As the train station's announcements began, the moment of parting arrived.
Gu Mingyue looked up and saw the crowds on the platform beginning to surge.
"Remember to write when you get there." Xia Huiying's voice trembled slightly.
Gu Mingyue nodded solemnly, "Grandpa and Grandma, you must take good care of yourselves too."
The announcements repeatedly urged passengers to board the train, and the train whistle echoed across the platform.
The Gu family stood there, watching the train slowly start moving, tears welling up in their eyes.
Only after the train disappeared from sight did they let out a soft sigh of relief and turn to walk home.
On the train.
The couple was the only ones in their sleeper car at the moment; the other berths were empty.
Nowadays, most people travel by hard seat, unwilling to spend money on sleeper berths, especially since sleeper berths are expensive. In the end, hard seat is more economical.
Gu Mingyue had traveled on a budget in a green-skinned train carriage before, so adapting to it now wasn't too difficult.
Lu Linlin asked someone to buy the lower berth tickets, one for each of the couple.
Gu Mingyue was perfectly comfortable lying on the bed, but for Lu Lin, who was less than a meter wide, it was quite difficult to lie on the berth.
Their journey took three days and two nights, traveling directly from Beijing to Shanghai.
The scenery outside the window rushed past her. Leaning against the pillow, she looked at Lu Lin across from her, who was packing his luggage, and couldn't help but smile slightly.
Around noon, the carriage was filled with the aroma of various foods.
The train attendant slowly pushed the dining cart past, tapping the lunchboxes and calling out, "Boxed lunches, hot noodle soup, hot water..."
Lu Mingyue tugged at Lu Lin's sleeve, "Let's buy some boxed lunches."
They only brought some homemade meat sauce and dried meat, as well as apples, when they set off; they didn't bring any staple food.
"good."
Lu Lin took out some money from his wallet and handed it over, "Two boxed lunches."
Gu Mingyue wanted to wash her hands, but Lu Lin was worried that it wouldn't be safe for her to go alone, so he followed behind her.
Gu Mingyue said, "I'm not a child, I don't need to come along."
She turned around and said with a smile, a hint of reproach in her eyes.
"There are too many people in the carriage, I'm worried."
Lu Lin's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable insistence.
Although train conductors check tickets on long-distance trains, there are always cases where they miss someone while passengers are coming and going.
She's just a young girl, and she's too conspicuous. If someone with ulterior motives targets her, the consequences could be dire.
"Our luggage is still here."
"It's alright. It's just at the carriage connection point anyway, I'll keep an eye on it."
The two men weaved through the crowded aisle, making way for passengers carrying hot water.
Gu Mingyue bent down to wash her hands at the sink, while Lu Lin stood beside her like a sturdy wall, shielding her from the people coming and going.
After washing her hands, Gu Mingyue dried them with a handkerchief, looked up at him, and asked, "Are you relieved now?"
Lu Lin just smiled and reached out to tidy her wind-blown hair. "Okay, I'm relieved."
The two successfully returned to their carriage and prepared to eat.
The lunchbox is made of aluminum, and as soon as the lid is opened, steam and aroma waft out.
They bought braised pork rice.
The braised pork belly is stewed until tender and melts in your mouth, with a savory and slightly sweet flavor.
The two sat on the lower bunk, taking turns eating.
Lu Lin picked out some braised pork from his lunchbox and put it into her bowl. "Eat more, we'll be sitting here for a long time."
Lu Mingyue smiled and put the vegetables back on the plate. "Don't just eat meat, you need to eat a balanced diet."
It wasn't until the afternoon that a couple carrying a child boarded their train carriage.
The man was wearing a faded old shirt with frayed cuffs.
The woman's coat had patches on the cuffs, and her trousers were stained with mud.
Strangely, the baby in their arms was wearing a clean onesie, with a rosy face, and was sleeping soundly.
Gu Mingyue subconsciously glanced at it a few more times. The child's quilt was brand new with a small floral pattern and a faint scent of soap, which was completely out of place with the couple's clothing.
The man looked around, found an empty seat, and sat down, but his eyes kept glancing towards the carriage door, as if he were observing something.
The woman kept her head down, holding her child tightly in her arms, and quickly looked away if anyone looked over.
Lu Lin gently touched Gu Mingyue's hand, signaling her to keep quiet.
He moved his backpack to his feet, pretending to turn to the side casually, but kept an eye on the couple's movements.
Gu Mingyue pretended to go to get water, and deliberately slowed down her pace as she passed the couple.
The child was still fast asleep, and even the jolts of the train couldn't wake him.
She noticed that the child had no birthmarks or jewelry on his wrists, which is unusual in families with children.
Fearing she might have suspected the wrong person, Gu Mingyue kept observing them, but after two or three hours, she neither picked up the child nor made any other move.
She whispered to Lu Lin, "The baby is sleeping too soundly; this is not normal."
Lu Lin nodded. He had just noticed that the man was secretly observing the carriage door, as if he was keeping an eye on the movements of the train police.
The two exchanged a glance, their understanding unspoken.
Lu Lin quietly took out a pen and paper, wrote down the words "suspected human traffickers", and drew a simple portrait of a child, which he then handed to the arriving train conductor.
After reading it, the train attendant nodded calmly and continued pushing the cart forward.
A few minutes later, a train police officer came from the other end of the carriage, stopped next to the couple, showed his identification, and asked to see their identification letter.
The man stammered, while the woman hugged the child tightly, her eyes darting around.
The train attendant signaled them to talk at the connecting area between the carriages.
Lu Lin and Gu Mingyue quietly followed behind, standing not far away and pretending to admire the scenery.
"Is this child yours?" the train police officer asked sternly.
"Yes, of course, they are our children," the man replied hastily.
"What's the child's name? What day was he/she born?"
The man and woman exchanged a glance, stammering and unable to answer.
The train police officer immediately became alert and contacted other officers via walkie-talkie.
Soon, another train police officer brought a sketch of the child, who had just been reported missing that morning.
When the train police officer compared the portrait with the child, the man suddenly picked up the child and tried to run away, but was subdued by the prepared train police officer.
Upon seeing this, the woman collapsed to the ground, crying and shouting that they were just being instructed by someone.
Gu Mingyue and Lu Lin breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at each other.
After handing the human trafficker over to his colleagues, the train police officer turned and walked towards Gu Mingyue and Lu Lin with a sincere smile on his face.
"Thanks to you all today."
He extended his hand, his voice full of gratitude, "If it weren't for your careful observation and timely reporting, this child might have been taken out of the province."
Lu Lin shook hands and said modestly, "It's what we should do."
They learned from the train police that the child had been taken away by the parents' rivals.
The child comes from a well-off family, and his parents are respected figures in the area, so many people are secretly plotting against him.
When an elder takes a child out at home, the child is drugged and knocked unconscious when the elder is not paying attention.
The child's family was very anxious and used some connections to search for information. Fortunately, they discovered the problem in time.
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