Chapter 6: Social Terrorist

Ping’an hadn’t slept all night. He had gotten up too early and was now a little listless.

By the time the train started chugging along with its clanging rhythm, the mother and son were already snuggled together, fast asleep.

“Fish can’t live without water.

Melons can’t grow without their vines.

The revolutionary masses can’t do without…”

Passionate, stirring singing came from another carriage, blending with the rhythmic rumble of the train. An Minghua woke again from her shallow sleep.

After all, she had a child with her, so she slept lightly. On top of that, she hadn’t slept the night before. At the moment, she had a faint headache.

“Thank you, Auntie. I don’t eat candy. Look at my teeth, they aren’t all in yet, right? It’s from eating too much candy when I was little!”

It was Ping’an speaking. An Minghua didn’t open her eyes, but she could feel that she was still holding Ping’an. And this little rascal was just lying there… chatting with people?

Laughter rang out in the carriage. A woman’s voice came from across the aisle.

“These are milk candies from the department store. They’re really tasty. You really don’t want one? I walked an hour to buy them!”

“Then your home must be near Hucheng Road?”

“Nope, I live on Anliang Lane.”

“There’s a stone arch bridge at the mouth of the lane, right? The National State-Owned Restaurant there makes amazing braised pork! Uncle, have you had it?”

“Haven’t tried it.” a man’s voice came from the upper bunk across the aisle. “You know about the National State-Owned Restaurant in Anliang Lane? You live nearby?”

“Not really, just went there with adults to eat. Uncle, from your accent, you don’t sound like you’re from the Provincial Capital.”

The young man glanced down at the little guy snuggled obediently in his mother’s arms. A flicker of amusement passed through his eyes. The little fellow was starting to probe him.

“Mm, I’m not from the Provincial Capital.”

“You sound like you’re from Beijing.”

An Minghua couldn’t listen anymore. That was a full-on Northeast accent, and yet he was being mistaken for someone from Beijing?

Well, of course, Ping’an didn’t know any other places yet.

“Haha, you even know Beijing!” the cheerful woman’s voice rang out again. “But he’s not from Beijing. He’s from Shencheng. Does he sound like he’s from Beijing? I don’t hear it.”

The young man looked helplessly at his wife, who was giggling by herself on the lower bunk. He had no doubt that if they kept talking, this little rascal would soon figure out both of their family backgrounds.

“That just means Uncle speaks very standard Mandarin!” Ping’an smiled and pressed on: “Where’s Shencheng?”

You little ancestor, you really can talk!

An Minghua quickly opened her eyes. “Ping’an, when did you wake up? Why didn’t you wake Mommy?”

“Mommy!” Ping’an called out happily. “Mommy’s tired, sleep a bit more.”

“Mommy, just now Pretty Auntie gave me candy, and Uncle gave me an egg. Ping’an says thank you.”

The expression on his little face wasn’t looking for praise—he was urging An Minghua to go socialize.

An Minghua had never thought of herself as someone with social anxiety, but now, she truly felt a bit socially anxious.

Across from them sat a young couple. The man on the upper bunk wore a military uniform—an air force uniform.

An Minghua couldn’t help patting Ping’an’s head. This little guy was impressive. He even tried to dig into their background! If he weren’t only three years old, they might’ve suspected him of being a spy!

“Comrade, thank you so much!” An Minghua quickly engaged in some socializing.

“It’s nothing. This little one is adorable!” The woman on the lower bunk looked at Ping’an with delight. “So your name is Ping’an!”

An Minghua: “…”

She could tell this lady was really innocent.

Before setting off, An Minghua had thought the three-day, two-night train ride would be hard to endure.

But to her surprise, she didn’t even notice the passage of time—before she knew it, they had arrived in Guangcheng.

The entire way there, Ping’an had been socializing nonstop! He struck up conversations with everyone he met—praising someone’s good spirit, complimenting another’s warm service to the people. He was so good at buttering people up that even the water attendants made special trips just to pass by their carriage more often!

Right before they got off the train, Ping’an even made a revolutionary friendship pact with the Air Force Uncle:

“When you and Auntie return to the Provincial Capital, I’ll treat you both to braised pork at the National State-Owned Restaurant!”

After saying that, he even turned to ask An Minghua for money:

“Okay, Mommy?”

An Minghua: … “Okay!”

With one hand carrying their luggage and the other scooping up her chubby son—who had eaten well the whole train ride—she didn’t even have time to look closely at what Guangcheng in this era looked like.

First, they had to get to the hospital!

Military Hospital

Inside a hospital ward on the third floor, Chen Yunyan had her graying hair neatly combed and pinned back. She looked gently at her son, whose whole body was wrapped in bandages with only his head left exposed on the hospital bed, and gave a tender smile.

“Hua Hua brought Ping’an, right? I calculated the time—it should be today.”

“I’ll go down to meet them in a bit. Missing Hua Hua, aren’t you? And Ping’an too—you haven’t met him yet. You really could bear to just leave the two of them behind like that?”

Footsteps sounded outside the door, followed by a voice.

“Thank you, Nurse Comrade.”

Chen Yunyan stood up abruptly. That was the voice of the child she had doted on since childhood—she couldn’t possibly mistake it.

“Hua Hua?”

An Minghua entered the room holding Ping’an by the hand. After days of chaotic rushing around, seeing the elder who loved her so dearly overwhelmed her. Without even realizing it, there was a tremble in her voice:

“Mom!”

“Grandma!”

An Minghua’s gaze shifted to the hospital bed. The man lying there had his eyes tightly shut. His lips were pale without a trace of color. His face bore dark stubble, and a piece of gauze was stuck over his left brow bone.

Her heart throbbed painfully.

She had been in this era for quite a few days now, and it seemed like she had been avoiding the question of what her feelings for Qin Lie really were.

Back in the modern world, she had been single since birth—until she got killed. In college, she was so broke she could barely eat, let alone think about dating.

Later, when she worked for the CEO’s family as Boss Wang’s assistant, she often had to deal with the CEO’s wife, who frequently threw tantrums. When the CEO was too busy to placate her, he would shower An Minghua—the trusted assistant by the wife’s side—with gold, just to stop the wife from running away.

By then, she was no longer short on money. But she was too focused on leeching the CEO family’s elite education resources and “re-raising” herself. Romance was the last thing on her mind.

As for Qin Lie… back then, she’d thought it was all just a dream.

The big brother who had always been by her side since she was little had joined the army, then suddenly came home to visit when she turned eighteen—and proposed marriage on the spot.

At that time, An Minghua hadn’t even thought about whether she loved him. With his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs, he stood tall in his properly fitted military uniform. His belt cinched tightly around his slim waist—he looked so fine standing there that she would’ve been stupid not to marry him!

But just one night after the wedding—after eating her fill of “meat”—Qin Lie had been urgently summoned back by the army, leaving behind a “seed” in her belly.

An Minghua had always thought her feelings for Qin Lie were impulsive, shallow, and irresponsible—based on looks alone.

Yet the tears she had shed in Qin Zhao’s office, and now this aching in her heart, clearly told her: her feelings for Qin Lie went much deeper than that.

“Qin Lie.” She sat at the bedside and softly called his name.

She lifted her hand, her fingers gently brushing from Qin Lie’s forehead down to his cheek, then trailing to the edge of his lips. A tear dropped and soaked into the corner of his mouth.

“You better wake up soon, Qin Lie.” she tattled without the slightest guilt: “You’re not here, and I’ve been bullied half to death!”