Li Xiyue found her carriage and berth with the help of the train attendant.
In the four-person carriage, Li Xiyue's bed was on the bottom bunk, while the top bunk was empty. The two beds opposite her were already occupied: the upper bunk belonged to a young man wearing glasses, and the lower bunk belonged to a woman with a child.
The young man was reading a newspaper in bed, looking rather unwell, but his eyes lit up when he saw Li Xiyue, and he greeted her politely.
Li Xiyue nodded in response.
The woman was making the bed when she glanced back at Li Xiyue with disdain in her eyes.
The child was a boy, about six or seven years old. He was jumping around on the bed, messing up the bed that the woman had just made. He was shouting as he jumped, and every now and then he would scream.
The woman didn't stop him at all; instead, she praised the child, which made the child even more unrestrained.
"Ma'am, could you please ask your son to stop making so much noise?" the young man said, putting down his newspaper, finally losing his patience.
The woman didn't take it seriously. "What's wrong with kids being a little noisy? Noisy kids are good, what? If you can't stand it, you can leave."
"I bought the bed, why should I leave?" the young man said angrily.
The woman stood with her hands on her hips and said, "This is the bed we bought. We can jump on it however we want. What right do you have to tell us what to do?"
“You’re disturbing me, of course I have to speak up.”
"You're sleeping on top of us, pressing down on us, did we say anything? My son wanted to jump around and talk to us, what's wrong with that? You're a grown man, arguing with a child, have you no shame?"
The young man was so angry he couldn't speak. He pulled the blanket over his head, but the unruly child was jumping around so much that the whole bed was shaking, and he couldn't sleep at all. He couldn't reason with the parents, so he could only sulk.
Unruly kids and their unruly parents.
Li Xiyue remained silent and took out some food to place on the table.
The meat buns were still hot, and their aroma filled the entire carriage.
The mischievous child smelled the aroma, jumped off the bed, went to Li Xiyue, grabbed a meat bun, and ran away.
Li Xiyue grabbed him by the back of his collar, "You thief, how dare you steal in broad daylight!"
"What thief? He's just a child. What's wrong with a child eating your food? This is my precious son. It's your good fortune that he would even look at your things," the woman said arrogantly.
Li Xiyue grabbed the child by the collar and lifted him up like a chick. "Taking something without asking is stealing. This is the first time I've ever heard of a thief stealing my things and me being lucky? Well then, I wish you boundless good fortune!"
"You're cursing me!" the woman exclaimed, her eyebrows raised in a fierce glare.
Li Xiyue sneered, "You yourself said that having your things stolen is a blessing, so why is it being cursed on you now?"
"Let me go, you bad woman, let me go!" The little boy bared his teeth and brandished his claws like a little turtle that had been hung up.
"She's already learned to steal at such a young age. What will she be like when she grows up? No way, I have to report her to the police!"
The woman's face changed upon hearing the word "police," but she became even more defiant, saying, "You little bitch, let go of my son! Why call the police? It's just a piece of trash like you. Is it really necessary to make such a big deal out of it?"
"Jinbao, you too, how could you take things from someone like that? Didn't you see how she's dressed up? She's obviously a slut, and her stuff is filthy!"
They even dared to make personal attacks.
Li Xiyue wasn't going to tolerate her. She raised her hand and slapped her across the face. "Did you forget to rinse your mouth after eating shit? Your mouth stinks!"
The woman covered her burning face, incredulous. "You dare hit me?"
"You dare to spew filth, how could I not hit you?" Li Xiyue's eyes sharpened. "If you keep spewing nonsense, I'll slap you!"
"Give me back my child!" She lunged forward to snatch her son back, but Li Xiyue dodged while holding the little rascal, causing her to miss and fall to the ground.
Ignoring her, Li Xiyue picked up the child and left, saying, "Officer, I've caught a thief, come quick!"
"Mom, save me! I don't want to be arrested by the police! I'm scared, waah..." The naughty child struggled to break free and was about to be kicked out the door when he started crying in fear.
"Stop right there!" The woman, ignoring the pain, scrambled to her feet and chased after them. "Where are you taking my son?"
Li Xiyue laughed and said, "Are you deaf? I already told you to call the police, he stole my things."
"You're not allowed to go!" The woman blocked the door, determined not to let it open no matter what.
Li Xiyue said, "I have to go. I lost a meat bun. Meat buns are so precious. Most people can't afford them."
"It's just a steamed bun, I'll pay you back." The woman took out a dime from her pocket. "Is that enough?"
Li Xiyue rolled her eyes. "One cent? Are you trying to fob me off like a beggar? Forget it, I'll just take this thief to the police station."
"How much do you want?" the woman asked urgently.
Li Xiyue said, "At least ten yuan."
"Ten yuan? A lousy steamed bun? Why don't you just rob it?" the woman screamed.
Li Xiyue picked up the child and left, "Police..."
"...I'll give it to you!" The woman gritted her teeth and pulled out ten yuan from her pocket. "Is that alright now?"
Li Xiyue took the money and returned the brat to him. "Don't make any noise while I'm here. If you disturb my sleep, I'll throw him out the window. I mean it!"
The woman was so angry that her face was trembling, but she didn't dare to say a word. She took the child back to bed and coaxed him tenderly, while the child burst into tears.
Li Xiyue snapped, "Shut up! If you cry again, I'll throw you out!"
The child pouted, tears streaming down his face, but dared not utter a sound.
The woman held the child tightly, as if afraid that she would snatch the child away and throw it out.
Li Xiyue was very satisfied. She ate something and went to sleep.
The young men were stunned; she was a heroine!
He had been traveling with this shameless mother and son for some time now. The brat was never quiet for a moment, and he couldn't be reasoned with. He dared not hit or scold him for fear of being extorted. So he had been holding back his anger all the way.
I never expected that this new female passenger would not only be beautiful, but also so capable.
I can finally vent my anger.
This was the first time he had ever seen anything like this; it really shows how broad one's horizons can be when traveling.
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