Chapter 31: Special Approval for Soft Sleeper
Chen Manli, carrying her luggage, angrily closed the door of the train compartment behind her, blocking out the noise and turbidity of the hard seat compartment.
She threw down the luggage in her hand, twisted her waist and sat down on the bed opposite her father Chen Guodong who was smoking.
"dad!"
Chen Manli sat down with a plop, her voice filled with lingering resentment and unwillingness: "Chen Lingning, do you still remember?"
Chen Guodong looked at his daughter in confusion. After a moment's thought, he raised his eyebrows and said, "The granddaughter of the Shen family? Your former classmate?"
Chen Manli's face flushed red with anger, and she pouted, "It's her! Haven't you seen how wicked she is? I just said a few words to her, and she scolded me, even accusing me of slandering her grandfather!"
"You said that the Shen family was guilty of treason. How was I wrong?!"
Chen Guodong paused, continued smoking but did not explain, letting his daughter talk.
"Also, you didn't see it, those traffickers just revealed all their secrets as if they were possessed! And that old leader..."
“That’s enough!”
Chen Guodong interrupted suddenly, his voice very low.
The "Da Qianmen" held between his fingers was burning with a scarlet light, and behind the curling smoke, his hawk-like eyes were frighteningly sharp.
"You lose your composure at the slightest sign of trouble! Have all the things I've taught you over the years been thrown into vain?! Can't you think more before encountering problems?"
He took a deep puff of the cigarette, the pungent smell of tobacco swirled in his lungs, and then slowly exhaled.
"Since the two families have long been enemies, and Shen Lingning has come to us on her own accord..."
Chen Guodong's mouth curled up in a cold arc, and he pressed the cigarette butt hard into the aluminum ashtray, making a harsh "sizzle" sound. The spark was instantly extinguished, leaving only a small, twisted, charred piece.
"Once we reach Chang'an City, that's our territory! If it's a dragon, it has to coil up! If it's a tiger, it has to lie down!
A capitalist bastard who has long been trampled into the mud, how could she possibly turn the tables? ...Humph!"
The unfinished words were filled with undisguised murderous intent: "Not being able to completely crush the Shen family back then was ultimately a disaster! Before the train arrives, find out for me which temple Shen Lingning is going to burn incense in after running all the way to Chang'an?!"
Chen Manli shuddered at the look in her father's eyes, then curled her lips in disapproval.
The lips covered in cheap lipstick rolled her eyes. "Look at her, she's holding a little kid and looks so poor. She's probably looking for that country bumpkin husband of hers! Who else can she look for? The Shen family ran away long ago."
His tone was full of contempt for the "peasants".
The school beauty of that year married a peasant. The more she thought about it, the happier she became, and her eyes were full of gloating.
Chen Guodong's eyes flashed with coldness, and his tone was unquestionable: "Once we enter Chang'an, immediately find someone to keep a close eye on her! Find the right opportunity..."
He made a downward-slicing gesture, his movements decisive and brutal. "...Just do it! Cleanly!"
Chen Manli's heart skipped a beat, and then a twisted sense of pleasure surged over her. She nodded vigorously: "I understand, Dad!"
She remembered something and put on a flattering smile: "Dad, then... let's take a ride with the old leader. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Should we..."
Chen Guodong waved his hands irritably, as if shooing away flies. "The old leader's whereabouts are top secret! The security around him is like an iron barrel! Can we see this giant Buddha whenever we want? It all depends on whether God will give us the chance to see it! Don't let anything go wrong!"
He lit a new cigarette and looked out the window at the blurry scenery passing by, but his mind had already drifted to the chessboard of power in Chang'an City.
In the train carriage to Chang'an, discussions about "the appearance of the ghost goddess" and "human traffickers being possessed by evil spirits and self-destructing" were still fermenting.
The awe-filled eyes focused like searchlights on Shen Lingning, who was holding Fubao and sitting quietly in the corner.
Suddenly, the crowd became agitated and a passage was opened.
A conductor captain, wearing a neat navy blue uniform with bright epaulettes, strode over with a solemn expression, accompanied by two conductors.
The crowd instantly quieted down, you could hear a pin drop, and everyone stretched their necks to look at the person coming.
Someone quietly speculated: "This woman is a bit weird, are they trying to arrest her?"
"No way? Wasn't she the one who just helped the flight attendant catch the human trafficker?"
But everything was unexpected.
The captain stood in front of Shen Lingning, his back straight as a javelin, his eyes bright with undisguised respect.
He saluted with a standard military salute! His voice was loud and clear, penetrating the entire carriage:
"Comrade Shen Lingning! On behalf of all the crew members and passengers on this train, I would like to express my highest respect and most sincere gratitude to you!
Thank you for your extraordinary courage and wisdom in helping us destroy a very harmful human trafficking gang in one fell swoop!
You have protected the lives and property of the people and are a true hero!"
As soon as the words fell, the whole carriage was silent for a moment, and then burst into warm applause!
The educated youths' eyes looking at Shen Lingning instantly changed from awe and curiosity to pure, fiery admiration!
It turns out that she is not only mysterious, but also a hero!
The captain of the flight attendants lowered his arms and spoke in a more serious tone: "At the same time, we have just learned that you are also the family member of Comrade Zhou Weiguo, a soldier who guards the border and defends the country!
This makes us even more respectful! Being a military wife is not easy. Comrades defending the country shed blood and sacrificed their lives on the front lines to protect the country. You are so clear-headed and brave in fighting criminals in your hometown. You are a role model!
"Military family! She's a military wife!"
"No wonder she's so amazing! She's a soldier's wife!"
“Salute to the military wives!”
There was a sudden burst of praise and admiration in the carriage.
In this era, the identity of a military family member carries with it supreme glory and a natural sense of justice!
The captain of the flight attendant looked around and said loudly: "In view of Comrade Shen Lingning's special contributions and status as a military dependent, and also considering that she has a young child, this has been specially approved by the superiors.
We have decided to move Comrade Shen Lingning and her daughter to the soft sleeper compartment on this train, which is only open to special personnel! Please understand and support us!
Go against all odds!
Special upgrade approval!
This is undoubtedly a huge affirmation and privilege!
Amidst the envious and blessing gazes of the crowd, Shen Lingning, holding Fubao who was looking around curiously, followed the conductor captain through the crowded aisle to the other end of the train.
Pushing open the heavy door of the soft sleeper compartment, a light, pleasant scent of sandalwood soap hits you in the face, instantly dispelling the turbidity of the hard seat compartment.
The box is softly lit and spacious. The two lower bunks are covered with white sheets that smell of sunshine. The small table is as shiny as new, and the windows are clean.
It is a world of difference from hard seats, as if they are two different worlds.
Fubao looked at the furnishings of the soft sleeper with bright eyes, and cried out in his heart: "Wow, Mom, this soft sleeper is much more comfortable than a hard seat. We don't have to go to the toilet every hour!"
Fubao's cute laughter attracted the attention of an old man in the soft sleeper compartment next door.
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