He was 0.1 seconds faster than Jiang Yu.

Xie Jingheng glanced at Jiang Yu with a smug look, and as expected, Jiang Yu’s face darkened a little.

The two men were so childish it was almost unbearable to watch. However, Lin Zhixia still had a slight headache and wasn’t in the mood to pay attention. Xie Qingshu, who was eager to continue speaking, didn’t even look at them and quickly repeated, word for word, what the mocking woman had said earlier.

“Xia xia, you’ve always been so clever since you were little. Even your insults are indirect,” Jiang Yu laughed.

Xie Jingheng, who was a step slower, shot Jiang Yu a cold glance. Thinking that Lin Zhixia had just rubbed her temples, he deliberately reached out in front of Jiang Yu and gently massaged her head.

However, since it was his first time doing such an intimate gesture, his movements were stiff and unnatural. The moment his fingers touched her soft hair, his heart started beating rapidly.

“Does your head still hurt?” he asked.

“A little,” Lin Zhixia nodded.

If it weren’t for the fact that they were in a restricted situation and couldn’t draw too much attention, Lin Zhixia would have already dealt with that rude mother and noisy child properly.

It was simply too lacking in manners!

“Zhixia, I’ll be sleeping in a berth from the next stop. You can come rest on my bed,” Jiang Yu said with concern.

Lin Zhixia was tempted, but when she looked at Xie Jingheng standing beside her, she worried he might misunderstand, so she prepared to refuse.

But before she could speak, Xie Jingheng had already answered for her. The corner of his lips lifted slightly as he looked at Jiang Yu.

“Alright, I’ll thank Brother Jiang on her behalf.”

When he said “on her behalf,” he deliberately emphasized those words, clearly marking his territory.

Jiang Yu’s smile instantly froze.

In contrast, Xie Jingheng’s lips curved into a faint, satisfied smile.

However, very soon, Xie Jingheng could no longer smile—because the ticket inspector did not allow him to accompany Lin Zhixia to the berth car. Only Jiang Yu, the ticket holder, was permitted to escort her.

Seeing Jiang Yu’s triumphant smile, Xie Jingheng’s expression instantly turned cold.

The two-day-and-one-night train ride passed with Lin Zhixia sleeping for almost a full day and night. Aside from eating and using the restroom, she mostly slept.

Unlike the crowded and noisy hard-seat carriage, the sleeper carriage was harder to get tickets for and usually required connections. Because of this, the passengers looked more refined and behaved properly, without loud disturbances.

After Jiang Yu got off midway, Lin Zhixia returned to the hard-seat carriage, with only half a day left before reaching her destination.

Compared to the tired passengers in the hard-seat section, Lin Zhixia looked energetic and refreshed, standing out immediately.

She was also very beautiful, attracting many stares from men—including the man sitting opposite, who kept staring at her.

The woman beside him had already been feeling unhappy seeing how well-rested Lin Zhixia looked after staying in the sleeper carriage. When she noticed her own husband staring blankly at her, her anger flared.

She opened her mouth to curse, but when she met Xie Jingheng’s cold gaze beside her, she immediately froze and did not dare continue.

Unable to direct her anger at Lin Zhixia, she pinched her husband hard on the waist instead.

“Hiss! Zhang Jiao! What are you doing?”

“Me? You’re the one looking around! Your eyes are practically glued to her!” Zhang Jiao said in a low voice.

Being scolded in public made the man lose face. He shoved her hard.

“Why are you always causing trouble?! All you ever do is make a scene!”

Zhang Jiao’s head hit the window from the push. Although she was hurt, she didn’t dare say more and could only glare at Lin Zhixia.

Lin Zhixia didn’t tolerate it and glared right back.

She wasn’t the one who caused the trouble—why was she being glared at?

Did they think she was easy to bully?

At 3 p.m., the train stopped at Qinghe Town.

Xie Jingheng carried their things in one hand and protected Lin Zhixia with the other. The Xie family followed behind, surrounding her as they walked out.

Zhang Jiao’s family happened to be behind them as well. Seeing Lin Zhixia walking empty-handed while being protected, then looking at their own heavy luggage and the child they had to carry, she felt even more unbalanced.

She snapped at her daughter:

“Foolish girl, hurry up! Walk faster! If you’re slow, the train will leave and no one will care about you!”

She then pinched the girl hard again. The child staggered in pain.

Meanwhile, the Xie family found a donkey cart waiting outside the station to take them to Fengshou Brigade.

The cart was small and simple, with only side boards, looking rough and unsafe.

They placed their luggage on it and sat around Lin Zhixia to keep her steady.

Xie’s mother even used a bag of clothes as a cushion for her.

Xie Qingshu frowned. “How long does it take to get to Fengshou Brigade?”

“About forty minutes,” the young driver replied.

“Forty minutes?!” Xie Qingshu’s face immediately paled.

She had ridden a donkey cart before and remembered how exhausting it was even for just over ten minutes.

The driver laughed. “Your brigade is already quite close. Some villages take at least an hour and a half.”

Xie Qingshu looked miserable.

Lin Zhixia also looked uneasy. She quietly took out her water bottle and drank a few sips of “spring water” from it.

Just then, a familiar voice came from nearby. A large bag was suddenly thrown onto the cart, aiming straight at her face.

It was too fast—she couldn’t dodge.

She instinctively shut her eyes tightly, gripping her water bottle.

Bang!

Xie Jingheng quickly raised his arm and blocked it. The heavy bag slammed into his arm, causing a sharp pain and a brief stiffness in his body.

“Are you alright?” he asked immediately, turning to her with concern.

Lin Zhixia shook her head, still shaken.

He hesitated, then gently patted her shoulder to calm her.

The bag fell onto the cart and shook everyone inside.

Xie Qingshu angrily threw it down.

Zhang Jiao, standing nearby, nearly got hit and immediately shouted angrily:

“Are you blind?! Can’t you see people standing here?!”

“That hit you on purpose!”