Chapter 138: Chapter 138: Collateral Damage

An Ning looked down at her book, the corners of her mouth curving up slightly.

’Turns out, watching other people’s drama is this much fun.’

’I’ve been staring at this page for ages. Shouldn’t I turn it?’

An Ning felt that if she didn’t turn the page, her act wouldn’t be very convincing.

RUSTLE—

An Ning nonchalantly turned the page.

Jiang Xia had been watching An Ning out of the corner of his eye, and he knew at a glance that she was smiling.

But he still didn’t go over and talk to her.

’When a woman goes off the rails, there are no rules.’

’Take this annoying woman in front of him, for instance. If he went to talk to An Ning, it would only cause her unnecessary trouble.’

"Jiang Xia, why are you treating me like this? I just want to talk to you."

The girl lowered her head, looking utterly aggrieved.

Jiang Xia gave her a blatant, uncouth eye-roll.

"Don’t pull that act with me. Let me tell you, your little tricks don’t even come close to the ones my own father’s stepmother uses. Stop making a fool of yourself."

"And one more thing. This is your last verbal warning: stay away from me. If you keep pestering me, I don’t have any rule against hitting women."

"If you don’t believe me, you can go ask. That stepmother of mine learned that the hard way."

Jiang Xia let out a cold snort and turned to leave.

The girl behind him wanted to chase after him, but the repeated verbal humiliation left her rooted to the spot.

The girl stomped her foot in anger and spun around.

"AH—"

"Are you blind?!"

"I’m burned!"

The girl jumped around frantically, her clothes soaked with freshly made spicy and peppery soup.

The tangy, peppery smell filled the train car.

"I’m not blind, and you’re not burned to death."

An Ning politely offered her a clean cloth—a cotton handkerchief that Lin Cuihua had specially made for her.

"Get it away from me! What is this rag?!"

The girl slapped An Ning’s hand away in disgust. The bellyful of anger from Jiang Xia’s humiliation erupted the moment she saw what An Ning was wearing.

"Look at you, all dressed up like you’re somebody. You think you can just come eat in the dining car like other people? Can you even afford it?!"

"And another thing—pay up! I bought these clothes and shoes from abroad."

The girl stood her ground, acting high and mighty. Opposite her, An Ning held a half-empty bowl of soup.

"First, you’ll compensate me for my soup. Then, you’ll take off your clothes and shoes, and I’ll pay you for them. That would be fair."

"What did you say?"

The girl shrieked, her nostrils flaring with rage.

An Ning took a step back, distancing herself from the girl as if she had some contagious disease.

She repeated herself, her voice loud and clear, her tone perfectly calm.

"You turned around and bumped into me, spilling my soup on yourself."

"To be fair, you compensate me for the soup, and I’ll consider this bowl of soup yours."

"I’ll compensate you for your clothes and shoes. By the same logic, they will then belong to me. So you’ll have to take them off. Is there a problem with that?"

Their conflict and dialogue drew a crowd, and even Jiang Xia, who had already left, returned to see what was happening.

He even fanned the flames, saying, "I think she makes a very reasonable point."

The girl whipped her head around, her anger now greater than her sense of grievance. She spoke without thinking, "Jiang Xia, someone like you who can’t even go back to Beijing is only fit to be talking in a place like this!"

Jiang Xia’s lips curved into a wicked grin as he slowly walked forward.

"I’m the kind of person who can’t stand being insulted. I’m also incredibly petty, you know."

"Waiter! Another bowl of this spicy and peppery soup. I’m treating this young lady to a nice, big bowl."

The girl was frightened by his ruthless and serious expression. She instinctively took two steps back, right into the puddle of soup on the floor.

"AH—" SPLAT.

The girl slipped and landed hard on the floor.

"You—you just wait and see!"

The girl scrambled up, looking completely disheveled, and quickly fled. She had already forgotten all about An Ning; her hatred was now focused entirely on Jiang Xia.

The spectacle ended with the girl’s departure. Someone came to clean up the aisle, and An Ning was left holding less than half a bowl of soup, wondering whether to drink it or throw it away.

"Waiter," Jiang Xia called out. "Give the soup I ordered to this comrade as a replacement."

Jiang Xia pointed at An Ning, said his piece to the waiter, and left again.

Once again, he left without exchanging any further words with An Ning.

An Ning didn’t stand on ceremony. After getting things settled, she sat down and ate her meal.

There were three dishes, and the portions were generous.

To the waiter’s astonishment, An Ning finished all three dishes and the soup.

After finishing her meal, An Ning glanced at the time. She had been out for over an hour.

’If I don’t head back soon, it’ll start to look suspicious.’

An Ning got up, grabbed her backpack, and headed back toward her own car.

Jiang Xia, who wasn’t far away, saw An Ning leave and guessed she must be in one of the next few cars.

’What a coincidence, to actually be on the same train.’

Jiang Xia retracted his gaze. ’She’s probably heading south,’ he guessed. ’Is she trying to resell goods?’

’Does she even have the connections?’

Jiang Xia was letting his imagination run wild.

Meanwhile, An Ning had already returned to her car.

An Guoming was finally able to relax when he saw her return.

"Second Brother, I’m done eating. The braised pork was delicious, you should order some."

An Guoming smiled and stood up. "Alright, I’ll order some."

"You can sit here. We’re going to eat."

"Okay."

An Ning took the inside seat. An Guoming and the other man left together, heading toward the dining car.

Back in her seat, An Ning went back to her book.

When An Guoming returned, he was alone.

"All settled?"

An Ning asked. An Guoming shook his head.

"No, it’s not that easy."

"These are trade routes people risked their lives to establish; they’re not going to give them up easily. I don’t need their exact connections, anyway. Just knowing the general direction is enough."

An Guoming didn’t say any more. He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes to rest for a bit.

CLICKETY-CLACK, CLICKETY-CLACK.

The journey from Beijing to Yang City, including stops, would take seventeen or eighteen hours in total.

They had boarded a noon train and spent the night on board. By the time the sun rose the next day, they had finally arrived in Yangcheng.

As the train began to slow, passengers were already on their feet, grabbing their luggage and forming a line by the door.

"Isn’t this the last stop?"

An Ning didn’t understand the rush to line up so early.

"They’re just eager. It has nothing to do with it being the last stop."

An Guoming understood completely. If not for the calm An Ning beside him, he would have been getting in line too.

"Oh—well, we might as well go too."

An Ning was quite cooperative. After gathering their things, the two of them joined the line.

WHOOOO—

With a long whistle, the train pulled into the station.

Once the train stopped, the two of them followed the flow of the crowd off the train.

The moment they stepped onto the platform, they finally felt the sensation of being in a land far from home.

The climate was different.

They were each carrying an extra bundle now—their heavy winter clothes.

"Let’s go. We’ll figure things out after we leave the station."

"Okay."

An Ning followed An Guoming.

She had only taken a few steps when her sharp instincts made her glance to the side, just in time to see Jiang Xia brush past her.

An Ning saw Jiang Xia dart away, but now there was a slip of paper in her palm.