Chapter 23: If You Think You Can Do Better, Go Ahead!

Chapter 23: If You Think You Can Do Better, Go Ahead!

By the time it was 7:00 in the morning, the carriage had once again become a scene of noisy chaos.

Ye Qing was actually feeling a bit hungry, but given the presence of human traffickers—a ticking time bomb—she hesitated about going to the dining car for breakfast.

Li Juan had been suffering from an upset stomach all night and hadn’t slept well. Her complexion the next morning was frighteningly bad.

Seeing Li Juan’s miserable state, out of professional habit, Ye Qing couldn’t help but offer a reminder:

"When you have diarrhea, you should drink light saline water to replenish fluids in time."

Li Juan was taken aback, then immediately pouted and angrily questioned:

"First time I’ve heard that diarrhea should be treated with saline water. Are you trying to salt me to death? Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. You’re just trying to take advantage of my illness to kick me when I’m down!"

Li Juan wore a wary expression, as if saying, "Don’t think you can fool me, I’ve seen through you."

Ye Qing: ……

She felt like slapping herself. Seriously, why did she even bother to say anything? What a fool! It’s none of her business if this person wants to die!

Just as Ye Qing was deeply reflecting on her own actions, the train’s broadcast suddenly dinged, followed by the announcer’s voice:

—"Dear passengers, the train is about to arrive at Ping County. It will stop for twenty minutes. Please board and alight in an orderly manner, and return to your carriages in time. Do not linger on the platform for too long."

As soon as the announcement was made, the passengers in the carriage perked up.

After sitting on the train for a day and a night, many people were desperate to get off and stretch their legs. When they heard that the train would stop for twenty minutes, many were eager to get off for some fresh air.

At that moment, the farmer couple who had been targeted by the old lady earlier suddenly called out to her from behind:

"Auntie, my child is still sleeping, and I’m feeling a bit full. Could you let your grandson have a few mouthfuls first?"

The old lady, hearing this generous offer, immediately brightened up and quickly went to the back of the carriage with her grandson in her arms.

Ye Qing couldn’t help but silently criticize in her heart:

This old lady is addicted to taking advantage of others. She wants to bite anyone she can, no matter where she is. The best way to deal with such people is to be firm and give them no opportunity. Otherwise, they’ll take advantage of you and climb all over you.

This farmer couple was still too honest. That kid of the old lady’s looked quite big, and his appetite was enormous. If they really let the child eat first, he would drink up all the milk meant for their own child before stopping!

As these thoughts ran through her mind, the train slowly entered Ping County Station.

Before the train even came to a complete stop, someone in the carriage pointed outside and exclaimed:

"Look, something fun is happening! There’s an old beggar outside with two monkeys performing tricks! Hurry, let’s go watch the show!"

As soon as these words were spoken, many passengers became excited and asked eagerly, "Where? Where?"

Ye Qing, sitting by the window, only had to tilt her head slightly to look out. Sure enough, a circle of spectators had formed on the platform, with passengers packed tightly in layers, watching the show.

In the center of the circle, a scruffy old beggar stood on the platform. In his hand, he held a rope, which was looped around the neck of a female monkey.

Next to the female monkey were two baby monkeys, presumably her offspring.

Led by the female monkey, the three monkeys performed tricks—riding a unicycle, jumping through hoops, and making funny faces. They occasionally darted into the crowd to shake hands with people or jumped onto their shoulders and backs, even snatching food from the spectators' hands.

Monkey performances were a rare sight in the city, so the actions of these three monkeys easily captured everyone’s attention, drawing all eyes to them.

Perhaps because another train had arrived, the old beggar, noticing this, brightened up and blew his whistle around his neck, giving commands to the two baby monkeys.

However, the baby monkeys were slow to react, either not understanding or simply confused. One sat on the ground looking bewildered, while the other scratched its head and looked around. Neither obeyed the command.

This enraged the old beggar, who raised his whip and lashed it toward the two baby monkeys.

The baby monkeys yelped in pain, baring their teeth and howling. The chained female monkey, seeing this, rushed forward to protect her babies. But as she shielded them, the beggar whipped her too.

Seeing the three monkeys being beaten, some people in the crowd gasped, some heckled, and others laughed heartily, all captivated by the chaotic and comical scene.

Even the passengers in the carriage couldn’t hold back any longer. As soon as the carriage door opened, they rushed out eagerly, heading for the platform.

Seeing the densely packed crowd, Ye Qing’s heart tightened, and she immediately sounded the alarm in her mind.

Her eyes scanned the crowd warily. Soon, her gaze focused, and her heart sank.

After her wood-type ability had upgraded, her vision had become much sharper. Even though the crowd on the platform was a little far away, she could still see everything clearly.

There were many people in the circle watching the monkey show, and while some were focused on the performance, others were weaving through the crowd, deliberately pushing and shoving to create chaos.

In the midst of this, some people began to take advantage of the situation. Ye Qing saw someone hiding iron hooks and small knives in their sleeves, targeting the outer pockets and backpacks of those watching the show.

She instantly understood what was happening with the monkey show.

The performer was a distraction set up by a gang of pickpockets!

There were several pickpockets in the crowd, moving with extreme skill. It was clear they were seasoned professionals, working together seamlessly. It was impossible to tell how many people’s belongings would be quietly stolen without them even noticing.

Seeing this, Ye Qing immediately frowned.

There was no way she was getting off the train in this situation, nor did she plan to warn anyone about the thieves.

She wasn’t a hero, and she never did anything beyond her capabilities.

These people were working in a gang. Who knew how many accomplices were hiding in the crowd? She was just a healing-type with weak combat abilities. She didn’t have the skills for this!

Moreover, she had a huge sum of money hidden on her. She needed to keep a low profile, so why would she make herself a target? If this gang noticed her, what then?

Ye Qing hadn’t forgotten that she was still wearing the metaphorical cursed band of a disposable extra.

Having avoided the big pitfall of getting diarrhea, who knows what other traps might be waiting ahead?

She had to constantly remind herself to "play it safe and stay low," as not getting off the train to join the commotion wouldn't kill her. Enduring these two days and two nights honestly and arriving safely at Frost City would be victory the moment she stepped off the train!

With that thought, Ye Qing pulled her head back in and nestled into her seat, preparing to meditate like a seasoned monk.

But as she turned around to look at her carriage, she was startled.

In just a short time, the carriage was almost empty, with nearly everyone getting off to watch the spectacle!

That alone was surprising enough, but even the old lady who loved taking advantage of situations had gone to watch the show, squeezing her way into the crowd, trying to get to the front, leaving her grandson behind! This left Ye Qing utterly speechless.

Wait! The grandson! Yes, where was the old lady's grandson?

Ye Qing's face suddenly changed, and she panicked, looking back.

She saw the farmer couple each holding a child. The baby in the man's arms was wrapped in swaddling clothes, while the old lady's grandson was held horizontally by the woman, his face turned to her chest as if he was being breastfed.

But the couple wasn't sitting quietly. Instead, they stood up, ready to get off the train!

The old lady's grandson had been quite mischievous and restless on the train, touching everything in sight. Yet now, in the woman's arms, he was eerily quiet and obedient, which was almost unnerving.

If Ye Qing couldn't figure out what was going on now, she would be an idiot!

The old lady's grandson must have been drugged by the couple! There was no other explanation for his state.

Moreover, when the train had stopped earlier, the couple hadn't shown any intention of getting off. Only when most of the passengers had left did they prepare to descend, which was highly unusual!

Ye Qing wasn't without vigilance. In fact, she had suspected the couple before and had even observed them carefully.

But after her observation, Ye Qing confirmed that the woman was indeed breastfeeding. The child in her arms had cried once, and her breastfeeding skills were very proficient. The way the couple took care of the child and interacted seemed completely normal. Ye Qing couldn't find any flaws, so she never considered the possibility of them being child traffickers.

Ye Qing had even worried that the couple might be targeted by traffickers, given that they had a child, which made them prime targets.

Who would have thought that after all her suspicions, she had ruled out the actual suspects!

Now, the couple was about to make a run for it with the children, while the old lady was still outside, excitedly watching the show, completely unaware that her grandson was about to be kidnapped!

Ye Qing could no longer afford to hide in a corner like a mushroom. She quickly stood up, intending to bypass Li Juan to stop the traffickers from getting off the train.

She hadn't planned to confront them directly in public. She just intended to quietly ambush them at the connecting door, and while the couple was in a hurry to get off the train, she would silently bind them with a rattan strip and toss them into the restroom. As long as she managed to snatch the children from them, everything would be fine.

As for whether they were part of a gang or had accomplices, she would deal with that later after secretly bringing the Train Police over. As long as the couple didn't use the children as hostages, everything would be manageable.

Ye Qing had a solid plan and didn't consider dealing with the couple a big deal.

But no matter how much she planned, she didn't account for someone on the train who was ready to trip her up at any moment!

Perhaps influenced by her "good luck," while everyone else had gotten off to join the crowd outside, a strong sense of unease kept her from leaving her seat.

So she remained seated, not moving.

Li Juan, weak from diarrhea, also hadn't gotten off.

With so few people left in the carriage, Ye Qing's sudden stand drew the attention of the so-called "plastic sisters."

Li Juan glanced at Ye Qing, thinking she was about to join the crowd outside. Frowning, she was unwilling to make way for Ye Qing.

Meanwhile, Yin Shuang was also secretly watching Ye Qing. Noticing the urgency in Ye Qing's gaze, Yin Shuang instinctively followed the direction of her sight.

And that's when she saw the farmer couple with the two children, preparing to get off the train.

Yin Shuang was no fool. In a flash, she understood what was going on with the couple.

But her quick thinking wasn't used for good.

Realizing what Ye Qing was about to do, a ridiculous desire to outdo her filled Yin Shuang's mind.

If she could be the first to discover this, she could become a hero just like Ye Qing had been before! Everyone would praise and acknowledge her, and the scandal involving her mother that Ye Qing had exposed would be forgotten, with no one to embarrass her again!

The moment this thought crossed her mind, Yin Shuang wasted no time. She immediately stood up before Ye Qing could, shouting at the couple, "Where are you two going? Put the child down!"

Ye Qing's movement halted, and she looked at Yin Shuang in disbelief.

Yin Shuang wore a smug expression, as if she had accomplished something amazing by getting ahead of Ye Qing. She raised her voice even more, shouting frantically, "Everyone, come quick! Catch the child traffickers! They're trying to kidnap a child! Don't let them off the train!"

Ye Qing, completely caught off guard by Yin Shuang's move, could only blink in astonishment.

Her mouth twitched, watching Yin Shuang bask in the glory as if she had just seized a great achievement. Ye Qing decisively thought, "Fine, you want to take the credit? Go ahead! I was just planning to stay low until the final stop. If you have the luck of a good fortune symbol and aren't afraid of retaliation from the trafficking gang, then by all means, take over. I'm out!"

Without another word, Ye Qing smoothly sat back down, the entire process as fluid as if she had rehearsed it.

Seeing Ye Qing retreat, Yin Shuang was a bit dumbfounded.

But there was no turning back once the arrow was shot. The situation didn't allow her to hesitate or overthink.

Because her shouts had alarmed the remaining passengers in the carriage.

In this day and age, people were quite proactive about catching traffickers and spies. Upon hearing Yin Shuang's cries, several passengers immediately rushed to help.

The couple hadn't expected that after staying under the radar for so long, just as they were about to make their escape, someone had seen through their plan!

At Yin Shuang's outburst, the traffickers' faces paled. After a quick glance at each other, they immediately sped up, dashing toward the exit.

Outside, a large crowd had gathered to watch the performance. If they could just blend into the masses, it would be impossible to track them.

At that moment, there were no surveillance cameras, and there were so many people holding children. Anyone could just change their attire, or simply pass the child to someone else, and they would vanish into the vast crowd, impossible to catch even on the fastest horse.

Yin Shuang finally realized, albeit belatedly, that she had acted rashly.

In her haste to outshine Ye Qing, she hadn’t considered that her shout would alert the suspects, and if they ran, things would turn bad!

Perhaps her good luck was at work again. Just as she realized her mistake, two people with red armbands turned the corner into the carriage, as if they had descended from the heavens, effectively blocking the path of the two human traffickers.

The traffickers were now in a panic. With the people with red armbands in front and passengers behind, their escape routes were cut off. If they didn’t run now, they would really be done for!

The woman reacted the fastest. She threw the old woman’s grandson to the ground and, with a roll, lunged towards the nearest window.

In the blink of an eye, the woman trafficker climbed over the window, landed smoothly, and disappeared into the crowd.

This was chaos! Seeing this, other passengers in the carriage couldn’t help but rush to the windows and shout to the people below, “Catch the trafficker! Stop that woman; she’s a human trafficker!”

But the people below were focused on something else, completely unaware of what was happening on the train. Even though the passengers were shouting at the top of their lungs, their voices were drowned out by the laughter from the crowd below.

Several male passengers and the people with red armbands quickly rushed towards the remaining trafficker.

Yin Shuang was also anxious. If that man jumped out the window and escaped, how could she claim credit? So, without thinking, she charged forward.

These days, trains are crowded and security management is troublesome, so a train usually has several people with red armbands, commonly known as Train Police, who carry guns.

When the woman jumped out, the two people with red armbands had just turned the corner into the carriage and hadn’t yet grasped the situation. By the time they realized what had happened, they immediately drew their guns and aimed at the remaining male trafficker.

“Don’t move! If you move again, we’ll shoot! Put the child down!”

Hearing the sound of the gun’s safety being released, the man froze.

Realizing he had lost the chance to escape, he clenched his teeth and slowly placed the bundle on the seat, all the while scanning his surroundings for an escape route.

Suddenly, his eyes met Yin Shuang’s.

The trafficker suddenly remembered that if it weren’t for this woman’s meddling, their plan would have succeeded, and he wouldn’t be in this situation!

In that instant, a sinister and crazy thought crossed his mind: if I’m going down, I’m taking this woman with me as a cushion!

In the next second, as everyone was still reacting, the man, with a fierce look in his eyes, lunged towards Yin Shuang like a madman.

In the nick of time, Yin Shuang’s strong intuition saved her again. She sensed the danger ahead of time and instinctively retreated while grabbing at anything she could for self-defense.

By chance, she retreated to the row where Ye Qing and the others were sitting and, in a panic, grabbed Li Juan, who was seated next to the aisle.

Without thinking, Yin Shuang yanked Li Juan from her seat and pushed her behind her, directly into the arms of the oncoming trafficker.

This unexpected turn of events left Ye Qing stunned.

Wow! The plot had shifted again! In the original novel, it was her who was the unlucky cannon fodder, but now it was Li Juan, the unfortunate scapegoat!

Ye Qing’s eyes were wide with shock and disbelief. So, the role of cannon fodder could be transferred, huh?

Li Juan was also dumbfounded. She hadn’t expected Yin Shuang to act that way, and by the time she realized what had happened, the trafficker had grabbed her by the hair, and a dagger was pressed against her neck.

The sharp tip of the dagger drew a bloody line on Li Juan’s neck. Weak from diarrhea, she was too powerless to resist and was terrified, her face drained of color, her eyes filled with fear and despair.

The trafficker, unable to catch Yin Shuang, glared at her with malice and anger. He grabbed Li Juan’s braid with one hand, using her as a shield, and with the other hand, he pressed the dagger tightly against Li Juan’s neck. He sneered at the two Train Police, “Back off! Let me off the train, or I’ll kill her!”

Caught in a dilemma, the two police officers didn’t dare to shoot rashly, fearing they might harm the hostage.

Realizing he had a chance to escape, the trafficker became smug. His eyes fell on Yin Shuang’s face, and he stared at her as if etching her face into his memory for several seconds before cautiously backing away with Li Juan.

But just as he thought he could escape, he suddenly felt a flash of silver light from the side.

In an instant, his eyes widened in disbelief as he collapsed to the ground, the dagger clattering to the floor.

Everyone in the carriage was stunned by this sudden turn of events. They looked at each other, none of them understanding what had just happened.

The two police officers were also confused but cautiously approached to check on the situation.

Upon seeing the man had fainted, they were dumbfounded.

In the blink of an eye, the man had fallen unconscious!

Who did it? How was it done? What caused the man to faint?

They quickly pulled Li Juan away and handcuffed the unconscious man to secure him. Then, they contacted the other Train Police on the train and examined the trafficker closely.

After several minutes of investigation, they still couldn’t figure out what had happened.

The two police officers then scanned the passengers cautiously, trying to identify any suspicious individuals.

Ye Qing shrank back into her seat, keeping her facial expressions as neutral as possible, blending in with the other passengers to avoid drawing attention. She made sure not to be noticeable, ensuring the police wouldn’t focus on her.

When the officers glanced over her, they indeed didn’t suspect her. After all, Ye Qing’s current appearance was that of a sixteen-year-old with a sallow complexion and a frail look, making it hard for anyone to connect her to the incident.

Only after the police shifted their attention elsewhere did Ye Qing breathe a sigh of relief and quietly stow the remaining sewing needle back into her bag.

That’s right. It was she who had incapacitated the trafficker.

Originally, Ye Qing had planned to capture the couple alive. However, she didn’t expect Yin Shuang to interfere, which made it impossible for her to continue with the plan without being noticed. Therefore, she had no choice but to hide in her seat and wait for an opportunity to act.

Unexpectedly, the woman reacted quickly and jumped out of the window as soon as she realized the danger, leaving Ye Qing no time to make a move.

As for the man, he foolishly took Li Juan hostage. He happened to be standing in the aisle next to Ye Qing’s seat, giving her the perfect chance to launch a sneak attack.

Ye Qing’s flying needle technique was something she had learned from the old TCM professor at Tongzhou Hospital.

At the beginning of the apocalypse, she was conscripted into Tongzhou Hospital to begin her internship in general practice. During a consultation, a patient who had lost family members and was emotionally out of control attacked others with a knife.

When the patient was about to stab an old TCM professor, Ye Qing bravely rushed forward and pushed the professor out of the way, resulting in a deep cut to her shoulder from the patient.

The old professor later taught Ye Qing his unique flying needle technique.

However, Ye Qing was initially quite slow to learn. It took her three years to master the basic skill of flicking silver needles through the air with one hand. It wasn’t until she awakened her wood-based ability that she finally grasped the skill with the help of her ability.

As her ability grew stronger, her flying needle skills became more refined. Within a range of three to five meters, she could hit her target with precision.

In this new world, her wood-based ability improved even faster, and her flying needle skills kept pace.

However, in this era, obtaining silver needles wasn’t easy. So before heading to the countryside, Ye Qing bought a large box of sewing needles at the supply and marketing cooperative, intending to make do with them if she needed to use her flying needle technique in the countryside.

To her surprise, the needles came in handy even before she reached the countryside.

The flying needle technique, derived from TCM acupuncture, is generally used to save lives and has limited lethality. But in this situation, it could kill silently.

However, since this human trafficker had accomplices, killing him would cut off the clues. Only by capturing him alive could they follow the clues and take down the rest of the gang. Therefore, Ye Qing chose to incapacitate him instead of killing him.

Ye Qing smiled slightly as she looked at the unconscious human trafficker on the ground.

It seemed that even with a new body, her skills hadn’t dulled.

A sewing needle directly hit the Touwei acupoint. She had perfect control, ensuring that the human trafficker would be unconscious for at least half an hour.

This was enough time for the police to clean up the mess.

Ye Qing’s calculations were correct. Responding to their colleague’s call, several members of the people with red armbands arrived quickly. After a brief explanation from their colleague, they immediately started handling the situation.

First, they checked on Li Juan to ensure the hostage was safe, then picked up the two children who had been thrown on the floor and seats.

“Are the children okay?” a passenger asked anxiously.

The police gently felt for the children’s breath and carefully examined their clothing. After confirming they were fine, they reassured the passengers:

“The children are mostly okay, just sedated by traditional Chinese medicine. They’ll wake up soon.”

Hearing this, everyone felt relieved.

The train was scheduled to stop in Ping County for only twenty minutes, and much of that time had already passed. Soon, passengers from outside would start rushing back onto the train.

To avoid panic, the train police left the carriage after finding no further anomalies. They took the human trafficker and the two children away.

Once they left, the passengers in the carriage all breathed a sigh of relief. The incident had been terrifying, with guns and daggers, leaving everyone on edge.

Among them, Li Juan had the most intense reaction. After surviving the ordeal, she sat on the ground in shock, her fear overwhelming her as she burst into uncontrollable tears.

Yin Shuang stood awkwardly, her expression sheepish. She wanted to say something but knew that anything she said would only irritate Li Juan.

After all, her act of pushing Li Juan into danger to block the knife had been quite unchivalrous.

But Yin Shuang was still justifying herself in her mind.

She had panicked and pushed Li Juan without thinking. It wasn’t intentional, and she did feel regret once she realized what she had done. But by then, Li Juan was already in the hands of the human trafficker. What could she have done? It wasn’t like she could have exchanged herself for Li Juan, right?

If anything, it was Li Juan’s fault for not being more aware of the danger. If she had realized the situation earlier, she could have hidden under a seat or even swapped places with Ye Qing. Then Ye Qing would have been the unlucky one.

Fortunately, Ye Qing didn’t have the ability to read minds. If she knew what Yin Shuang was thinking, she would probably jump up and curse: “Hetui! What bad luck!”

As the people with red armbands left to wrap things up, the bell and whistle sounded at the platform, signaling that the departure time was near. The passengers who had been watching the spectacle realized it was time to get back on the train and hurried back.

The old woman, who had been excited watching the scene, suddenly remembered what she had forgotten in her rush to see the excitement. Her heart pounding, she rushed back to the train to find her grandson.

To her horror, when she returned, she couldn’t find the farmer couple who had been feeding her grandson.

Her face turned pale, and she collapsed to the ground, slapping her thigh and crying out:

“Where’s my grandson? Who saw my eldest grandson? My grandson is missing!”

The passengers who had witnessed the intense confrontation between the police and the traffickers were left speechless. They couldn’t believe someone could be so careless as to leave a two-year-old child with strangers just to watch the excitement. Now she was crying and asking for her grandson. Where was her sense earlier?

But Yin Shuang, with her remarkable recovery ability, had already calmed down from being chased by the male trafficker with a knife. She even stepped forward to explain to the old woman what had happened.

“Old lady, don’t cry. Your grandson is fine.”

“The couple who were feeding him were human traffickers. They were planning to escape in the chaos and take your grandson with them, but I saw what was happening and called for the train police.”

“The police have arrested the traffickers and saved your grandson! The police have taken him for a check-up, but he’s safe!”

Yin Shuang really knew how to frame her words. By emphasizing her role, it made her seem like she had played a crucial part. Anyone who didn’t know better might think she was indispensable in the situation.

What they didn’t realize was that if Yin Shuang hadn’t shouted to claim credit, Ye Qing could have quietly taken both of them down without any fuss. But there was no way for Ye Qing to explain that now, and she couldn’t be bothered to.

So she silently watched as Yin Shuang exaggerated her contribution, and the passengers who had just experienced the incident chimed in, praising Yin Shuang for her keen observation and courage.

The moment the old woman heard that her grandson had been drugged by human traffickers, she flew into a rage and started cursing, lambasting the ancestors of the two traffickers for eighteen generations. Then, with overwhelming gratitude for Yin Shuang, the "savior" who had rescued her grandson, she grabbed Yin Shuang's hand and bowed repeatedly in thanks. Not only that, she also apologized profusely for previously occupying Yin Shuang's seat.

After that, in a frantic hurry, the old woman went to look for the train attendant to get her grandson back.

Yin Shuang successfully intercepted Ye Qing's credit and received the attention and praise she desired. She couldn't help but turn her head and give Ye Qing a meaningful smile.

Ye Qing, however, didn't spare her a single extra glance.

The train started moving again, slowly leaving Ping County. The old beggar performing monkey shows on the platform had vanished without a trace.

Ye Qing's attention shifted back into the carriage, focusing on the passengers who had just gotten off to watch the commotion.

She was waiting, observing when they would finally realize they had fallen into the trap set by the old beggar who performed the monkey show.

After about twenty minutes or so, the passengers, who had been engrossed in the news of the trafficking incident and hostage situation that had just occurred in the carriage, returned to their seats. It was only then that some of them noticed, belatedly, that their bags had been slashed.

Immediately after, a chorus of shouts erupted as various thefts were discovered. Many people had their money and tickets stolen!

One sent-down youth even burst into tears right there on the train:

"My money is gone! That was the 250 yuan settlement fee given to me by the revolutionary committee for my rural placement. It's all been stolen!"

At this, the entire carriage fell silent. Those who had never seen such a large sum of money were astonished, their eyes wide with disbelief.

Ye Qing was left speechless.

On this train, the sent-down youths made up about one-third of the passengers. Some had boarded in Shen City, while others had gotten on at other stations. Among them, only a small portion, like Ye Qing, were headed to Fog City, but most were expected to get off at the train's stopping points and disperse to cities across the country.

According to current policies, anyone sent down for rural placement received a settlement fee, usually between 200 to 300 yuan. Shen City gave 250 yuan per person, which was quite a substantial amount for this era. For some families with poor conditions, their total savings might not even amount to this sum.

But now, someone had actually said their settlement fee had been stolen. How careless could they be?

Who wouldn't try to hide a few hundred yuan when taking a train, perhaps even splitting it up and hiding it in several places?

Yet this person had simply kept the large sum in their pocket. It was no wonder they were targeted by thieves.

The person continued to cry and demanded that the police be called.

Ye Qing could only shake her head in disbelief.

It was clear that the gang of beggar pickpockets had been working together. They had fled as soon as they succeeded. Now that the train had left the station, there was no way the stolen money could be recovered.

Many people in the carriage had lost money, and they all chimed in, some even suggesting that the police search everyone's luggage, suspecting that the thief was still on the train.

But before the train police could arrive, chaos broke out in other carriages as well. The widespread theft across the train drew everyone's attention, and some finally realized what had happened.

"Damn it, it must have been that monkey show! We were robbed while we were watching those monkeys perform!"

Once the train attendants were informed, they knew this was no small matter. Immediately, people with red armbands came with notebooks to register the details of the thefts. Those who had been robbed had to report the value of their stolen items and their names. If the police station under the railway bureau could solve the case and recover the stolen property, they would return it to the owners.

Some of the anxious victims immediately asked when the case would be solved.

But who could say for sure? If the theft gang didn't appear in Ping County again, and instead changed their appearance and went somewhere else, how could anyone track them down?

In any case, although the people with red armbands took their task seriously, such cases weren't under their jurisdiction. The matter would have to be reported to the local authorities in Ping County for resolution. As a result, the outcome would likely be delayed indefinitely, and the victims would have a long wait ahead of them.

The passengers who had gotten off the train regretted going to watch the commotion, while those who had stayed on were secretly relieved they hadn't followed the crowd; otherwise, they might have become victims too.

The only one who regretted staying on the train was Li Juan.

She didn't have much money and had hidden what she had in her shoe soles, so even if she had gotten off, the pickpockets wouldn't have been able to steal it.

Because of her upset stomach, she hadn't had the energy to get off the train and had been forced to stay behind.

Little did she know that not only would she miss the monkey show, but she would also be taken hostage by human traffickers and almost lose her life.

This infuriated Li Juan, and thinking that all of this misfortune had been caused by that little vixen Yin Shuang, her heart brimmed with resentment.

Meanwhile, Yin Shuang was basking in the admiration of those around her. Even though she knew Li Juan harbored ill feelings toward her, she didn't care in the slightest.

The old woman who had previously occupied the seat was gone for a long time, and it wasn't until more than an hour later that she returned with her little grandson.

As soon as she came back, she began telling everyone the information she had gathered.

It turned out that the trafficker had drugs that could put children to sleep. The baby in the cradle had also been kidnapped by the traffickers. Before feeding the baby, the female trafficker had secretly applied the drug to her chest. When the baby drank the milk, it also ingested the drug and passed out, appearing as if it had simply fallen asleep from exhaustion.

The old woman, envious that the baby was feeding, wanted her grandson to have some milk too. But this very action had triggered the greed of the two traffickers, who had decided on the spot to kidnap her grandson as well.

The rest of the story didn't need to be recounted. In the end, although the female trafficker had escaped, the male trafficker had been captured by the police and had already woken up from his coma. A thorough interrogation at the public security bureau should help uncover his accomplices.

As for the baby still in the cradle, it had passed through several hands, and since the child was only a few months old with no distinctive features, the police would have to extract information from the traffickers to identify the parents. It would likely take some time to resolve this issue.

But this wasn't a matter for ordinary folks to worry about. People simply sighed for a moment before forgetting all about it.

Ye Qing didn't dwell on it either. She hadn't eaten breakfast that morning, so as soon as lunchtime came, she eagerly headed toward the dining carriage.

But just after passing through one carriage, she encountered a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl in the vestibule area between carriages.

In the instant they passed each other, something slid under Ye Qing's clothes, silently approaching her back.