, but it's also cramped and has no windows.
Moreover, two middle-aged men, dressed in patched clothes and straw sandals, were already sitting in the middle. There was a bamboo chicken coop at their feet, with two large roosters inside, looking listless.
She naturally didn't want to sit with them. This was a brand new dress, and she hadn't even worn it twice. If it got dirty or picked up a bad smell, how could she face Lu Kai?
He glanced around the carriage and saw Xu Ningyan by the window. He stepped forward and said matter-of-factly, "Get up and give me your seat!"
Xu Ningyan looked at Xu Zhenzhu in disbelief. What gave her the courage to say those words?
"You want me to give up my seat? Who do you think you are?"
Xu Zhenzhu blurted out, "I'm your little one—"
He only realized halfway through his sentence that Xu Ningyan was no longer the same Siya she used to be; she had severed ties with the Xu family.
She held back for a moment: "Even if I'm not your aunt anymore, can't I trade you this position for something?"
As she spoke, she took a handkerchief out of her bag and tossed it at Xu Ningyan: "Is this alright now?"
He even scoffed after saying that.
Xu Ningyan pinched the handkerchief between two fingers and threw it back at Xu Zhenzhu, too lazy to say another word to her, and turned to look out the window.
Gu Zhiyuan, who was outside, seemed to have also seen her arguing with Xu Zhenzhu. He stepped closer and looked at her with a questioning gaze.
Xu Ningyan waved her hand, signaling him to go back; it was no big deal.
Gu Zhiyuan stopped and looked at the car with concern.
Xu Zhenzhu was surprised that Xu Ningyan didn't want the handkerchief and even acted as if he didn't want to talk to her at all. She was so angry that her face turned red. She wanted to say something, but she didn't know what to say.
With so many people watching, she couldn't go too far; arguing with people would be beneath her dignity.
This delay allowed two more people to board, and the ticket seller, seeing Xu Zhenzhu standing in the corridor blocking the way to the back, grew impatient.
"Hey lady, why aren't you sitting down in the back? What are you doing blocking the way? If you're not going to sit down, then don't block other people's way."
Xu Zhenzhu had never been treated like this before, and her eyes reddened: "I... I get carsick, I want to switch seats with someone!"
The ticket seller, a middle-aged woman, rolled her eyes in annoyance: "Why are you so delicate? If you know you get carsick, why didn't you get on the bus sooner? If you're not going to sit, then stand. Standing will prevent you from getting carsick!"
The aunt sitting next to Xu Ningyan glanced at Xu Zhenzhu's clothes and then at the small handkerchief, which was practically brand new. Her eyes darted around, and she whispered, "Girl, are you carsick? I can switch seats with you, but besides the handkerchief—"
Xu Zhenzhu gritted her teeth, took out a White Rabbit milk candy from her bag, and stuffed it into the aunt's hand along with her handkerchief.
The aunt squeezed her handkerchief, smiled broadly, and quickly got up to give her seat to Xu Zhenzhu.
He darted to the back in a few steps and secured the last spot.
Xu Zhenzhu didn't dare to delay, so she sat down with a thud. She first breathed a sigh of relief, then thought about it and felt unhappy, so she rolled her eyes at Xu Ningyan.
Xu Ningyan completely ignored her.
Fortunately, the bus started up quickly. Gu Zhiyuan watched the bus drive far away from the bus station before turning his attention to the post office.
He also needed to call Sun Zhou to give him some instructions.
The car drove out of the commune and onto the road, swaying and rocking.
Xu Zhenzhu finally had time to eat the fried dough stick in her hand.
Luckily, the fried dough sticks were wrapped in kraft paper; otherwise, after holding them for so long, her hands would have been covered in oil.
I picked up the fried dough stick, about to take a bite, when I suddenly realized that someone had taken a big bite out of it.
I panicked and turned around to see an auntie in the next aisle holding a three or four-year-old child. The child was chewing something in his mouth, and his lips were shiny with oil.
Xu Zhenzhu realized that she had been standing in the aisle trying to switch places with Xu Ningyan, and she was afraid that the oil from the fried dough sticks in her hands would get on her clothes, so she had carried them a little further away behind her back.
That position was directly facing the child.
I guessed the kid was just being greedy, and couldn't resist taking a big bite when the fried dough stick was brought to his mouth.
Xu Zhenzhu was anxious. Each fried dough stick cost five cents, not to mention that she hadn't slept most of the night before, got up late this morning, and had traveled for half a day. Because of the time constraints, she only had time to buy one fried dough stick.
Someone took a big bite out of it, so should she eat the rest of the stick or not?
If I don't eat, I'll be hungry; if I do eat, I'll feel uneasy.
She angrily yelled at the woman holding the child, "Your child stole my fried dough sticks, pay up!"
That auntie was no pushover either; otherwise, she would have stopped her own child long ago.
Hearing Xu Zhenzhu speak like that, she rolled her eyes: "Which eye of yours saw my child steal your fried dough sticks? What's that thing on your head? Don't slander my child! You're such a young girl, and you look so decent, can't you speak like a human being?"
Xu Zhenzhu became anxious: "It was your child who stole my fried dough stick! When I brought it up, it was a whole stick, but now a piece has been cut off. Your child hasn't even wiped the grease off his mouth yet, look, he's still chewing—"
Before he could finish speaking, the child quickly straightened his neck and swallowed the fried dough stick he hadn't finished chewing.
The aunt, with lightning speed, wiped the child's mouth clean with her sleeve, using both hands to wipe it twice.
Then he looked at Xu Zhenzhu provocatively.
Xu Zhenzhu was usually either at school or at home, where she was well protected by Miao Cuihua and the Xu family. She had never seen such a shameless tactic before and was dumbfounded.
It took her a while to realize what was happening, and she burst into tears, wiping away her tears as she pointed at the woman: "You, you're being shameless!"
The aunt looked even angrier than Xu Zhenzhu. She slapped her thigh, hugged her grandson, and started wailing, "Oh dear, look at this! This little wench is bullying us! She's falsely accusing my grandson of stealing her fried dough sticks! Bah! Just look at how fancy she's dressed, she's no good! She's wronging us poor peasants!"
The onlookers watched the spectacle but dared not get involved.
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