Chapter 238: You Deserve Respect

Luo Qiao confirmed at which station the woman would get off, planning to come early and help her with her luggage. She also reassured the woman not to worry, promising to assist her bags when she got off, before preparing to leave.

Luo Qiao deeply respected soldiers and the military wives who silently supported them. They took care of their homes while their husbands protected the country, so they can have such a peaceful life.

As she turned to leave, she took two eggs from her crossbody bag and handed them to the child, then quickly walked away.

When Luo Qiao reached her own carriage, she saw an older girl sitting in her seat. She approached and double-checked to confirm it was indeed her assigned seat before saying, “Hello, this is my seat.”

The girl glanced at Luo Qiao and apologetically said, “I saw no one here and sat down. I’m sorry.”

Luo Qiao smiled, “It’s okay.”

The girl stood up with a smile, “Where is my seat?”

She pointed ahead, where an elderly lady was sitting with a slightly older child. Luo Qiao immediately understood that the girl’s seat had been taken by the child. Luo Qiao smiled gently, “It looks like the child isn’t sitting. Why don’t you go ahead and take your seat first?”

The girl smiled and nodded before walking over. Luo Qiao sat down and looked towards the front, where she saw the elderly lady glancing sideways at her.

The elderly lady refused to let her grandson move, saying she arrived first and her grandson had been sitting there all along. She also claimed it wasn’t suitable for her to hold her grandson.

These words made the people around her laugh. An older woman in the back said, “Auntie, if you think it’s inappropriate to hold him, that’s not right. You didn’t buy a ticket for him, and now you’re occupying someone else’s seat while being so unreasonable.”

The elderly lady retorted, “Mind your own business and stop meddling.”

The older woman replied, “If you’re in the wrong, don’t stop others from pointing it out. Your grandson is old enough and should know some manners.”

This escalated the situation. The elderly lady stood up and said, “Who’s lacking manners? What’s wrong with my grandson?”

The older woman didn’t back down, saying, “You are occupying someone else’s seat and causing such a fuss—if you had any manners, you’d give the seat up.”

After a while, the train attendant arrived, and after understanding the situation, he said to the elderly lady, “Madam, if your grandson doesn’t give up the seat, you’ll need to buy another ticket.”

Hearing this, the elderly lady quickly complied, and her grandson gave up the seat. The girl, who had been standing there looking troubled, was helped by the woman who had spoken up earlier. She turned to her husband and said, “Swap seats with this girl, you sit in the front.”

The man glanced at his wife with a touch of helplessness and said, “Alright, though you’ll always be this warm-hearted.”

After thanking them, the girl smiled at Luo Qiao before taking her seat.

The train sped all the way, and when it’s almost noon, Luo Qiao thought of the mother and child. Considering it was inconvenient for them to go to the dining car, she took out a pre-prepared lunch box from her crossbody bag.

She walked towards their carriage and, noticing no one at the carriage connection area, she paused there. The lunch box contained congee, and in her hand was an oil paper-wrapped package with a scallion pancake and two steamed buns.

She didn’t want to bring out too much to avoid drawing too much attention.

When the military wife saw Luo Qiao coming, she greeted her with a smile, “Sister.”

Seeing the items Luo Qiao carried, she was at a loss for words and somewhat awkwardly said, “Sister, what’s this for?”

Luo Qiao responded, “Sister, it’s inconvenient for you to get meals with the child. I brought some for you. Please don’t be polite, without the sacrifices of soldiers, we wouldn’t have our happy lives. You deserve respect, and it’s only right that I do this.”

The military wife’s eyes reddened. It was the first time someone had spoken to her like this. In the village, some people joked about her marrying a soldier, saying that although she received allowances, having a man away for many small and big matters was hard.

But the words of this girl made her feel comforted. She felt a sense of pride in her husband’s service to the country and her role in maintaining their home.

She gratefully said, “Thank you, sister. My name is Tian Fang, and this is my son, Geng Jingjun, named by my husband.”

Luo Qiao smiled at the child and asked, “Sister, did you bring a lunch box?”

Tian Fang replied, “Yes, it’s in the bag underneath.”

Luo Qiao placed the items on the small table, squatted down to pull out the bag, found the lunch box, and then pushed the bag back under the seat.