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"Comrade, if you keep being unreasonable like this, I’ll go get the train attendant to handle it," the young man said, frowning and looking impatiently at Guo Xiaojun.
Guo Xiaojun hesitated for a moment. After all, she had just come back from speaking with the train attendant. If she went to find them again, would she be able to return? She rolled her eyes dramatically at the man and muttered some unflattering remarks under her breath.
"Seriously, a grown man is quibbling with a young girl over just one bed? It’s just a bed! What’s the big deal? A man like him is fussier than I am; it’s obvious he’s not a decent person."
After packing her things, Guo Xiaojun took off her leather shoes and stuffed them into her bag before climbing up to the upper bunk. She was exhausted and sweating profusely, and looking down at the man below only made her more irritated.
The young man frowned in annoyance but managed to hold his temper. He straightened his bedding and pulled out a sheet from his bag to spread over the mattress.
Wen Qian raised her eyebrows in surprise. She had prepared sheets for Xiao Chen because of his poor health, and she hadn’t even prepared any for Lu Zheng. She didn’t expect this man to bring his own sheets.
After laying out his bedding, the young man lay down and fell asleep.
Guo Xiaojun looked down from the upper bunk and, seeing him asleep, felt a surge of resentment. She rolled around on her bunk and began to complain loudly.
"This train is way too hot! I’m about to melt here!"
"Oh my gosh, this bed is so small! I can’t even turn around; I can barely lift my head!"
"What if I fall off? If I do, who’s going to take responsibility for me getting up here?"
The young man opened his eyes in irritation. Hearing the commotion from above, he got up, slung his bag over his shoulder, and walked out.
Seeing him leave, Guo Xiaojun felt a sense of triumph. "Hah! What’s so impressive about him? He was still chased away by me!"
However, her smug expression quickly turned stiff when she saw him return with the train attendant following behind him. She hurriedly lay back down and pretended to be asleep.
"Officer, this young lady has been rolling around on the upper bunk and making a lot of noise; it’s really affecting my rest," the young man reported.
The train attendant recognized Guo Xiaojun and sighed inwardly; it seemed every trip had its troublemakers.
He knocked on the upper bunk. "Excuse me, miss, could you please come down for a moment?"
"I—I didn’t mean to! It’s just so hot! I wasn’t being that loud," Guo Xiaojun protested as she sat up to face the attendant. Although her voice was loud, her gaze darted away from the man below, revealing her guilt.
The train attendant then asked Wen Qian and Lu Zheng for their accounts of what had happened. Wen Qian recounted everything honestly.
Guo Xiaojuan hurriedly explained, "Officer, I just had a quarrel with them. You can't trust what they say; they are definitely slandering me."
"You little girl, why are you always lying? It's shameful for us women!"
Following the voice, Guo Xiaojuan saw an older woman looking at her with disdain, cracking dried pumpkin seeds in her mouth.
She pointed at Wen Qian and said, "Officer, what they said is true. I heard everything clearly from next door. This girl didn't even knock and disturbed my rest!"
Now that there were witnesses, Guo Xiaojuan couldn't deny it. She was unwilling to be moved to another private room. In the end, she had to apologize to the man and promise not to cause trouble again; otherwise, she would be forcibly transferred.
The train officer looked at them and said, "You all are going to the same place. Since you're traveling together, try not to create any more conflicts."
Wen Qian paused as she handed Lu Chen some candy. She hadn't expected that they were all headed to the same destination.
"Where is your family going?" the older woman asked with a smile as she leaned against Wen Qian's bed, glancing at Lu Chen.
Wen Qian smiled politely back. The older sister didn't seem like a bad person; she appeared kind-hearted and honest, a simple person.
"We're going to Nanling."
"Oh my goodness! I'm going there too! My son is in the army there, and I'm going to take care of my daughter-in-law!"
"In the army?" Wen Qian looked at Lu Zheng. As far as she knew, there was only one military district in Nanling where Lu Zheng and his group were stationed.
"Could it be...?"
The older woman blinked at Wen Qian. "Your man is in the army too, right? He looks just like my son—strong and sturdy!"
"Yes, he serves in Nanling."
The older woman hesitated before asking, "My surname is Tian; my son’s name is Wang Baotian. Do you know him?"
Lu Zheng glanced at this Aunt Tian—no, he should call her Auntie Tian—and replied, "Yes, I know him. He's the company commander from the neighboring camp."
Aunt Tian joyfully slapped her thigh. "Yes! My son is the commander! You know him; that’s great!"
Without hesitation, Aunt Tian sat beside Lu Chen and looked at him approvingly while nodding her head. "This boy looks good but is just too thin. If he eats more, he'll definitely grow up handsome."
"My eldest grandson is about his age but is much chubbier than your child! I actually hope he loses some weight."
Wen Qian looked at her with fondness; she enjoyed interacting with straightforward people. "Aunt Tian, you came by yourself?"
"Just me. My daughter-in-law is about to give birth, and I need to take care of her during the confinement period."
"Then let me congratulate you in advance; that's truly a blessing."
Aunt Tian waved her hand with a smile. "What blessing? It's my daughter-in-law who has to suffer. Giving birth is like passing through the gates of hell; it takes a toll on a woman's body."
Wen Qian noticed the pain in Aunt Tian's eyes and felt happy for her daughter-in-law. With such a considerate mother-in-law, that man must be decent too.
"This is your first time coming with the troops, right? I haven't seen you before at the family quarters," Aunt Tian said.
"Yes, it's my first time."
Aunt Tian leaned in to share her advice. "Let me tell you, when you go, choose a bungalow. Don't be fooled by the tall buildings; I think bungalows are better. You can have your own little yard to grow vegetables and raise chickens, which could save quite a bit of money!"
Wen Qian absorbed all of this. "Thank you for sharing so much, Aunt Tian. When I get to the base, I'll treat you to a meal."
Lu Zheng sat nearby, watching Wen Qian smile. She exuded a resilience and warmth that had been part of her character since childhood.
A young man sat down across from Lu Zheng. "You are Lu Zheng, the company commander, right?"
Lu Zheng looked at the man as he extended his hand. "Yes, I'm Lu Zheng."
The man replied, "I’m Jiang Qing, the instructor from your company."
Lu Zheng stood up and shook his hand in return. He hadn’t expected to meet him so soon; he had heard before returning that an instructor was coming to their unit but hadn’t anticipated running into him on the train.
Guo Xiaojun had been quietly lying on the bed until she heard Jiang Qing's name mentioned. She sat up abruptly, looking at him in disbelief and shouted, "Jiang Qing, is that really you?"
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