Gu Yu had been observing the situation closely.

Seeing what was happening, he swiftly pulled Xiuzhu behind him, shielding her with his body. His sharp, dangerous black eyes locked onto the troublesome old woman.

Yan Ming, upon hearing the old hag hurl insults at Xiuzhu, was so enraged that his eyes widened like copper bells. He nearly charged forward to beat her up, but the two train attendants desperately held him back.

Otherwise, if he returned to the army and it was reported that a soldier had beaten an elderly person on the train, he could face disciplinary action.

The old woman was momentarily intimidated by the scene before her.

Then she suddenly remembered that the train attendants were still present and that her eldest grandson had yet to be found. She threw caution to the wind.

She immediately sat down on the ground, slapping her legs while wailing and making a scene.

“You’re all bullying me, a poor old woman from the countryside!”

“Oh, my dear grandson! It’s all because of this wretched girl! I don’t want to live anymore!”

“Old man, take me with you! I have no face left to see you!”

Each vile and humiliating word pierced Xiu Zhu’s ears, making her tremble with anger.

Her long lashes failed to hide the redness welling in her eyes as she struggled to hold back her tears.

Xiuzhu had grown up in a warm and comfortable environment. As the only daughter in her family, blessed with delicate beauty, she had been cherished by her elders since childhood.

Even when she had conflicts with the other girls in the compound, the worst they did was exchange a few sarcastic remarks.

She had never been subjected to such a vicious scolding, never been humiliated like this—especially not by someone spewing such awful words directly at her.

Raised in a pampered household, she had never been so angered that her tears finally broke free.

For the first time, she regretted not knowing how to curse someone back. Her voice, soft and delicate as ever, lacked any real deterrent force.

Gu Yu noticed her distress. She was, after all, just a young girl, and her family must have cherished her deeply.

Suffering such grievances now, she wept like a little kitten, her soft sobs making her seem even more fragile and pitiful.

A strange ripple stirred in Gu Yu’s heart. His fingers twitched slightly—he wanted to comfort her.

But in his 25 years of life, he had never comforted a girl before, so he gave up on the thought.

Turning his gaze to the old woman still sitting on the ground, the filth spewing from her mouth replayed in his mind. His pupils darkened instantly, his expression turning ice-cold.

His lips curled into a cold sneer, a shadow looming over his features. Those deep, dark eyes sent chills down the spine. His voice was low and intimidating:

“Are you mourning your grandson in advance?”

“Y-you… How can you say such a thing?” The old woman was startled by the venom in his words, momentarily too afraid to move.

“The train stops at nine o’clock. By then, with all the people coming and going, the chances of finding your grandson will be even slimmer. If you can’t find him, what good will crying do?”

“Instead of wasting time wailing here, shouldn’t you be out searching for him?” Gu Yu’s tone was casual, yet laced with an unmistakable coldness.

The surrounding onlookers reacted with mixed expressions.

A flicker of calculation flashed through his eyes as he added, unhurriedly, “If you want, I can help you look for him.”

“But first, you need to apologize to her—and earn her forgiveness.”

His slender fingers lazily pointed in Xiuzhu’s direction.

The old woman was afraid of this man but had to admit that he exuded an air of capability.

He was clearly more reliable than the two train attendants, who had been searching for ages without finding a thing.

Right now, nothing mattered more than finding her grandson. Besides, dignity wasn’t worth a damn thing compared to that.

After a moment’s hesitation, she threw herself in front of Xiuzhu, wailing as she pleaded:

“Oh dear, it’s all my fault! I’m just an old woman from the countryside—I speak crudely!”

“Miss, you’re beautiful and kind-hearted, don’t hold it against an old lady like me!”

Xiuzhu’s face was still streaked with tears, her expression as delicate as morning dew. She asked calmly, “Then tell me, who exactly were you calling a ‘wretched girl’ just now?”

The old woman hesitated before quickly slapping her own face and saying, “Me! I was calling myself that! Every insult I said just now—I meant them all for myself!”

“I am the worthless one. I am the filthy one. Please, young lady, forgive me. If I can’t find my grandson, I won’t be able to go on living!”

For once, her usual sharp and mean expression was replaced by genuine sorrow.

After saying this, she began crying again, wailing in grief.

Chen Yuling, who had been watching all this unfold, felt immensely satisfied seeing Lin Xiuzhu in tears.

But she hadn’t expected Gu Yu to step in and help.

Hmph, she only has a pretty face, yet at such a young age, she’s already learned how to seduce men.

Suppressing her jealousy, she spoke gently, “This old lady was just too anxious. Comrade Lin, you’re generous—you’ll surely forgive her, right?”

“Comrade Gu, hurry and help find the child. This can’t be delayed any further.”

Xiuzhu rolled her eyes internally.

Moral coercion? Seriously?

Too bad. She had no morals to be coerced with!

Eagerly looking at Gu Yu, she said, “I don’t want to forgive her.”

“If you want to help her find that lost boy, that’s fine, but you have to give me 20 yuan as compensation for emotional distress. Is that okay?”

Her soft and delicate voice carried a trace of hoarseness and exhaustion, with an almost imperceptible sob caught in her tone.

Gu Yu had wanted to test her character, and now, hearing her words, he was quite satisfied.

He disliked people who were overly kind and soft-hearted.

“Alright,” he replied. He probably didn’t even notice how gentle his voice sounded at that moment.

The old woman beside them was utterly shocked. “Twenty yuan?! Why don’t you just rob me? Just for scolding you a few times, you think that’s worth 20 yuan?”

In the 1960s, rural people worked hard for an entire year and barely made a few dozen yuan.

“Well, either way, you have to compensate me with 20 yuan, or else he won’t help you look,” Xiuzhu replied arrogantly.

She was never one to be kind. Since when could someone just apologize and be forgiven after humiliating another person?

No matter what, she refused to let herself suffer in silence.

The old woman suppressed her anger and was about to plead with Gu Yu.

Seeing through her intention, Gu Yu lazily remarked, “I said it’s up to her. Otherwise, you can ask someone else to find him. There are still 40 minutes left.”

Hearing that only 40 minutes remained until the train reached its destination, the old woman didn’t dare to hesitate over the money anymore and finally relented. “I’ll give it to you after we find my grandson.”

“No way. You need to give me a 10-yuan deposit first,” Xiuzhu insisted, feeling this was a more reasonable arrangement.

Chen Yuling couldn’t stand Lin Xiuzhu’s attitude and chimed in, “Comrade Lin, isn’t this too much? The old lady barely makes any money in a year.”

“Then why don’t you pay for her?” Xiuzhu turned to look at her.

The old woman, seeing an easy target, quickly jumped in, “This young lady is kind-hearted and willing to help out an elderly person like me.”

Chen Yuling hadn’t expected the situation to turn out this way. But now that she had been put on the spot—especially with Gu Yu watching—she had no choice but to grit her teeth and pull out the money. “Here, take it.”

She forced herself to maintain a neutral expression as she took a large banknote from her wallet and handed it to Xiuzhu.

Xiuzhu accepted it without hesitation. Seeing that it was only 10 yuan, she had originally hoped for the full amount, but she simply tucked the money into her small purse and turned to Gu Yu with a shy expression.

“You… you can go now.”

Gu Yu smiled and responded, “Alright.”

He then gathered details about the missing boy from the old woman—when and where he disappeared, his height, clothing, and other identifying features.

Ultimately, he decided to check near the dining car first.

Yan Ming followed him. After all, this matter concerned him to some extent as well.

Chen Yuling, seeing that Gu Yu completely ignored her and that Lin Xiuzhu had absolutely no sympathy or kindness, felt frustrated.

Even worse, Gu Yu heard everything but didn’t object—instead, he let Xiuzhu do as she pleased. Chen Yuling barely managed to keep her expression in check.

Yan Ming and the others quickly arrived near the dining car, where there were two adjacent restrooms—one of which had been converted into a storage room.

Gu Yu instructed the train attendant to unlock the door. As he stepped inside, he immediately noticed that the items on the floor had been disturbed.

Upon closer inspection, he found a large black bag hidden in an inconspicuous corner.

The train attendant cautiously unzipped it, and sure enough, a small boy was lying inside.

The old woman rushed forward, embracing the boy and wailing loudly.

Gu Yu stepped up to check on him. The child appeared unharmed, likely having inhaled a sleeping drug that made him sleep so deeply.

However, if he remained unconscious for too long, he would need to be taken to a hospital.

Fortunately, after a short while, the boy woke up, and the old woman finally stopped crying.

After reuniting with his timid mother, the old woman continued grumbling as she prepared to return to their compartment.

Gu Yu blocked her path. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

The old woman had intended to weasel out of paying, but upon seeing his imposing presence, she swallowed her words and begrudgingly handed over the remaining 10 yuan.

Then, grabbing her grandson, she hurried away. Once she was far enough that no one could see her, she finally dared to curse, “Pah! None of them are good people! That little vixen has them all wrapped around her finger.”

After dealing with the old woman, Gu Yu handed Yan Ming the now-empty black bag and instructed him to walk through the train cars while Gu Yu observed from behind.

As a result, they successfully identified three suspicious individuals who appeared nervous.

In the end, they apprehended three human traffickers and handed them over to the train attendants for custody.

With that, they returned to their compartment.