Chapter 264: Su An Being Targeted

Chapter 264: Su An Being Targeted

Watching the train slowly disappear from sight, Wang Xiaocui slowly turned and began walking back.

Su An and Ren San’s seats were next to each other, and across from them sat a married couple. After exchanging greetings, they got to know each other.

Life on the train was boring. With nothing else to do, people started shooting the breeze, which quickly brought them closer together.

Su An and Ren San were very cautious. While everyone else talked freely, they listened more and spoke less. When they grew tired, they slept.

Chugga-chugga—

The sound of the moving train roused Su An from her sleep. She turned to look out the window—the sky was still dim, just getting light.

She glanced at Ren San, who was awake and quiet. "Ren San, didn’t you sleep?"

Ren San shook his head. "I did, just woke up. I’m an early riser."

Su An rubbed her face, took out a handkerchief, poured some water from her flask onto it, and wiped her face. "It’s so dry—I'm completely dried out. So uncomfortable."

The damp cloth refreshed her skin, making her feel much better.

Ren San dug into the bag he carried and pulled out some food. "Do you want an egg or a pancake?"

Without looking up, Su An replied, "Give me a pancake."

"No telling how much longer until the next stop. The flask’s almost empty—not sure if there’s hot water at the water dispenser up front."

Ren San held out his hand. "Give me the flask. I’m small—better at squeezing through. It’s still early; a lot of people are probably still asleep, so there should be some. Once everyone’s awake, it might be gone."

Su An looked around the carriage and saw that many passengers were indeed still asleep. She stood up immediately. "I’ll go myself. Might as well try to use the bathroom while it’s less crowded—later, it’ll be impossible to move. Here, give me your flask too."

Carrying both flasks, Su An tiptoed forward, gripping the seat backs for support as she carefully navigated the aisle. Below her, people sprawled in all directions—some sitting, some lying down—filling every inch of space.

Su An had to be cautious and observant to find gaps for her feet. Once she stepped into a spot, pulling her foot free was a struggle.

Finally reaching the front of the carriage, she was relieved to find hot water still available. Quickly, she filled both flasks, then knocked on the bathroom door and waited.

By the time Su An finished in the bathroom and started back with the flasks, most passengers were awake, and the carriage was noisy.

Looking at the crowded space, Su An counted herself lucky—at least she’d woken up early.

Near the luggage rack, a stocky woman scanned the carriage impatiently. Her gaze soon locked onto Su An as she approached.

The woman elbowed the person beside her, who was snoring with their head tilted back. "Wake up, wake up."

The other woman jolted awake, her eyes clearing instantly.

"Look there," Qian Cuifen signaled with her eyes for Sun Liue to look ahead.

Sun Liue followed her gaze to Su An, her eyes lighting up. "Nice find. A bit thin and dark, but keep her locked up and feed her up for a while—she’ll go for top dollar!"

"Right? This one’s worth several others. Selling her to the mountains would be a waste—this type can go to underground clubs. They love young girls coming of age."

"Let’s check her out. Don’t want a repeat of last time—wasted half the day only to find out she was traveling with her dad and uncle."

After whispering, the two brazenly followed Su An.

When Su An returned to her seat, Qian Cuifen and Sun Liue took up positions—one standing near the seat behind Su An, the other squeezing into the row in front. Mingling with the crowd, they made small talk with those around them.

The couple sitting opposite Su An were outgoing and quickly started chatting with Qian Cuifen.

"Are you also heading south to work in factories?"

"Yes, we heard that working in any factory down south for a year earns at least a thousand yuan. Back home, working the fields leaves us almost nothing to save. If the harvest fails, we might not even have enough to eat after a year of hard work."

"That’s tough. The big factories have good benefits, but they usually require a local guarantor. Smaller shops don’t offer much."

"Are you bringing your younger siblings along? That boy's so young—he's done with school already?"

The couple glanced at Su An and Ren San. "No, it’s just the two of us. They're not our kids."

"Oh, where are you headed?"

"We’re going to Fengcheng. My husband’s cousin works at a garment factory there and said she can get us jobs..."

"What about them? Where are they headed?"

"Not sure."

Su An glanced up, puzzled, at the woman, who smiled at her warmly. "Young lady, where are you going?"

Su An pretended to be shy and didn’t answer, though she grew wary—most of the woman’s questions had been about her.

After a while, the woman seemed to lose interest and pushed her way to the front of the train. Su An relaxed, thinking she might have been overreacting.

Qian Cuifen struggled to the space between cars and pointed toward Su An’s direction, whispering to two burly men. Soon, the men started making their way toward Su An.

Looking out the window, Su An didn’t notice the unfamiliar faces appearing around her after the woman left.

"Attention, passengers! Wake up! The next stop is the final destination of this train. Please check your belongings and prepare to disembark..."

A uniformed conductor shouted through a loudspeaker, and the car burst into activity.

"We’re here! Finally! My back's killing me from sitting so long!"

"Husband, we’re almost there. Wake the kids—don’t let them wander off sleepy-eyed..."

Su An rubbed her face. "Ren San, get ready. Stick close to me—it’ll be crowded."

Ren San nodded and followed Su An as they pushed their way off the train, staying alert as they exited the station.

Outside, touts holding up signs swarmed the arriving passengers.

Su An was shoved hard from behind, stumbling several steps before catching herself. She turned to look back.

"Ren San? Ren San?"

Just then, a stout woman rushed up and hauled off and slapped Su An.

"You ungrateful little brat! After all we've done raising you, you dare run off with some man behind our backs? Calling him ‘Ren San’ like that—how could you betray me and your father?"

The slap knocked Su An to the ground, her ears ringing. Before she could recover, a lean man grabbed her arm.

"Little sister, how could you be so foolish at your age?

What kind of decent man would talk a girl into running away?

You have no idea how worried we’ve been. Thank goodness we found you. Come home—Granny's worried sick."