I looked around the compartment, trying to spot her seat. But everywhere I looked, the seats were occupied. Strange. Was her seat not in this compartment?

The old lady's face twitched slightly, avoiding my gaze. The excitement of going home for the holidays had vanished entirely. Now, I just wanted to get home as quickly as possible.

After a long pause, under the pressure of the other passengers, the old lady finally muttered reluctantly, "Second class, seat 06F."

"What?" I was stunned. Second class? I was beyond speechless, silently cursing my bad luck for the millionth time.

"I bought a first-class ticket and you're offering me a second-class seat in exchange?" I stared at the old lady, her face indifferent and couldn't believe it.

The price difference between a first-class and a second-class ticket on this train was over $100. I'm not stupid. Why would I trade a seat worth $100 more for no reason?

"It's a second-class seat. Take it or leave it! If you want to sit, go sit in second class," she huffed. "First-class tickets are so expensive. Who knows how a young girl like you could afford one? Aren't you embarrassed to brag about it?"

I was too furious to speak. "There's a $100 difference between the seats. Why should I go to second class when I bought a first-class ticket? Why don't you sit in the seat you bought?"

It would have been fine if I had bought a second-class seat, just like the other passengers said. Changing seats in the same compartment was no big deal, but now the difference was $100.

The old lady was emboldened and clung tightly to the seat. The wrinkles on her face formed a fierce expression. "If you'd gotten on the train earlier, this wouldn't have happened! I thought no one was sitting here, so I did. It's not my fault you came late."

"I'm even giving you my seat now. Why don't you just take it? These days, young people have no respect for the elderly. Didn't your parents teach you any manners? Were you raised by wolves?"

I was so infuriated I felt like I was about to have a stroke. My eyes burned as I choked out, "You're the one with no manners! Give me back my seat, or you have to pay me the difference! You did this on purpose!"

Her behavior was simply outrageous. The old lady retorted arrogantly, "Sit or don't sit, I don't care. This seat is mine now."