Chapter 61: There Are Bandits

Ye Fan reached out and gave Qiao Wei a push. Not expecting such a great strength from Ye Fan, Qiao Wei nearly stumbled and fell, instantly turning furious and alarmed. Rolling up his sleeves, he wanted to save face, but fearing he might not be able to beat Ye Fan, he had no choice but to stick out his neck and roar, "Kid, don't put on an act here—"

"Qiao Wei!"

Zhang Chunxian, standing to the side, couldn't watch any longer. He hurriedly stepped forward to pull him back, then turned to Ye Fan with an apologetic smile.

"This little brother of mine has a hot temper. Please don't take offense, Mr. Ye!"

Dragged away, Qiao Wei took the opportunity to back down and sat back in his seat, muttering and cursing under his breath.

Ye Fan didn't care at all; there was no need for him to get worked up over such a fool. He pulled several plastic boxes out of his suitcase.

These plastic boxes were typical of the late twentieth century—exquisitely made. Once opened, an alluring aroma drifted out.

"It's braised duck!"

Looking at the food boxes, Li Yaoyao said with pleasant surprise.

Having been fed braised duck by Ye Fan before, her mouth couldn't help watering at the sight of it again. She hurriedly put on a plastic glove and grabbed a duck head.

Zhang Tieilan had never eaten braised duck before, but she could also smell the enticing fragrance, so she imitated Li Yaoyao and put on a plastic glove.

Sitting in his seat and looking at the braised duck on the table, Qiao Wei couldn't help swallowing his saliva either. However, refusing to lose face, he said, "So it's just some braised duck offal like heads and intestines! I thought it was some rare mountain delicacy!"

While gnawing on a duck head, Li Yaoyao glanced sideways at Qiao Wei. Being too busy eating, she couldn't be bothered to retort.

As for Zhang Tieilan, eating braised duck for the first time, she found it utterly divine and had even less time to spare for him.

Coupled with Ye Fan, who had no desire to pay attention to him in the first place, not a single person at the table bothered to acknowledge Qiao Wei, which only made him feel even more miserable.

He didn't know the saying, "The cruelest form of contempt is complete indifference," or he would have deeply resonated with it.

Right at that moment, the dining cart came by, and the woman selling lunchboxes asked, "Who ordered the lunchboxes?"

Seeing no one reply in the compartment, she said with mild annoyance, "I only have the last two boxes left here. Do you want them?"

"I do!" Eager to salvage his pride and win back some face, Qiao Wei shook off Zhang Chunxian's hand, took the two lunchboxes, and smiled at Li Yaoyao and Zhang Tieilan, saying, "You two, how can gnawing on duck offal fill you up? My treat for these lunchboxes!"

Still, no one paid him any attention...

"Huh?" Qiao Wei found it bizarre. These were proper lunchboxes, costing fifty cents each, with three vegetable dishes and one meat dish inside. Could they possibly compare unfavorably to the other person's duck offal?

Just as he was about to say something more, he saw Ye Fan finish his duck head and reach out to open a second food box.

It was a box of fruit: red dragon fruit, green grapes, yellow jackfruit, and white little pears, neatly arranged in a way that instantly stimulated one's appetite.

"What kind of fruit is this?"

Qiao Wei was dumbfounded this time. He watched as Li Yaoyao skillfully picked up a piece of jackfruit, peeled off the flesh, put it into her mouth, and introduced it to Zhang Tieilan, "Sister Xiaolan, this is fruit Ye Fan brought back from Southeast Asia. It's called jackfruit, and it's so sweet! You must try some! How can a meal be without fruit?"

Hearing Li Yaoyao's introduction, Ye Fan couldn't help letting out a chuckle.

This young lady usually looked so honest, yet her ability to deliver sarcastic remarks was quite formidable.

Opposite them, Qiao Wei's face turned green. Even a fool could tell by now that the identities of the three people across from him were extraordinary.

Not to mention that he had never even heard of jackfruit, Southeast Asia was a much more developed place than the domestic mainland back then, and overseas Chinese from Southeast Asia were famously wealthy!

Zhang Chunxian also chuckled along, asking with curiosity, "Mr. Ye, is this pine... pineapple-honey?"

"Ah! I brought it from my hometown!" Ye Fan smiled brightly as he picked up a piece and handed it to Zhang Chunxian. "You should try some too!"

"Hometown?" Zhang Chunxian took the jackfruit and looked at Ye Fan. "Are you an overseas Chinese from Southeast Asia, Mr. Ye?"

"That's right!" Ye Fan replied with a matter-of-fact expression. "Just returning to the mainland to visit relatives!"

Qiao Wei on the opposite side wilted completely, knowing he couldn't compete with them. Crestfallen, he pulled his lunchboxes back in front of himself.

"Come, come! Professor Zhang, try these green grapes too! My Brother Ye Fan said these are a brand-new variety, and even the President of the United States hasn't eaten them!"

"And this dragon fruit! I heard the red-fleshed ones are more than ten times more expensive than the ordinary white-fleshed ones, and ordinary people can't even buy them!"

Li Yaoyao kept up her heavy sarcasm. Even though Zhang Chunxian knew she was mocking Qiao Wei, he couldn't resist Li Yaoyao's enthusiasm and genuine curiosity, so he accepted the fruit handed to him and began chatting with them while eating.

Only Qiao Wei muttered some incomprehensible words like "decadent" and "self-reliance," while the compartment was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

"Old Zhang, I'm going out for some fresh air!"

Unable to bear it any longer, Qiao Wei simply got up and left the compartment.

"Go ahead! Mmm-mmm..." Zhang Chunxian said softly, his mouth full of fruit juice, "I'll save some for you!"

Seeing Qiao Wei leave, Ye Fan finally let out a sneer and asked Zhang Chunxian, "With a character like that, how could he have connections in the Special Economic Zone? Professor Zhang, don't let yourself be fooled by him!"

Zhang Chunxian smiled and shook his head. "His older brother is my student. After graduating from a proper university, his brother went down to the Special Economic Zone and actually carved out a successful career. To tell you the truth, when I said earlier that I was relying on Qiao Wei's connections to go to the Special Economic Zone, I was just giving the kid some face!"

"Oh, meaning you can go by yourself and still get his brother to help you out?"

"Exactly!" Zhang Chunxian enjoyed his meal heartily, even picking up another duck head to taste. "However, by bringing Qiao Wei along, his brother will at least show a bit more respect."

Good food is the best way to bridge the distance between people, and before long, Zhang Chunxian had spilled every detail of Qiao Wei's background.

As it turned out, the two Qiao brothers had different paths: the older brother, Qiao Bin, was studious and ambitious, going to Shenzhen and making a fortune, while the younger brother, Qiao Wei, refused to do an honest day's work. Not only had he failed to get into university, but he also wandered the streets all day long, acting like a total hoodlum.

With no other choice, Qiao Bin wanted to bring his younger brother to Shenzhen to keep him close and discipline him. Fearing that the rascal might wander off and run away on the train, Qiao Bin had asked his former university professor, Zhang Chunxian, to bring Qiao Wei along with him.

"Understood, understood!" Ye Fan nodded. Knowing the reason behind it all, he asked no further questions.

The two chatted casually for a little while longer until they suddenly heard Qiao Wei running back into the compartment with a panicked look on his face.

"Qiao Wei, what is it now?"

Seeing the man's expression, Zhang Chunxian furrowed his brows.

"Pr... Professor Zhang, could you come over for a moment?"

Sighing, Zhang Chunxian assumed Qiao Wei had caused trouble in another passenger car again, so he got up and followed Qiao Wei out.

The two quickly vanished down the end of the corridor.

Watching them disappear, Li Yaoyao complained to Ye Fan, "That person is so annoying. Brother Ye Fan, why do you always let him get away with it?"

"If a dog bites you, are you going to bite the dog back?"

Ye Fan replied, making Li Yaoyao burst into laughter, and even the usually stern Zhang Tieilan joined in with a smile.

The three of them brought out a few more snacks and drinks. Ye Fan and Li Yaoyao chatted while eating, while Zhang Tieilan quietly listened from the side, finding the journey not dry at all, but rather quite pleasant.

Just after chatting for a little while, a wave of commotion drifted over from the rear of the carriage.

Sitting at the very outside, Ye Fan stood up and poked his head out, only to hear someone shouting from the back, "There's a robbery! There's a robbery on the train!"

"A robbery?"

Ye Fan was momentarily stunned, and suddenly felt a warmth on his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw that Zhang Tieilan had also stood up, squeezing right beside him at the compartment door to look outside.

"Move aside, I'll go check out what's happening."

Wanting to go see the situation, Zhang Tieilan realized that the two of them were squeezed so tightly in the doorway that their bodies were practically pressed together, and her face flushed slightly.

Ye Fan willingly stepped aside to let Zhang Tieilan pass.

Li Yaoyao also stood up. Seeing Zhang Tieilan leave, she hurriedly fluttered over to Ye Fan's side and asked with a frightened look, "Ye Fan, what should we do?"

"Don't panic, let's see what's going on first."