Xu Xinghe's gaze swept quickly around the platform. Instead of leaving immediately, she used the crowd as cover and quietly walked towards an abandoned storage room in a corner of the train station.
This place is piled with junk and covered in cobwebs, clearly indicating that it has been neglected for a long time.
After confirming that no one was around, Xu Xinghe slipped into the space.
After a night of bumpy train travel, her body was covered in dust and sweat. The first thing she did was go to the spring, scoop up some warm water in a wooden basin, and take a good bath.
The warm spring water washed away her fatigue and the dust of the journey, invigorating her.
After taking a shower, she took a can of meat from the shelf, pried it open with a dagger, and began to eat it heartily.
Exhausted from her journey, she needed to replenish her energy in order to cope with the unknown risks ahead.
After finishing a can of food, feeling quite full, Xu Xinghe walked to the dressing mirror in the room and began to carefully disguise herself.
She first rummaged through a corner of the room and pulled out a box of specially made dark powder.
This was something she had prepared specifically for this purpose; it could darken the skin and was relatively waterproof, making it less likely to come off.
She dipped her fingers in the powder and applied it evenly to her face, neck, and exposed hands. Her originally fair skin instantly turned into the dark complexion of someone who had worked hard for many years, making her indistinguishable from the local farm women.
Xu Xinghe's clothes were specially chosen to be coarse cloth garments, with rough fabric and dark colors, which made her look even more simple and unpretentious when she wore them.
She then took out a dark blue headscarf, wrapped it tightly around both sides of her face, and put on a worn-out straw hat with the brim pulled low.
She observed during her visit that Qingzhou has a hot climate, and local women mostly dress like this to protect themselves from the sun, so as not to appear out of place.
However, her features were too delicate. Even with her skin tanned and most of her face covered, her eyes still attracted attention. Just like when she was pretending to be an educated youth, people would unconsciously take a few more glances at her.
In the perilous city of Qingzhou, this would undoubtedly be fatal.
Xu Xinghe pondered for a moment, then her gaze fell on the paint box in the space.
That was the label she used to mark the medicinal herbs.
She picked up a tube of dark brown paint and, looking in the mirror, drew a large, irregular, dark mark on the left side of her cheek, extending from below her cheekbone to below her left eye. The edges blurred, making it look like a birthmark, dark in color and somewhat ugly.
She looked at herself in the mirror repeatedly, then nodded in satisfaction.
In this way, even if she occasionally looks up, others who see the conspicuous birthmark will only subconsciously turn their heads away in disgust and will never look at it a second time.
It can both conceal one's identity and avoid unnecessary flirting and trouble, which is a win-win situation.
After tidying everything up, Xu Xinghe packed the wound medicine and hallucinogenic drugs into small cloth bags and kept them close to her body.
After confirming that everything was in perfect order, she slipped out of the space.
The area outside the abandoned storage room remained quiet.
Xu Xinghe lowered the brim of her hat and adjusted her headscarf, trying to slow her pace and blend into her surroundings.
Instead of taking public transportation, she walked towards the location where Jiang Linchuan had disappeared, following the note and map given to her by Political Commissar Wang.
This is a good opportunity to observe the people here.
The streets of Qingzhou are not particularly bustling.
Pedestrians can be seen hurrying along the roadside everywhere.
The air was filled with the aroma of food and the earthy smell of soil.
Xu Xinghe kept her head down and walked quickly along the roadside. When someone stared at her, she immediately avoided their gaze and pretended to be timid, which made her even more like a country woman.
The place she was going to was near the base where Jiang Linchuan last sent back messages. It wasn't too far from the train station, but it required crossing most of the city and then walking along a small road in the suburbs.
As Xu Xinghe walked, he paid attention to his surroundings, memorizing the landmarks and intersections along the way, while also vigilantly observing the people around him.
Political Commissar Wang had said that spies might be operating nearby, and she had to remain vigilant at all times.
The sun grew stronger, scorching the ground. Sweat beaded on Xu Xinghe's forehead and slid down her cheeks, but she dared not wipe it away carelessly, for fear of smudging the birthmark on her face.
She would only stop occasionally to catch her breath in the shade of the roadside trees, carefully wipe away the sweat with a handkerchief, and then drink a sip of the spiritual spring water in her space to quench her thirst.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, the buildings in the city gradually thinned out, and a field appeared ahead.
Further away is the river mentioned on Political Commissar Wang's note.
The stronghold where Jiang Linchuan disappeared is located nearby.
She stopped and hid behind a large tree, observing her surroundings again.
Several farmers were working in the fields, and a few women were washing clothes by the river in the distance; everything seemed normal.
But Xu Xinghe dared not let his guard down; sometimes, the calmer the surface, the greater the danger that may be lurking beneath.
She took a deep breath, pulled down the brim of her hat, and continued walking towards the river.
She didn't stop, but walked straight past the women washing clothes by the river.
Jiang Linchuan and the spy had only recently disappeared, and the military had just investigated. There might still be spies around, or villagers who were unaware of the truth keeping an eye on the stranger.
She was an outsider with a strange accent, dressed in coarse cloth, yet she deliberately went out of her way to the riverbank. She was too conspicuous, and anyone would find her suspicious.
Once she's been targeted, subsequent investigations will be difficult.
Xu Xinghe's purpose was never to risk getting close, but simply to confirm the general location.
She continued walking forward.
As arranged by Political Commissar Wang, the village mentioned in the letter of introduction for visiting relatives was right next door, called Lijia'ao.
Li Bo, an informant for the military, lived there.
By first settling in Lijia'ao, Su Xiao's status as a family visitor would be established, providing her with a reasonable excuse to stay near Qingzhou, and she could also obtain more local information through Uncle Li.
She walked slowly along the ridge of the field with her head down. The soil under her feet was soft and covered with mud, which made her look even more like a peasant woman.
As she passed farmers working in the fields, she quickly lowered her head and kept walking, perfectly befitting the timid demeanor of someone visiting an unfamiliar village for the first time.
A farmer looked at her curiously and, as she expected, frowned and looked away when he saw the dark birthmark on her cheek. No one came over to talk to her.
After walking for about half an hour, a cluster of scattered mud-brick houses finally appeared ahead, with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys. The sounds of dogs barking and children playing could be faintly heard. This was Lijia'ao.
Xu Xinghe breathed a sigh of relief and slowed her pace.
Following the address given by Political Commissar Wang, she wandered through the village, eventually finding Uncle Li's house.
A small courtyard nestled in a corner of the village, its walls made of rammed earth, with several old trees growing lushly at the entrance.
Xu Xinghe raised her hand and gently knocked on the wooden door.
"Who is it?" came an old voice from the courtyard. Then the wooden door creaked open and an old man who looked to be in his fifties with a face full of wrinkles poked his head out. It was Uncle Li.
Uncle Li looked Xu Xinghe up and down, his eyes scrutinizing her.
Xu Xinghe looked at him and said softly, "Uncle Li, I am Su Xiao. I have come to seek refuge with you. My mother asked me to pass on a message that it is time to harvest the corn at home."
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