The elderly man nodded in agreement.
"Yes, let's observe the situation for now and avoid acting rashly."
But inside, he felt increasingly uneasy, sensing something strange about this train.
Meng Changyi furrowed her brows, something felt terribly wrong.
There had been so much noise earlier, yet the attendant in red hadn't punished anyone?
Then, the sudden ticket change—and why did this new ticket have no seat number?
If it wasn't for assigned seating, then what was the purpose of this ticket?
The attendant had stressed so many times how important it was to keep it safe—could it be easily lost?
There was no doubt that this ticket held some significant meaning, and it should be kept in a secure place...
Clatter...
The sound of the rolling wheels broke Meng Changyi's train of thought.
A vendor appeared suddenly in the carriage, pushing a small cart filled with food and drinks, a strange smile plastered on her face.
"Everyone must be hungry, right? Please enjoy the complimentary meals."
Meng Changyi glanced at her phone—it was 17:41.
The passengers eyed the food and water with hesitation, unsure whether to accept the offering.
A man stood up and said, "I'll have a meal, and a bottle of water. I'm a bit thirsty."
"Certainly." The vendor's smile deepened as she handed him a box of food and a bottle of water.
Seeing that the man was fine after eating, some others also decided to take a portion.
The young couple exchanged glances. The boy's stomach growled audibly. The girl hesitated, looking at the food, then at the attendant.
"It looks alright, doesn't it? Maybe we should...?"
The boy licked his lips, uncertain for a moment.
"Let's skip it. Something doesn't feel right. We better not eat," he took her hand, swallowing nervously, "What if…?"
The young mother looked at the food, her stomach growling too, but she shook her head.
"Thank you, but we're not hungry right now," she glanced at her child anxiously, "We'll pass."
The burly man patted his stomach, hesitating.
"Well... I'll skip it too," he scratched his head, "Something feels off, better be cautious." He looked around at the others. "What about you all?"
The elderly man shook his head, waving his hand in refusal.
The man with glasses furrowed his brow, thinking for a moment before saying,
"I agree, it's better to be cautious," he turned to Meng Changyi, "We don't know if the food is safe, maybe we should wait?"
Meng Changyi agreed; perhaps the food was tainted, and besides, she had plenty of snacks and water in her bag.
She turned to the attendant and said, "No thank you, we're fine."
"A bunch of fools, not even taking free food," a woman muttered, rolling her eyes as she grabbed her meal and water.
"You're the fool! Your whole family's a bunch of fools! There's no such thing as a free lunch!" The girl snapped back angrily.
"And this train's just full of... eat, eat, eat, it won't kill you!"
"Hey! Watch your mouth!" The woman retorted, taking her meal and water, rolling up her sleeves as if ready to strike.
Seeing this, the girl quickly hid behind her boyfriend.
The woman glared at the boyfriend and, grumbling, walked away, muttering,
"Tch, the youth of today…"
The girl, furious, mimicked the woman's tone and said to her boyfriend,
"Tch, the elderly of today…"
The woman paused for a moment, but with a scowl, she hastily left and returned to her seat, muttering curses under her breath.
The elderly man beside her thought, ...Did I just get insulted? Don't harm the innocent…