Aunt Ma had been working as a train attendant for over a decade—what kind of people hadn’t she seen before?
Old Man Wang’s guilty demeanor didn’t escape her sharp eyes.
Add to that Shen Nanchu’s favorable impression, and without a second thought, Aunt Ma’s sympathy leaned toward Shen Nanchu.
Still, on the surface, she played fair, scolding everyone for disrupting public order.
And just like that, the matter was settled.
As Aunt Ma turned to leave after handling the situation, Shen Nanchu spoke up.
"Comrade, wait a moment."
"I have some ointment here. Let me get it for you."
What woman doesn’t appreciate beauty? Aunt Ma was no exception.
Shen Nanchu’s gift hit just the right note.
"Oh, how can I accept this?"
"Comrade, you suffered because of me. Honestly, it’s all my fault."
"If I’d just stood there and let her hit me, you wouldn’t have taken that slap."
What a master at playing the victim.
Aunt Ma shot another glare at Li Mei, her eyes sharp as daggers.
Li Mei was fuming but didn’t dare retaliate, settling instead for a venomous stare at Shen Nanchu.
Even with all that hatred directed at her, Shen Nanchu didn’t gain a single ounce of resentment—seemed like she’d already drained Li Mei dry.
Time to wrap things up.
Shen Nanchu couldn’t even be bothered to spare Li Mei a glance.
She pulled out a bottle of medicated oil and a small brown jar from her luggage—gifts from the male lead’s elder brother to the original owner.
The original owner had used some of it, but Shen Nanchu disliked using things others had touched.
Since she was going to toss them anyway, she might as well give them to Aunt Ma.
Li Mei took one look and sneered—it wasn’t even snow cream, just some unknown product.
But Fang Jie, who had stayed silent the whole time, paled slightly.
Her cousin’s family was wealthy, and she’d seen this bottle before—her cousin treasured it like gold!
Aunt Ma’s eyes lit up the moment she saw the label.
This was imported goods! The kind you couldn’t buy even if you had money.
Anything imported had to be good, whether she recognized it or not.
Now, Aunt Ma’s gaze toward Shen Nanchu grew even warmer.
"Is that… Estée Lauder?" Fang Jie’s face turned ashen.
"Oh? Someone here actually knows their stuff?" Shen Nanchu gave Fang Jie an appraising look—a rare acknowledgment.
Fang Jie’s expression crumbled further.
Aunt Ma was sharp. Just from the name, she could tell this "Estée whatever" was high-end.
"Dear, I can’t see my own injury. Why don’t you come with me to the dining car and help apply it?"
Aunt Ma wasn’t one to take without giving back.
Shen Nanchu understood immediately. "Of course!"
"Oh, and don’t forget to bring your things!"
Aunt Ma winked, and Shen Nanchu got the message.
She packed her bedsheet into her suitcase and followed Aunt Ma out.
Li Mei spat as Shen Nanchu left. "Hmph! It’s just some fancy cream. What’s the big deal?"
"Li Mei, you’ve messed up," Fang Jie muttered, her face grim.
Song Qingyang caught the tension. "Fang Jie, what do you mean?"
"That wasn’t snow cream. It’s American imports!" Fang Jie forced a bitter smile.
"So what? You can afford imports too, can’t you?" Li Mei still didn’t grasp the severity.
Fang Jie hated to admit it. "Estée Lauder is only available in duty-free shops for diplomats or overseas Chinese. It’s practically unheard of here. Money can’t buy it."
In other words, you needed connections.
Which meant that girl’s family had serious influence.
Song Qingyang’s chest tightened—what a wasted opportunity! If he’d just befriended her, maybe even become her boyfriend, he could’ve avoided being sent to the countryside.
No matter. There’d be another chance.
The other passengers murmured in awe.
To casually give away something so expensive to a stranger—just how powerful was that girl’s family?
And if that was the case, would she really need to curse Old Man Wang?
Everyone glanced at Old Man Wang’s shabby appearance and quickly reached a conclusion.
Her words were probably true.
In an instant, the crowd took a collective step back, putting as much distance between themselves and Old Man Wang as possible.
Meanwhile, Shen Nanchu had no idea that discarding an unwanted item had caused such a stir.
By the time they reached the dining car, she and Aunt Ma were already chatting like sisters.
Shen Nanchu even learned that Aunt Ma’s husband was the director of the XX Railway Bureau.
Aunt Ma wasn’t just all talk, either—she quietly used her connections to move Shen Nanchu to a soft sleeper cabin.
Shen Nanchu wasn’t about to refuse.
Someone like Aunt Ma was worth keeping close.
Traveling by train often meant having connections onboard was invaluable.
After a while, Aunt Ma escorted Shen Nanchu to the soft sleeper section.
As they crossed between cars, a frantic passenger nearly crashed into them. Luckily, Aunt Ma reacted fast, yanking Shen Nanchu aside just in time.
"Comrade, watch where you’re going!"
"Sorry!"
A young man with a round face, small eyes, a flat nose, thick lips, and a sesame-sized mole by his mouth flashed past Shen Nanchu’s vision before disappearing.
Running that fast? Definitely up to no good.
Sure enough—
Not long after, two train police officers and several stern-faced men pushed through the crowd toward Aunt Ma and Shen Nanchu.
"Aunt Ma, did you see anyone suspicious pass by here?" one officer asked quietly.
Aunt Ma thought for a moment. "There was a man earlier who seemed in a real hurry."
"Can you describe him?" Liu Jiadong pressed. "Was he wearing a black cloth shirt?"
Aunt Ma shook her head. "No, it was a blue-green top."
"Then it’s not him." Liu Jiadong’s shoulders slumped.
He’d been tracking this target for ages. Finally closing in, only to lose him now—unacceptable.
After settling Shen Nanchu in the soft sleeper, Aunt Ma went back to her duties.
At lunchtime, she returned to take Shen Nanchu to the dining car.
Shen Nanchu brought along a packed roast duck.
The meal was lavish—braised pork, roast duck, and salted duck eggs.
Aunt Ma loved to chat.
"Remember that guy who almost ran into us earlier?"
"Of course." Shen Nanchu never forgot a face.
Aunt Ma lowered her voice. "He’s a spy."
"What?!" Shen Nanchu played along, feigning shock.
"Guess how long he’s been lurking in our country?" Aunt Ma looked smug.
"Five years?" Shen Nanchu threw out a random guess.
Aunt Ma crossed her index fingers. "Ten."
"Did they catch him?" Shen Nanchu was genuinely surprised—this was a big fish.
"Not yet." Aunt Ma sighed. "Captain Liu is tearing his hair out. We’ve got two hours till the next stop."
Shen Nanchu nodded in understanding.
The next station wasn’t a major hub, but it had multiple exits. If they didn’t nab the spy in these two hours, he’d vanish the moment he stepped off the train.
