There were six people in Xia Baozhu's carriage. Besides her and Sun Xingyan, there was a couple who were going to Haicheng for a destination wedding. They had just gotten their marriage certificate and wanted to go to Haicheng for a visit.
There was also a middle-aged couple in their fifties who went to Haicheng to visit their newborn grandson.
The people in the carriage were all well-dressed and came from good families; they spoke to each other politely.
Their destination was Haicheng. They couldn't just stare blankly during the more than ten-hour journey, so they talked to each other to pass the time.
Sun Xingyan was a talkative and knowledgeable man. At first, he chatted with the old man opposite him about all sorts of things.
Gradually, the newlyweds joined the conversation, and they even talked about the latest music and movies.
When it comes to movies, the older woman talks even more, constantly complaining about which character is illogical, which is even funnier than the older man's, making Xia Baozhu laugh every now and then.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! What are you doing! Are you blind?! You spilled the hot water I just filled up, you know that! It's all over my new clothes! You're so clumsy, if you spilled it on my hands, you'd be in big trouble!"
Suddenly, an angry soprano voice came from outside, and the carriage fell silent as everyone pricked up their ears to listen to what was happening outside.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Then came the voice from outside, apologizing repeatedly, its voice trembling with tears. "I didn't mean to, I have an urgent matter, please let me through."
"You have an emergency, so you're in the right? Is an apology all you're after? Do you know how much this new dress cost? Seven hundred yuan! That's more than two months' salary for you! It's pure wool, you can't iron or wash it! You ruined my dress!"
The soprano was somewhat hysterical. The new clothes were for her to wear when meeting guests, and it was the first time she had worn them, so of course she cherished them immensely.
"I'm sorry, but I only have twenty yuan, that's all I can give you," the crying woman sobbed.
"That young girl is crying, she must be in a real hurry. Twenty yuan is fine," someone advised.
Several other voices joined in, advising the woman not to dwell on it and to stop while she was ahead.
"Hmph, taking a loss is a blessing in disguise. Twenty yuan is twenty cents. That's fine."
Judging from this, the soprano must have accepted the money, and the matter was over.
Soon, Xia Baozhu saw a twenty-year-old girl wearing a red cotton-padded jacket with floral patterns.
With fair skin and delicate features, she wiped away her tears, turned back, and walked away quickly, as if someone was chasing her.
As she passed their carriage, she glanced back into the room, her expression a mixture of anxiety and unease.
She passed by quickly, and a little while later two more men came from behind.
They entered the carriage and looked around, as if searching for something.
They found nothing and quickly left.
The two men's arrogant attitude displeased everyone in the carriage.
As she was leaving, one of the men turned back and gave Xia Baozhu a lecherous look.
Sun Xingyan, with a cold face, was about to get up and chase after her when Xia Baozhu grabbed him.
"Don't meddle."
"Yes, never go against these kinds of people when you're out in the world," the woman whispered. "These people don't look like good people at all; they might even be carrying knives. We can't afford to mess with them."
About twenty minutes later, the fair-skinned girl suddenly ran in, panting.
"I'm sorry, could you please let me hide here for a while? Please!" The girl's pale face was filled with panic, making her look pitiful.
The group exchanged glances without speaking. Finally, the young, newlywed woman, softening her heart, said, "Why don't you go hide at the top? That's my spot."
Sun Xingyan squeezed Xia Baozhu's hand and whispered in her ear, "Ignore her."
Xia Baozhu's ears were tickled by his breath, and she couldn't help but rub them.
"Thank you! Thank you! I'll leave right away after they've passed!"
The girl took off her shoes and quickly climbed onto the bed, her movements swift and agile despite her panic.
"Where did that bitch run off to?" The sound of running around came from outside again.
"Damn it, call two more people and search again! I don't believe we can't find her! She dared to hit me, wait till we find her, I'll kill her!"
The atmosphere in the carriage suddenly became tense. Judging from their conversation, there were quite a few other people on the train besides the two of them.
"What should we do?" The newlywed woman was the most nervous. Among these people, she was the softest-hearted, but also the most timid.
"It's alright, come with me to call the train police."
Her man got up and pulled her outside, also afraid that if these people discovered the person hiding in the upper bunk, it would implicate them.
The middle-aged couple exchanged a glance, both displeased that the newlywed woman had taken in trouble only to run away.
"You search here, we'll search there, we'll definitely find her!"
The group arrived quickly, shortly after the couple left.
Have you seen a woman in a red coat?
It was the same two men as last time; one of them walked towards Xia Baozhu while asking questions.
The other one looked around, whether his eyesight was bad or he was also attracted by Xia Baozhu, he didn't see the woman in the upper bunk, and he also smiled at Xia Baozhu with ill intent.
"What are you looking at! Look again and I'll gouge your dog eyes out!"
Sun Xingyan got angry when he saw that look, and his protective instincts immediately kicked in.
He took out a thin, retractable iron rod from his bag. It was a gift from Ma Zhaoshi; it was a thickened steel pipe, specifically for self-defense.
This iron rod is about the length of a chopstick, with an outermost layer about one centimeter thick. When pulled out, it is eighty centimeters long, similar to a TV antenna, but thicker and harder.
"Haha, what use is a chopstick? Look at my stuff!" the lecherous man said disdainfully as he pulled out a knife.
The middle-aged couple were so frightened that they covered their faces with the blanket, cursing Sun Xingyan inwardly for overestimating himself and being a troublesome fool.
Xia Baozhu remained seated, and upon hearing the man's words, she gave a cold laugh.
She picked up half an apple from the table and threw it at the man with the knife's face.
The apple shattered upon hitting the hard skull, splattering juice everywhere, and the man cried out as he fell backward to the ground.
Hearing the noise, the middle-aged couple pulled down the covers, peeked out, and were overjoyed! One of the two scoundrels had fallen asleep!
I didn't expect Xiao Sun to be so capable; no wonder he dared to step forward.
They glanced at Xia Baozhu, who remained calm, and felt even more relieved. Xiao Sun's wife must know his abilities, which was why she was so composed.
The other man was stunned and turned to run away, but Sun Xingyan took the opportunity to slap him, hitting him hard on the back.
Sun Xingyan struck him several times, but the man remained silent and ran outside in the blink of an eye.
Seeing that Sun Xingyan was about to follow them out.
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