The 60s Island: The Daily Life of a Capitalist Young Lady with the Army - Chapter 101: I... I'm Really Not Hungry

Chapter 101: I… I’m Really Not Hungry

However, fortunately, she hadn’t come away completely empty-handed.

Among the male educated youths sitting opposite her was one named Xie Chengjun.

From the very first day on the train, the young man’s gaze had been glued to her—intense and utterly undisguised.

Xu Jingjing understood the situation perfectly.

She knew that in terms of looks, she might not compare to that fox spirit Xu Xiangsi, but her own face could definitely be considered delicate and pretty, with fair skin to boot.

Among these dust-covered educated youths, she already stood out like a crane among chickens.

Handling a hormone-addled young lad like Xie Chengjun, who hadn’t seen much of the world, was as easy as turning over her hand.

And so, by the third day, Xu Jingjing’s performance officially began.

She stopped reading books and ceased chatting with those around her.

Instead, she just clutched her enamel mug emblazoned with “Serve the People” and kept gulping down water, gulp after gulp.

Then, using the frequent need to relieve herself from all that drinking, she made repeated trips to the toilet.

When breakfast time arrived,

the train carriage filled with the simple aroma of steamed corn buns mixed with pickled vegetables.

Xie Chengjun and his companions pulled dry rations from their cloth bags and began eating heartily.

Xu Jingjing didn’t move. She merely unscrewed her water bottle and took another large swallow of hot water, as if that bland liquid were some rare delicacy.

A kind-hearted female educated youth nearby couldn’t bear to watch and nudged her arm.

“Jingjing, why aren’t you eating breakfast?” Xu Jingjing looked up at the question, revealing a slightly pale face as she offered a frail, delicate smile. “It’s nothing. The carriage was just too noisy last night, I didn’t sleep well and don’t have much appetite.”

Her pitiful appearance made Xie Chengjun’s heart ache just watching from across the way.

His hand holding the steamed bun slowed its movement.

Time passed slowly, and soon it was lunchtime.

Everyone brought out their dry rations again.

And Xu Jingjing, just before the others began eating, stood up once more. Clutching her enamel mug with lowered head, she hurried toward the toilet located between the train carriages.

Losing one’s appetite once could be coincidence.

But twice?

Xie Chengjun’s not-too-bright mind finally detected something amiss.

Frowning deeply, he found he could no longer eat the remaining half of his steamed bun.

After saying something to his companion, he abruptly stood up and followed her.

At the train connection point, the wind howled fiercely and the noise was deafening.

Sure enough, as soon as Xie Chengjun approached, he spotted Xu Jingjing.

She hadn’t gone to the toilet.

There she stood, all alone in the space between the two carriages.

Letting the gusting winds tangle her fine, soft hair.

With her back to the approaching path, her small frame appeared exceptionally fragile.

In her hands, she tightly held that faded enamel mug.

She kept her head slightly lowered, gazing at the barren scenery speeding past outside the window. Her sorrowful and helpless demeanor resembled that of a kitten abandoned by the whole world.

As Xie Chengjun approached, the wind made his voice tremble slightly: “Comrade Xu Jingjing, what are you doing here? The wind is so strong outside.”

Xu Jingjing turned around, her eyes flashing with a hint of panic before she quickly masked it, simply shaking her head gently.

“It’s nothing, I just wanted to come out and look at the scenery.”

Her voice came out soft and faint, half-drowned by the train’s roar, yet it somehow managed to melt one’s heart.

Xie Chengjun furrowed his brow, watching her unsteady posture with concern, and asked again uneasily, “You didn’t eat breakfast, and I didn’t see you touch your chopsticks at lunch either. Now you’re out here catching the wind—are you feeling unwell?”

Xu Jingjing lowered her head, her fingers tightly gripping the rim of the enamel cup as if she had been wronged.

“I… I’m really not hungry.”

She bit her lip, wrapping herself in her thin, old clothes, shrinking into a small bundle that looked so fragile she might be blown over by the wind at any moment.

Xie Chengjun opened his mouth, about to persuade her further, when he heard a clear, loud—

Gurgle—

Xu Jingjing froze completely.

The air seemed to solidify instantly. The color in her face visibly rushed to the roots of her ears and then spread down the back of her neck.

The next second, she abruptly lifted her chin, her almond-shaped eyes widening as she glared at Xie Chengjun defiantly. “You—you didn’t hear anything!”

Her tone carried a mix of coquettishness, embarrassment, and a touch of inexplicable pride, as if by saying it aloud, the awkwardness would simply vanish.

This was something she had learned from Xu Xiangsi. Whenever Xu Xiangsi acted this way, everyone around her would be charmed into broad smiles.

The scene made Xie Chengjun pause for a moment, then he couldn’t help but laugh aloud, quickly waving his hand. “Alright, alright, I didn’t hear a thing! It must have been the train being too noisy, right?”

After saying this, he deliberately turned and walked back as if nothing had happened, muttering to himself, “Ah, this darn train is just too loud, it’s making my ears ache…”

By the time he completely disappeared through the doorway, the blush on Xu Jingjing’s face instantly faded, leaving only a shadow of gloom and disbelief.

What was going on?

He actually just left like that?

Shouldn’t he have immediately offered his own rations, saying something like, “If you don’t mind, let’s eat together”?

Or perhaps secretly slipped her an egg or some candy, then comforted her gently and thoughtfully?

But instead, he didn’t give her any opportunity at all!

Xu Jingjing stared fixedly in the direction Xie Chengjun had left, her teeth nearly drawing blood from her lips.

During the self-introductions earlier, she had deliberately emphasized that she originally had a job and had come here for her stepsister, putting on the act of a reluctant, sacrificing “little white flower.” At that time, everyone had looked at her with pity and admiration!

But now? Did they all take it seriously? Even the male educated youth, who should have been the easiest to hook, wasn’t falling for it!

At this thought, she took a sharp breath of cold air, clutching the enamel cup even tighter. Instinctively, she straightened her back, making herself appear as strong and unwavering as ever, in no need of anyone’s charity or sympathy—

Even though her stomach was already cramping from hunger.

She seethed with resentment, her heart bleeding with hatred.

She, Xu Jingjing, had originally held a proper job in the city—leisurely and respectable.

If it weren’t for her plan to go to Hong Kong, why would she have sold that job! And then… it was all because of that bitch Xu Xiangsi! Not only did she suddenly get married and leave, but she also caused their home to be emptied…

Thinking of how her stepfather and biological mother had changed their attitudes toward her, and how she had been forced to come to this impoverished place for rural labor, Xu Jingjing gritted her molars so hard they creaked.

And this Xie Chengjun—during his self-introduction when they first boarded the train, he had said he was from Beijing.

His father and eldest brother were both distinguished officers in the military.

He claimed he had wanted to join the army, but his family disagreed, so in a fit of anger he signed up for the rural assignment to prove himself to them.

Whether this was true or not, Xu Jingjing couldn’t be bothered to dig deeper.

But Xie Chengjun’s Dacron shirt and the brand-new “Shanghai” watch on his wrist all pointed to his well-off family background.

As a result, among all the educated youths on this train heading to the Red Star Brigade, everyone instinctively looked to him as their leader.

Someone like this was practically a piece of fat meat delivered right to her mouth—how could Xu Jingjing possibly let him slip away?