Chapter 19: Encountering a Soldier Uncle

The plot in the book demanded it, but if she didn’t save that child…

Lu Siyuan and Lu Mingzhu had finished their meal. Su Yuanyuan cleaned the table and touched her children’s foreheads.

“Hold Mommy’s hand tightly; Mommy will take you to wash your hands,” Su Yuanyuan, carrying her bags, led her children past the couple.

The woman adjusted the blanket on her child; it was new and looked recently purchased.

“How much longer until Baoli?” the woman asked, looking out the train window.

The man glanced at the two children Su Yuanyuan was holding, his gaze meaningful.  “About an hour.  Let’s gather our things when we arrive.”

Su Yuanyuan, noticing the man’s gaze, silently quickened her pace, moving away from them.

The other child was still crying.  Seeing Su Yuanyuan’s family eating so well while her own child was crying and receiving no help, the woman felt resentment.

How could they be so inconsiderate!

As Su Yuanyuan passed by, the woman snorted coldly.

“If you keep crying, I won’t take you to Grandma’s next time. We don’t have that much money to eat meat every day. If we spend all our train fare, we can’t go back to see Dad.”

When the woman mentioned not seeing their father, the crying child quieted down, staring at her blankly.

He was too young to understand what was happening at home, but he remembered his father’s instructions to save money before they left.

If they spent all their money, they couldn’t buy train tickets back.

The boy wiped his tears and shook his head. “Then I don’t want meat.”

Su Yuanyuan, preoccupied with figuring out how to help the kidnapped child, hadn’t expected the woman’s outburst to be directed at her.

“There you go,” the woman smiled, wiping the child’s face and glancing sideways at Su Yuanyuan, who had just reached them.

“We mustn’t be like those who don’t know how to manage money, spending it recklessly.  Then there’s no money for food. Overspending will hurt you, right, Little Treasure?”

Without waiting for a response, she continued, “I wonder how some people can be so thick-skinned.  Their child is crying, and they don’t even bother to comfort them. How shameless!”

Even Su Yuanyuan, slow to react, understood the woman’s veiled criticism of her for not sharing her food.

She sneered, switching the child she was holding and retorted sarcastically.

“Yes, without money, you can’t spend recklessly. You have to budget carefully, or you’ll have nothing left, can’t afford food, and then resent others.”

Su Yuanyuan wasn’t a pushover. She had plenty of food, but that wasn’t a reason for moral blackmail.

She was glad she hadn’t shared the braised pork; it would have been infuriating.

Giving it to a dog would have been better than giving it to this woman.

Su Yuanyuan’s light remark struck a nerve.

The woman put her child down, stood up, and yelled at Su Yuanyuan, “Who are you talking about?!”

Lu Siyuan and Lu Mingzhu were startled. Su Yuanyuan pulled her children behind her, looking around the carriage before realizing the woman was yelling at her.  She said timidly, “Me? What did I do?”

Passengers were moving through the aisle. Lu Siyuan was bumped to the side when a strong hand steadied him.

Lu Siyuan looked up and met the man’s gaze.  He was startled but smiled and thanked him.

“Thank you, uncle!”

The man smiled, his gaze lingering on Su Yuanyuan before walking towards another carriage.

The woman shoved Su Yuanyuan. “What did you mean by that?!”

Su Yuanyuan, having been drinking spiritual spring water daily, was much healthier than before, though she still looked frail.

Su Yuanyuan leaned into the shove, falling sideways, feigning innocence and reddening her eyes.

She looked at the onlookers innocently. “I thought what you said was right, so I agreed. I didn’t mean anything.  Did I misunderstand you?”

The moment she spoke, the carriage seemed to fill with the aroma of tea.

She hadn’t wasted her time reading countless online novels.

Irritable people were the easiest to handle; feigning helplessness worked every time.

“She just agreed with her; why would she yell at a stranger because her child was crying?”

Onlookers peeked from their seats.

They hadn’t seen the start of the argument, but they’d heard the conversation.

“She was probably upset that they didn’t share their food, right?  How greedy!  Meat is expensive.  If she wants to eat it, she should buy it herself.  There’s no shame in not having money, but there’s shame in eyeing other people’s food.”

Many passengers looked over, whispering about the woman.

The woman’s face flushed and paled. Su Yuanyuan quickly spoke.

“Sister, I really didn’t mean anything.  Children are prone to tantrums.  I thought what you said was reasonable. I’m just worried that children don’t understand how hard it is for adults to make money.  It’s not easy to find work. Why are you scolding me?”

Su Yuanyuan looked bewildered, her face pale, carrying her bags and children, looking exhausted.

“You shameless woman, pretending to be pitiful! I’m not a man; that won’t work on me!” The woman’s face reddened with anger, but she couldn’t do anything to Su Yuanyuan.  Many passengers were watching.  She glared at Su Yuanyuan and stormed off with her child.

As she passed Su Yuanyuan, she shoved her hard.

Su Yuanyuan’s back hit the seat, and she gasped in pain.  The woman was strong.

Su Yuanyuan rubbed her back and looked towards the sleeper berth. As she expected, the woman’s child was still asleep.

During the argument, the woman’s voice had been much louder than the child’s. The fact that the child hadn’t woken up, initially a suspicion, now confirmed Su Yuanyuan’s fears.

Human trafficking was rampant in this era.  Some children were sold, others had their limbs broken for begging, shattering families.

Traffickers were ruthless.  How could she safely rescue the child?

Su Yuanyuan led her children to the restroom. Lu Mingzhu tugged at Su Yuanyuan’s finger, asking softly, “Mommy, are you okay?”

The woman had been so fierce, but Mommy had said that when they were out, adults handled adult matters, and they just had to follow.

Su Yuanyuan snapped back to reality, tightening her grip on her children’s hands and smiling reassuringly. “I’m fine.  Stay close to Mommy. If you can’t see me, shout loudly, and if I don’t come back, find the conductor.”

Su Yuanyuan wouldn’t let go of her children’s hands easily.  It was better to be prepared for anything.  She had to teach her children how to react in an emergency.

“Mommy, don’t worry.  My sister and I are smart; we won’t get lost,” Lu Siyuan said seriously.

Su Yuanyuan chuckled, nodding solemnly. “Then Siyuan and Mingzhu are amazing.”

The restroom and sink were in the middle of the carriage. Su Yuanyuan threw her trash in the bin and washed the aluminum lunch boxes, putting them in her cloth bag.

Trains didn’t have children’s sinks yet; the sinks were too high. Su Yuanyuan placed her belongings on the floor, lifting Lu Siyuan to wash his hands and face.

Lu Siyuan was only three and not heavy, but Su Yuanyuan was so thin that carrying him looked strenuous.

After Lu Siyuan was clean, Su Yuanyuan put him down.  Worried about the child with the traffickers, she took a deep breath.

To onlookers, it looked like she was breathless from carrying her child.

Just as Su Yuanyuan was about to lift her daughter, someone approached. “Let me help you.”

The man’s voice was low, calm, and reassuring.

Lu Siyuan’s eyes lit up.  He whispered, “Uncle, it’s you.”

It was the soldier who had helped him in the carriage!