The woman was completely stunned by Lin Zhixia’s words, staring at her blankly.

She didn’t understand what she meant.

Xie Qingshu also opened her eyes in curiosity, looking at Lin Zhixia in confusion.

She didn’t even know the woman, so how could she possibly know she was “pitiful”?

The next second, Lin Zhixia’s voice filled with pity rang out in their ears.

“Sister, you’re so young, yet your husband has already died.”

“Taking care of such a young son and daughter alone must be very hard, right?”

Her voice was loud enough that the surrounding passengers all turned to look at the woman.

An older, kind-hearted woman couldn’t help sighing when she saw the two children.

“What a sin… both kids are so young and already lost their father.”

“How pitiful… with a daughter and a son, it’ll be hard for her to remarry too.”

Hearing the sympathetic comments around her, the woman snapped back to her senses and exploded in anger. She stood up and pointed at Lin Zhixia’s nose.

“What nonsense are you talking about?! Who said my husband is dead? My husband is perfectly fine—he just went to the toilet!”

Lin Zhixia looked confused.

“If your husband isn’t dead, then why isn’t he helping you? Why is he letting a pregnant woman like you work in the fields every day? Watching you suffer and do all the hard labor while he does nothing?”

“Or is it… that you just naturally love working so much that you feel uncomfortable if you don’t work a single day?”

“You… you…” The woman was choked speechless, her lips trembling as she struggled to respond.

Who would enjoy working? If she had a choice, who would want to work in the fields while pregnant?

There was no connection at all between that and “loving work.”

“Pfft.” Xie Qingshu couldn’t help but laugh.

So, Lin Zhixia wasn’t sympathizing with the woman at all—she was clearly mocking her earlier claims about how hardworking she was while praising herself!

The surrounding passengers also finally understood what was going on, and many of them secretly laughed.

The woman’s face turned even darker as she glared at Lin Zhixia, wishing she could tear her apart.

But looks alone couldn’t hurt anyone. Lin Zhixia ignored her and calmly continued eating.

After finishing a bun, she took out another one from the bag and happily ate it.

The moment the meat bun was opened, its rich aroma filled the entire carriage. Earlier, everyone had been focused on the argument, so they hadn’t noticed the smell.

Now that things had quieted down, the fragrance immediately caught everyone’s attention.

In this era, meat was rarely eaten except during holidays. Most people only got to eat meat once or twice a year, so many swallowed their saliva quietly.

Adults could only endure it, but children could not.

The boy in the woman’s arms stared at Lin Zhixia’s meat bun and started crying loudly.

“Mom, I want meat buns! I want to eat!”

“There aren’t any meat buns on the train. Be good, wait until we get off and I’ll buy you some,” the woman coaxed.

“I don’t want to wait! I want it now! She has one—go ask her for it!” the boy shouted, pointing at Lin Zhixia.

He kept crying and kicking.

The woman, already furious from earlier, now had her temper pushed even further.

When the boy’s flailing hand accidentally hit her face, her anger exploded completely.

“Eat, eat, eat! Are you starving to death?! That’s all you know—eating!”

She yelled angrily, but instead of hitting her son, she turned and grabbed the quiet little girl beside her and pinched her hard.

“Are you mute? Your brother is crying—can’t you comfort him?”

“Other than eating and wasting food, what use are you?”

The girl, though in pain with tears streaming down her face, didn’t dare make a sound.

Meanwhile, the boy who still didn’t get the bun continued crying loudly.

The sharp, piercing cries made Lin Zhixia’s ears ring.

Seeing the woman venting all her anger on her innocent daughter while ignoring the crying son, Lin Zhixia couldn’t take it anymore.

She tapped Xie Qingshu’s shoulder.

“Qingshu, come with me to the bathroom.”

Xie Qingshu was also irritated and immediately agreed, helping Lin Zhixia toward the restroom at the end of the carriage.

At the connection between two train cars…

Jiang Yu had shed his usual gentle, smiling demeanor and was now sizing up Xie Jingheng coldly.

“If I’m not mistaken, your family is being sent to Harbin?”

Xie Jingheng nodded indifferently.

Jiang Yu sneered. “Zhixia is pregnant with your child, yet you’re making her go to the countryside with you? Is that how you treat your wife?”

His tone was filled with anger.

Xie Jingheng almost laughed from anger. His aura turned even colder.

“Comrade Jiang, this is our family matter. What right do you have to interfere?”

“I…” Jiang Yu started.

“Besides,” Xie Jingheng said lightly, “Zhixia insisted on coming with me.”

“I originally wanted her to stay in the city, but she can’t bear to be apart from me. She insisted on going to the countryside with me.”

He spoke helplessly, but the satisfaction in his eyes betrayed him.

Jiang Yu’s expression turned completely stunned.

“That’s impossible!” Jiang Yu gritted his teeth. “You’re lying!”

He clearly remembered hearing that Zhixia and her husband did not get along at all. How could she willingly go to the countryside for him?

But then he recalled how naturally she had allowed Xie Jingheng to hold her hand earlier…

His face darkened further.

“If you think I’m lying, and it makes you feel better, then believe what you want,” Xie Jingheng said calmly.

Jiang Yu’s expression grew uglier.

At that moment—

“What are you two talking about?”

Lin Zhixia’s voice suddenly came from the side.

Xie Jingheng stiffened for a moment, then quickly smiled.

“Nothing, just casual chatting.”

Jiang Yu quickly adjusted his expression and smiled as well. “Zhixia, where did you go?”

“The child across from us was crying too loudly,” she replied simply.

Before she could say more, Xie Qingshu couldn’t hold back.

“Brother, you have no idea! The woman across from us has absolutely no manners!”

“Her son was screaming so loudly it felt like the train roof was going to blow off, and she didn’t discipline him at all. Instead, she kept beating and scolding her daughter, who did nothing wrong.”

“And just now, when you gave my sister-in-law a bun, she was probably jealous and even insulted her!”

“Did she bully you?”

“Xia Xia, did she insult you?”

Two concerned voices almost spoke at the same time.

The carriage instantly fell silent…