Chapter 243: Chapter 240: Human Traffickers

Chen Dongming took out a deck of cards. “Let’s switch seats with the ladies and play Tractor.”

Zhou Xiaohong waved him off. “It’s too stuffy on the train. I’m going to rest for a bit.”

Lin Lan wasn’t interested either. “I don’t want to play. You and Xiangyang can play Ten-and-a-half.”

Chen Dongming chuckled. “I’ve played with Xiangyang before. I lost ten games in a row. It’s too much for my ego.”

Zhou Xiaohong shot him a playful glare. “You’ve got the brains for manual labor, and that’s about it.”

Li Xiangyang turned to look at Lin Lan. “Are you feeling stuffy? It’s more comfortable over here by the window.”

Lin Lan nodded. “I’m going to rest my eyes for a bit.” She had stayed up making all the kidney bean rolls for today’s delivery and hadn’t gotten to bed until 12:30. Now that it was quiet, she was starting to feel drowsy.

Zhou Xiaohong rolled her eyes at Chen Dongming. “Look at Xiangyang, taking such good care of his fiancée.”

Chen Dongming chuckled. “Well, you didn’t say you wanted the window seat. We’ve been married for ages; all you have to do is say the word and I’ll switch with you.”

So now both women were sitting by the windows. Zhou Xiaohong rested her head on the small table and dozed.

Lin Lan leaned against the window, watching through half-closed eyes as the fat woman struck up a conversation with a girl in long braids.

The fat woman told the girl with the braids she was from the provincial capital’s department store and had come to East Market to recruit. She claimed she had already hired four young women, who were all sitting in carriage number nine.

She told the girl she had the right look, and if she had a middle school diploma, she could work as a salesclerk at a new mall opening in the provincial capital. As she said this, she pulled out her work ID for the girl to see.

’A new mall coming all the way to East Market to hire salesclerks? Has the provincial capital run out of people to hire?’ Lin Lan coldly watched the fat woman’s performance.

The girl let her guard down after seeing the ID. She told the fat woman that she was from the East Market Construction Team and hadn’t even finished elementary school. Her older brother worked in the provincial capital, and since his wife just had a baby boy, she was on her way to help care for her new nephew. Her brother was supposed to pick her up at the station.

Just as Lin Lan saw the fat woman about to say more and was preparing to intervene, Zhou Xiaohong opened her eyes and looked at the girl with the braids. “Little sis, which construction team are you with?” She then pointed to Lin Lan. “She’s with Team One of Lexing.”

The braided girl said shyly, “I’m from Team One of the Construction Team.”

Lin Lan smiled. “My newly assigned family plot is right next to your team’s fields. You know, the one by the graveyard.”

When she heard Lin Lan mention the Construction Team’s graveyard, the braided girl believed her. “That place is so spooky. None of us dare to go near it.”

Lin Lan chuckled. “We feel the same way. Every time I pass it, I get goosebumps.”

The braided girl smiled and asked Lin Lan, “Miss, where are you and the other lady getting off?”

Lin Lan answered readily, “We’re going to the provincial capital, too. We can stick together when we get off the train.”

“Great!” The braided girl smiled and nodded.

The fat woman was no longer as enthusiastic as before. She got up and headed toward the restroom and didn’t return for a long while.

Lin Lan leaned close to Li Xiangyang’s ear and whispered, “Something’s off about that woman.”

Li Xiangyang’s ear tickled from her breath. He gave Lin Lan’s hand a squeeze. “I noticed. I’ll go have a look.”

“Be careful,” Lin Lan whispered.

Li Xiangyang got up and walked toward carriage number nine, reaching the door in a few steps. He stood in the vestibule connecting the cars and peered into carriage nine.

He saw the fat woman sitting in the third row next to a wiry man, the two of them whispering with their heads together.

In the seats beside them sat several girls, their eyes full of curiosity. Some wore clothes faded from countless washes, while others wore garments covered in patches. But they all had one thing in common: they were all pretty.

After a moment of thought, Li Xiangyang returned to his seat and quietly told Lin Lan what he’d seen. “I’m going to find the railway police and report this. If those two are really human traffickers or con artists, those girls are in serious trouble.”

Lin Lan nodded. “I’ll go with you!”

Zhou Xiaohong nudged Chen Dongming. “Old Chen, you go with Xiangyang.”

Chen Dongming was a little confused, but he nodded. “I’ll go with Xiangyang.”

Li Xiangyang and Chen Dongming went to the crew compartment and told an attendant what they had seen.

The attendant told them to wait in the compartment while he went to find the railway police.

After the railway police arrived and questioned Li Xiangyang and Chen Dongming, they headed for carriage number nine.

Shortly after Li Xiangyang returned to his seat, the fat woman’s shrill protests erupted from carriage nine. A moment later, the railway police led the fat woman, the scrawny man, and several terrified-looking girls toward the dining car.

About ten minutes later, an announcement came over the train’s loudspeaker, reminding all passengers to be cautious about talking to strangers and not to trust anyone offering them a job.

The announcement also stated that the railway police were located in carriage eleven, and that passengers should report any danger, thieves, or swindlers to them or any train attendant.

When the train reached the next station, Lin Lan saw the railway police escort the fat woman, the wiry man, and five girls off the train, handing them over to the officers at the station’s police outpost.

Lin Lan and her friends pressed against the window, watching as the police officers led the group away.

Zhou Xiaohong glanced at the pale-faced, braided girl. “Little sis, you need to remember this: when you’re traveling, don’t be so quick to trust people. You’ll be in serious trouble if you run into human traffickers.”

From the moment the fat woman had started the conversation, she’d had a bad feeling about her.

The braided girl was so frightened that tears welled up in her eyes. “My parents warned me about traffickers. They told me not to talk to anyone I don’t know, and to follow the crowd out of the station… My brother is waiting for me right at the exit.”

Zhou Xiaohong smiled. “Just remember this for the future: never be greedy for a handout. You need to firmly remember the saying: chasing small gains leads to great losses.”

’If we hadn’t noticed that fat woman,’ Lin Lan reflected, ’she and that man would have likely abducted the girl after they got off the train.’

The train was supposed to arrive at ten-thirty, but it didn’t pull into the provincial capital until after eleven-twenty.

The braided girl said to Zhou Xiaohong, “Ma’am, I’ve never been to the provincial capital before. I’ll stick with you all on the way out.”

Zhou Xiaohong readily agreed. “Of course!”

After getting off the train, Lin Lan looked up and was surprised to see a blue sky with white clouds floating above the provincial capital. It wasn’t a sheet of hazy gray.

The braided girl followed the group of four out of the station, where a tall and sturdy young man greeted her before they went on their way.

“Dongming! Little Hong!” Xu Mingxuan waved as he hurried over to them. “The shop’s been so hectic, I almost didn’t make it in time.”

Lin Lan noticed that Xu Mingxuan had put on some weight and was in high spirits; it seemed life in the provincial capital was treating him well.

Chen Dongming laughed and gave him a hug. “You know Little Lin,” he said, then gestured to Li Xiangyang. “This is her fiancé, Li Xiangyang. He and my Little Hong have been friends for years, too.”

“A pleasure! A pleasure!” Xu Mingxuan said, greeting them both warmly. “Let’s go to my place to eat first. Afterward, I’ll take you to see the shop.”

Zhou Xiaohong looked to Lin Lan. “Should we check out Old Xu’s shop first?”

Lin Lan glanced at Li Xiangyang before nodding. “Alright. We’ll go there first, and then head to the hotel to check on the spices.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep