28: Human Traffickers and Old Acquaintances

In order to keep a low profile, Shen Lingning wore a modified version of the "cadre uniform" designed by Fubao and skillfully sewn by Tiezhu's wife.

The black and blue Dekabu lapel jacket is made of thick and crisp material. The best part is that it has a cleverly designed waistline at the waist, which instantly outlines a slender waist and an upright posture.

The lower body is a pair of straight-leg suit pants of the same color, with straight trouser lines, which makes the legs look longer.

The style is simple and neat, without any decoration, and the color is plain enough. It should be inconspicuous in this carriage full of blue, gray and green.

However, although she tried to be low-key, she was still a little eye-catching.

Shen Lingning was tall and well-proportioned, and this seemingly ordinary outfit made her look uniquely neat and elegant.

Not to mention her beautiful face that could not be concealed even in dim light. Her skin looked even more radiant and fair against the rough fabric, and her calm eyes and eyebrows carried an indescribable tenacity.

The Fubao in her arms looked like a lucky doll that had walked out of a New Year picture. He was as delicate as jade, so white and tender that it was dazzling. His big black eyes looked around curiously, and his little mouth was babbling. He was extraordinarily healthy and lively.

"Tsk, those two...are really eye-catching."

At the other end of the carriage, several men and women huddled in a corner, with cloudy eyes and wearing gray jackets, exchanged glances with each other.

His eyes were like a rat in a gutter, greedily scanning back and forth between Shen Lingning's slender figure and Fubao's pink little face.

A human trafficking gang headed by a "rich and kind elder sister" wearing a half-worn Enicar watch on her wrist, with a "simple and honest husband" and a "lively sister-in-law".

"Big sister" Wang Cuihua seemed to be coaxing the fake doll in her arms, but her eyes were like poisoned hooks, firmly stuck on Fubao.

One of the men, a man with a scar on the corner of his mouth, licked his cracked lips and lowered his voice, "A fat sheep... a top-notch fat sheep with a cub. Keep a close eye on it, go to the less crowded station ahead, and look for an opportunity..."

Their whispers were drowned out by the singing of the educated youth and the roar of wheels.

Shen Lingning seemed to be aware of something, and subconsciously tightened his arms around Fubao, and slightly turned sideways to protect his daughter in the shadow by the window.

She lowered her eyelids, and her long eyelashes cast a small shadow in the dim light, hiding the coldness that flashed across her eyes.

Fubao in her arms seemed to sense something. He nudged his little head into his mother's arms and clenched her clothes with his little hands.

The train travels through the darkness, and the singing is still loud, carrying the hope and fearlessness of youth.

The malice that grows in some dark corners is quietly gathering like cold water droplets seeping out of the rock walls of the tunnel.

This train bound for the unknown, carrying ideals and warmth, but also a quietly approaching crisis, roars towards the distance in the endless darkness.

The green train was like a tired steel dragon, spewing out billowing coal smoke.

The stench of sweat, cheap tobacco, poultry manure, and someone's pickled cabbage all mixed together to create a powerful "smell of the times" that hits you in the face.

In the hard-seat carriage, people were packed like sardines in a can, and the aisles were filled with baskets and sacks.

Chen Lingning held Fubao in his arms, huddled in the corner by the window, enduring the noise and filth.

With a slight movement of his mind, the light and shadow in the unnoticed corner blurred - the mother and daughter were instantly in another world!

"hiss--!"

Shen Lingning took a breath and was completely shocked by the scene before him!

Just before she came in, she was thinking about the Shen family's Western-style house in Shanghai when she was little. She didn't expect her wish to come true?!

The space is no longer the monotonous black soil of the past. With the nourishment of Fubao's increasingly refined spiritual power, the space has expanded wildly and is estimated to have reached more than 20 acres!

What shocked Shen Lingning and made her cry at this moment was that in the core area stood a building that was exactly the same as the one in her memory.

——The exquisite garden house in Shanghai’s Shen Mansion that incorporates Art Deco style!

The beige roughened walls, the smooth geometric lines decoration, the huge arched floor-to-ceiling windows reflecting the soft light, even the cloud-like magnolia tree in front of the door is perfectly reproduced, except that the leaves are flowing with emerald-like light!

Shen Lingning held Fubao in her arms and pushed open the heavy carved oak door with tears in her eyes.

The living room was covered with a Persian carpet, a round table covered with a lace tablecloth, and my mother's Steinway piano was shining with a warm luster...

Grandpa's favorite leather sofa, Grandma's favorite place to make tea at the long wooden table, and the Tiffany stained glass wall lamp at the corner of the stairs...

All the furniture, furnishings, and even the oil painting hanging above the fireplace are exactly the same as the "home" she has been dreaming of!

The stored materials are classified and neatly stacked in the expanded underground storage room for easy access.

The spiritual spring gathers in the center of the courtyard to form a small pond, filled with spiritual energy.

"Fubao, look, this is exactly like mom's old home!"

Shen Lingning touched the grain of the wooden table and leaned over to look. Under the corner of the table was the word "Ning" that she had carved with a knife when she was five years old.

She couldn't help but burst into tears as she touched it.

Fubao babbled and crawled quickly on the soft carpet, his chubby little hands curiously patting the smooth paint surface of the piano.

When you are hungry, there are fresh fruits, rice and grains produced in the space; when you are thirsty, there is clear and sweet spiritual spring water.

The mother and daughter live comfortably in this "paradise".

But in order to avoid arousing suspicion, Shen Lingning had to "appear" in the noisy carriage with Fubao in his arms from time to time.

It is this brief appearance that is like a bright pearl shining in the dark night!

The group of people who were staring at them just now were suddenly enlightened. They thought they had lost the person, but unexpectedly, she appeared again.

"Big sister, it's not easy to take care of a child alone, right?"

Wang Cuihua squeezed over with a fake smile, her eyes scanning Fubao greedily: "Oh my! This little girl looks so lucky! She looks exactly like the boy who distributes money in the New Year pictures! She's fair and plump, and you can tell at a glance that she's blessed!"

She took out a few brightly packaged hard candies that smelled of cheap flavors: "Here, Auntie will give them to you!"

Shen Lingning's heart was filled with alarm, but he remained calm on the surface and protected Fubao sideways: "Thank you, the child is young and doesn't eat candy."

At the same time, Fubao's mother's inner voice echoed in her head with disgust: "Mom! Bad bug! Tangtang is stinky! I have a stomachache after eating it!"

Shen Lingning pretended to carry Fubao to the bathroom to avoid entanglement.

As I walked through the crowded and smelly aisle, a young woman wearing a brand new Lenin suit, with fashionable "wave-stop" curls and carrying a small brown leather suitcase, was covering her mouth and nose with a handkerchief, rolling her eyes at the crowded carriage with a look of disgust on her face.

When her eyes swept over Shen Lingning who was holding the child, she suddenly froze at her face, her eyes widening in disbelief at first.

Then, an extremely exaggerated and malicious smile appeared on his lips, and his sharp voice instantly penetrated the noise:

"Yo--!! I thought it was some princess in distress on an incognito visit!

Isn't this the once-high-minded and wealthy eldest daughter of the Shen family in Shanghai—Shen Lingning?!"