Daily Life in the 70s-Chapter 142 Supreme Quality

She felt a bit embarrassed as she said to the child’s mother, "I’m feeling a bit dizzy over here... The child’s crying is really pitiable, please ask that gentleman to stop hitting him. I have some meat buns here, let the child come over and take one..."

The child’s mother, seemingly without any intention of offering her bunk, furrowed her brows, but upon hearing there was food, quickly turned around, pulled the child from her husband’s grip, rudely dragged the child over to Yang PeiMin, and tossed him in front of her, instructing, "Hurry up and call her Auntie, Auntie has something tasty here."

The child, with tears and snot flowing, hearing there was food, also stopped crying, but still sobbed intermittently. He wiped his nose with the back of his hand then, turning his palm over, reached out towards Yang PeiMin, "What is it?"

Yang PeiMin couldn’t bear to look directly and took a meat bun from the wax paper, but didn’t give it to him right away, instead she coaxed softly, "Inside the bun is meat filling, very delicious, but you have to tell Auntie your name first, and why you were crying just now. Men aren’t supposed to shed tears, I believe you must have had some trouble, right?"

The little boy wiped his nose again, puffed out his little chest, but looked at her without the usual shyness of children, "I’m Gou Dan, if I tell you, will you give it to me?"

Yang PeiMin nodded, glanced at the onlookers enjoying the spectacle, and as she passed over the child’s mother, who seemed somewhat impatient, she mouthed to her: Your child is so cute! Of course, she made this gesture for all to see, and everyone smiled kindly, seeing it as nothing more than innocent fun with the child.

Gou Dan sniffled and said, "Because I wet the bed up there, I don’t want to sleep there!"

His mother reacted quickly, "You little brat, you wet the bed too? I’ll show you!" She had hardly finished speaking before she swung her palm down towards the child’s back.

Yang PeiMin also instinctively reached out to stop her, urgently saying, "Please, don’t hit him, the child realizes his mistake." But the woman did not stop in time; her slap landed on Yang PeiMin’s arm, causing a sharp pain. Yang PeiMin pulled back, cradling her arm, her face wrinkling in a grimace.

"This sister, I didn’t realize you had put out your hand to stop me, look, it was just a moment of anger," the woman said hurriedly, pulling her son towards her, as if afraid Yang PeiMin would retaliate against her son.

But the child refused to leave, wriggling into Yang PeiMin, "I’ve told you, give me the bun!"

Yang PeiMin gave him a bun and placed it in his hand. Initially, she had considered giving him two, but seeing the faces of this family, she immediately dismissed the thought, and her sympathy for the child had also all but vanished.

Yet the woman, seeing that Yang PeiMin still gave her son a bun at that moment, thought her an easy target and revived her previous intention. She first apologized for hitting Yang PeiMin by mistake and then said, "Look here, dear, my child is a handful, never sits still for a moment. I’m really afraid he’ll fall down. Please be so kind as to exchange bunks with me?"

Yang PeiMin, rubbing her arm, which was less painful by now, felt inwardly frustrated, and it showed a bit on her face, "My head is spinning even more right now, with all this climbing up and down... I’m sorry, sister... You see, let Gou Dan sleep inside, and you sleep on the outside, it’s safer. And talk to him a bit more..."

"Do you like the meat bun, Gou Dan?" Gou Dan, wolfing down the bun, hastily nodded. Yang PeiMin said to him, "After you finish eating, will you go up and sleep obediently? I know Gou Dan is a clean boy; put a couple of your mother’s clothes on the wet spot, and you won’t feel it anymore. Wash the clothes when you get home, and they won’t be dirty. Is that okay? I don’t have any more meat buns, but I do have a bun that I can give you if you promise to listen to your mother and stay put. When we get back, if I meet you again, I’ll treat you to a meat bun again, okay?"

Actually, the child was over five years old and already had the awareness to control his behavior. The bunk was very narrow, adding a child meant adults could only sleep on their sides, but the child sleeping inside was not a problem. He could come down and play on the floor when not sleeping; his father was on the floor already, wasn’t he?

And the boy’s mention of wetting the bed, she was beyond frustrated; this clearly treated others as fools.

The boy nodded vigorously, eager to agree.

Yang PeiMin handed him another bun, and turned to the woman, "Look how well-behaved Gou Dan is, not mischievous at all. He must have cried earlier because he was embarrassed about wetting the bed. He cares about his dignity too."

The woman’s face looked rather unpleasant, originally a bit troubled and honest, it now appeared quite mean under the distortion of anger.

"Don’t want to let it go, then forget it. But why use the child as a pawn?" She glared at Yang PeiMin with one look.

Yang PeiMin showed a helpless expression to the onlooking crowd.

Someone spoke up for her, "Big sister, this young lady has already been quite righteous, both calming your child and offering food. And you want to swap with her when your child has wet the bed, do you have any shame? Besides, she’s also feeling unwell."

"That’s right, the child’s father won’t even persuade your wife, acting like this isn’t kind."

"Your child’s just being naughty, a few lessons and he’ll behave. If that doesn’t work, just let him sleep in the corridor. If you don’t have the ability, don’t pretend to be greater than you are, no one owes you anything."

After being lectured by these few people, the father opened his mouth, then sat down, turning away in a manner that indicated he was not going to deal with the situation. The woman silently wrapped her arms around her child and went to the upper bunk, intentionally making exaggerated movements as she did so.

And the woman opposite to her, who had been showing off her affection, looked somewhat disappointed. When her man glanced over, she pinched her own man’s waist while glaring at Yang PeiMin.

What kinds of characters are these?

Can’t a train ride go without so much trouble?

Yang PeiMin felt a surge of pent-up anger and returned the woman’s look with an expressionless gaze.

The woman grew even more provocative, "What are you looking at? This is my man, what’s so interesting about him?"

"Don’t mind me. I was just thinking why you didn’t buy two sleeper tickets. This big brother here looks like he’s about to fall onto the floor," she said, pointing to the half-lying man who seemed to be in some pain.

The woman choked, "We’ve just gotten married, he’s worried I might fall off the bed, so that’s why we only got one sleeper berth. What’s it to you?"

Yang PeiMin nodded her head, thinking it ridiculous.

She also lay down and covered her stomach with a large scarf.

But as soon as she lay down, Qiao Ying came back.

"There’s a child vomiting badly in the carriage ahead, I happened to have some medicated oil with me so I went to have a look. I heard there was quite a commotion here just now?" She stood in front of Yang PeiMin’s bed, her posture straight, but her eyes swept around Yang PeiMin’s bunk mates with a sharpness.

Yang PeiMin instantly felt, the woman in the upper bunk stopped making noise, and the woman opposite stopped talking, too.

Qiao Ying was truly formidable.