Read Novel Full Chapter 94.1 – Back to Hometown! (I)
Chapter 94.1 – Back to Hometown! (I)
Xia Mian held Xiao Feng in her arms, watching the scenery fly past outside the window. It was the child’s first time on a train, and he clung to the window, utterly absorbed, not bored in the slightest.
Xia Mian wasn’t bored either. From the moment she sat on the bed, the mother and daughter across from her had been subtly probing for information about Ning Shaobai.
This was still an era when travel was slow, letters took ages, and romance lingered long. Love stories of people meeting on a train, falling in love, and eventually marrying were commonplace. For many young women, the train was the most romantic place to dream of a fateful encounter.
It was understandable that the girl across from her wanted to ask about Ning Shaobai. But Dr. Ning was already booked, and there was no way Xia Mian was letting him break any more hearts.
So she employed a little linguistic finesse:
“Yes, a neighbor from back home. We came to Yan City together.”
“Twenty-five years old. Works at a hospital.”
The girl’s mother immediately said, “Then he can’t be a full doctor yet, right? Medical students study for eight years. Is he an intern?”
“He’s not an intern.”
“Could he be a caretaker or a nurse? Where’s your hometown?”
“Mingxi County.”
“A county seat, then.”
“Which neighborhood in Yan City does he live in?”
“He hasn’t bought an apartment—he lives in a single-story house inside an alley.”
The mother’s enthusiasm cooled quickly. With her mother’s warnings, and without that handsome face here to muddle her thoughts, the girl soon put the handsome stranger from a fleeting meeting out of her mind.
Xia Mian quietly let out a breath—finally, some peace…
…Peace, my foot!
The image from right before the train left the platform kept replaying in her mind. Was it a coincidence? Or had she seen it wrong?
All night, every time she closed her eyes, she saw that moment of Ning Shaobai kissing the back of his hand.
Fuming, she sat bolt upright and pounded the bed. “Ning Shaobai, just you wait!”
Xiao Feng stirred awake, mumbling, “Auntie?”
“It’s nothing, it’s nothing,” she quickly lay back down and hugged him to sleep.
Thanks to a certain Dr. Ning, Xia Mian spent the whole night half-awake and alert.
The next morning, they finally arrived at Ming City Railway Station. Two hours before arrival, Ning Shaobai had already called, telling her to wait on the train. He had asked Xiao Liu to buy a platform ticket and come meet them right on the train, saving her a lot of trouble.
The station was crowded, but compared to the later era, people’s manners and order left much to be desired. Xia Mian had walked less than twenty meters outside before she heard two people shouting that their belongings or money had been stolen.
She hadn’t brought much cash, but what she feared were child-snatchers. Remembering Xia Wenyue’s words, she held Xiao Feng tightly, making sure no one could snatch him.
In the end, she didn’t run into any snatchers or pickpockets—just a pervert.
The first time her hip was bumped, she thought it was just the crowd. She glanced around, but no one acted suspiciously.
Still, she stayed alert, and before long she felt him closing in again. Shifting one hand from holding Xiao Feng, she quickly seized the filthy hand. Since holding Xiao Feng made it awkward to use both hands, she simply pivoted, stepped down hard on the man’s arm, yanked and twisted—dislocating the pervert’s wrist in one move.
The man, hiding in the crowd, let out a scream and dropped to his knees. People around turned to look. Xia Mian gave a cold smile. “You’ve got a human face but can’t act like one! You filthy pervert!”
Clutching his wrist, the greasy man kept his head low, not daring to look up.
Xiao Liu, leading the way ahead, quickly rushed back. “Xiao Xia?”
“It’s fine. Just a pervert.” She glared at the man frozen in place. “Next time, I’ll cut your hand off!”
With that, she followed Xiao Liu forward again—this time, he moved behind them to shield them.
It wasn’t that Xia Mian didn’t want to call the police, but in this era of underdeveloped technology, the police couldn’t do much about such small incidents. She’d already taught him a lesson, so she wasn’t about to waste more time or energy.
Just as she sat down in the car, her phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, her eyes lit up with a smile. Her gaze shifted slyly, and she handed the phone to Xiao Feng. “Baby, you answer it.”
Although puzzled, Xiao Feng didn’t ask questions. He pressed the answer and speakerphone buttons with practiced ease. “Uncle Ning, hello.”
There was a brief pause on Ning Shaobai’s end, and his tone carried a trace of helplessness. “Have you gotten off the train? Where’s your aunt?”
Xiao Feng glanced at Xia Mian, saw that she wasn’t planning to speak, and could only continue. “Yeah. We’re already in Uncle Liu’s car.”
He even helpfully came up with a reason for her not taking the call. “Auntie just beat up a bad guy. Hand hurts, so she can’t hold the phone.”
Xia Mian: “!!!”
Ning Shaobai immediately grew anxious. “What happened?”
Xia Mian hurried to say, “It’s fine, it’s fine.”
But Ning Shaobai clearly didn’t believe her. “Hand’s hurt?”
Xiao Feng nodded. “Yeah.”
Xia Mian, both exasperated and amused, patted his head and quickly explained, “Not my hand—the other guy’s.”
Xiao Feng nodded again. “Uh-huh, the bad guy’s hand is injured. He even cried.”
Ning Shaobai let out a long sigh of relief. “You scared me to death. What exactly happened?”
Xia Mian chuckled. “Nothing. Just ran into a pervert in the crowd when we headed to the car.”
“Don’t worry—I dislocated his wrist.”
Ning Shaobai was silent for a moment before sighing. “Next time, I’m not letting you travel alone.”
Xia Mian teased, “Why? Afraid I’ll leave mountains of corpses in my path?”
Ning Shaobai paused, then gave a soft laugh. “No. I’m afraid I’ll worry myself sick before you get back.”
His tone carried an inexplicable tenderness, clearly meaning more than simple concern.
Xia Mian: “…”
“I heard worrying too much can make you go bald,” she said with “genuine” concern. “Dr. Ning, you must take care of yourself. I don’t want to come back and see you bald.”
Ning Shaobai: “…”
Xiao Feng suddenly chimed in, “Wear a wig.”
Ning Shaobai: “…” I’m not bald yet.
Xia Mian burst out laughing.
Ning Shaobai scoffed, “That’s right, your aunt has the most experience. Xiao Feng, do you remember when your aunt was bald? Did she look good?”
Without hesitation, the boy replied, “Good.”
Xia Mian: “…”
Now it was Ning Shaobai’s turn to laugh.
After a brief round of mutual harm, they hung up.
Xia Mian and Xiao Liu went to collect the freighted luggage and drove straight back to Mingxi County.
Around three or four in the afternoon, the car stopped in front of her uncle’s house. Since they had called ahead, the family was waiting. The moment the car pulled up, a young voice called out excitedly, “They’re here! They’re here!”
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