Chapter Nine: The Overprotective Grandma: This Is My Granddaughter

“Hey, you stubborn girl, what nonsense are you spouting over there?” The woman knew well what was on her mind. Hearing the little girl’s words and seeing that others hadn’t understood, she cursed under her breath, stood up, and tried to snatch the steamed bun from Jiang Jing’s hand.

Jiang Hua woke amid the commotion and, upon hearing Jiang Xiaxia’s words, sneered coldly. “My granddaughter asks why you have warm buns in your bag but won’t give them to this child. Children’s stomachs are weak; eating cold food isn’t good! Why don’t you give the warm buns to him? After all, those two poor grandchildren of ours are pitiful!”

The woman felt guilty and immediately clutched her bundle tighter. “What nonsense! There’s no warm bun in my bag. You little brat, don’t talk nonsense!”

Xiaxia pursed her lips slightly, about to say more, when the chubby little boy suddenly rushed forward and knocked the old lady off the train car.

The chubby boy looked at the old lady lying on the ground but didn’t care. He plopped down on her and shouted, “I want a big bun, a big bun! You useless old thing, why won’t you give me a bun?”

“You— you—”

The old lady curled up in pain on the ground, unable to speak properly, only moaning for a long time, cold sweat pouring from her forehead.

“Quick, help this lady up!”

The bespectacled man jumped down from the bed and reached out to steady her, but the old lady moaned once more, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.

“Oh no—”

The old lady’s collapse pinned the bespectacled man beneath her.

“Hurry, help this gentleman! Don’t let both of them fall and get hurt!”

The middle-aged woman forcefully restrained the struggling chubby boy and shouted toward Jiang Jing, “You there, hurry up! Why are you just standing there?”

Jiang Xiaxia tilted her head and, seeing the chaotic scene inside the compartment, obediently stood by her grandmother’s side.

After Jiang Hua nodded, Jiang Jing immediately stepped forward and lifted the old lady onto his back.

Though something felt off, since she had fainted, and as a soldier, he couldn’t just ignore her.

“This lady doesn’t look well,” the middle-aged woman said, backing away as if to wash her hands of the matter. “If I were you, I’d take her to the train attendant right away. Otherwise, if she passes away, this family will surely blame you!”

Jiang Jing’s face darkened; he snapped, “If you don’t know how to speak properly, then keep your mouth shut!”

Then he looked at Jiang Hua. “Mother, you and Xiaxia stay here. I’ll be back soon!”

Before Jiang Hua could reply, Xiaxia quickly patted her chest. “Protect Grandma!”

Jiang Jing nearly rolled his eyes in frustration but scanned the surroundings and memorized the faces before hurrying toward the train attendant’s lounge with the old lady on his back.

“I want Grandma—I’m going to find someone to arrest you for killing my Grandma! You’ll pay for this!”

***

The chubby boy, seeing the old lady taken away, struggled to follow but was held back by the middle-aged woman.

He shouted again.

The woman, growing impatient, slapped him sharply.

“Smack!” The crisp sound of a slap echoed, and a finger mark immediately appeared on the boy’s face.

Jiang Xiaxia gasped, raising her hand to cover her cheek. This human was really brutal to a child.

“What are you looking at? What? You want to hit back?”

The woman sneered at the boy, who was now holding his cheek silently but shooting her a hateful glare. She laughed coldly, “I’m not your cowardly grandma. If you keep causing trouble, I’ll knock you out cold!”

The chubby boy shrank his head, no longer making a fuss.

“Hey, sister, why resort to hitting when you can teach the kid properly?” The bespectacled man, seeming to have recovered, began lecturing.

The middle-aged woman scoffed and raised her hand threateningly. “Since when did you get to lecture me? Want me to try you next?”

The bespectacled man immediately shrank back into the bed, pulling the curtain around himself and muttering, “Good men don’t fight with women.”

Jiang Xiaxia looked up and suddenly called out sweetly, “Uncle!”

The bespectacled man peeked out cautiously, eyeing the woman before looking at Xiaxia. “Yes?”

“Does it hurt?” Xiaxia pointed to his waist, then to herself. “Want a massage?”

Jiang Hua saw the sparkle in the little girl’s eyes, the same light she had when she saw Wang Lianjun organizing the big reunion, and couldn’t help but wonder: Could this bespectacled man be someone wealthy?

But that had nothing to do with Xiaxia, right?

Or could it be—

Remembering Xiaxia’s special intuition toward bad people, Jiang Hua immediately became alert and slipped her hand into her bundle until she felt the rolling pin, which gave her some reassurance.

Still, she couldn’t help but scold her third child silently: This must be the trouble he stirred up again—never a moment’s peace!

While she was muttering to herself, Xiaxia had already run up to the bespectacled man.

The man chuckled, “Alright, let’s see what you can do, little girl!”

***

He then began to undo his clothes.

The middle-aged woman spat on the ground and sneered, “A desperate woman chasing after a man, clearly a loser destined to lose money!”

Jiang Hua’s expression darkened but said nothing.

Xiaxia seemed oblivious and shrank into the bed curtains, disappearing completely behind them.

No one knew what she did, but within five minutes, all was silent inside.

Xiaxia emerged holding a steamed bun and a handkerchief, obediently saying, “Uncle, thank you!”

Just as Jiang Hua exhaled in relief, the middle-aged woman and chubby boy’s eyes suddenly narrowed.

Xiaxia walked up to the chubby boy with the bun, smiling sweetly as she offered it, “Warm!”

The now docile boy was forced to eat the bun by Xiaxia. His eyes flashed with malice; his face flushed red as he raised his hand to strike Xiaxia.

While swinging, he roared, “Who asked you, you filthy brat, to feed me? I want my Grandma!”

The chubby boy was like a spoiled child who had just been wronged, venting his anger on someone else.

But Xiaxia raised her hand, pushed him back, and then pressed down on his raised arm.

“Crack!” The crisp sound of a broken bone rang out.

“Eat!”

Xiaxia ignored him and continued forcing the bun into his mouth.

The middle-aged woman was already sweating nervously and hurriedly reached out. “If he won’t eat, then stop feeding him!”

“My granddaughter has her reasons for what she wants to do. What’s it to you?”

A rolling pin was pressed firmly against the back of the middle-aged woman’s head, and Jiang Hua’s calm voice sounded from behind her.