The old man sitting opposite asked Su Lang.
"She'll be three soon."
"You're blessed."
"Yes."
Lin Zhilan had been gone for a bit long, and Su Lang was getting a little worried. Imitating Lin Zhilan's gentle tone, he said, "Baby, how about Daddy carries you to go find Mommy?"
Linlin immediately leaned into him.
Su Lang picked her up, stood, and said to the young man, "Comrade, could you please keep an eye on my luggage for me?"
"No problem."
When Lin Zhilan came out of the restroom, she saw Su Lang standing outside the door with his back to her, holding the child like a guardian statue.
As she stared blankly, her wrist was suddenly grabbed tightly by a bony yet powerful hand.
A gray-haired, sallow-faced old woman leaned in close to her, her cloudy eyes flashing with a frantic light. "I finally found you, you wretched girl! I scold you just once, and you run off everywhere. You'll only know fear when you get abducted by human traffickers!"
Lin Zhilan was yanked so hard she stumbled, instantly realizing she had run into a human trafficker.
"Su Lang..."
She had barely called out when the tall figure immediately turned around. He strode over to Lin Zhilan's side. Holding Linlin steadily with one arm, he used his free hand to forcefully grip the old woman's wrist that was holding Lin Zhilan, his five fingers tightening like an iron vise.
"Let go!"
Su Lang's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling, fierce aura.
The old woman cried out in pain and let go. Meeting Su Lang's cold, harsh glare, the aggressive momentum she had just shown instantly dissipated.
Her eyes darted around shiftily as she said awkwardly, "It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. My old eyes are playing tricks on me. I mistook her for someone else. I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
As she spoke, she quietly shuffled backwards, hoping to slip away quickly.
Su Lang kept his iron grip on her, intending to hand her over to the railway police.
Seeing this, Lin Zhilan pretended to be frightened. She leaned delicately against him and whispered in his ear, "Let her go first."
She had read reports about this in her past life; this was definitely a gang operation.
They would first send an old person or a man. After finding a target, they would pretend to be the girl's mother or husband and try to drag her away.
Even if the girl resisted and tried to explain, they would twist it to look like she was just throwing a tantrum. The unaware public could easily be deceived and end up helping the bad guys persuade the girl.
Even if they arrested the old woman now, if she insisted she simply mistook her for someone else, they wouldn't be able to convict her in the end. It might also alert the enemy and let her accomplices escape.
Su Lang looked down at her and released the old woman's hand.
The old woman scrambled away in a hurry.
Lin Zhilan whispered, "Tell the railway police to find this person. I suspect she has accomplices."
"Mhm," Su Lang replied in a deep voice, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Let's get you back to our cabin first."
After returning to the cabin, Su Lang turned and went to find the railway police.
Lin Zhilan felt anxious and only breathed a sigh of relief when he returned.
"Did they catch them?"
"Yes, four people in total. They also rescued a girl."
The old man, who was leaning weakly against the head of the bed, opened his eyes. "There were human traffickers?"
"Yes."
Su Lang's reticent demeanor left the old man somewhat speechless.
At noon, to show their gratitude, the train conductor specially brought Su Lang two boxed lunches and two stir-fried dishes.
Fried pork sections and braised spare ribs—it was quite a good meal.
Su Lang followed military policy, which forbade taking even a needle or a piece of thread from the masses, so he insisted on paying for it.
The old man and the young man next to them obviously didn't lack money, and they ordered the exact same two meals.
Perhaps feeling stuffy, Linlin seemed a bit listless and had no appetite.
Lin Zhilan coaxed her into eating an egg, took a couple of bites herself, and then couldn't eat anymore either.
Su Lang peeled an egg and handed it to her, then took her boxed lunch and naturally continued eating it.
Lin Zhilan pursed her lips. This was the first time someone had eaten her leftovers, and she felt a bit self-conscious.
It seemed a bit too informal, a bit too intimate.
She tapped her daughter's little nose. "Stinky baby, it's all your fault. You won't eat your food, will you?"
Linlin thought her mommy was playing with her and giggled.
A smile flashed through Su Lang's eyes as he finished the food in a few bites.
In the afternoon, after a nap, Linlin complained she was hungry. Lin Zhilan took out some flatbread and chicken paste from her bag.
As soon as the jar of chicken paste was opened, a rich aroma of meat and oil, mixed with a mellow spiciness, slowly spread through the cabin, undoubtedly whetting everyone's appetite.
"Gulp..."
A clear sound of swallowing saliva came from nearby.
Lin Zhilan paused while scooping the chicken paste. "Comrade, would you like to try some?"
"Yes." The old man didn't stand on ceremony.
"Chief, the doctor said..."
"Enough! I'm already in this state; it's not easy for me to eat something I actually want to."
The young man was taken aback, his eyes turning slightly red. "Chief, didn't they say the hospital over there can perform the surgery?"
While he was feeling sad, a piece of flatbread wrapped with chicken paste was handed to him.
The chicken paste was bright red and glossy, emitting a savory aroma. He unconsciously swallowed his saliva.
Su Lang said coldly, "Aren't you going to take it?"
"Oh, right," he sniffled. "Thank you."
The chicken paste was so fragrant that quite a few other people came over wanting to snag a bit, but Su Lang, sitting on the outside, glared them all back one by one.
After finishing a piece of flatbread, the old man, still wanting more, looked at Su Lang. "Are you a soldier?"
"Yes."
"Which military region?"
"No comment."
The old man choked slightly, took out an officer's ID from his breast pocket, and handed it to Su Lang.
Su Lang opened it and saw: Commander-in-Chief of the J Region, Cheng Qingshan.
"Hello, Chief!" He stood up and saluted.
Cheng Qingshan returned the salute and smiled. "I'm retired now, no longer a chief. Are you from the South Sea Fleet?"
"Yes."
"Perfect, I'm going to the military hospital in your area for surgery. We can look out for each other on the way."
Cheng Qingshan's guard, Tu Jing, didn't change his expression upon hearing this, but he secretly suspected the chief had his eye on their delicious food.
However, this paste really was delicious!
In the evening, having the chicken paste again, the group enjoyed a satisfying meal.
Lin Zhilan took the child, grabbed a towel and washbasin, and went for a simple wash.
Su Lang stood guard behind her the whole time, making her feel an inexplicable sense of security.
The train was a mixed bag of people; there were all sorts of characters.
Since they had an old man, a woman, and a child in their group, Su Lang and Tu Jing discussed it and decided that one would keep watch for the first half of the night, and the other for the second half.
The clacking sound of the moving train was continuous. Lin Zhilan originally thought it would be hard for her to fall asleep, but to her surprise, she quickly lost consciousness and her breathing became steady.
When she woke up the next day and climbed down from the top bunk, Su Lang seemed to still be sleeping.
Seeing that he had nothing covering him, Lin Zhilan draped the blanket she had used all night over his body.
Worried that Linlin might fall from the top bunk when she woke up, she asked Tu Jing to help carry the child down and place her next to Su Lang.
Only after doing all this did she go over to wash up.
Su Lang, who had been lying there all along, opened his eyes at this moment. He picked up the blanket on his body, a bold smile lifting the corners of his mouth.
After smelling so many sweat-drenched blankets in the army, this was the first time he had smelled a fragrant one.
It really was good to have a wife!
