Obstruction Part 1

This was Lin Qingqing’s first time on a train. It was crowded inside, and the air was heavy with unpleasant smells. To ensure his daughter could sit comfortably, Lin Chengshan bought two tickets. If he had only bought one, people would have said that the child didn’t have a seat and that he should hold her.

“You should hold her,” someone said to Lin Chengshan.

“I bought two tickets,” Lin Chengshan replied, seating his daughter by the window. To prevent her from getting lost, he tied a rope around her waist, securing the other end to his own waist.

“She’s just a child. Why don’t you hold her?” the person insisted.

“Why are you arguing with a child?” Lin Chengshan sneered. “Are you so old that you can’t move?”

Lin Chengshan was not someone to be easily bullied. Even if standing tickets and sitting tickets cost the same, it didn’t matter. He bought a seat ticket for his daughter, so she had the right to sit.

The train ride from their hometown to Rongcheng City took five or six hours. Unlike modern times with cars and highways, which made the journey from Rongcheng City to their village only about three hours.

The person turned red with anger at Lin Chengshan’s words.

“She’s just a child, her bottom isn’t that big, why must she sit alone?”

“I’ve never seen such people, this is a waste of resources.”

“A child that young not knowing how to be considerate, imagine how they’ll be when they grow up.”

The person continued to mutter beside them, and Lin Chengshan heard it all.

“You’re so old and you don’t know how to be considerate. You expect a child who hasn’t even started kindergarten to be considerate of you? Aren’t you ashamed?” Lin Chengshan retorted. “You’re harming the flowers of our country, damaging the bright future of our nation.”

Raising the stakes, who couldn’t do that?

Lin Chengshan rarely argued like this, but he wasn’t afraid of these people. They bullied the weak and feared the strong. If you showed fear, they would keep talking. Lin Chengshan covered his daughter’s ears to protect her.

Seeing this, Lin Qingqing covered her own ears, not needing her father to do it for her.

“You…” The person wanted to say more, but Lin Chengshan glared at them coldly.

“You’re so old, don’t bully a child,” someone else said. “If you had children, would you want them to be bullied like this?”

People around felt that Lin Chengshan had done nothing wrong. He had bought a ticket for his child. If others were willing to spend the money, it showed they cared for their children.

On a long journey, holding a child all the time would be tiring for the adult and uncomfortable for the child.

“Don’t stand here,” a train attendant came over. “There are empty seats in other carriages, don’t crowd here.”

The attendant had checked other carriages and knew the situation. Looking at Lin Qingqing, with her clear and innocent eyes, thin and weak, the attendant felt there was nothing wrong with letting the child sit. If the family hadn’t bought a ticket, there might be an issue, but they had.

The attendant looked at the tickets Lin Chengshan handed over. “Everyone is equal. Children can sit too.”

The attendant didn’t try to mediate unfairly. Since the family had bought tickets, making them give up their seats would harm the child. The woman was quite fat, and it was a two-person seat, not meant for three. If she sat down, would the father and daughter still have room?

The fat woman could only grumble and leave, her body jiggling as she walked.

The attendant returned the tickets to Lin Chengshan. “There are still over five hours left. Keep an eye on your child.”

Some parents didn’t watch their children on trains, and if a child was taken, they might never be found again. Those who took children would get off early, not waiting for the parents to find them.

Lin Chengshan knew that there were many child traffickers at this time, which is why he tied himself and his daughter together with a rope. He also knew that traffickers could use scissors to cut the rope, but any precaution was better than none. Cutting the rope would take time.

“Are you hungry?” Lin Chengshan put the ticket away. He took out the cake he had bought in advance and handed it to Lin Qingqing. “Fill your stomach first. We’ll buy food when it comes around.”

“Daddy,” Lin Qingqing looked at the cake, feeling incredibly happy to have cake to eat.

“Stay with Daddy, don’t run around, okay?” Lin Chengshan said. “If something happens, call for Daddy.”

“There’s a rope,” Lin Qingqing said, holding up the rope. “A rope.”

“Yes, there’s a rope, but it’s not foolproof,” Lin Chengshan said, gently rubbing his daughter’s head.

Lin Qingqing took a bite of the cake and looked out the window, finding it very novel.