Chapter 7

“You eat it yourself.”

Tang Wan knew that Tang Zhou, at his age, needed to eat more to grow. Boys at this stage had hearty appetites.

The fragrant cornmeal paired with an authentic free-range chicken drumstick was incredibly delicious.

Since crossing over into this world, this was the first proper meal Tang Wan had enjoyed.

“Grandma, I want a drumstick too!”

The boy on the opposite lower bunk, who was about the same age as Tang Zhou, gazed longingly at the drumstick in Tang Zhou’s bowl.

“Grandma brought eggs. We’ll eat eggs,” the old lady, Li Daya, said while shooting a disapproving look at Tang Wan and her group. Why eat so well on a train? Look at how you’ve made my grandson envious!

“No, no! I want a drumstick!”

Wang Dabao began throwing a tantrum, rolling around on the bunk. His behavior startled Tang Wan, as she had never encountered such a spoiled child before.

Although Tang Zhou’s family had a unique background, their parents occasionally indulged them with treats, so they’d never had to resort to such dramatics for food.

“Big sis…”

Tang Zhou awkwardly shifted closer to Tang Wan, biting into his drumstick in large chunks. It was his drumstick, bought by Big Brother Lu for him.

“It’s just a drumstick, but you’re letting the child cry so pitifully. How heartless,” came a voice from the middle bunk. Yu Juan poked her head out, her gaze landing pointedly on the drumstick in Tang Wan’s hand.

Li Daya, holding her grandson, chimed in, “This child hasn’t had much good food in his life. You’ve got plenty of chicken in your bowl; why not share a little with my grandson?”

Tang Wan’s mouth twitched in disbelief. She glanced at the round, well-fed Wang Dabao. This physique doesn’t look like he’s been deprived of good food.

“No,” Tang Wan replied flatly.

She took another bite of the drumstick, even quickening her pace. It wasn’t that she lacked sympathy—it was the boy’s greedy and hostile expression that unnerved her.

She had no desire to play the role of the Good Samaritan.

“Once you finish eating, head up to rest,” Lu Huaijing said, frowning. He didn’t speak up on behalf of the child, which pleased Tang Wan.

Just because you’re a soldier doesn’t mean you have to be a pushover. Thankfully, this guy isn’t one of those overly righteous types.

The boy continued crying and throwing a fit. Even when Li Daya offered him an egg, he refused, keeping his eyes fixed on the meat in Tang Wan and Tang Zhou’s bowls.

“Stingy!” Yu Juan muttered.

Tang Wan’s sharp eyes noticed Yu Juan’s companion, a young man, entering with a meal box.

“What’s going on here?”

Yu Wei handed an aluminum meal box to Yu Juan, who, tempted by the sight of Tang Wan’s chicken, quickly scrambled down from the middle bunk.

“Nothing much. They just made a kid cry from hunger,” Yu Juan said, glancing at Tang Wan and her group as she opened her meal box.

Tang Wan gave them a knowing look, her expression unreadable. This is going to be interesting.

Yu Wei’s face darkened as he sensed something amiss. Meanwhile, Yu Juan sat down beside Li Daya and eagerly opened her meal box.

Oh, surprise! It turned out to be the same meal as Tang Wan’s group—cornmeal and chicken!

Tang Wan could barely suppress her laughter, her smile curling like a little fox’s.

Lu Huaijing found himself momentarily dazed, captivated by her mischievous expression.

Wang Dabao’s eyes lit up with envy as he stared at their meal boxes, his cries growing even louder.

“Young lady, you’re different from them—you’re kindhearted. This drumstick…” Li Daya’s gaze shifted to the drumstick in Yu Juan’s box, her intent clear.

Yu Juan flushed slightly under the scrutiny, but Yu Wei firmly pressed her hand down.

“Eat your meal.”

This meal had been bought with his hard-earned private savings for his cousin—he wasn’t about to let someone else take advantage.

Yu Juan, who had just been so self-righteous, ignored Li Daya, immediately digging into her food.

Li Daya grew furious. “I thought you were a kind person! What’s the big deal about a drumstick? Eating it is just a waste on someone like you!”

“Who are you calling a waste?!” Yu Juan snapped.

Yu Juan was fuming with anger. Tang Wan had just finished her meal and leisurely closed her lunchbox. She spoke slowly:

“She’s still just a child. Why are you being so harsh?”

Yu Juan: …

“Surely, you wouldn’t begrudge a child a single drumstick, would you? No way, right?”

Tang Wan’s smile burned Yu Juan’s face like fire. Yu Juan felt a tinge of regret; she shouldn’t have mocked Tang Wan earlier.

She just couldn’t stand Tang Wan, a delicate lady playing at being a servant, acting so particular despite being a commoner.

“Fine, hand it over!”

While Yu Juan was still stunned, Li Daya grabbed the drumstick from her bowl and handed it to his grandson, who was eyeing it eagerly.

“Da Bao, eat up.”

“Nom nom…”

Wang Da Bao didn’t care that Yu Juan had taken a bite out of it. He gobbled it up in just a few bites and then stared longingly at the rest of the food in her lunchbox.

Yu Juan was dumbfounded.

She had never encountered such shameless people before.

Yu Wei’s face turned livid with anger, but his scholarly demeanor left him tongue-tied. He could only flush red and mutter to Yu Juan:

“I told you to keep quiet, but you wouldn’t listen.”

Yu Juan: …

Her frustration boiled over, and she nearly choked on her food. Meanwhile, Tang Wan thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle, clearly in a great mood.

“Give me the lunchboxes; I’ll wash them.”

Lu Huaijing, torn between amusement and exasperation, thought to himself how his seemingly gentle wife was actually quite the feisty little pepper.

“No need; I’ll do it.”

Tang Wan wanted to head to her personal space anyway, so she grabbed all three lunchboxes and went to the restroom.

Once inside, she shut the door and entered her space. She quickly washed the lunchboxes and then her face.

Soon, there was a knock at the door. Being on a train was inconvenient, so she had no choice but to leave her space and return to her berth.

Traveling from Dongcheng to Nancheng took an entire day and night by train. Luckily, Lu Huaijing was considerate throughout the journey.

They ate, slept, and repeated the cycle. After her failed attempt at taking advantage, Yu Juan didn’t dare provoke Tang Wan again.

However, thanks to her earlier “generosity,” the grandfather and grandson pair kept pestering her.

By the time they arrived in Nancheng, Tang Wan felt like she was about to spoil. Taking the chance to visit the restroom early in the morning, she dashed into her space for a shower.

Feeling refreshed, she emerged just as the train arrived at the station. Lu Huaijing carried her suitcase in one hand and her cloth bag in the other.

“Stay close to me; don’t get lost.”

“Alright.”

Having learned her lesson, Tang Wan tightened her grip on Tang Zhou’s hand. For a moment, she wondered if it was her imagination, but it seemed easier to keep up with Lu Huaijing this time.

Seeing him occasionally glance back at her warmed her heart.

This man was surprisingly thoughtful, deliberately slowing his pace to accommodate them.

After arriving in Nancheng, they took another three-hour bus ride to Lu Huaijing’s hometown, Daping Town.

Before they reached the ox cart station, Tang Wan spotted two familiar figures in the distance: Yu Juan and Yu Wei.

It turned out they were also sent here as educated youths!

Seeing Lu Huaijing’s group, Yu Juan looked as if she had seen a ghost. What were the odds of such a coincidence?

She silently prayed not to be assigned to the same brigade as Tang Wan. After all, she had embarrassed herself thoroughly on the train.

But things rarely go as hoped. The brigade leader, who had just called out Yu Juan’s name, was now waving at Lu Huaijing.

“Huaijing, you’re back. And these are?”

The brigade leader’s curious gaze landed on Tang Wan and Tang Zhou. Could this dazzlingly fair woman be Lu Huaijing’s wife?

What about his daughter then?