Chapter 239: Heading South

Luo Qiao took the lunch box to the front and rinsed it, then poured the congee inside. When Tian Fang saw it was plain rice porridge, she seemed anxious to say something, but Luo Qiao silenced her with a glance. Tian Fang looked around the carriage and had to stay quiet.

Luo Qiao quietly said, “Sister, feed the child a bit first. It’s tough enough being out here, don’t let the child go hungry and get upset.”

Tian Fang, filled with gratitude and could only say, “Thank you.”

On the train, Luo Qiao took good care of the mother and child. When they arrived in Jinan, she quietly reminded Tian Fang to be more alert and take care of her valuables and the child.

She helped wash the lunch boxes, got some hot water, and then left.

She went back to her own carriage, and Luo Qiao took out her lunch box to eat. With plain congee, two steamed buns, and homemade mushroom sauce, she didn’t dare take out the scallion pancake or meat pie.

Before noon, a half-year-old child in front kept looking at other people’s food. An older brother in front had brought some braised meat, and the child’s grandmother tried to ask for some but was refused.

The old lady even said that the young girl was eating so well, she might as well be courting trouble. After a confrontation with the man, she finally quieted down. If it hadn’t been for her age, the man would have likely confronted her.

What kind of people were these? Luo Qiao felt like cursing them out.

The train reached Jinan the next day. Luo Qiao helped Tian Fang carry her things off the train and saw that a military soldier had come to pick her up. She handed the items over to them with relief and said goodbye to Tian Fang.

Tian Fang asked the soldier to give their address to Luo Qiao, inviting her to visit if she had time, and then they parted ways.

Luo Qiao went to the ticket office to buy a train ticket that’s going south. There’s a train scheduled to depart in half an hour. After buying the ticket, she saw that a long line had already formed for ticket checks.

Luo Qiao glanced at the long queue, before taking a quick trip to the restroom and then joining the line.

Behind her was a couple carrying a pair of baskets—one filled with items and the other with a child. The child was quite cute, and Luo Qiao played with her for a while.

In order to make it easier to enter the station, they lifted the child and removed the carrying pole.

At that moment, a woman’s voice shouted, “Catch the thief! Catch the thief!”

With the shout, a young man suddenly started running. Luo Qiao, quick on her feet, grabbed the nearest empty basket and said, “Excuse me, I need to borrow this basket.”

She threw the basket, hitting the fleeing young man and knocking him to the ground. The people chasing him arrived soon after and quickly subdued him. They found the woman’s lost purse with money wrapped inside on the young man.

The young man kept begging for mercy but was taken away by the arriving police.

Luo Qiao picked up the discarded basket and returned it to the couple, apologizing, “Sorry for using your basket without your consent.”

The couple assured her it was fine and praised Luo Qiao for her quick actions. Luo Qiao took out two pieces of candy from her pocket and handed them to the child in the woman’s arms, saying, “Here are two candies for you, as compensation for using your basket, okay?”

The child didn’t reach out for the candy immediately but looked at his mother. The woman said, “You’re too kind, the basket won’t get damaged, no need for candy.”

Luo Qiao smiled, “It’s alright, let the child have them.”

The woman then smiled and said, “Say thank you to the sister.”

The child quietly said, “Thank you, sister.”

Luo Qiao replied with a smile, “You’re welcome.”

Soon, it was their turn to have their tickets checked. Luo Qiao found her seat on the train and sat down, feeling quite hungry. The train departed at noon and would only reach its destination the following evening.

After making sure everyone around her was settled, she took out her lunch box to eat something.

In Qingshan Village, Zhang Dezhen and his family had gone to the county town early. They had heard that their daughter would be sent to a juvenile detention center in the city the next day, so they went to see her.

When they arrived in the county town, it was still early. Zhang Dongze wanted to take his parents out for a meal first, but Zhang Dezhen and his wife were too upset to eat, so they waited outside the detention center’s gate.