Chapter 59
To bait

When Xie Qing entered the waiting hall, she noticed that there were a total of thirty-six passengers. For a county-level station, that was quite a few people waiting for the train. Most of the passengers were men, wearing military coats and surrounded by piles of woven bags, clearly on their way to the city for work. There were fewer women, only five or six, all wearing new cotton-padded jackets, cheerfully chatting with their companions.

No one paid attention to Xie Qing’s arrival or noticed that she was alone.

Xie Qing found a secluded spot to sit, took out her train ticket, and looked at it repeatedly before carefully placing it in her jacket pocket.

Bored, she closed her eyes and mentally reviewed the entire plan, repeatedly analyzing the logic and making various assumptions for potential problems to be prepared for any eventualities.

At 9:08 AM, the train to Anhai began boarding.

Xie Qing took out her ticket and, with the large worn-out backpack provided by the bureau, passed through the ticket gate, waited on the platform for seven or eight minutes, and then boarded car number two along with the others.

The hard-seat slow train had poor air quality, with the smell of the toilet, unwashed men, and stinky feet, making Xie Qing’s head ache.

Fortunately, Anhai wasn’t far; it was only a one-hour and fifty-minute journey.

Xie Qing, carrying her backpack, exited the station, looked around, and asked a hostel owner who was soliciting customers, “Big sister, where’s the toilet?”

The owner smiled, “My hostel has one. Do you want to stay, little girl?”

Xie Qing asked, “How much?”

The owner said, “Eight yuan a night, very cheap.”

Xie Qing shook her head and went to ask a female taxi driver.

The female driver pulled her aside, “Little girl, there’s a toilet in the waiting hall. It’s best not to stay in those small hostels; it’s easy to get into trouble if you’re alone. If you want to stay, I’ll take you to a proper guest house.”

Xie Qing said, “Thank you, big sister. How much does the proper guest house cost?”

The driver thought for a moment, “Not expensive, about ten yuan or so.”

“Too expensive, I don’t have that much money. Thank you, big sister, I’ll go find the toilet first.” Xie Qing headed to the waiting hall.

The female driver said, “This kid looks young. She’s probably running away from home.”

A nearby male driver added, “The girl is pretty. Hope she doesn’t get targeted by traffickers.”

The female driver nodded, “Exactly. I’ve heard of several such cases.”

Xie Qing entered the waiting hall and asked several people before finding someone willing to watch her bag. She took some toilet paper and squatted in the restroom for a while. After coming out, she thanked the person who watched her bag and went to the ticket hall.

It was now eleven o’clock, and there were only a few people in the ticket hall.

Xie Qing stood in front of the train schedule for a long time, walked back and forth a few times, then went outside and watched the hostel owners grabbing customers at the entrance. After wandering for two hours and seeing no sign of the traffickers, she decided to find a place to stay first and then make further plans.

A middle-aged woman with thick eyebrows and big eyes approached, “Little girl, looking for a place to stay?”

Xie Qing asked, “Auntie, how much?”

The woman seemed displeased, “Auntie? Call me sister.”

“Oh!” Xie Qing responded naively, “Sister.”

The woman said, “Eight yuan a night, do you want it?”

Xie Qing shook her head, “Too expensive, too expensive.”

The woman raised her voice, “Eight yuan and you think it’s expensive? Have you ever stayed in a hostel?”

Xie Qing shook her head again, “Never.”

“Darn.” The woman cursed and looked at Xie Qing’s worn-out backpack, “You’re not running away from home, are you?”

Xie Qing quickly waved her hands, “No, no. Sister, can you make it cheaper?”

The woman said, “You look pitiful. Seven yuan, take it or leave it.”

Xie Qing said, “I’ll take it.”

The woman said, “Good. Wait here, I’ll find another customer, and we’ll go together.”

Xie Qing agreed and stood there waiting, while also looking for the two traffickers she had seen in the photos. She wanted to analyze whether they were not at the train station or if they thought she wasn’t a good target.

Soon, she spotted one of the men out of the corner of her eye. He was standing by a pillar, holding a half-smoked cigarette and staring at her.

After a few minutes, the woman returned with a man in his fifties, “Let’s go. The hostel isn’t far, just a few steps away.”

The woman wasn’t lying; the hostel was indeed close. They went down the street next to the train station, took the first left, and entered a long street known for its hostels, with many small inns on both sides.

Xie Qing’s hostel was called An’an Hostel, a shabby two-story building. The lights were bright inside, and there were many people, making it seem quite busy.

After paying at the front desk, the woman took her to room 2011 on the second floor. She said, “It’s a four-person room, but you’ll be alone. The bathroom is outside, so try not to go out too much to stay safe.”

The room wasn’t clean, with long hair and menstrual stains on the sheets, but overall, it was acceptable.

Xie Qing locked the door, placed her backpack on the windowsill facing out, took out an old piece of clothing from the bag, put it on the pillow, lay down, and began to practice diaphragmatic breathing. With strong execution and determination, she soon fell into a deep sleep.

Across the street, in another hostel, Tan Yi stood by the window, peeking through the curtains, watching An’an Hostel.

A woman with a wool hat arrived outside the hostel. Though her face wasn’t visible, her figure suggested she was in her thirties, matching the suspect’s age.

Tan Yi said, “Finally, she’s taken the bait.”

Fu Da came over and took a look through the binoculars, “Is Xiao Xie asleep? She’s got nerves of steel!”

Old Du sat up on the bed, “She might not be asleep, but resting a bit is essential. Otherwise, she’ll lack energy during the day and might make mistakes.”

Tan Yi said, “Old Fu, since the fish has bitten, let’s follow the plan.”

Fu Da put down the binoculars, “Got it. I’ll make the arrangements according to the schedule.”

…

Xie Qing slept for half the night and woke up at six in the morning. She took an enamel mug, towel, and toothbrush to the bathroom to wash up. When she came out of the squat toilet, a woman in her thirties was brushing her teeth in front of a water-stained mirror.

Xie Qing gave a shy smile, washed her face with cold water, and started brushing her teeth.

The woman scrutinized her from head to toe as if evaluating the worth of a piece of merchandise.

Xie Qing asked, “Auntie, is my face not clean?”

“Don’t call me auntie, just call me sister.” The woman smiled contentedly, “You’re quite pretty, little girl. What brings you to the city?”

Xie Qing stopped brushing her teeth and looked at her face in the mirror, “Sigh… being good-looking… never mind.”

She didn’t continue.

The woman probed further, “What’s wrong, being good-looking isn’t good?”

Xie Qing shook her head gloomily, “In the countryside, it doesn’t help. It just means I’m destined to be exchanged for a marriage for my brother.”

“Oh dear.” The woman slapped her thigh, “What good marriage can you get in the countryside? It’s better to work and earn more money for your family.”

Xie Qing spat out the toothpaste foam, “Exactly, that’s what I think too.”

The woman asked, “So you came to Anhai for work?”

Xie Qing rinsed her mouth, “Yes, I’m going to look for a job. What about you, big sister?”

The woman said, “I’m here for work too. My husband died, the family is poor, and the kids are with their grandma. I’m out to earn more money.”

Xie Qing’s face lit up, “Where are you looking for work, big sister? Any leads?”

The woman said, “Of course, I wouldn’t come if I had no leads.”

“I…” Xie Qing hesitated.

The woman asked, “You have no leads?”

Xie Qing packed up her enamel mug, “It’s okay, I’ll find one. You take your time, big sister. I’m heading out first.”

Xie Qing left the restroom.

The woman watched her back, a broad smile on her face.

Back in her room, Xie Qing took a deep breath, made a fist gesture in the small mirror, put the enamel mug in a plastic bag, packed her backpack, and headed out. She bumped into the woman from the restroom at the stairs.

The woman had smiling eyes, was slightly chubby, and about 1.63 meters tall, looking very kind. She asked with a smile, “Where are you heading, little sister? Want to go together?”

Xie Qing said, “I’m going to check if any restaurants are hiring.”

The woman said, “Why go to a restaurant? Come with me instead. The Nichirin Electric Meter Factory is hiring twenty or thirty people. They don’t provide meals, but they have dormitories.”

Xie Qing’s face lit up, “Really? Big sister, don’t lie to me.”

The woman enthusiastically linked arms with her, “Of course it’s true. I’m going too. Why would I lie to you?”

After a few words, they reached outside the inn.

“That’s great.” Xie Qing glanced at the familiar Xiali car across the street, feeling a bit more secure, “What’s your name, big sister?”

The woman hailed a tricycle, “My surname is Ma, Ma Lianhua. Sounds rustic, doesn’t it? Can’t help it, my parents weren’t educated. What’s your name, little sister?”

Xie Qing said, “My surname is Yan, Yan Jing, like glasses.”

“Hahaha…” The woman laughed heartily, her fat jiggling, “Your parents have quite the talent. Let’s go, get on.”

Xie Qing glanced at the tricycle driver; he was the same smoking man she had seen earlier. So, these two seemed to specifically target single women—one finding the target and the other approaching the target.

Xie Qing got on the tricycle.

The woman followed, taking out a bottle of water from her bag, “Want some water, little sister?”

Xie Qing declined, “Thank you, Sister Ma. I had some at the inn earlier; I’m not thirsty now.”

The woman didn’t mind and put the water back.

Xie Qing said, “Sister Ma, if you help me find a job, I’ll… I’ll treat you to something delicious.”

“Giggling…” The woman laughed like an old hen, “Alright, I’ll look forward to your treat.”