Chapter 87
“I don’t know, but I can learn. Otherwise, I’ll be bored to death for the whole four months of winter, just in that small house. Besides, you won’t let me play,” Su Xiaoxiao pouted and complained softly.
Previously, she had suggested that he climb through the window to visit her at night, but he refused. Later, she proposed digging a tunnel so she could go to him, but he still declined.
Jiang Yexun couldn’t resist the pitiful look in the girl’s eyes and chuckled. He gently held her soft hand and playfully bit her finger.
“You heartless girl, I’m doing all this for you.”
“It’s for yourself!” Su Xiaoxiao retorted, unconvinced. “You’re just afraid that my brother will break your legs.”
“I’m not stupid; if I can’t endure it, I’ll just run,” Jiang Yexun replied.
Jiang Yexun had already figured out that he couldn’t compete head-on with his future brother-in-law; he had to be flexible. But as he said this, he noticed a somewhat sympathetic look in the girl’s eyes.
“Hmm?” Jiang Yexun raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“My brother has won the national martial arts championship for two consecutive years. I think you won’t be able to outrun him,” Su Xiaoxiao boasted, a hint of schadenfreude in her words.
Jiang Yexun choked for a moment, then looked at her with a faint glance. “You want to see me get beaten up, don’t you?”
“How could that be? You’re my future husband.” Su Xiaoxiao hugged Jiang Yexun’s arm, swaying coquettishly.
Jiang Yexun had already resigned himself to the fact that he was going to get beaten up, and he couldn’t escape it. Therefore, he didn’t bother thinking about it anymore.
But thinking about the sewing machine she had just mentioned, he became a bit more serious. “Once we get the sewing machine, you can decide what kind of clothes you want to wear. My mother can help you make them. The needle is too sharp; you’re always so clumsy, you might prick yourself.”
The last time he saw her sewing her own bedsheets, it was simply a disaster, and it couldn’t compare to his craftsmanship.
“I don’t expect to wear them right after making them. I’m just doing it for fun in my free time. Besides, I’ll take it slow to avoid pricking myself.”
She knew that Jiang Yexun would become a big shot in the future. So she wanted to follow in his footsteps and become equally outstanding, rather than being a clinging vine.
Seeing the resolute look in the girl’s eyes, Jiang Yexun nodded. “Okay, then I’ll buy more fabric, and you can make whatever style you like.”
“I knew it, you’re the best!” Su Xiaoxiao immediately hugged his arm happily.
Her mind was already starting to think about various styles that would be popular in recent years.
For dinner, they had dumplings made by Aunt Guo. The dumplings with cabbage and pork filling were placed in a thermos, and although they didn’t have vinegar, they still tasted delicious.
They had just eaten a couple of dumplings when the man next door helped his mother and headed outside. Presumably, he was going to buy dinner. However, as he passed by Su Xiaoxiao’s bed, he deliberately cast a glance at her.
Jiang Yexun immediately gave him a cold, stern look, making the man retract his prying gaze.
About forty minutes later, the man returned carrying a lunchbox.
“My mother said it’s too boring over here. She wants to sit with her daughters-in-law. She’ll come over later to sleep,” he said.
Hearing the man’s words through the thin partition, Su Xiaoxiao curled her lips in disdain.
Oh, the audacity of these grown men to sit comfortably in the spacious sleeping berths while their mothers and wives are crammed into the hard seats!
After wandering around the train car, having a light meal, and studying textbooks with Su Xiaoxiao, Jiang Yexun took their modest luggage and went for a quick wash. When they returned, the train attendant had just finished checking tickets, and after everyone left, they settled down to sleep.
However, since they had taken a nap during the day and the train car’s lights were still on, Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t fall asleep immediately, even with her eyes closed. She had a jumble of thoughts in her mind.
She had to wait for the lights to go out before she could start to drift into a drowsy state. But during this quiet, accompanied by the rhythmic sound of the train on the tracks, there was a sudden sharp noise that pierced the air.
The sound wasn’t very loud due to the train’s speed, but it startled Su Xiaoxiao, making her open her eyes wide. She turned to look at Jiang Yexun, who was sleeping across from her.
Clearly, he had also heard the noise. However, he didn’t know what it was and furrowed his brow while trying to comfort Su Xiaoxiao, urging her to go to sleep.
Su Xiaoxiao didn’t know if they were being suspected, but she made a pistol shape with her hand.
In case he mistook it for the number seven, she also wiggled her hand upwards.
Jiang Yexun’s deep eyes widened in the darkness, and he reached for a hidden short blade, firmly grasping it in his hand. Then he shook his head silently, urging her to close her eyes.
But then they heard hurried footsteps, stumbling in their direction. Su Xiaoxiao and Jiang Yexun were so nervous that every muscle in their bodies tensed.
Soon, they saw the two men run past their berth as if they had seen a ghost, heading out of the train car. However, there was no scent of blood in the air. Su Xiaoxiao and Jiang Yexun finally relaxed and let out a sigh of relief.
The woman, who had been quiet throughout the incident, suddenly got up as well. Su Xiaoxiao sat up as the woman approached their bunk, and when she was right in front of them, she turned on her flashlight.
The woman shielded her eyes from the bright light with her hand. Both her hands were empty, indicating she didn’t mean any harm.
“What happened to them? Why did they run so quickly?” Su Xiaoxiao pretended to be curious.
The woman didn’t expect this reaction and hesitated for a moment before responding, “I don’t know either. Maybe their mother said she’d come over in the evening, but she never came. They were worried something happened.”
Saying that, she took off her shoes in the aisle, carrying her luggage, and seemed to be heading for Su Xiaoxiao’s upper bunk.
“Doesn’t it feel stuffy sleeping in the upper bunk?” Su Xiaoxiao asked, peering out.
“I’m traveling alone; it’s not safe to sleep in the lower bunk,” the woman gave a reasonable explanation.
However, considering the earlier situation, it was easy to deduce that the two men must have been up to something, and they were caught off guard. It was unlikely that a public servant would carry such items with them. This woman either had a powerful background or was up to no good.
Su Xiaoxiao thought about being secretly monitored at the hospital and how this woman had deliberately engaged in conversation with Jiang Yexun without any specific topic. The light in her eyes darkened.
“It’s fine. I’ll keep an eye out at night,” Jiang Yexun reassured and patted Su Xiaoxiao’s hand. He noticed that her hand was ice-cold, lacking any warmth.
Su Xiaoxiao nodded and lay back under her blanket. Even if she wanted Jiang Yexun to sleep first, he would never be able to sleep under these circumstances.
Jiang Yexun changed his position to have a better view of the entrance to the train car. He could feel the woman sleeping in the upper bunk casting glances at him from time to time, but he didn’t pay her any mind.
He waited until he heard two sets of breaths gradually stabilize, and his eyes grew alert in the darkness.