Chapter 2 – A Handful of Croton Seeds for the Whole Family

When Liang Xiulan saw Xu Nuo carrying firewood from the yard into the kitchen, she turned back inside to rejoin Xu Lao’er. “I don’t know… that girl’s acting strange. You think she might try to run after getting the money?”

“Her? Where can she run off to?” Xu Lao’er didn’t take it seriously at all. “The letter and the address were taken by our Shanshan. You think she can still make it to Beijing? She doesn’t even have the guts. She’s nothing compared to our Shanshan. Besides, I’ve been locking her door from the outside at night—she couldn’t get out even if she tried!”

“Well, that’s true.”

“Relax. Even if she did try to run, we could send someone after her right away! You think we can’t catch a little girl like her?”

In the kitchen, Xu Nuo busied herself with cooking and soon brought the dishes to the table. One meat dish, one vegetable, and some porridge. She served Xu Lao’er and Liang Xiulan first, then finally got herself a bowl.

Seeing the meat dish, the couple each scooped half into their bowls, and by the time Xu Nuo sat down, the plate was already empty.

She glanced at the table but said nothing, just quietly ate the plain vegetables and porridge.

After dinner, she washed the dishes and went back to her room. The couple locked her door from the outside as usual and went to bed.

After the funeral, they were worn out. Tonight, they could finally get some decent rest.

But not long after they lay down, Xu Lao’er suddenly clutched his stomach and sat up. “Oh no, oh no… I think I have diarrhea!”

“Aiyo, now that you say it, I feel it too!” Liang Xiulan quickly started getting dressed.

The feeling came in fast and strong—any delay, and there’d be a disaster.

The two of them dashed out of the room without even putting on their shoes, racing for the only outhouse in the yard. In the countryside, one household only had a single pit toilet.

Whoever got there first, got to use it.

Luckily it was late at night and no one saw. One was inside the toilet, the other squatting outside—both unleashing chaos from their bowels.

They barely finished round one and were still struggling to pull their pants up when round two hit them.

Even a strong man couldn’t survive three rounds of watery diarrhea.

Before long, the two of them were so weak in the legs they could hardly stand.

Just as they were about to support themselves on the wall and head back, CRASH! came the sound of shattering glass. The window had been smashed open, and Xu Nuo, with a small bag slung over her shoulder, climbed out through it.

“Xu Nuo! Was this your doing?!” Xu Lao’er realized something was off. “Where do you think you’re going?!”

“Yes, it was me!” Xu Nuo flashed him a cheeky smile. “I spiked the meat with a full dose of croton seeds! You’ll just have diarrhea, not poison yourselves to death. By morning, you can go see a doctor!”

“You dare run? I’ll break your legs if I catch you!”

“Sure! That’s if you still have the strength left to chase me! Second Uncle, Second Aunt—bye-bye!” Xu Nuo waved and walked off without looking back.

By the time the couple had recovered a bit the next day, Xu Nuo was already on the train headed to Beijing.

Though she believed she could make a good life for herself in this era with her own abilities, she wasn’t about to let Xu Shan get her way so easily.

Making sure the granddaughter lived well—that was Grandma Lin’s dying wish. Xu Nuo was willing to fulfill it for her.

Besides, if the fiancé was actually a decent person, Xu Nuo wouldn’t mind starting her life from a higher position.

After all, people from a military compound family—how bad could they really be?

The old green train chugged through villages and wilderness, gradually moving from the countryside toward the city. Xu Nuo rested her chin on her hand, gazing out the window, lost in thought.

She had always been beautiful—delicate eyebrows, large eyes, a slender waist, and smooth, fair skin. Even after years of sun and wind in the countryside, she still looked fresh and clean.

Across from her sat an older woman and her son. The elderly lady struck up a conversation with her. “Young lady, where are you headed? Visiting relatives?”

Xu Nuo glanced at her and smiled. “Yes.”

“How old are you, dear? How many people in your family?” the old lady asked kindly. “Are you traveling all alone?”

Xu Nuo was very alert and didn’t answer. Instead, she replied with a question of her own: “What about you?”

The old lady was momentarily stunned. “My son and I are going to visit relatives. Which stop are you getting off at? We can look out for each other!”

Xu Nuo just smiled. “Not sure yet. Depends on my mood.”

The old lady: “……”

The old woman’s son, a man with a thin mustache, saw that the small talk wasn’t working, so he reached into his pocket and pulled out two steamed buns—handing one to his mother and offering the other to Xu Nuo. “Hungry? I noticed you haven’t eaten much. Have a bun.”

Xu Nuo waved her hand. “Thanks, but I’m not hungry.”

The mustached man: “……”

After a whole day of bumpy travel, the train finally arrived in Beijing by dusk. Xu Nuo opened her eyes, stretched lazily, and followed the crowd toward the exit.

As soon as she got off the train, the pair—mother and son—flanked her on both sides, sandwiching her in and trying to drag her in another direction.

“Hey, what are you doing? Let go of me!” Realizing something was wrong, Xu Nuo struggled hard against them.

The pair was surprisingly strong, and she couldn’t break free no matter how much she resisted. So she opened her mouth and yelled at the top of her lungs: “Help! Someone help! I’m being kidnapped by traffickers!”

Passengers turned to look in her direction.

The old woman pinched herself secretly and immediately burst into tears. “Aiyo, daughter-in-law, stop making a scene! My son’s at fault. I didn’t raise him well. It’s my fault. Come home with us, please!”

The two clearly had their routine down. As soon as the old woman spoke, the man slapped himself twice in the face and began confessing, “Wife, it’s all my fault. I’ve been lazy and useless. I made our life a mess. Please don’t leave me—I promise I’ll treat you well from now on!”

Xu Nuo was momentarily stunned.

Human traffickers could pull this kind of act? Even in the 1970s, they were already using this kind of manipulation?

She realized if she kept yelling for help, people probably wouldn’t believe her anymore.

Fine—she decided to save her energy.

The traffickers saw that she had stopped resisting or yelling, assuming she had given in. They let their guard down.

As they passed a fruit stall inside the station, Xu Nuo suddenly exploded into action. She yanked her hand away from the old woman, bit the man’s hand hard, and when he let go in pain, she lunged toward the fruit stand and overturned it completely.

The stall owner rushed over to stop her, ignoring the rolling fruit. “Don’t you leave! You knocked over my stand—you owe me money!”

Xu Nuo quickly pointed to the pair nearby. “They have my money! My mother-in-law and husband! I don’t have a cent on me!”

The traffickers realized the situation had gone sideways and knew they wouldn’t be able to take her now. Cursing under their breath, they tried to sneak away.

“Stop! You two stop right there!” the vendor shouted. “Someone help me catch them!”

Xu Nuo quietly slipped away amid the chaos. Let those two deal with the damages—they deserved it. She had somewhere much more important to be: the military compound.

“She’s with them! They’re together—catch her too!”

Hearing that she was about to be caught, Xu Nuo took off like a shot, sprinting for the station exit as fast as she could.

---

Outside the Station — Front Plaza

A dark green jeep with a special military license plate slowly pulled up. The door opened, and the first thing that appeared was a pair of long legs wrapped in military slacks.

The man who stepped out had a tall, lean build, broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and deep black eyes shaded under his military cap. His chiseled features and commanding aura made him impossible to ignore—he was a handsome and striking young man.

Someone like him naturally attracted attention the moment he appeared.

Ignoring the gazes around him, Lu Chen lifted his wrist and checked the time. “5:55.”

“Commander, the train has already arrived,” said the driver, Xiao Wei. “The passengers should be coming out soon.”

Lu Chen gave a small nod and looked toward the station.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out at the exit. A group of people surged outward in a panic. Lu Chen frowned slightly, curious to see what was going on.

He saw a young woman dart out from the crowd, her eyes scanning the area before locking onto his direction—and then she sprinted straight toward him.

Behind her, two train station workers were pushing through the crowd, shouting loudly, “Stop! Don’t run! Someone stop her! She’s a thief!”

Lu Chen moved instinctively.

Xiao Wei said, “Commander, I’ll get her.”

Moments later, Xu Nuo was being hauled over by Xiao Wei, held by the arm and brought right up to Lu Chen. “Got her. It’s this one!”