Chapter 94: Train Robbers 1
After half a month of drying period, the first batch of cold water tea seed flower soap was finally fully saponified and mature.
The soap became hard and delicate, with a warm beige color and a light mixed fragrance of tea seed oil and wild chrysanthemum. Shen Lingning picked up a piece, dipped it in water and rubbed it. The foam was fine and rich, and the washing feeling was warm.
Looking at this hard-earned result, a clear business plan took shape in her mind.
Good things can't just stay in Songtaogou; they must go out. As a former Shanghai businessman, she knows this well.
She decided to take this batch of carefully crafted soaps and start from the provincial capital Chang'an to open up the market, so that this rare product with the scent of tea mountains will become popular in Qin Province first.
She carefully wrapped the soap in oil paper and neatly stacked it in a sturdy old wooden box, and put soft hay underneath to prevent shock.
There are a total of one hundred and fifty pieces, which are all the finished products at present, carrying the hope for the next development of the tea mountain.
After packing her luggage, she took Fubao to the logistics department to borrow a phone and called Changan's godmother Wang Xiulan.
When the phone was connected, Shen Lingning felt warm in her heart when she heard the familiar and warm voice of her godmother.
"Godmother, it's me, Lingning. I made some tea seed soap and wanted to bring it to Chang'an to show you and Godfather, and see if I can sell it..."
Well, we'll leave in the next two days by train... I'll take Fubao with me so you can meet him..."
Wang Xiulan on the other end of the phone was overjoyed when she heard this and said yes repeatedly: "Come on, come on! The room has been cleaned for you a long time ago! Be careful on the way! When you get there, call home and ask Xiangdong to pick you up!"
After hanging up the phone, Wang Xiulan immediately told the good news to her whole family.
Zhao Changhe smiled and asked his wife to tidy up the room more properly.
Eldest brother Zhao Xiangdong also noted the date of the pick-up.
On the day of departure, Zhou Weiguo took a special leave and drove the army jeep to take the mother and daughter to the county railway station.
On the way, he turned the steering wheel without saying a word, his brows slightly furrowed.
This was the first time they had been separated in half a year. Although the time might not be too long, he felt reluctant to leave, and there was also a hint of unspeakable resentment in his heart - his daughter-in-law had to go to such a far place, and meet such powerful in-laws.
When they arrived at the station, he carried the wooden box and Shen Lingning held Fubao.
People were coming and going on the platform, and train information was broadcast on the radio.
Zhou Weiguo put the box away, turned around, looked at Shen Lingning, moved his lips, wanted to say something but didn't say it, and finally uttered a sentence: "Be careful on the road. Take good care of your things, take good care of Fubao."
Shen Lingning smiled and nodded: “Don’t worry, I’ll call you when I get there.”
Zhou Weiguo reached out and hugged Fubao again, rubbed his daughter's face with his stubble, making Fubao giggle.
"Dad, Zaza!"
Fubao hugged his neck, and suddenly leaned close to his ear and whispered mysteriously in a small voice, "Daddy, you feel sour, sour?"
Zhou Weiguo's face turned red and he glared at his daughter, but the awkwardness in his heart was revealed by the child.
Shen Lingning didn't hear clearly, and asked curiously: "What did Fubao say?"
Zhou Weiguo coughed lightly, stuffed Fubao back into her arms, and looked at her gravely: "Nothing. Come back soon."
He paused and lowered his voice: "Last time you brought Fubao here from Jinnan alone... I wasn't around. I won't do that again in the future."
This sentence evoked the memory of the hardships in the past, and Shen Lingning felt a pang of pain in his heart, but also a sweet feeling.
She took the initiative to reach out and pull his rough big hand: "I know. I'll be back soon."
The whistle blew long and the train was about to leave.
Zhou Weiguo watched them get on the train, find their seats, and put their luggage away. He was still standing on the platform until the train slowly started, his figure getting smaller and smaller.
Fubao, in Shen Lingning's arms, leaned out of the window and waved to Zhou Weiguo on the platform. Zhou Weiguo also waved his hands and watched the train go farther and farther away.
The green train clanged along between the mountains, and the friction between the wheels and the rails made a monotonous roar.
It was Fubao's second time riding a train. He excitedly leaned against the window, his little nose pressed against the glass, watching the fields and mountains outside rapidly receding.
Shen Lingning placed the wooden box containing the soap under the seat, carefully blocking it with his feet, and thinking about the plan for the trip to Chang'an.
The carriage was filled with a mixture of odors: tobacco, sweat, cheap tea eggs, and human bodies.
Most of the passengers looked tired, some were dozing off, and some were talking in low voices.
Shen Lingning hugged Fubao who was gradually falling asleep, but he did not relax his vigilance.
The train entered a remote mountain section and its speed slowed down significantly.
Suddenly, several sharp and shrill whistles, which were definitely not used by railway employees, sounded simultaneously from both ends of the carriage!
"Don't fucking move! Take out the money and valuables! Anyone who moves will be stabbed to death!"
A violent roar woke everyone up!
Immediately afterwards, the front and rear doors of the carriage were flung open, and five or six burly men, their faces covered with dirty cloths and fierce-looking, rushed in! They were holding gleaming machetes and thick iron rods, and the leader was surprisingly holding an old Mauser pistol!
The cold metallic luster and strong malice instantly gripped the entire carriage!
The air seemed to freeze, and then burst into a chaos of women's screams, children's cries, and men's angry shouts.
The passengers were trembling with fear, and some of them subconsciously tried to hide with their luggage, but were beaten severely with sticks by the criminals.
"Fuck you! Who told you to run away? Can't you see us robbing people here? Are you taking this for fun?!"
Panic spread like a plague.
Shen Lingning's heart instantly rose to his throat!
She hugged the sleeping Fubao tightly in her arms, protecting her with her body, and subconsciously kicked the wooden box containing soap deeper into the seat with her foot.
The bandits had a clear division of labor. Two of them held guns to intimidate the front and back doors, while the others began to roughly loot property.
An old man was a little slow and was hit on the back by a stick, making him groan in pain.
A young wife refused to hand over the silver bracelet on her wrist and was slapped to the ground by a gangster.
Crying and begging for mercy only brought about even more severe beatings and scolding.
Shen Lingning's heart sank to the bottom in an instant!
She hugged the sleeping Fubao tightly in her arms, forming a protective circle with her body and arms, and at the same time used her feet to push the wooden box containing soap tighter under the seat.
An atmosphere of panic and despair filled the entire carriage.
Shen Lingning was not panicked. In a critical moment, the worst that could happen was to use the space to bring people back to life. There was no problem with the safety of her and Fubao.
But what about the people in this carriage in this crowd?
She just temporarily avoided the bandits, so how could she explain their disappearance later?
Just when the bandits were about to search their side, Fubao in her arms was woken up.
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