They were nearly 50 kilometers away from the county seat.
On the way, they had to change vehicles three or four times.
By the time they arrived in the county seat, it would likely be after four, forcing them to stay overnight and set off early in the morning.
"Alright, I'll follow your lead." Ni Cuihua now had complete trust in Ni Yang.
The mother and daughter took their child on the journey.
They were poorly dressed and had a child with them, so small thieves wouldn't pay them any attention.
By the time it was five in the evening, the mother and daughter finally arrived in the county seat.
The county seat was much more prosperous than the town.
Only then did Ni Cuihua truly feel her insignificance. She tightly held her child, closely following Ni Yang, not daring to stray even half a step away.
As she watched Ni Yang walking ahead, a feeling of unfamiliarity welled up in Ni Cuihua's heart, alongside a sense of... pride.
Her daughter was much more capable than her.
Ni Yang checked them into an inn.
It was a twin room, the condition was not very good, but compared to the rural area, it was heaven and hell.
Ni Yang placed her package on the cabinet, took the room key, and said to Ni Cuihua, "Mom, you rest in the room first. I'll go buy the train tickets. I have the key, don't open the door to anyone else.
"Okay," Ni Cuihua nodded, then added, "Yangyang, can you manage on your own? Should I go with you?"
"No need, you rest well. I'll be back soon." When Ni Yang got to the door, she casually opened another one, "Mom, this is the bathroom."
"Alright." Ni Cuihua stood up, "I know, be careful."
"Hmm." Ni Yang opened the door and left.
In June, the sun at five o'clock was still very high in the sky, it was hot and made people sweat a thin layer.
With the memories from her previous life, Ni Yang quickly found the train station.
The train station underwent several renovations in the future, but its location never changed.
There weren't many people taking the train at this time of the year. Ni Yang arrived at the ticket booth, "Comrade, I would like two sleeper tickets."
The ticket seller was a young guy, who seemed almost asleep. When he heard the sound, he opened his eyes reluctantly, "What? Speak up."
The ticket sellers of this era had the same status as public servants of the present day. It wouldn't be easy to get this job without connections or know-how, especially in a state-owned enterprise like the Railway Bureau. Especially when Ni Yang was so shabbily dressed, it was clear that she was from the countryside.
Ni Yang didn't pay attention to the ticket seller's attitude, smilingly saying, "Hello, I need two sleeping berths to Beijing."
It's not worth getting angry with such people.
Seeing Ni Yang not getting angry, but instead being so polite, the ticket seller was indeed a little embarrassed. Especially since this girl was so pretty.
He scolded himself for his poor eyesight earlier. He hadn't noticed how pretty this girl was.
"Do you have an introduction letter?" The guy's attitude did an about-face in an instant.
"Yes." Ni Yang took out the introduction letter from her pocket.
After the ticket seller glanced at it, he said, "That will be 68 yuan in total."
Ni Yang took out a pile of change and handed it to the ticket seller. Most of these coins were in denominations of one and five cents with the largest value being one yuan.
68 yuan made quite a big pile.
Ni Yang had specially got the change from the restaurant owner when having a meal. If she was flashing big money around, it would definitely attract attention from others. At just sixteen and with a family to support, she didn't want to attract unwanted attention.
On any other day, the ticket seller would definitely not be happy facing so much change. But not today, because the person standing in front of him was a beautiful girl.
He had been selling tickets for two years and had never seen a girl as pretty as this.
Beautiful women will always receive special treatment, regardless of the era.
After successfully buying the tickets, Ni Yang started walking back. Thinking about how smoothly everything had gone, Ni Yang unconsciously let out a smile.
In the afternoon sun, the young girl came walking against the light, a smile on her lips. Her stunning beauty made the city traffic in the background seem to pale in comparison.
Little did she know, three good-for-nothing hoodlums already had their eyes on her from afar. They just hadn't found the opportunity to make a move as this was the bustling city area.
Ni Yang might not be dressed impressively, but someone who buys two sleeper train tickets without batting an eyelid, how could she possibly be poor? They were sure they could squeeze something out of her. Moreover, she was gorgeous!
A young girl, if anything happened to her, would unlikely voice it out loud. In this era, women are very conservative and value their own reputation. Normal women would rather suffer silently when insulted, than to make it public. Otherwise, even if they get married in the future, they would still be looked down upon by their in-law's family.
By this time, the county and the village were quite different. In the village, to purchase daily necessities one would need all sorts of coupons, but in the county, as long as you have money, it's fine.
So, Ni Yang bought an extra two cups for drinking water, a bag of milk powder, some biscuits and dry food for the journey.
The milk powder was for her sister to drink, as Ni Cuihua wasn't producing enough milk, especially since she hadn't had the proper rest period after giving birth and hadn't really eaten anything nutritious.
Moreover, after getting off the train, they would still need to take the tram. It would be a bumpy ride, and the journey would take at least two days.
As Ni Yang left the supply and marketing co-op, she felt that something was off. With her heightened senses, she could easily tell that three people were following her.
Ni Yang's ears twitched slightly, and then she quickened her pace, turned a corner, and her figure disappeared in an instant.
The three little punks saw Ni Yang vanish, exchanged puzzled glances, threw the cigarette stubs in their hands, and hurried after her.
Ni Yang carefully placed the things in her hands in the corner of the wall, took the dagger concealed on her body, and holding it in her hand, she stood at the corner ready for defense.
She didn't bother unsheathing the blade, it was better not to shed blood unless absolutely necessary.
The footsteps were getting closer and closer—
Ni Yang's ears twitched more frequently, she held the dagger tightly and squinted her eyes.
Three, two, one.
Now! She swung her arm, directly knocking down the first thug who rushed out, following it with a backspin kick, the tip of her foot perfectly hitting the chin of a punk behind, knocking him to the ground.
In the blink of an eye, only two out of three punks were remaining.
Ni Yang narrowed her eyes slightly, about to hit the thug with her dagger. However, the thug surprisingly lay down himself, crying for mercy, "Miss! Heroine! I was wrong! I am lying down myself. Please spare me and my brothers!"
A wise man knows when to retreat. This punk was no fool. He knew he had encountered a formidable opponent. But he couldn't understand how an ordinary-looking peasant girl could be so skilled.
This was just unbelievable!
Ni Yang slowly concealed the dagger in her chest, and said coolly, "When you decided to follow me, didn't you consider this?"