Since the journey was long, I took out the instant noodles I’d prepared. When I came back after preparing my noodles, I found the contents of my backpack scattered everywhere. Suppressing my anger, I scanned the area. The guy next to me subtly gestured for me to look ahead. Jax was holding a snack and eating it, while Brenda was still on her crappy phone, documenting their wonderful life. My backpack was full of snacks, so I’d just placed it on the luggage rack. Who would have thought that while I was just making noodles, someone would go through my bag? “You two went through my bag, didn’t you?” Jax shoved the small, freshly opened bread in his hand into his mouth in two bites. I watched as he almost choked, his eyes rolling back. Brenda blew up first: “What are you talking about?! Who would bother going through your bag?! Don’t you dare falsely accuse good people!” As she spoke, she kicked some trash on the floor further forward. I suddenly laughed out loud and leaned closer to her little Michelin Man. “Let me tell you a story, little boy.” “Once upon a time, there was a kid who always stole other people’s food. And one day, guess what happened?” Jax looked at me curiously. “That kid died! He died a horrible, horrible death. His stomach burst open, and his intestines spilled out everywhere!” *WAAAH!* Jax started screaming again, crying and clinging to Brenda. He kept yelling that he was going to die, and no matter how Brenda tried to soothe him, he wouldn’t calm down. When the conductor came for the third time, he had no smile on his face. I quickly sat back down. “She scared my child!” Meeting the conductor’s gaze, I picked up my bag. “I haven’t even called the police yet. My bag was rummaged through, and all I did was tell her child a story.” Everyone around us was craning their necks to watch the drama. We were both escorted to the police compartment on the train. Brenda immediately started yelling, accusing me loudly and demanding justice from the transit police. “You’re just bullying a struggling single mom and her kid! She’s been targeting me since we got on the train! Now she’s slandering my child, saying he stole her things!” I raised an eyebrow. “When did I say your child took anything? Aren’t you confessing without being asked?” Jax still looked dazed, making me wonder if there was something actually wrong with the kid. Lost items on a train weren't just a simple disagreement, so the transit police took it more seriously. I rummaged through my backpack. “Some snacks are missing, and $500 cash is gone too.” “$500 is enough to press charges, isn’t it?” I looked at Brenda’s changing expression and gave a slight smile. “I’m not great with the law, so I’m not sure how long the sentence would be, but I guess you won’t be celebrating Christmas.” The officers conferred for a moment and asked if I wanted to file a report. I pretended to think, looking at Brenda. “Well, it’s not out of the question. No one touched my bag besides me. I think fingerprint analysis would easily catch the thief.” “Wait a minute!” All of us turned our attention to Brenda. “Jax went through your bag, but we didn’t see any money in there!” “My kid is just little, he saw you taking snacks out of your bag and wanted some! Who knew you’d be so stingy?!” “How much can one child even eat?” I looked at the officers. “Oh, I suddenly remembered, the cash was in my coat pocket. But I can still claim compensation for my snacks, right?” The officer nodded. Brenda, hearing it was just snack money, looked scornful. “It’s just a few snacks, why are you so picky? Give me your PayPal, I’ll transfer you $50, that should be more than enough!” “It’s $500 in total.” Brenda’s hand froze, then she roared, “Are you crazy?! He only took a few things! How is it $500?!” I pulled a receipt from my pocket. “They’re all imported snacks. Check for yourself. It’s $500, if not more. Otherwise, I’ll call the police.” When I returned to my seat, Brenda looked like a deflated balloon. I looked at the fresh $500 on my phone, secretly pleased. Although dealing with that mother and son was torturous, I considered it a profit. Those snacks were manufactured by my company for overseas markets. As an employee, I got them for free. The receipt, however, reflected the normal market price. The rest of the journey was smooth. Jax, perhaps tired from playing, quieted down and didn’t cause any more trouble. It was still eight hours until I got home, and my back and legs ached from sitting in the hard seat. Hearing that two sleeper berths had opened up, I quickly grabbed my luggage and went to find the conductor. It wasn't until I lay down on the bed that I felt my back and legs come alive again. Even better, I was far away from those two.