Chapter 28: For the Sake of Milk, the Enthusiastic System Plays Matchmaker for the Uncle

Jiang Jing caught sight of the little girl’s guilty expression and a flash of the recent scuffle crossed his mind. He recalled being kicked, and it seemed that the blow had landed squarely on his face.

Thinking of this, Jiang Jing couldn't help but laugh in frustration. He handed the handkerchief back to the train attendant and turned to Jiang Xiaxia, saying, "I won't wipe it off. I need to keep this evidence to show your grandmother when we get back!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a drop of bright red blood slowly trickled from his nostril. The nearby attendant couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.

Jiang Xiaxia stared at the drop of blood, pondered for a moment, and then stated with absolute certainty, "Weak!"

Her uncle was just too fragile; she had only used a little leverage to nudge his face with her foot, and he had already started bleeding from the nose.

Seeing Jiang Jing’s expression darken, the attendant hurriedly offered the handkerchief again. With no other choice, Jiang Jing had to stop the bleeding.

Holding Jiang Xiaxia with one arm, Jiang Jing asked the attendant, "Do you have any water?"

The attendant contacted the train staff and brought over a large red washbasin filled with some hot water.

Jiang Xiaxia struggled to stand on her tiptoes, stretching her little head as far as she could, her eyes wide with curiosity as she peered into the basin. She touched it with fondness, thinking that if she gave this basin to her grandmother, she would probably really like it.

"Uncle, buy it!"

Once Jiang Jing had wiped his face and stopped the bleeding, Jiang Xiaxia tugged at his sleeve and said, "As payment!"

Since they weren't spies or human traffickers, there wouldn't be any large rewards. Trading for a big washbasin shouldn't be too much to ask, right?

"Does the little one like this?"

The attendant, Xiao Xie—the same one who had been knocked unconscious earlier—saw the pure adoration in the girl’s eyes and handed over the basin without hesitation. "This is a new one I just received; I haven't used it even once. I'll give it to you! And this big red thermos, too. It looks festive and matches the basin. Shall I give you both?"

Jiang Jing frowned slightly and quickly declined, "Comrade, that wouldn't be appropriate!"

Although he had spent his life in the military and rarely bought such things himself, he knew that these daily necessities were in high demand at the state-run supply stores, and some were difficult to purchase even with the proper ration coupons.

Xiao Xie waved her hand dismissively. "My mother works at the supply store; it’s easy for me to get these! You caught the bad guys and saved my life. This is the least I can do to repay you!"

Seeing that Jiang Jing was about to refuse again, she raised an eyebrow and teased, "Or, how about you repay this debt of gratitude by marrying me?"

Before Jiang Jing could respond, Jiang Xiaxia’s eyes widened in shock. "Really?"

Recalling how her grandmother often sighed with worry over her uncle’s marital prospects, the devoted little system that she was decided she must solve this problem for her grandmother.

Rubbing her little hands together, an excited Jiang Xiaxia circled the attendant a few times. "My uncle is good! He's amazing!"

Both adults were stunned by the sudden, whirlwind-like excitement of the child and stood frozen in place.

A moment later, Jiang Jing was the first to recover. Feeling a mix of amusement and embarrassment, he stepped forward, scooped up the dancing little girl, and quickly covered her mouth with his hand. He looked at Xiao Xie with a sheepish expression and said, "I'm sorry, Comrade. She’s just a child and doesn't know any better. Please don't take it to heart."

Xiao Xie’s cheeks flushed crimson at the scene, and she waved her hands frantically, stammering, "N-no, it's fine! It’s my fault for speaking out of turn."

She had only wanted her savior to accept her gesture; she never expected a casual joke to be taken so seriously by the child, causing such a commotion.

Just as the two were locked in an awkward silence, Jiang Xiaxia struggled to free her mouth from Jiang Jing’s large hand. "You don't like him?"

Xiao Xie’s heart skipped a beat at the blunt question. Subconsciously, she stole a quick glance at Jiang Jing’s face. That one look only made her blush more. She knew that although her savior had been traveling through dust and wind, his sharp brows, bright eyes, and tall, upright posture were truly heroic—hardly someone who could be easily dismissed.

Seeing that both the attendant and her uncle were standing like statues, Jiang Xiaxia’s eyes darted around. Suddenly, she had a brilliant idea and shouted, "I also have Uncle's photos, do you want to see?"

Jiang Jing felt his face burning; he couldn't stay a second longer. Without another word, he scooped up the little girl and strode toward the lounge.

In his arms, Jiang Xiaxia remained restless, twisting her small body and craning her neck to stare fixedly at the attendant.

Xiao Xie felt as though her face were on fire. She covered her burning cheeks with both hands, too ashamed to even lift her head, and scurried away as if she had wings on her feet.

Only when the rapid footsteps behind them had completely faded did Jiang Jing let out a long sigh of relief. He set Jiang Xiaxia down gently and said helplessly, "My little ancestor, I beg you, please stop saying things like that, okay?"

Jiang Xiaxia blinked her large eyes, looking innocent and confused, and tilted her head. "Is there something wrong with finding a wife?"

Jiang Jing knew that if he didn't give a firm answer, the girl would definitely stir up more trouble. He simply nodded and said, "Your uncle is still on a mission. There is something wrong with finding a wife right now!"

He paused, thinking of his comrade, and added to prevent him from suffering the same embarrassment, "Your Uncle Wang is the same!"

Jiang Xiaxia sighed. "What about the basin?"

Jiang Jing’s eyelid twitched. He gave the little girl’s head a firm rub and said, "Uncle has money and coupons. When we get to the county seat, I'll buy you one!"

"Never mind!"

Why spend money when she could have gotten it for free? They really didn't know how to live economically! Jiang Xiaxia shook her head, sighed, and walked toward the lounge with her hands behind her back.

Jiang Jing rubbed his temples and followed her. Once the two arrived at the lounge, Jiang Jing squatted down next to the corpse again, intending to examine it carefully.

Jiang Xiaxia asked once more, "What is it?"

Jiang Jing remembered how she had clearly seen the corpse earlier and yet asked what it was. This time, he replied, "Are you asking what kind of corpse this is?"

Jiang Xiaxia nodded. In her system’s database, there was information indicating that people in this era would steal corpses to sell abroad, especially to the Japanese, who were very fond of buying such things.

Stealing ancient Chinese corpses for research allowed them to gain knowledge of human genetics. The files mentioned that during the war, the chemical warfare units had used these as a starting point for their studies before moving on to human experiments. The end of the world had started in a similar way.

Jiang Xiaxia’s question stumped Jiang Jing. The cloth wrapping the corpse was common cotton-linen, seen everywhere, with no specific identifying features.

"To be honest, I don't know!" Jiang Jing said after observing it for a while, noting that the little girl was preventing him from touching it.

"Should we ask it?" Jiang Xiaxia asked, pointing at the mummified body with a crisp, clear voice.

The train attendant, who had come to inform Jiang Jing that the woman who had been knocked unconscious had finally woken up, pushed the door open just in time to hear these childish words. He shuddered instantly.

Ask? Ask whom? The corpse?