Chapter 9 – Ruibao

Lu Fengnian hurried back to the sleeper carriage with the warm water he had fetched. He was worried about leaving Liu Shuning and the feverish child behind—what if the traffickers had accomplices?

When he arrived, he saw Liu Shuning sitting by the child’s side, looking anxious. Upon seeing him, she quickly stood up and said, “You’re back! I think the child’s fever has started to go down.”

“Really? Let’s hurry up and wipe him down more to help the fever subside.”

Liu Shuning took the water from Lu Fengnian, soaked a towel in it, wrung it out, and gently placed it on the child’s forehead.

Her movements were very gentle. While wiping the child’s forehead, she softly murmured, “Sweetheart, be good now, Auntie is going to wipe your little hands.”

Lu Fengnian didn’t stay idle either. He helped loosen the child’s clothing to make it easier for him to cool down.

The Meilin (children’s ibuprofen) worked quite well. Not long after, the child’s fever broke.

“Thank goodness the fever is gone. If it hadn’t come down soon, I was about ready to jump off the train and rush him to the hospital,” Liu Shuning said. It was her first time taking care of a child, and she found it even more nerve-wracking than when she was sick herself.

“You’ve worked hard, wife. Once we reach the next station, we’ll hand him over to the train police and have them take him to the hospital.”

Liu Shuning nodded. She knew that was the best plan.

Just then, the child slowly opened his eyes, looked around in confusion—and suddenly burst into tears.

Liu Shuning quickly picked him up and gently comforted him, “Don’t cry, sweetie, Auntie is here.” Sensing someone comforting him, the child’s cries began to soften.

“Mommy… Mommy… baby’s hungry…”

Startled, Liu Shuning gently pushed the child away from where he was nuzzling against her chest. “This child is already so big and still hasn’t weaned?” she muttered awkwardly. “Lu Fengnian, go get the malted milk powder from my suitcase and mix him a bowl—he must be hungry.”

After feeding him a bowl of malted milk, the child burped and patted his round little belly with satisfaction. In a babyish voice, he said, “Baby is full now!”

Liu Shuning smiled and patted his head. “What a good boy.”

“Mommy, baby is good, please don’t leave…”

Liu Shuning was stunned—he had mistaken her for his mother.

“Sweetheart, what’s your name? Where is your home? Uncle and Auntie will take you home, okay?”

“Mommy, did you forget baby’s name? I’m called Ruibao. Grandma always calls me that.” The little one clung tightly to Liu Shuning, thinking he had finally found his mother. From now on, he would no longer be a child without a mom.

“Ruibao, can you tell Auntie what your parents’ names are?”

Ruibao shook his head. “I don’t know. Grandma said Mommy and Daddy are working far away. I live with Grandma.”

Liu Shuning exchanged a glance with Lu Fengnian. It seemed unlikely they could get any useful information from the child.

“Do you remember where Grandma lives?” Lu Fengnian crouched down and asked softly.

Ruibao shook his head again, eyes welling with tears. “Baby doesn’t remember… I got separated from Grandma…”

Liu Shuning held Ruibao tightly in her arms, heart aching. “Don’t be afraid, Auntie and Uncle will help you find Grandma.”

Just then, Liu Yang and Chen Gang returned with a doctor. They had searched the entire train and finally found an elderly Chinese medicine practitioner in the hard seat carriage at the front.

The old doctor had trouble walking, so they had to slow their pace to wait for him.

“Comrade Lu, the doctor is here.”

“Doctor, please, come take a look. The child was drugged by traffickers,” Liu Shuning said, rushing forward with the child in her arms for an examination.

“Put the child on the bed first so I can take his pulse.” The doctor took Ruibao’s pulse carefully, then examined his tongue. After a moment, he said, “The child was indeed given some kind of sedative, but most of it has already been metabolized. He’s in fairly good health. With proper rest and care, he’ll recover well.”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank you so much, doctor,” Liu Shuning said gratefully.

The elderly doctor waved his hand and replied firmly, “It’s what I should do. A doctor’s duty is to heal—this is my responsibility.”

“Sir, take it slow. I’ll walk you back,” Liu Yang offered, hurrying over to carefully support the doctor’s arm and escort him out of the carriage.

Chen Gang stayed behind to watch their luggage, not wanting to leave it unattended.

At that moment, the train’s PA system announced that the next station was approaching.

Lu Fengnian said, “When we get to the next stop, we’ll hand the child over to the train police.”

But just then, Ruibao suddenly started crying again, clutching tightly to Liu Shuning’s neck. “Mommy, don’t send baby away… baby is scared…”

Liu Shuning’s heart ached. She patted his back to comfort him. The child clung to her, little fingers grasping her clothes tightly as if afraid she’d vanish at any second.

“What should we do? This child…”

“I’ll go speak with the train police and tell them about the situation. I’ll also check if the traffickers have confessed yet.” Lu Fengnian wasn’t sure what to do either. The child was too young to understand reasoning, and if there was no other option, they’d have to turn him over to the authorities.

Right now, he could only hope that the traffickers had confessed and revealed the child’s identity. Once they knew who his parents were, everything would be easier to handle.

“Alright, go check. Ruibao speaks with a Beijing accent, so his family is probably from the capital. Also, his clothes aren’t cheap—his parents must be quite wealthy.” Liu Shuning stroked Ruibao’s head affectionately. This child probably lived with his grandmother while his parents were away.

She had rescued him today, and the system had rewarded her with so many sign-in points. His parents must be people of great virtue and merit.

Parents who weren’t around long-term were likely either military personnel or scientific researchers.

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Before Lu Fengnian could leave, two train police officers arrived with good news.

“Good news, everyone! The traffickers confessed. They’re from Beijing and were acquainted with the Hu family’s nanny. It turns out the child was sold to them by the nanny. We’ve already contacted the Hu family. The child’s grandmother is elderly, and when he went missing, she fell ill from the shock. His parents are engaged in confidential work and can’t return right now. The child will still need your care for a while.”

The two officers looked apologetic. This situation was clearly a bit difficult for Deputy Battalion Commander Lu and his wife. If the couple refused, the officers would have no choice but to take the child to Beijing and find someone to care for him there.

Lu Fengnian looked at Liu Shuning—this wasn’t a decision he could make alone. He had to return to the military and would soon be on missions. Taking care of the child would fall to his wife.

“But we’re heading to Heilongjiang, and that’s very far from Beijing,” Liu Shuning said, troubled. She was worried she wouldn’t be able to care for the child properly. Yet Ruibao clung tightly to her, making it hard for her to find a reason to refuse.