But she noticed that Shen Zhiyu did not climb up to the upper bunk to rest, but instead sat quietly on the hard bench next to her.
For the remainder of the journey, the train traveled smoothly.
They finally arrived in Beijing on the morning of the third day.
There were already quite a few early risers moving about on the platform.
The broadcast echoed intermittently.
The sound of ship horns blared, mingled with the clatter of wheels rolling across the ground, creating a scene of bustling activity.
Before getting out of the car, Shen Zhiyu turned slightly to the side, leaned close to Su Qingzhi's ear, and whispered something.
"We've checked. The woman who took the seat has a clean background; we found nothing wrong with her."
Su Qingzhi nodded, her eyebrows twitching slightly, but she didn't say anything more.
She knew that Shen Zhiyu was never careless in his work.
Since he said it's no problem, then it really is no problem.
She took Zhu Xiuqin's arm and stood up steadily.
The mother and daughter walked ahead of Shen Zhiyu, slowly moving towards the car door with the flow of people.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she stepped onto the platform, before she could even stand firmly, Su Qingzhi saw that woman again.
The other person happened to turn around, their gaze suddenly meeting Su Qingzhi's. They curled their lips and glared at her fiercely.
She then turned around, picked up her heavy bag, and walked quickly toward the exit.
Su Qingzhi followed her direction, her gaze piercing through the gaps in the crowd.
There stood a girl with braided pigtails over there.
He was in his early twenties, slender, and stood very straight.
The woman walked up to her, panting as she whispered a few words, speaking quickly and with an agitated expression.
As soon as she finished speaking, the girl immediately raised her head and looked precisely in Su Qingzhi's direction.
The moment their eyes met, the air seemed to freeze for half a second.
Seeing that Su Qingzhi was looking at her, the girl's eyes flickered slightly. She did not look away, but she also did not continue to look at her.
Instead, he quickly looked away, his expression remaining indifferent.
Immediately afterwards, she reached out and gently tugged at the woman next to her.
"Walk."
The woman wanted to argue a few more words, but her face turned bright red.
But the girl suddenly leaned close to her ear and whispered a few words.
The woman's expression changed instantly the next second.
She froze for a moment, then lowered her head, said nothing more, and obediently followed the girl away.
Su Qingzhi watched this scene quietly, her brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.
She didn't think much of it, just considering it a minor incident during her trip.
He then took out the water bottle from his cloth bag.
It's the woman who touched it last night.
She carefully poured the remaining liquid into an empty bottle and handed it to Shen Zhiyu.
Shen Zhiyu didn't ask any further questions, nor did he open it to check.
He reached out and took the water glass, expressionless, and put it into his coat pocket.
He looked up at Su Qingzhi, his eyes full of approval.
Then, he turned and merged into the crowd, his figure quickly disappearing into the passageway on the other side of the platform.
Zhu Xiuqin held Su Qingzhi's hand.
"Let's go, don't keep the Shen family waiting."
She said softly.
As arranged beforehand, the mother and daughter walked toward a black sedan parked outside the exit.
The car was arranged by Shen Zhiyu himself, who came specifically to pick them up.
The driver, dressed in a neat uniform, immediately got out of the car upon seeing them and respectfully opened the back door.
After starting the car, it drove eastward.
Skyscrapers and markets are gradually being left behind, replaced by an increasingly expansive view.
In this tranquil setting, several two-story buildings are nestled among the shadows of the trees.
The sloping roof is covered with gray tiles, and the eaves are slightly upturned, giving it a touch of the charm of an old-fashioned courtyard house.
The car slowly came to a stop in front of a small building.
The vermilion gate was half-open, the paint showing signs of age, with slight fading at the edges.
Pushing open the door, you enter a neat little courtyard.
The ground was paved with bluish-gray stone slabs, and the courtyard walls were grayish-white.
In the corner of the wall sat a terracotta flowerpot, inside which grew a clump of lush green spider lilies.
There was a wooden frame on the left side of the yard, covered with grapevines.
Hidden among the vines are tiny clusters of flowers, pale yellow with a hint of white, emitting a faint fragrance.
As Zhu Xiuqin walked, she introduced the place, her tone tinged with nostalgia.
"This is the house your grandfather was allocated by his work unit after he retired from the army. The conditions weren't good back then, but he was already very content to have a place to live like this."
She then pointed to the other side of the yard.
There was a low wall separating an area, with a few wires strung on top of it.
“The original courtyard was larger, but later the company re-planned the area and allocated a piece of land to the neighbor. Although the space is smaller, it is quite quiet now, and the relationship between the neighbors is harmonious.”
Just then, a middle-aged woman came out of the house.
She was wearing a navy blue khaki top and dark gray straight-leg pants.
She had short, ear-length hair and wore black-rimmed glasses.
"Yongmei is back?"
The woman asked with a smile.
"Sister-in-law!"
As soon as Zhu Xiuqin saw her, a smile immediately appeared on her face, and her steps became lighter.
She pulled Su Qingzhi, who was beside her, over and gently pushed her.
"Qingzhi, quickly call her Auntie."
Su Qingzhi steadied herself, raised her head, and called out gracefully.
Hello, Auntie.
Sister-in-law Shen, Wu Suya, nodded, her smile deepening.
"Good children, come in and sit down. You didn't tell me you were coming, otherwise I would have had your cousin pick you up, which would have saved me the trouble."
"Shen Zhiyu has arranged a car to take us, so there's no need to trouble yourself."
Zhu Xiuqin waved her hand.
"He is always very thoughtful in his work."
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