A woman in her thirties was seen holding the hand of a six- or seven-year-old girl. Her other hand clutched her stomach, and she cried out for help with a pained expression.
"Comrade, please, have mercy. My stomach hurts so badly, I need to go to the bathroom. Could you help me look after the child?"
Without waiting for a response, the woman left the child behind, clutching her stomach, and hurried toward the bathroom at the other end of the carriage.
"Ah… ah…" Huang Meilin sighed twice, resigned to helping look after the child.
---
"Sister, I'm very good and won't run around," the little girl said sweetly, her voice so soft and tender it was hard to refuse.
The little girl had a round face, big eyes like two grapes, and two ponytails tied neatly on her head. She looked so well-behaved that people would like her at first glance.
Lin Ruo wasn't one to fuss. Since it had nothing to do with her, she paid no attention—maybe the woman really did have a stomachache.
Only after finding her own berth and lying down did Lin Ruo breathe a sigh of relief.
The difference between a sleeper car and a hard-seat car was striking. It was quieter, less crowded, spared from harsh noise, and the air was fresher.
Ten minutes later, Huang Meilin brought the little girl to the lower berth across from Lin Ruo.
"Sister, what a coincidence! You and my beautiful sister are in the same carriage," the little girl said, speaking to Lin Ruo.
Lin Ruo opened her eyes and recognized her—it was the same little girl she'd seen earlier in the dining car.
Out of politeness, Lin Ruo smiled and asked, "Little one, is your mother not back yet?"
---
While chatting, Huang Meilin occasionally took out a pen and notebook to jot things down—clearly a professional habit.
"Wow, Sister Huang is a reporter!" the little girl clapped her hands. "Sister Huang, you're so beautiful and capable."
"Sister Huang, you are my role model! When I grow up, I want to be amazing just like you!"
The lively girl kept calling Huang Meilin "sister," which made her very happy.
Huang Meilin smiled and pinched the child's cheek. "Little one, you're so cute! You'll be a beauty when you grow up."
The little girl giggled and reached into her small cloth bag, pulling out a handful of peanuts. "Sister Huang, Sister Lin, please have some peanuts. My mom roasts them—they're delicious!"
Lin Ruo had been watching closely, and though the child's every move seemed innocent, something felt off.
Her mother had been gone so long, supposedly with stomach pain, yet the little girl showed no worry at all—cheerfully trying to win favor.
She even shared her precious food with strangers. In times of scarcity, food was the most treasured thing. People normally hid their best treats.
This child was simply too enthusiastic.
Alarm bells rang in Lin Ruo's heart.
Huang Meilin, however, didn't think much of it. Seeing the little girl offer her food, she was about to take it—when Lin Ruo acted faster.
She snatched the peanuts from the child's hand and placed them back in her cloth bag. "Little sister, how could I eat your food? Keep it for yourself."
As she withdrew her hand, Lin Ruo rubbed her nose. A faint medicinal smell entered her nostrils.
The peanuts were drugged!
The little girl wasn't innocent—she was being used by traffickers!
Huang Meilin's face paled. She secretly blamed herself for nearly eating a child's food. How could she have been so careless?
"Little sister, thank you for your kindness. But I can't take advantage of children. I'll treat you to some candy instead."
Huang Meilin quickly pulled out a few White Rabbit candies from her bag and stuffed them into the girl's palm.
?
The little girl's smile froze on her face, and a hint of panic and disappointment flashed across her drooping brows. But her eyes flickered with surprise.
"Wow, White Rabbit Toffees! I haven't had White Rabbit Toffees yet. I'm going to save some for my mom and me. Thank you, sister."
The little girl tightly grasped the candy in her hand, and after adjusting her mood, she began to talk about other things with the two of them. Another 20 minutes passed.
The train was about to arrive, and the little girl's mother hadn't returned yet.
The little girl was a little anxious, sobbing softly and begging Huang Linlin to take her to find her mother.
"Sister, can you take me to find my mom?" The little girl pulled Huang Linlin's sleeve and shook her, her tears filling her eyes, making people feel distressed.
---
"Lin Ruo, why don't we go look for her mother? Her mother was in such a bad state back then. What if she's really sick?"
Huang Linlin was genuinely worried. She took the little girl's hand and whispered, "Don't cry, little sister. I'll take you to find your mother."
"Linlin, if something really happens, the two of us women can't do anything. We still need the help of the train attendant."
Lin Ruo smiled at the crying little girl and stood up from her bunk. "Let's go. We'll take this child and find the train attendant."
The little girl lowered her brows, her lower lip bitten, and followed Lin Ruo and Huang Linlin to the train attendant.
They hadn't said a word after finding the train attendant when the child's mother stumbled over from a short distance.
"Thank you, comrades, for taking care of this child for so long. She had a stomachache and stayed in the restroom for a while. She fainted as soon as she came out, which is why we were so late. Thank you!"
The woman took the child in her arms, thanked them profusely, bowed, and left with the child.
Back in the car, Lin Ruo told Huang Linlin about her discovery. "Linlin, you must be more careful when you go out.
If you eat that peanut, when you open your eyes again, you might be in some mountain valley, the wife of an old bachelor, or even the wife of several brothers."
"Ruo, don't scare me." Huang Linlin's face turned pale. "Such a young child can be a human trafficker?"
---
"Don't harbor the intention to harm others, but be wary of them."
Meeting Huang Linlin's clear, innocent eyes, Lin Ruo transformed into a confidante, recounting every trick she knew about the traffickers' methods of abducting women and children.
Huang Linlin was so frightened that a thin layer of sweat broke out on her forehead, and a chill ran down her back.
This was her first time riding a train alone. Although she was a journalist, she had only just started working, and her social experience was pitifully limited.
The stories Lin Ruo described were truly terrifying.
Huang Linlin no longer dared to get off the train on her own, fearing someone would knock her unconscious, stuff her into a sack, and sell her away unnoticed in the mountains.
…
Elsewhere, the woman with the child walked away and whispered, "What happened? Why didn't they succeed?"
"Mom, that thin, dark-skinned woman is too cunning.
If it weren't for Lin Ruo, the girl would have been sure Huang Linlin would eat her peanuts and then successfully lead her to the train door.
It was all Lin Ruo's fault.
That fool was so easy to cheat. She was well-dressed, good-looking, and could read, so she would definitely be sold at a good price.
Once the money was earned, life at home would be better. Dad could buy wine, my brother could eat meat, and my mother would treat me better. My brother would not take his anger out on me just because he wanted to eat meat but had no money to buy it. In the future, she would be beaten less often."
"Okay, Mom got it. Next, let's keep an eye on those two people. Mom doesn't believe that we won't have the chance to do it again."
The train clanged on, and Huang Linlin had to do everything with Lin Ruo for the rest of the time.
After a day and a night of bumpy ride, the train stopped at the Jicheng platform.
After getting off the train, Lin Ruo and Huang Linlin followed the crowd out of the station. Suddenly, someone grabbed Huang Linlin's wrist…
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