On the day Xia Liang was to leave for the provincial capital, Zhao Danxiang got up early to make breakfast, including boiling a few eggs for her daughter to eat on the way. The family saw Xia Liang off at the train station, and Xia Rong helped her with her luggage. After arriving at the station, Xia Liang said, "Mom and Dad, brother, you should all go back now." She glanced at her watch and added, "Going back now means I can sleep a little longer, otherwise I won't have any energy for work today." Xia Dahe waved his hand and said, "It's alright, how sleepy can you be in just a little while? We'll wait for your train to depart and then go back." Xia Rong nodded in agreement. Only then did Xia's mother seem a little more relaxed. She was reluctant to part with her daughter, but although she knew beforehand that her daughter would be leaving, she was overwhelmed with joy at her promotion, and since her daughter was at home, she didn't feel much sadness about the separation. It wasn't until this moment, seeing her daughter about to leave, that she truly felt overwhelmed. Tears welled in her eyes as she held Xia Liang's hand, saying, "Ah Liang, you must take good care of yourself over there. Come home whenever you have time, and Mom will cook you something delicious." Seeing her mother about to cry, Xia Liang quickly comforted her, "Don't worry, Mom, I'll take good care of myself. I'll come home whenever I have a break. You two also need to take care of yourselves and not worry too much about me."
As they were talking, they heard an announcement over the loudspeaker: "The train to the provincial capital has arrived. Those who have bought tickets, please board immediately." Xia Liang took the luggage from her brother, said goodbye to her family, carried the luggage onto the train, found her seat, and placed the luggage on the overhead rack. Xia Liang saw her parents and brother standing outside the window and quickly opened the window to speak to them: "Mom and Dad, you should go back now. I'll take good care of myself." Xia Rong, standing beside her, said, "Yes! Mom and Dad, go back now. Little Sister is an adult now. She can take care of herself. Wasn't it Little Sister who came out of the village alone to find a job?" Xia Dahe and Zhao Danxiang thought about it and realized it was true. Their daughter was different from ordinary children; she was a capable one. They were about to say goodbye and go back when a woman's voice came from behind: "Wait a minute, A-Liang, wait a minute!" The woman was panting heavily as she called out. It wasn't until she ran up to them that Xia Liang appeared. Qing, it turned out to be her future sister-in-law Zhou Xiaohui. She smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, what brings you here?" Although Xia Liang always called her that in private, Zhou Xiaohui still blushed slightly in front of her future in-laws. She secretly glared at Xia Liang and said, "I was going to come earlier, but my mom steamed some rice cakes and asked me to bring them for you to take on the road." As she spoke, she handed Xia Liang an oil paper package. Xia Liang opened the oil paper, and steaming white vapor rose from it, along with a fragrant aroma. She took a piece and popped it into her mouth. It was soft, sweet, and delicious. She took out a few more pieces and handed them to her parents and brother and sister-in-law. Xia's mother said, "Take these and eat them on the road. We can have a meal when we get back. This is a kind gesture from Xiaohui's mother. Take them and eat them on the road." Zhou Xiaohui also said, "That's right. Don't worry about us. Take these and eat them on the road. When I get back, I'll have my mom make some more and deliver them to Brother Xia's house." As she spoke, her face, which had just recovered, flushed slightly again.
Just as the group was talking, the loudspeaker announced the train's departure. Xia Liang said goodbye to her family and settled into her seat, waiting for departure. Next to her sat a little girl with braided pigtails, who looked very wary, clutching her bag tightly; it was probably her first time traveling. The seat opposite her was empty. Xia Liang had gotten up early and stayed up late reading the night before, so she leaned back in her seat, intending to doze off. Three stops later, the seats opposite her were taken. It was an elderly woman with a young boy. The woman looked to be in her fifties, and the boy was about four or five years old. The two sat opposite Xia Liang and talked loudly, waking her up. However, seeing that they were an elderly woman and a child, Xia Liang didn't bother to argue and prepared to lean back for another nap. Just as she was about to drift off, the child opposite her let out a piercing scream. People in the next seats turned to see what was happening. Xia Liang couldn't help but say, "Grandma, could you please control your grandson? He's making so much noise..." "No one can get any rest," the old lady said, glancing sideways at Xia Liang with her triangular eyes. "What, is this your house? Why are you so nosy?" Xia Liang retorted angrily, "He's making so much noise, I can't sleep, and you're disturbing others." The old lady didn't even look at Xia Liang, and continued to tease her grandson impatiently, saying, "What are you trying to sleep for so early in the morning? If you want to sleep, why don't you sleep at home? Is the train your place to sleep?" Not only did she not realize her mistake, she also started scolding Xia Liang. Xia Liang was speechless but couldn't do anything about the old lady. Suddenly, she thought of a good idea for dealing with unruly children that was commonly found on the internet in later generations.
Xia Liang went to the restroom, washed his hands, and then opened the oil-paper package to eat. The rice cake was crystal clear and white, and although it was cold, it still smelled delicious. Xia Liang ate it with gusto, and then took out the egg that his mother had boiled and ate it. The child opposite him was almost crying with envy. He had been craving the rice cake when Xia Liang was eating it, and seeing Xia Liang eat the egg made him even more eager and he started crying, tugging at his grandmother's sleeve and crying, "Grandma, I want to eat an egg! I want to eat an egg!" The old lady saw her grandson crying because of envy and turned to Xia Liang, saying, "Young man, could you give me one of your eggs? Look, my grandson is crying because he's so envious." Xia Liang said, "If you want to eat, why don't you eat at home? This isn't a place for begging." Xia Liang then recalled what the old lady had just said. She returned the words to her, the old lady angrily saying, "Why should a good-for-nothing like you eat eggs? Only a smart boy like my grandson can eat such good things!" Xia Liang retorted, "If you don't deserve to eat them, then don't. Anyway, I'm perfectly suited, a perfect match, a match made in heaven!" As she spoke, she smacked her lips, "Mmm, so fragrant, so delicious!" The little boy opposite her was even angrier when he saw Xia Liang eating so heartily, crying out, "Grandma, I want to eat eggs! I want to eat eggs!" He jumped off his seat and rolled around in the aisle of the carriage. The old lady went over to coax him, "My dear grandson, we don't want them. Those eggs are rotten, they don't taste good. When we get home, Grandma will cook you some fragrant eggs." But if he could be so easily coaxed, would he still be called a brat? Ignoring his grandmother's words, he continued rolling on the ground. Suddenly, he stood up and lunged for the egg in Xia Liang's hand. Xia Liang reacted quickly, reaching out to block his head. Unable to grab the egg, the child cursed, "You worthless wretch, give me the egg!" Xia Liang was stunned. This child was completely ruined. Hearing those curses, she knew he often heard adults use them at home. Seeing the old woman standing by, her expression suggesting she desperately wanted to help her grandson, Xia Liang said, "If you don't stop him, I'll call the police!" The old woman, who had initially thought it would be better if her grandson could get the egg—after all, he was just a child—was also frightened by Xia Liang's words and stepped forward to stop her grandson. She pulled away, glaring fiercely at Xia Liang: "How could you be so vicious? He's just a child!" Xia Liang ignored her. Just then, the train attendant arrived and, seeing their argument, asked sternly, "What's going on? What are you arguing about? Do you know you're disturbing others?" The previously domineering old woman now looked like a mouse before a cat, muttering and not daring to speak. Xia Liang said, "Comrade, this old woman just allowed her grandson to snatch my things and even hurled insults at me." The attendant turned to look at the old woman and the child. Seeing that the two were of different ages, with the child huddled in the old woman's arms, looking at her pitifully, the attendant didn't say anything more. The two quieted down and didn't cause any more trouble for the rest of the journey.
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