Chapter 05

The chaotic footsteps in the distance grew closer and closer. Shu Yuan was certain they were running along the small path, and the spot she had chosen to hide in was just right.

Xiao Man was extremely nervous. When he saw the people running over with cold, gleaming knives in their hands, his heartbeat surged to the extreme.

The bad guys have knives!

He wanted to warn Shu Yuan, but didn’t dare to make a sound. He could only cover his mouth tightly and let the branches shield his small body.

Through the dense branches, Shu Yuan caught sight of the glinting knives. Her expression hardened as her grip on the wooden stick tightened, the back of her hand taut.

What kind of good person carries a knife?

They were undoubtedly human traffickers.

She had been worried about attacking the wrong person.

The reason she took Xiao Man through the mountain path was simply to avoid a direct confrontation with the Zhang family and the people from the Xiaohe Production Team. But now that they had run into human traffickers, she would have to beat them within an inch of their lives.

Focusing her attention as the trafficker drew closer in escape, Shu Yuan calmly calculated the timing. Suddenly, she sprang out from behind the bushes like an agile leopard. Without hesitation, she swung the wooden stick in her hand straight at the trafficker’s head. The blow landed hard. Dazzling sparks flashed before the trafficker’s eyes, and then everything went dark. His body swayed and toppled over like a sack full of potatoes.

With a thud, the knife in the trafficker’s hand was flung forward, drawing an arc through the air.

The impact left Shu Yuan’s hand numb, and the stick in her hand snapped into two pieces.

Xiao Man was so nervous he didn’t even dare to breathe. He stared wide-eyed from above, watching. His seemingly delicate mother turned out to be so fierce and reliable.

The trafficker’s accomplice was a buzz-cut man. He was stunned when someone suddenly appeared and knocked out his partner with a single blow. As he saw the woman raise her wooden stick to attack him, he quickly dodged, trying to counter Shu Yuan and then retrieve his partner’s knife.

The buzz-cut man had a face full of vicious lines. When he saw that the attacker was actually a woman, he immediately looked down on her. Clenching his fists, he charged straight at Shu Yuan’s face.

“Mom, be careful!” Xiao Man cried out in alarm.

The fierce wind of the punch swept past her ear. Shu Yuan lowered her body and shifted to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack. She tossed away the wooden stick, crouched low, and swiftly wrapped her arms around the buzz-cut man’s calf. Using clever force, she pulled backward. The burly man fell to the ground like a felled tree stump, landing face-first in the dirt.

She wasn’t a Sanda^[1]Sanda is a Chinese self-defense system and combat sport based on traditional kung fu and modern combat techniques. expert for nothing. Even if she had changed bodies, her skill remained.

Now that her opponent was down, Shu Yuan absolutely wouldn’t give him a chance to fight back. Especially since this man was the one who had taken Xiao Man—he was a trafficker who had turned Xiao Man’s childhood into a life of hardship and misery. Shu Yuan couldn’t possibly let him off.

Her fists rained down like a storm on the buzz-cut man’s shoulders, back, and face. She kicked him like a stray dog, making him wail and scream for his mother.

Xiao Man was thrilled. So his mom was this amazing—able to take down two traffickers all by herself.

The little one clapped his small hands and cheered, “Mom is awesome!”

In that moment, a powerful sense of security surged through him.

Trailing behind were three public security officers from the township substation. Short on manpower, they had even enlisted the help of township officials. The group caught up and subdued the buzz-cut man along with his dazed and slowly awakening accomplice.

After cuffing the two men, the public security officer turned to her, his face full of surprised admiration. “Comrade, I didn’t expect you to be this skilled. It’s all thanks to you. These two are very cunning. If they had managed to escape, it would’ve been much harder to catch them again.”

Shu Yuan turned and looked up at the chestnut tree, reaching out her hand. “Xiao Man, come down.”

Xiao Man had gone through several emotional swings in just a few minutes—from nervousness to joy. He hurriedly scrambled down, using both hands and feet. Shu Yuan had already stepped up to the tree and plucked the child down like a little kitten, holding him once more in her arms.

“Were you scared, Xiao Man?” Shu Yuan reached out and rubbed the child’s head, trying her best to use a gentle tone.

She hadn’t even realized she could instinctively make such an affectionate gesture, patting his head like that.

“I wasn’t scared at all,” Xiao Man said, his previously tense little face softening for the first time.

With a mom this strong, of course he wasn’t afraid. He was just a little worried about her.

Now that they had encountered the public security officers, it was time to settle accounts with Zhang Laocai, who had colluded with the traffickers.

Besides, as Xiao Man’s biological mother, she didn’t want to sneak around. She wanted to take him away openly and rightfully.

Shu Yuan spoke to the officers. “Comrades, shouldn’t you also deal with Zhang Laocai for colluding with the traffickers?”

The officers had a very good attitude toward this brave woman who had helped them. One replied, “We’ll take the two traffickers back to the substation right now for a full investigation.”

Shu Yuan was about to say she would go with them to the substation when someone suddenly came running over, panting and shouting as they ran, “Xiao Man! Why is Xiao Man here?”

The man saw Xiao Man being held by an unfamiliar young woman and immediately sensed something was wrong. He rushed to speak first, trying to seize the upper hand. “Comrades, she’s a trafficker too. She’s trying to kidnap my child. Stop her, don’t let her run off with him!”

Shu Yuan squinted into the sunlight and looked at the man. “…”

Xiao Man clung to her shoulder with his small hands and quickly reminded her, “Mom, that’s Zhang Laocai.”

Shu Yuan let out a cold laugh. As expected of someone who colluded with human traffickers—he was quick to turn the tables and accuse others.

It was actually convenient that he showed up here, saving her the trouble of going to his house to find him.

Zhang Laocai wasn’t actually old, just in his early thirties. He was the biological father of Baoni, the mentally slow child. His father had once been a wealthy landlord, which earned him this nickname.

His family line was thin. After years of effort, he had only managed to have one child, Baoni, who turned out to be mentally challenged. Even after messing around outside, he hadn’t managed to produce a single other child, not even a boy or a girl.

If he had a smart child, he would have abandoned Baoni long ago. But since Baoni was the only one born of his own blood, he had no choice but to raise her.

Helpless, he came up with the idea of finding a child husband for Baoni. At first, he thought Xiao Man was clever. Who would’ve guessed the child was dim-witted—just as dull as Baoni. So he decided to sell Xiao Man and exchange him for a normal boy.

The public security officers didn’t believe a word Zhang Laocai said. The idea that a woman who had taken down traffickers barehanded could be one herself was simply absurd.

Moreover, according to the report made by the child, Zhang Laocai himself was suspicious. They intended to investigate him as well.

Shu Yuan spoke in a cold voice. “Look closely. Xiao Man is my biological son, not your family’s child. I am his real mother. You’ve been involved in human trafficking, colluding with traffickers, and now you’re trying to accuse someone else first. Comrades, you must punish him according to the law.”

Nestled in Shu Yuan’s arms, Xiao Man felt a deep sense of security the moment he heard her say she was his biological mother. She hadn’t denied him, hadn’t abandoned him in the slightest.

Zhang Laocai was also sizing Shu Yuan up. This female comrade looked outwardly delicate, but her words made it clear she wasn’t someone to be trifled with. Her eyes were sharp and calculating. He quickly shifted tactics and spoke to the officers in a flattering tone. “This woman is talking nonsense. I have nothing at all to do with the traffickers. I adopted Xiao Man. I’ve been raising him for nearly a year now, feeding him and clothing him. Not only is she ungrateful, she’s falsely accusing a good person.”

From the look of things, this woman wanted to take Xiao Man away. No way. Xiao Man had been bought with money, and he was planning to sell him for a profit.

If the public security officers weren’t here, he would have called over all the members of the Xiaohe Production Team. There was no way this woman and Xiao Man would be allowed to walk out of the team’s territory.

One of the officers gave Zhang Laocai a glance. “Come with us to the substation.”

Then he turned to Shu Yuan, his tone noticeably more gentle. “You and Xiao Man come too. Please tell us everything you know truthfully.”

Shu Yuan wasn’t in a hurry to leave. She wanted to settle everything once and for all so that she would never have to be entangled with scum like Zhang Laocai again. After this, she would never have to return to the Xiaohe Production Team. So she nodded. “Alright.”

Xiao Man nodded along. “We’ll go.”

He wasn’t sure if the officers had paid attention to what he told them when he reported the case the day before yesterday, so he wanted to say it again. As a child, his words might not carry much weight, but with his mother here, she would definitely support him.

The group made their way down the mountain path. As they walked along the narrow trail, Xiao Man suddenly remembered something. His voice rose two pitches with urgency. “Uncles from the public security, the traffickers brought other kidnapped children too. They’re hidden in the cellar near the grain drying yard at the east end of the village. Did you check there yet?”

The director of the township substation, a man in his mid-thirties named Xu Dashu, was in a particularly good mood. Normally, they dealt with things like brawls or neighborhood disputes. This time, they had finally handled something big—catching human traffickers was a huge achievement. It was without a doubt the highlight of his entire career.

And it was all thanks to this clever little fellow who provided the lead.

The trafficker, handcuffed and walking with his head down, was always ready to make a run for it. But upon hearing those words, he was visibly shaken. That kid must be their nemesis. The cellar in question was practically abandoned, and at this time of year, no one went near the grain drying yard. How did this child know they had hidden kids there?

Xu Dashu spoke in a calm voice. “We already checked. There was no one in the cellar.”

Not only was there no one, there weren’t even any fresh footprints nearby.

Xiao Man thought for a moment, then insisted, “Uncle, the two traffickers brought children with them. They’ll hide them in that cellar.”

The buzz-cut man, with his vicious face, barked out roughly, “Nonsense. We didn’t bring any kids. Comrades, please see the truth clearly. We’ve never bought or sold children. You can’t go around falsely accusing good, law-abiding people.”

Seeing his face full of savage features and fearing he might scare the child, Xu Dashu raised his palm—broad like a fan—and gave him a solid slap across the face. The buzz-cut man instantly quieted down, his arrogance deflated.

Seeing the uneasiness on Xiao Man’s face, Shu Yuan spoke up. “It’s possible they hid the children there after you checked. Why not go take another look?”

Xu Dashu gave an order to a young officer. “Take some people and check it out again.”

The young officer immediately led the commune cadre toward the fork in the road heading east.

Xiao Man let out a breath of relief. His eyes sparkled as he looked at Shu Yuan. Mom was helping him, helping him convince the public security officers.

One point for Mom.

As they continued walking, not only did the two traffickers harbor thoughts of escape, even Zhang Laocai was plotting how to slip away—either by faking a bathroom emergency or by spotting a familiar face and trying to seek help. He was hoping to rally people he knew to stand up to the officers and clear his name.

But the officers gave him no chance. They kept a close watch on him and wouldn’t let him cause any trouble. Just like that, the group made their way smoothly to the substation.

Now the two traffickers and Zhang Laocai had even less chance to resist. Not only were there more commune cadres joining in as reinforcements, but even the county-level public security bureau had been alerted, and additional personnel were on their way.

Shu Yuan and Xiao Man weren’t just there to cooperate with the investigation—they were key contributors to the case and were naturally treated with special consideration.

It was already well past mealtime. The substation didn’t have a canteen. Normally, officers either went home to eat or shared meals with the township commune staff, and those meals were prepared based on headcount—no extra portions.

So the township government canteen specially made noodles just for the two of them, served in an enamel basin.

The noodles were handmade from wheat flour, with cabbage and egg added. In a rural village in the 1980s, this was already considered very good food.