Chapter 24

“Can you afford to pay? You should open it and take a look,” Jiang Ci said as she pulled down the heavy bag that the woman had just picked up. “Come on, open it in front of everyone, and if it’s broken, I’ll pay.”

She recognized the woman; it was Liu Cuilian from the tofu processing factory, Liu Shirong’s mistress. The woman they were going to encounter when Brother Chuan boarded the train at the next stop was this very woman. In front of Old Man Xing, she had claimed that Brother Chuan was Cui Pingzhou’s son-in-law, causing their current mission to fail.

Sun Feifei felt indignant on Jiang Ci’s behalf. This woman had clearly bumped into someone and didn’t apologize; she was trying to extort money. To run into such a person right after stepping out was truly unlucky. “Yes, open it and see what we can’t afford to pay for,” she added.

Liu Cuilian was too afraid to open the bag in public. She made an excuse that the train was about to leave and hurriedly ran to the front to cut in line to board. “Forget it. Since you two little girls are young, I won’t hold it against you,” she said dismissively.

Even the train attendant sighed in resignation. He had seen too many ill-mannered passengers coming and going every day. “Little girls, hurry and get on the train,” he urged.

Once on board, Jiang Ci followed Liu Cuilian closely. Since Brother Chuan would encounter her upon boarding, it was unfortunate they were in the same carriage. She had to help Gu Qingchuan by getting the woman moved to another carriage.

If she wanted to prevent Liu Cuilian from causing trouble, she could just yank her bag open, and the train security would immediately escort her to the police station. However, doing that would alert the passengers, and there would likely be heightened security checks at the next stop. Old Man Xing would become even more vigilant, and Jiang Ci feared it might ruin Cui’s big plans.

By sheer coincidence, she and Sun Feifei’s seats were directly opposite Liu Cuilian.

Jiang Ci stopped in her tracks as Liu Cuilian sat down in the front row, clutching her luggage tightly in her arms without putting it on the rack. Even when the person next to her spoke to her, she ignored them.

Turning to Sun Feifei, Jiang Ci said, “Let’s see if we can buy a sleeper ticket when the train attendant comes by; for now, let’s rest here.”

“You really think ahead,” Sun Feifei replied. After two days on the train, sitting in hard seats for thirty or forty hours made her feel like her back and legs were beginning to ache.

Jiang Ci was holding Sun Feifei’s large suitcase, which looked quite heavy. The two young men across the aisle stood up quickly. “Young ladies, do you need help?”

Both young men were around twenty-four or twenty-five years old, tall and handsome, standing at least one hundred eighty-two centimeters tall. Sun Feifei felt her ears heat up, and her usual loud voice softened to a whisper, “Uh… yes, please.”

As the two young men were about to help them with their luggage, Jiang Ci calmly said, “Thank you, but it’s not necessary.”

With a single lift, she easily placed Sun Feifei’s heavy suitcase onto the luggage rack, then raised her hand again to place her own handbag up there, too.

Sun Feifei sighed inwardly, thinking, “My friend… she’s really strong.” Having a strong friend could also be quite troublesome.

The two young men smiled warmly, laughing amicably. “The little girl is really strong,” they said before sitting back down.

“Xiao Ci, those two guys are so handsome! They’re way more charming than the young men at our factory. If you had acted a bit weak earlier, I could have asked them where they were from. I wonder if they’re from Qincheng?” Sun Feifei sighed dramatically, leaning in to whisper to Jiang Ci.

Jiang Ci kept her gaze straight ahead, thinking that even if she asked them, they wouldn’t tell the truth. She had seen those two handsome young men before—once outside Cui’s study. They had disguised themselves as ordinary people to board the train. Were they there to cover for Brother Chuan?

She had become immune to the idea of being impressed by handsome men; no one could compare to her Brother Chuan.

Liu Cuilian, seeing Jiang Ci and her companion sitting opposite her, clutched her luggage tightly, feeling anxious. “There are so many empty seats; why do you have to sit here?” To her, everyone seemed to have ulterior motives. On a train journey that lasted two days and nights, she felt that even a brief nap could result in someone stealing her belongings. Liu Cuilian had already decided not to sleep.

Jiang Ci deliberately reached out to touch the bag Liu Cuilian was holding tightly. “What valuable things do you have in there? Hurry and check if anything’s broken. I refuse to believe my family can’t afford to compensate for it.”

Liu Cuilian felt disdainful inside, thinking to herself that no matter how wealthy the Jiang family was, that bag wasn’t worth even half a gold brick, and they thought they could pay for it? Selling their mansion wouldn’t even cover it. “Forget it, forget it. I’m magnanimous and won’t hold this against you, little girl. Don’t ask too many questions.”

“Then it must be something very valuable, right?” Jiang Ci continued teasingly. “Ah, it’s a thirty-something-hour journey, and more people will be boarding at the next station. Just keep an eye on your things. Don’t worry; I won’t try to steal them from you. I’ll just go buy a sleeper ticket. There are only six people in a sleeper compartment, one bed per person. You can hug your belongings close, and even if you sleep, you won’t have to worry about someone stealing them.”

Since she hadn’t sold her items, Liu Cuilian had initially hesitated to buy a sleeper ticket. However, considering that the hard-seat carriage was crowded and full of eyes, it would be better to spend some money on a sleeper ticket. She made up her mind to buy one when the train attendant came by.

With her decision made, she turned her head away and stopped speaking to Jiang Ci.

Before long, the train started moving, and an attendant came to check the tickets. Jiang Ci seized the opportunity to ask, “Excuse me, can we still buy sleeper tickets now?”

“Let me check,” the attendant replied. Besides checking tickets, he also handled sleeper ticket purchases. He looked at the register in his hand and said, “There’s only one bed available in Car 11, but there are two of you, so you can only buy one.”

“In that case, we’ll just buy one, and when another one becomes available, we’ll get it,” Jiang Ci said to Sun Feifei. “Feifei, you go to the sleeper first.”

It was Sun Feifei’s first trip, and she didn’t dare to leave Jiang Ci. She would rather sit in the hard seat than go to the sleeper alone. “No way! If we’re going to buy, we should both go together. Otherwise, I’d rather stay here with you.”

Liu Cuilian squeezed out from the back. “Excuse me, they don’t want it; I’ll buy it then. How much extra do I need to pay?”

The attendant glanced at her. He recognized Liu Cuilian as the woman who had bumped into the young girl on the platform earlier without apologizing and had been demanding compensation from them. He had a very poor impression of her. He still asked Jiang Ci, “Young lady, you can buy one first. You can buy another one at a later stop if a bed becomes available; it’ll be the same.”

Better to buy one than none at all.

Liu Cuilian grew anxious. It was just one bed, and who knew how long she would have to wait? She could wait, but her precious belongings could not. “Attendant, are you being biased just because those young ladies look good? Your attitude shows you have a problem with your mindset. I will report you to the train supervisor.”

The attendant was furious. How could she turn this into a matter of ideology? There was no reason for this situation. “There has to be a first come, first served policy, right? The young lady asked first, and her companion didn’t want to switch. She didn’t say she didn’t want it.”

Jiang Ci’s goal was to get Liu Cuilian to leave the carriage. She said, “Let her switch, or I’m afraid she’ll have even more unpleasant things to say. When you’re out, I really don’t want to feel upset.”

Liu Cuilian felt triumphant; being bold had its advantages. She stood up. “What are we waiting for? Take me to the sleeper carriage!”

The attendant had seen all kinds of passengers. The honest ones often got bullied by the domineering ones, but this young girl didn’t seem like an easy target. He thought better of it and replied gently, “When a bed becomes available later, we’ll add you on.”

“Thank you, Uncle,” Jiang Ci said with a sweet smile, feeling that things were going smoothly. In a few hours, when Brother Chuan boarded, she wouldn’t have to worry about being exposed. Cui’s father had a special identity, and she couldn’t let Old Man Xing know that Brother Chuan was Cui Pingzhou’s future son-in-law. Luckily, Old Man Xing had left Qincheng a year ago, so keeping this secret from him was feasible.

After Liu Cuilian left, the two young men next to Jiang Ci also stood up to leave. Sun Feifei secretly glanced at them as one of them took a cup to fill with water.

Kong Yan twisted open his thermos, poured out the hot water, and refilled it, playfully putting the lid back on. He said to the young man next to him, “Li Ge, Jiang Ci is Gu Qingchuan’s fiancée. Gu Qingchuan and Old Man Xing boarded at Sishui Station; what are we going to do?”

The two of them were the young officers who had been in Cui Pingzhou’s office that day. Kong Yan felt quite resentful about Gu Qingchuan, a “hooligan” from the black waters of the river, being involved in such an important mission. “How can they let that guy participate?”

Qin Li, who was a year older, was the captain of this special operation team. He had seen that girl twice: once at Political Commissar Cui’s house, where he had caught a glimpse of her through the study door, and the second time on a bus in Qinshi, when he had realized he forgot to bring money after changing out of his uniform. The girl had boarded from behind and bought two tickets, handing one to him without saying a word, just giving him a wink when she passed the ticket.

Qin Li believed that the girl recognized him; she was quite clever. Moreover, when she boarded, she acted like she didn’t know him. She might not have been unaware of what Gu Qingchuan was planning to do on this trip.

Liu Cuilian boarding the train had been unexpected for them. They had been contemplating how to get her to another location, but the young girl had acted first and relieved them of their worries.

Qin Li said, “Look how she’s trying to get Liu Cuilian to the sleeper carriage. She knows what she’s doing; don’t panic.”

The two men exchanged a few words while getting hot water before returning to their seats.

Throughout it all, Jiang Ci hadn’t glanced in their direction at all; in contrast, Sun Feifei had been sneakily looking over several times along the way.

They had boarded the train at two in the afternoon. Six hours later, the train arrived at the Sishui station, and the passengers were bustling in and out. The train still had the kind of seating where people faced each other with a small table in the middle. As the passenger next to Jiang Ci disembarked, just as the train was about to start moving again, two men came up and stood beside them.

Sun Feifei had been leaning against Jiang Ci’s shoulder, dozing off. She opened her eyes and, upon seeing the two men who had just taken seats across from them, was shocked. She nudged Jiang Ci awake. “Xiao Ci, wake up! Isn’t this…”

Wasn’t this Gu Qingchuan? Her fiancé! How could he be boarding at Sishui Station? He was tall, slender, and had inexplicably shaved his head to a buzz cut. His gaze was extremely cold, exuding the aura of a hardened thug.

Why hadn’t Jiang Ci just knocked him out?

Gu Qingchuan coldly observed the two girls across from him, his expression neutral. Beside him sat a slightly overweight man in his forties, his eyes darting between the three of them before finally settling on Jiang Ci.

This girl was extremely beautiful, her features exquisitely defined. Unlike other young girls who would shy away when looked at, Jiang Ci met his gaze with a fierce glare that could make anyone think twice.

Xing Lao San had always been cautious. When he encountered Gu Qingchuan, who was selling calligraphy and paintings in Sishui, he remembered their previous encounter from a year ago in the black market of Qincheng, where they had fought. They had become acquainted through that conflict, and to his surprise, Gu Qingchuan possessed some valuable items.

When Gu Qingchuan showed him calligraphy and paintings, Xing Lao San, an expert, quickly identified them as genuine works by a Tang dynasty master. He also knew that Gu Qingchuan’s grandmother came from a prominent family with a dowry that was famously lavish. Ten years ago, he had heard that a truckload of her possessions had been confiscated.

Gu Qingchuan stated that less than half of what was taken had been recovered; the other half was buried in the mountains of Qin Chuan. If they could negotiate a fair price, he could take them to dig it up.

Xing Lao San contacted the boss of the Pearl Market, who instructed him to take Gu Qingchuan back to establish a connection.

Since he had encountered a friend of Gu Qingchuan, he naturally took the opportunity to pry for information. With a smile, Xing Lao San asked, “Where are the two young ladies headed? Do you know my brother?”

“Knowing him doesn’t mean anything. Don’t think you can get close to us,” Jiang Ci replied, lifting her chin defiantly as she addressed the middle-aged man. “You’re the famous thug of Qincheng. If you’re associating with him, you can’t be a good person either. I don’t want to talk to you.”

She then stood up, took out a bag of food from her cloth bag, and pulled Sun Feifei along. “Feifei, let’s go to the dining car for some hot buns.”

Xing Lao San felt relieved. The girl’s words confirmed that Gu Qingchuan was in a desperate situation in Qincheng, forced to make a living in the black market of Blackwater River. With the recent easing of regulations, he had taken some valuable items hidden at home to sell. It just so happened that Xing Lao San encountered him and found this lucrative opportunity. It seemed that he would gain some face in front of the boss this time.

Jiang Ci’s heart raced as she and Sun Feifei dashed to the dining car. Sun Feifei, still a bit confused, whispered, “Xiao Ci, did you notice something off? The man next to Gu Qingchuan is a smiling tiger. I see a fierce glint in his eyes despite his smile.”

“Yeah, and since Brother Chuan didn’t talk to us directly, he must have something important to deal with. Let’s not disturb him and just act like we don’t know him,” Jiang Ci quietly instructed Sun Feifei. “If you can’t pretend well, just don’t say anything.”

The dining car attendant was very nice and helped them heat the meat buns, thinking to herself that these two girls had quite the appetite. “Ten big meat buns—do you think you can finish them all?”

Jiang Ci accepted the buns with a smile and said, “If we can’t eat them all, we can give them to someone who needs them.” She noticed that Gu Qingchuan hadn’t brought any food onto the train. He was just like that; he could starve himself without anyone looking after him.

The aroma of the meat buns wafted through the air after they were heated, irresistible to anyone nearby. As Jiang Ci returned to her seat and took a small bite, she noticed Xing Lao San across from her, swallowing hard. They hadn’t eaten lunch before boarding, and the enticing smell of the meat made his stomach growl, making him crave the big meat buns in the girl’s hands.

“Big sister, you two girls can’t finish ten meat buns. Why not sell a few to me and my brother?”

“Who are you calling ‘big sister’? Don’t try to get close to me,” Jiang Ci shot back, glaring at him. “We’re representatives from the Qinchuan Machinery Factory on a mission to exchange experiences with the Southern Heavy Industry Group. A car will pick us up when we arrive at Zhushi. Don’t think about anything shady with us.”

“Who would dare?” Xing Lao San felt even more at ease, realizing that these two girls had traveled a long way to Zhushi for a serious purpose.

Once Jiang Ci had said all she needed to, she added, “If you want to eat, bring money to buy them. Fifty cents each.”

“Why don’t you just go rob a bank?” he retorted, noting that they sold for only ten cents each at state-owned restaurants. She had marked them up five times once on the train, showing her business acumen.

“You don’t have to buy.”

Jiang Ci and Gu Qingchuan sat at the innermost window seats, where Gu Qingchuan’s long legs felt cramped under the small table. Jiang Ci reached over and pinched him. The man, who had been pretending to sleep with his eyes closed, was startled awake and looked at her steadily.

Jiang Ci proudly lifted her chin and disdainfully pushed four big meat buns toward him. “If it weren’t for your good looks, I wouldn’t bother selling them to you. What are you staring at? Pay up!”

 

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