Chapter 92

Early March brought significant temperature differences between day and night. When it rained in the evening, the cold wind, coupled with the fine rain, made people shiver.

Disguised as a young lady to lure the traffickers, Xu Xiangqian was wrapped tightly in a plain headscarf, revealing only two thick, black braids. The pink, thin cotton jacket hugged his “full figure” tightly, paired with blue coarse cloth pants and old padded cloth shoes. This outfit was so ordinary that it wouldn’t draw any attention.

While on other girls, this outfit might have looked bulky, the young officers who were secretly observing Xu Xiangqian couldn’t help but notice the hint of charm and grace he exuded, especially the eye-catching “bosom.”

This “bosom” was thanks to two soft, large steamed buns that Deputy Director Gu had brought from home.

When Xu Xiangqian first appeared in this get-up, it nearly caused everyone to burst into laughter.

Based on the confessions of a few small-time crooks, the traffickers were likely to strike at dusk or on bad weather days, and crowded places like train stations and bus stations were their preferred targets.

Xu Xiangqian held an umbrella, deliberately taking small, dainty steps, showing off his “alluring” figure as he circled the Yunshui County bus station several times. However, the people there were either busy buying tickets or hurriedly waiting for buses, and no one even glanced his way.

Seeing that the bus station wasn’t yielding any results, the team decided to move to the train station.

On such a cold day, Xu Xiangqian’s face turned pale from the freezing temperatures. When passing through crowded areas, he had to be especially careful to shield his chest, lest the two large steamed buns in front of him get squeezed in public and fall onto the street.

If that really happened, he would never live it down.

Xu Xiangqian sauntered around outside the train station, drawing curious and puzzled glances from several young women of similar age.

Xu Xiangqian cursed those traffickers to the eighteenth generation of their ancestors in his heart. He wiggled his hips and wandered to the other side. By 7:30 PM, the rain outside was getting heavier, and the water on the ground was rising to ankle height, but there was still no sign of the traffickers.

The officers from the Public Security Bureau patiently waited in their respective positions. There was only one train bound for the provincial capital that night. In the waiting hall, a few peeling long benches sat with just five or six passengers waiting for the train.

Outside the train station, a white mist hung in the air, and the few passengers waiting for the train were dozing off.

Suddenly, a young couple at the entrance of the waiting hall started arguing. The young man was tall, handsome, broad-shouldered, and long-legged—a striking figure, not an ordinary person by any means. The young woman, though a bit shorter than the young man, was also very attractive, with a high, curvy figure that suggested she was well-built and likely to bear sons easily!

The pretty young woman pointed at the young man’s nose and angrily shouted.

“You heartless jerk! You promised to be with me, so why have you changed your mind?”

“When you liked me, you spoke sweet words, but now that you don’t, you cast me aside like trash!”

“None of you men are any good, you’re all treacherous like Chen Shimei^[1]Chen Shimei is a Chinese opera character and a byword in China for a heartless and unfaithful man.!”

The young man remained silent for a long time before finally responding in a low voice.

“My mom doesn’t like you, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“You jerk! Go be with your mom then!”

The pretty young woman threw a bag at the young man, crying as she ran into the train station waiting hall.

The young man didn’t chase after her. He simply picked up the bag and walked away.

As the pretty young woman entered, a blast of cold, damp air followed her. The elderly woman sitting closest to the door couldn’t help but sigh inwardly when she saw the young woman. This girl had a great figure, with a full chest and a well-proportioned body. In these times, when many girls were undernourished and developed poorly, looking like skinny bean sprouts, this one was different.

The pretty young woman covered her face and sat on a bench, sobbing pitifully.

The elderly woman next to her murmured sympathetically, “This girl must have a tough life.”

“Wait, why does her voice sound so rough?”

“What do you mean rough? Young girls all sound like that.”

The elderly woman was about to go over and say a few comforting words when an old lady with white hair walked into the waiting room. The old lady, leaning on a cane and carrying a small bundle, shuffled in slowly.

The old lady’s pant legs were soaking wet, and half her body was drenched, showing she had been caught in the rain for some time. Seeing this, several warm-hearted people quickly gathered around her.

“Auntie, what’s wrong?”

“I’m looking for my daughter. My daughter lives in Sanshui Alley. Isn’t this Sanshui Alley?”

“Oh dear, Auntie, if you’re looking for someone, you need to go to the Public Security Bureau. This is the train station, not Sanshui Alley. Coming here won’t help you find your daughter.”

“Where is the Public Security Bureau? I don’t know the way.”

“We don’t know either. We’re all from out of town, here to visit relatives in Yunshui County, and we’re just about to leave.”

Everyone felt sorry for the old lady, who was hunched over, her eyes welling up with tears. She shakily pulled out two dimes from her bundle and pleaded with the crowd to take her to her daughter’s home.

“My daughter lives in Sanshui Alley. Here’s some money for the fare. Can someone take me there?”

The crowd exchanged uncertain looks, each person feeling a bit helpless.

They weren’t locals and didn’t know their way around. Besides, they were all waiting for a train to take them home. If they missed it, they’d have to spend the night in a one-yuan-a-night hostel, which would not only cost money but also mean waiting for the next day’s train.

Back then, traveling required a letter of introduction, and the validity of such letters was limited. If the dates expired, it could cause big trouble.

As everyone hesitated, a soft yet slightly hoarse voice spoke up.

“My uncle’s house is near Sanshui Alley. Grandma, I’ll take you there.”

The crowd turned to look and saw that it was the pretty young woman who had been crying just a moment ago.

“Young lady, you’re such a kind soul!”

“Indeed, good deeds bring good rewards. You’ll surely find a good husband in the future!”

“It’s cold out there, young lady. Take these candies to eat on the way.”

The passengers showered the young woman with praise and offered her candies as they admired her kindness.

The young woman seemed a bit shy, softly thanking them, her cheeks flushing a rosy pink. Outside, the rain continued to pour, making the stone-paved roads slippery. The old lady, anxious to leave, craned her neck to see outside.

The young woman, concerned about the old lady slipping, asked a young man in the waiting room to carry her out of the station.

People were still very simple and willing to help others in those days. The young man, patting his chest, readily agreed and hoisted the old lady onto his back. The young woman kindly reminded him to watch the steps, which moved the young man deeply. He silently cursed the heartless jerk who didn’t know what he had.

Damn it, how could he not cherish such a good woman?

It made those of them who were still bachelors feel even worse!

“…”

With umbrellas and bundles in hand, the passengers hurried to escort the old lady out of the station. No one noticed that the old lady, lying on the young man’s back, had a sharp gleam in her once-dull eyes.

*

Dongfanghong Production Team

The wind and rain howled outside as Li Aifeng, in a cheerful mood, emerged from the house. She dug out a small piece of brown sugar, the size of a finger, from a rusty tin canister and dissolved it in a chipped bowl of hot water. Sipping her drink leisurely with her legs crossed, she felt quite content.

Yesterday, the Lin family had just finalized an engagement with the Wang family.

Li Aifeng threw twenty yuan in front of Wang Shanpao and handed five more to his wife. The couple, who looked as if they hadn’t seen meat in years, fought each other like ravenous wolves to snatch the money.

For the sake of twenty-five yuan, Wang Shanpao unhesitatingly slapped his wife.

Even as blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, Wang Shanpao’s wife still stared at the money with a fierce, hungry gaze.

The desperate scramble for money was so intense that it made Li Aifeng’s heart skip a beat.

As the saying goes, “A barren mountain breeds unruly people.”

No matter the era, poverty is the original sin.

Who would respect you if you have no money?

Li Aifeng quickly pulled out a severance document and had Wang Shanpao and his wife place their fingerprints on it. Neither of them could read, and to them, their daughter was just a worthless burden. For twenty-five yuan, they stamped their fingerprints, severing all ties with Wang Honghua. Whether she lived or died from now on, it had nothing to do with the Wang family.

Despite Wang Shanpao and his wife’s shortcomings, Wang Honghua herself wasn’t bad at all.

This little girl was quite capable. She could chop wood, gather pigweed, harvest corn, and carry pig manure. Whatever a man could do, she could do just as well.

According to Wang Shanpao’s wife, she didn’t even need to lift a finger for household chores.

Most importantly, this girl had a good temperament. She never fought back when hit or argued when scolded. Where could you find such a daughter-in-law?

Li Aifeng immediately decided to pay the twenty-five yuan and took Wang Honghua home, just waiting for Lin Hongwu to return the next day to consummate the marriage and continue the Lin family line.

….

Around 8 PM, the courtyard was pitch black under the rain. Zhang Cuilan came over after washing the dishes to check on Gu Doudou.

Gu Doudou had taken a nap in the afternoon and had eaten a large meal of milk and mashed potatoes in the evening. Now, he was learning to walk in the house, holding onto a small stool, dressed in cartoon overalls with an open crotch that his mother had made.

When Zhang Cuilan entered, the little one was pestering his mother to go outside to see the little rabbits.

Lin Yao was firm and unyielding.

“No, it’s raining outside, and the rabbits are sleeping. We’ll go tomorrow.”

The chubby boy argued.

“We can use an umbrella.”

“Even with an umbrella, it’s still not allowed.”

Gu Doudou pouted, looking around. His father wasn’t home, and neither were his grandparents.

The little one was clever. He knew not to provoke his mother, so he pouted and continued to practice walking on his own.

Lin Yao ignored him and continued knitting her sweater.

When Zhang Cuilan entered, Gu Doudou saw his beloved grandmother and waddled over like a little duck.

“Grandma, let’s go outside.”

Zhang Cuilan knew her grandson couldn’t stay indoors, but it was raining heavily. No matter how much she doted on him, she couldn’t take him outside, so she pretended not to hear and held him by the window to watch the rain.

Gu Doudou’s big round eyes were full of curiosity, pointing at the raindrops outside and excitedly babbling, occasionally trying to slip down and splash in the water.

Gu Shidong emerged from his room with a bamboo cricket cage for the little one to play with.

The chubby boy held onto the cage with his chubby little hands, playing for half an hour before falling asleep on his grandmother’s shoulder.

“This child fell asleep so quickly,” Zhang Cuilan said lovingly as she patted her grandson’s bottom.

Lin Yao smiled, glancing out the window at the rain. She thought to herself, “They should be able to catch the human traffickers tonight.”