Chapter 9: Call Him Daddy — The Man in Uniform

The man’s light cough drew the attention of Chu Yue and the middle-aged woman, but not for long.

The two merely glanced at him, then continued their conversation.

After Chu Yue responded politely, the middle-aged woman became even more enthusiastic, as if Chu Yue were her own daughter.

She eagerly said, “Of course there are jobs! Especially down south — more people, more opportunities, and naturally more work!”

“Girl, a pretty and cultured young lady like you? You’re a rare find — not even with a lantern could you spot one like you. Let me help get you into the post office — that’s a done deal! You can count on me! Once you’re in, your monthly salary will be forty or fifty yuan, and everyone around you will be holding iron rice bowls. You could marry any kind of man you want — no need to worry about a husband at all!”

“I guarantee you’ll land a good match — rich, respected, a true city dweller. That’s real prestige!”

Chu Yue listened to all this with a faint, unimpressed laugh.

She looked young and delicate, and the middle-aged woman couldn’t see the hardened soul hidden within that body.

The woman thought Chu Yue was tempted. She reached out, trying to grab her hand and continue chatting.

“Girl, trust me! We just happened to meet — why would I lie to you?”

Smack!

Chu Yue sharply slapped the woman’s hand away. The crisp sound echoed clearly.

The woman froze in shock.

Chu Yue smiled coolly and said, “Auntie, if your connections are really that good, you should keep them for yourself. If you were earning forty or fifty yuan a month, you wouldn’t be riding a train in patched-up cloth shoes.”

The woman was wearing dirty fabric shoes, caked in mud with a large patch on one of them — who knew when Chu Yue had noticed that?

Embarrassed, the woman immediately pulled her feet under her seat.

Her smile vanished, replaced by anger, and she started scolding Chu Yue loudly.

“Girl, what kind of attitude is that? I was trying to help you find a job out of kindness, and you bite the hand that feeds you like a wild dog!”

Chu Yue remained unmoved, watching her coldly as she ranted and stomped her feet.

Eventually, even nearby passengers couldn’t stand it. Some reached out to calm the agitated woman down.

Across the aisle, a young woman, about twenty-five, had overheard what the older woman said earlier. She had been watching with interest and was clearly intrigued.

“Auntie, can you really get people jobs at the post office? Look at me — do you think I have the right look?”

The middle-aged woman caught the scent of fresh prey and immediately forced a warm smile, turning to speak with the younger woman.

She looked the girl up and down, then asked about her age and education, eventually putting on a hesitant expression.

“Sigh… such a shame. You’re just a little too old…”

When she saw the young woman’s face fall in disappointment, she added quickly, “But with me speaking up for you, it’s still possible.”

“Really?” The woman’s emotions were now in the palm of her hand — one moment down, the next lifted high. She believed the story completely. “Auntie, if you can help me find a job, I’ll definitely thank you properly!”

“Thank me for what? It’s no trouble at all. Say, girl — what station are you getting off at?”

“I’m getting off at Kuncheng.”

“Oh, Kuncheng? That’s where I’m headed too! Tomorrow morning, when the train arrives, let’s get off together!”

“Great! Auntie, I’ll follow your lead!”

“Girl, we’ve been chatting for a while — you must be thirsty. I brought a thermos. Let me pour you a cup.”

The woman had been clutching a metal thermos since she boarded the train — she hadn’t let go of it once.

Now, she unscrewed the lid, used it as a cup, and poured the younger woman some water. The girl was all smiles, repeatedly thanking her.

But to hand her the cup, the woman had to pass it right in front of Chu Yue.

Chu Yue instantly saw through it — that water was laced with knockout drugs.

A classic trick used by human traffickers.

Still holding Lu Yuanbao on her lap, Chu Yue hadn’t moved this whole time. But just as the cup passed in front of her —

She lifted her arm and yawned.

As she stretched, her arm happened to swing — perfectly aimed at the woman’s wrist.

Clang!

The cup crashed to the floor with a heavy thud.

Water spilled all over the floor from the thermos.

The expression on the middle-aged woman’s face darkened, revealing a fierce side.
“Little sister! What do you think you’re doing? You don’t want to find a job, but now you won’t let others find one either?”

Chu Yue pretended to be surprised and said,
“Auntie, I’ve been sitting too long and my legs went numb, so I stretched a bit. How did I just happen to bump into you? Look, the water’s all spilled. Better not drink it. Besides, it’s cold water—drinking that in this kind of chilly weather isn’t good. You should ask the train attendant for some hot water.”

The middle-aged woman’s face twisted, clearly furious, but Chu Yue’s seemingly sincere words left her speechless.

The young woman the trafficker had been targeting didn’t understand what just happened and awkwardly tried to comfort the older woman.
“Auntie, I’m not thirsty. It’s fine if I don’t drink any water.”

At that moment, the train attendant entered the carriage, shouting through a loudspeaker, calling for a ticket check, going person by person—even those with standing tickets had to be checked.

Many people started digging through their luggage to find their tickets, and the carriage became noisy and chaotic, interrupting the older woman’s conversation with the younger girl.

As the attendant approached, he checked Chu Yue’s ticket and then turned to the man seated by the window.
“Comrade, your ticket please.”

The man had opened his eyes earlier and had not gone back to sleep. He had quietly observed everything that just happened, his dark eyes finally shifting away from Chu Yue.

He reached with his left hand into the inner pocket of his trench coat, pulled out his ticket, and handed it over.

“Here, this is my ticket.”

The attendant glanced at it, then at the man, and returned the ticket.

Just as he handed it back, Chu Yue reached out and took it first.

“I’ll take it.”

As she spoke, she turned slightly and leaned toward the man as she passed the ticket back.

She leaned in very close, so close the man could clearly see her naturally curled, distinct eyelashes.

Her long lashes fluttered lightly with her moist, bright eyes.

The man was briefly distracted.

Then he heard Chu Yue speak in a deliberately low voice.

“Comrade soldier, could you do me a favor and help me act out a scene?”

Chu Yue placed the ticket into his left hand and sat upright again, holding Lu Yuanbao in her arms.

After the attendant left, she suddenly started speaking to the older woman across from her.

“Auntie, you’re not young anymore. Your eyesight must be going.”

The older woman was still holding in her anger and glared at Chu Yue.
“Oh? Then tell me, what’s wrong with my eyesight?”

Chu Yue gave a mocking smile and pointed at Lu Yuanbao.
“You just said this child was my younger brother—that’s totally wrong. He’s not my brother,
he’s my son! You got such a simple thing wrong—what else could that be but poor eyesight?”**

“You’re married?!”

The older woman was shocked. She looked Chu Yue up and down—a young girl of only eighteen or nineteen—then looked at the five- or six-year-old boy.

How could that possibly be a mother and son relationship?

Even in the countryside, it was illegal for girls as young as thirteen or fourteen to get married now.

Chu Yue just smiled.

Not only did she nod, she followed up with a line that made everyone around gasp.

“Not only am I married—this man next to me is my husband!”

The older woman’s already wide eyes went even wider, darting between Chu Yue and the man.

From the moment she boarded the train, she had been targeting Chu Yue.

Even though there was a man sitting next to Chu Yue, he had been silent with his eyes closed. The two hadn’t spoken at all—clearly strangers.

A young woman traveling alone was the easiest prey, and could be sold for the highest price.

So the older woman had gone all-in, trying every trick in the book to lure Chu Yue into her trap.

But had she been wrong the whole time?

“Impossible! You two don’t look like a married couple at all! You little girl must be making things up!”

She just couldn’t believe it.

Chu Yue stopped wasting words.

She looked down and gave Lu Yuanbao a signal with her eyes.

“Yuanbao, call him Daddy.”