Back to the 1970s: Building My Fortune Through Time Trading-Chapter 293: The Bratty Kid on the Train

Su Xiaoxiao looked through the car window at the tall, slender figure outside the door, waving desperately at her.

"Mom, you should hurry back!"

Perhaps the car’s noise was too loud, Liu Cuilan didn’t hear, and just stood there until the car turned a corner and she was no longer visible.

She bought the train ticket for seven-thirty, and the bus arrived shortly before seven, fortunately, the train station wasn’t very far away.

Su Xiaoxiao lugged her bundle to a secluded spot, storing everything into space before hustling to the train station.

The distance between the two cities isn’t very far; a few hours by train is all it takes.

In order to save money, Su Xiaoxiao bought a hard seat, sticking to the principle of saving where you can and spending where you should.

Having gotten up too early, she couldn’t help but yawn as soon as she sat down.

Opposite her sat a middle-aged woman, looking to be in her early forties, who kept glancing at her shoulder bag from the moment she sat down, either deliberately or unconsciously.

Next to the middle-aged woman sat a young man who looked tall and lanky, with too much white in his eyes, and his gaze seemed somewhat fierce.

Su Xiaoxiao slightly furrowed her brows; these two didn’t give off the impression of being good people.

Thinking that it was just a few hours’ journey, she decided to endure it and stay awake.

She yawned while going to the front of the carriage to fill a cup with hot water, and then took out a packet of coffee to brew in it.

Soon, the rich aroma spread throughout the entire compartment.

She blew on it and took a big sip, the rich taste spread in her mouth, instantly making her feel much more awake.

Just drinking coffee felt a bit lacking, so she also took out some beef jerky to eat along with it, feeling quite at ease.

Outside the train window, rows of low houses and trees sped by, with verdant mountains and clear waters, the scenery pleasing to the eye.

Eating while enjoying the scenery seemed rather nice.

While she was admiring the view, a burst of crying suddenly came from nearby.

"Mom, I want to eat too, I want to eat too."

With so many people on the train, it’s normal for children to cry, and Su Xiaoxiao didn’t take it seriously, continuing with her own thing.

Yet it wasn’t long before she felt a tug on her sleeve.

Turning her head, she saw a five or six-year-old boy tugging at the sleeve of her cotton jacket, his eyes pitifully gazing at her: "Sister, I want to eat the tasty snacks you’re eating, could you give me some?"

The kid looked chubby with a round face, his cotton jacket also seemed quite new, clearly coming from a well-off family.

The little boy’s mother was sitting right next to him, showing no intention of stopping her son’s behavior.

Su Xiaoxiao frowned; it wasn’t that she was stingy with her food, but with such a young child, if he choked on something or had an allergic reaction, she couldn’t bear the responsibility.

Without second thought, she refused: "Little one, if you want to eat, ask your mom to buy it for you, even I don’t have enough to eat."

Unexpectedly, the little boy was relentless: "No, I just want to eat. Sister, give me some, I want to eat."

Su Xiaoxiao, feeling a headache, turned to the boy’s mother: "Excuse me, ma’am, could you mind your child?"

But the woman, hearing this, looked displeased: "Why are you so stingy? The kid asked you for a little snack, he won’t eat much, what’s the harm in giving him some? At worst, I can trade it with you for some dried sweet potato."

She spoke, reaching into her bundle to pull out a piece of dried sweet potato and handed it over: "That should be okay, won’t it, stingy?"

Su Xiaoxiao laughed angrily, trading jerky for dried sweet potato, this woman’s face was really audacious. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"Sorry, ma’am, I don’t eat dried sweet potato, not trading."

She placed the remaining beef jerky into her shoulder bag, downed the enamel mug of coffee, and was about to get up to go wash it out, but to her surprise, the little boy clung to her leg refusing to let go.

"I don’t care, I just want to eat. If you won’t give it to me, you can’t go!"

This brat!

Compared to this brat, Su Xiaoxiao thought her own younger siblings were much cuter.

The child’s mother not only didn’t help, but instead gloated: "Serves you right for being stingy!"

Alright, if the parent won’t teach, she’ll lend a hand to teach this brat some manners.

She grabbed the little boy’s collar and pulled him down: "Let go, or I’ll hit you!"

Just as she said it, before she could really do anything, she was shoved hard.

"You lousy girl, how can you be so shameless? Bullying a little kid!"

The one who pushed was the same mother who had been gloating earlier.

"Try laying a finger on my son again?"

The woman stood defiantly with hands on hips, seeing the frail-looking girl in front of her, easily aggressive.

"The kid just wanted some snacks, didn’t he? I even traded dried sweet potato with you, what more do you want?"

The boy clinging to her leg immediately wailed along: "I want to eat, I want to eat!"

Su Xiaoxiao was speechless with anger: "Fine, I also have dried sweet potato here; I’ll give you two pieces for two ounces of beef, alright?"

"Are you crazy? Want me to trade beef for your dried sweet potato? Nice try, you should take a good look at yourself."

The woman cursed, looking at Su Xiaoxiao with a look reserved for lunatics.

An old lady watching the commotion chimed in: "Young lady, that’s a bit much. Beef is precious these days; even as a joke, you shouldn’t be asking people to trade beef for dried sweet potato."

Su Xiaoxiao then grabbed a handful of beef jerky from her pocket, peeled it open, and the boy clinging to her leg immediately scrambled to grab it.

She was tall, not letting anyone snatch it away.

"Why would I trade my beef jerky for her sweet potato? Who in their right mind would do that?"

Earlier, everyone had assumed the colorful stuff in her hand was candy, now seeing it’s beef jerky, those ready to chime in fell silent.

Who would be foolish enough to trade beef jerky for sweet potatoes? Even they wouldn’t agree.

They wouldn’t even indulge themselves, how could they trade with someone else.

Everyone could afford sweet potato, but beef jerky was a luxurious item.

The little boy persisted, clinging to Su Xiaoxiao’s trousers: "I want to eat, I just want beef jerky, give it to me!"

The young woman’s expression changed, seeing the child crying like that, she rummaged in her bag and pulled out a sorghum flour bun: "Will you trade for a bun then?"

"Not trading, thanks. Please remove your child, or I won’t be polite anymore."

If there’s a first time, there’ll be a second, more so since the child is young; if something happens, they’ll blame her.

The woman, seeing her firmness, could only grudgingly drag the boy off the floor: "Alright, don’t cry, once we get off, Mom will buy it for you. It’s just beef jerky, we’re not so poor we can’t buy it."

As the boy still wanted to cry, she forcibly lifted him and pressed him into the innermost seat.

The farce finally ended.

Su Xiaoxiao took her mug to wash, and upon returning, found someone sitting in the outer seat of her row. It was none other than the middle-aged woman who had been sitting opposite her earlier.