In an old house at the end of the old alley, Liu Meiyu knocked on the big iron ring and bolt, and after a long time, there was no movement from inside.
The door creaked open from the inside, and the curly-haired woman seen on the train before stood at the door, holding a cigarette in her hand, looking back and forth at Liu Meiyu.
"Big sister!" Liu Meiyu stepped forward happily: "It's me, can I go to the south to work with you?"
The curly-haired woman raised her eyebrows, took two deep puffs of her cigarette, threw away the butt, and asked tentatively: "Have you told your family about this? Do they agree?"
"My husband would definitely disagree. He doesn't believe I can find such a good job." Liu Meiyu smiled and said, "It was my mother who asked me to come. My brother will be getting married next year, and our house is not big enough. My mother asked our family to save some money to buy a bigger house for my brother's marriage. Big sister, you don't know that nowadays, people have high requirements for marrying a daughter-in-law from the city..."
Liu Meiyu kept complaining to the curly-haired woman, occasionally speaking a word or two in Shanghai dialect. She kept talking so much that the curly-haired woman couldn't help but twitch her lips.
She had never seen anyone who could talk so much. Once he started talking, he would never stop, and all he talked about were trivial matters at home, which made people impatient.
"Come in first. My husband is out on some business. I'll tell him when he comes back later to buy you a ticket." The curly-haired woman glanced at Liu Meiyun's bag and said, "Have you packed all your things? Then you can stay at my house tonight. We have to leave before dawn tomorrow morning."
Liu Meiyun pretended to be surprised and inexperienced: "Before dawn? That's too early. Will there be trains at that time?"
The curly-haired woman led Liu Meiyun into the house and said casually, "I have to pick up my niece tomorrow morning. Her house is a bit far, so I have to leave early. Is that okay with you?"
"Big sister, I'm fine. I've already talked to my mother, and she's talked to my husband on my behalf. It's just that it's not good to live in your house, so I can just find a guesthouse nearby. When big brother comes back, please tell him how much the ticket is, and I'll give it to you now."
Liu Meiyu was about to take money out of her pocket, but the curly-haired woman glanced at her and stopped her, saying, "Don't bother. The house is spacious. My husband and I were both doing odd jobs outside, so it's been a while since anyone has lived here, and the quilt is a little damp. You can just make do with it for one night. Don't go to a guesthouse. Not only will you waste money, but we'll have to look for you early tomorrow morning, which will waste time."
After hesitating for a few seconds, Liu Meiyun nodded and said shyly: "Thank you for your help, sister. You are so kind."
It is a good idea to not hit someone who smiles at you. Although the curly-haired woman thought that Liu Meiyu looked like a vixen with an indecent look, she was good at talking and had a sweet mouth. As soon as she entered the room, she took her arm and called her "sister" affectionately. It was unclear whether she was really naive or knew how to deal with things.
"Just call me Sister Miao. When you go to the southern factory, work hard. In less than two years, you'll be able to earn enough money for your brother to marry. If I weren't so old, such a good job opportunity would have gone to an outsider. You're lucky to have met me. You don't know how many foreign-funded factories there are in the south. The bosses there are very generous..."
The curly-haired woman was talking in a loud and clear voice, and Liu Meiyu nodded obediently beside her. She was fascinated by what she heard, and her face looked hopeful, as if she wanted to fly to the south immediately.
After a while, the curly-haired woman's husband finally came back from outside. When he saw Liu Meiyu, there was no surprise on his face, but there was a bit of uncomfortable haziness in his eyes.
But Liu Meiyu, who has lived several decades longer than the others, is also an old hand. Not only did she not avoid the men's gazes at all, but she smiled foolishly, called them "big brother" and "big sister" one by one, and tried to get close to the couple cordially, saying sweet words for free, which made the curly-haired woman feel comfortable.
"Brother, sister, I really don't know how to thank you for giving me such a good job opportunity. When I make money in the future, I will definitely treat you to a meal at the best hotel. Sister just told me that there are many private restaurants in the south, and the food there is better than that in state-owned hotels."
The man with the mole smiled and nodded, his cloudy eyes never leaving Liu Meiyu: "That's right, as long as you work hard in the factory in the south, in the future, not only can you buy a house for your brother to marry a wife, even if you want to open a restaurant, it will be possible."
Liu Meiyun ignored the man's malicious gaze and nodded actively: "I will definitely work hard, brother and sister-in-law, don't worry."
The couple were both very satisfied with Liu Meiyu's deceitful and well-behaved appearance, especially the man with the black mole. Seeing Liu Meiyu's look, he just wanted to get rid of her on the spot.
The curly-haired woman pinched the man hard, dragged him aside, and said unhappily, "Be more restrained, don't be so impatient. The third brother has found a lot of "golden goods" this time, and he still has to worry about the road ahead, so don't do anything weird to me now."
The man said with disdain: "I know better than you do."
He has been in this business for a long time. Those skinny, inexperienced girls are not as attractive as Liu Meiyu, who has a young, pretty face and a plump figure even though she has given birth to a child.
But he was not in a hurry. After all, the person was already in front of him and there would be plenty of opportunities in the future.
At dinner time, the man came back with food from the state-owned hotel. Liu Meiyu made up an excuse, saying that it was embarrassing to eat ready-made food while living in someone else's house, so she only ate the dry food she brought from home.
Liu Meiyu ate white flour steamed buns with pickled vegetables while chatting.
She was not afraid of dull silence and talked about daily household topics one after another. In order not to arouse the couple's suspicion, she talked about her own affairs most of the time and seldom asked any questions.
In the eyes of the couple, Liu Meiyun is a typical nagging housewife, the kind who can't stop talking even while eating.
From gossips from the gossips of the ladies to the private topics of getting married and not having children after marriage, everything can be talked about.
"Sister-in-law, you don't know. I have been married to him for more than two years, almost three years, and I still can't get pregnant. His family thought it was my problem. They didn't look at me well all year round. They threw all the housework to me. I don't know how many medicines I took to regulate my body, but they didn't work. In the end, we went to the hospital for a check-up, and it turned out that it wasn't my problem at all, but his. Tell me, wasn't it unfair for me to live those two years!"
Miao Cuiying frowned slightly, and the impatience on her face faded a little. She asked in confusion: "I see you have three chubby sons? They are all good looking. How come your husband can't have children?"
The man with the mole who had been silent all this time also stopped picking up food and his eyes changed slightly.
"Oh, I don't know either. I saw many doctors, and they said it was some kind of asthenospermia. Anyway, I took many medicines but it didn't work. Finally, my mother went to the countryside to find a barefoot doctor who prescribed Chinese medicine. I got pregnant after taking it for only half a year. Maybe we are just lucky..."
Liu Meiyun made up the story without blushing or feeling nervous, but she was afraid that Lu Changzheng would find out.
When the man with the mole and his wife heard Liu Meiyun talking about asthenospermia, they were both stunned and looked at each other. At the man's glance, the curly-haired woman couldn't wait to ask, "Are you serious? What's the prescription? Is it really that effective?"
Liu Meiyun had already changed the subject, but when she heard the woman's question, she subconsciously said with a hint of pride: "It's a miracle, otherwise we wouldn't have the blessing of having triplets!"
"What's the name of that barefoot doctor and where does he live?" The curly-haired woman grabbed Liu Meiyu's hand with an excited expression.
The man with the mole next to him also stopped all actions and stared at Liu Meiyu.
"The person is gone long ago, brother and sister, what happened to you?" Liu Meiyu looked confused.
The curly-haired woman was feeling disappointed when she heard that the barefoot doctor was gone, but the man with the mole next to her couldn't help but ask anxiously, "Where's the prescription? Is it still there?"
Liu Meiyu looked at the couple strangely, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded slowly: "My mother seems to have kept it all the time. I forgot about it after so many years. I have to go back and ask. What's wrong with my eldest brother? Do you want the prescription?"
"No, your sister-in-law and I have a friend whose family also has the same situation as your man..."
"Yes, yes, sister, can you give us your recipe? He is a big boss in the south. If he has a child thanks to you, he will definitely thank you very much."
Liu Meiyu looked embarrassed: "I can give it to you, but I have to go home to get it. It's already this late, and I have to leave tomorrow morning. How about I write a letter to my mother after we go to the south and ask her to send it to me?"
The man with the mole looked at his watch, exchanged glances with his wife, and decisively said to Liu Meiyu: "It's not too late. Let your sister-in-law take you back to get it. This time we'll send you to the south. If you have this prescription, maybe the boss of Renda will find you a job that's better than the factory, where you can earn more and it's not tiring."
"Well, find a flashlight, or it will be dark when you get back."
Liu Meiyu was inspired by what she heard and took the curly-haired woman to another remote alley two streets away.
At the end of the alley was a small bungalow. Lu Changzheng opened the door, ignored the curly-haired woman peeking at him from the corner, and started cursing at Liu Meiyu.
"Where the hell have you been? I just yelled at you and you dared to run away from home..."
After closing the courtyard door and entering the house, Lu Changzheng's voice suddenly became quieter, and his face was full of concern: "How are you? Are you okay?"
Liu Meiyun waved her hands, looked at the public security comrades in the room, pushed Lu Changzheng away a little, and then said, "I'm fine."
"They will take action at about three o'clock in the morning tonight. There is a man named Miao San who should be responsible for finding people. Several routes you have arranged before need to be re-planned. It is true that they are going to the south, but I guess it is by water. Go over and check the dock closest to here. It’s either a fishing boat or a cargo ship.”
This was the information that Liu Meiyu had just obtained after several hours of silence. At first, Liu Meiyu and Lu Changzheng thought that this group of traffickers abducted women and would sell them directly to the mountains, most likely to the north.
But based on what Liu Meiyu observed, the couple might really send those girls to the south, and the restaurant owner might also be real, and it might be one of their distribution bases in the south.
As for why the girl was sent to the South, it goes without saying.
Liu Meiyu's trip was not only to deliver the message, but also for her own safety. She had to let the police make arrangements in advance before the human traffickers took action. Although she wanted to make a contribution to the society and put this human trafficker gang who was only arrested in the 1990s into prison earlier, she also had three children and had to cherish her life.
"Going south, then to Pengcheng?"
Ding Zhicheng never expected that Liu Meiyu was so good as an undercover agent that the traffickers were willing to send her back to pass on the message.
If they really want to go to the south, the first place they think of is Pengcheng. They heard that there are job opportunities everywhere there in the past two years, and countless people are trying their best to make money there.
If they could know the routes of the traffickers in advance, they wouldn't have to passively follow the traffickers and wait for them to act.
Lu Changzheng held his wife's hand tightly and thought, "It should be Yangcheng. Pengcheng will check the border pass. Even if we sneak in, it must be another buyer's line. It is most convenient to transport people to Yangcheng for delivery."
Judging from the available information at present, this gang of traffickers may be far larger than they imagined, and Lu Changzheng's frown has never subsided.
"Meiyun, I'm worried."
Liu Meiyu squeezed his arm and said with a relaxed look: "Don't worry, it's just a trip to Guangzhou. I'm so smart, I will definitely not let myself suffer any loss."
Lu Changzheng's eyelids twitched, and he was obviously worried, but he also knew that at this time, the human traffickers were still squatting outside. If he retreated now, it would be like alarming the snake.
"Sister-in-law, you are really amazing. How do you know that man is infertile?"
Ding Zhicheng and others felt that Liu Meiyu's calmness and courage when facing the traffickers were simply unlike that of an ordinary woman.
Even this yard was prepared by Liu Meiyu before they left, saying it was for delivering messages. They were puzzled at first.
"I also guessed it from chatting with that lady on the train." Liu Meiyu could lie and make up stories in front of the human traffickers without blushing, but she still felt a little nervous in front of the uniformed police officers. But she couldn't say that she saw the news reports on the Internet in her previous life.
He was the leader of a large human trafficking gang in the 1990s. Because he was infertile, he abused many women while trafficking in women and children, and he also "adopted" several children himself.
Liu Meiyu made up the recipe not only to convey the message, but also for her own safety.
"Sister-in-law, the recipe is here."
Liu Meiyu stayed at Lu Changzheng's place until late at night before opening the door and quietly leaving. The curly-haired woman was squatting at the door and was dozing off, and was also frozen by the wind, but she didn't complain at all.
After all, Liu Meiyu said that she had to wait until her man fell asleep before she dared to sneak out of the house.
"Thank you, sister. Let's go back and take a nap. We have to leave in two hours."
The curly-haired woman carefully put away the prescription, her hands were shaking with excitement, and her face lost all its disguise in the night, with a rich expression of emotions.
"What are you thanking me for? I don't need it anymore. Oh, by the way, there's one more thing I forgot to tell you." Liu Meiyu said seriously, holding the woman's arm.
The curly-haired woman paused, and suddenly became nervous while holding Liu Meiyun's hand, and asked hurriedly: "What?"
"It's not a big deal. I just remember that barefoot doctor said that this prescription alone is not enough. I have to be careful not to do anything during the first six months of taking the medicine and during the medication period. Otherwise, the medicine will be useless and will harm your body."
Thinking of the murky and obscene gaze of the man with the black mole sticking to her, Liu Meiyu added an insurance policy out of worry.
The curly-haired woman thought it was no big deal, but after hearing this, her chest relaxed and she couldn't stop smiling. Even the tone she spoke to Liu Meiyu became more sincere: "Okay, I get it. If it works, you'll really help me a lot."
As soon as Liu Meiyu left, Lu Changzheng and the Shanghai Public Security Bureau quickly contacted Pengcheng and Yangcheng for reinforcement.
At about three o'clock in the morning, Liu Meiyu was woken up by the curly-haired woman and asked to hurry up.
"Sister, so early? Didn't you say we would set out when it's almost dawn?" Liu Meiyu rubbed her eyes and pretended to be ignorant.
Pretending to sleep is also a physically demanding job, and this fake sleep state is more tiring than daytime.
"I'm afraid you'll dawdle. Let's go earlier to avoid wasting time." The curly-haired woman said casually.
Liu Meiyu had no choice but to play dumb and followed the couple on a small freighter to their destination, which was just as she thought, the nearest pier.
"Sister, why don't we take the train?"
When Liu Meiyu arrived at the dock, she asked the couple out of curiosity.
The curly-haired woman looked around and replied impatiently, "It's cheaper to take a boat. It's my relative's fishing boat. It doesn't cost a penny. I'll find two fake train tickets for you. When you get to the south, you can ask the boss to reimburse you for the travel expenses. You can save more money."
When Liu Meiyu heard that she could take advantage, her eyes lit up and she got on the boat without saying a word.
Just as she stepped on it, a figure followed her from behind. She pretended not to know, her head tilted slightly, and she felt a pain in the back of her neck and fell down.
The curly-haired woman took a step ahead of the man and put Liu Meiyu on herself. She glanced at the man and said sourly: "You are reluctant to put in effort just because she is beautiful, right? Or are you just inexperienced?"
The man with the mole glared at his wife and said impatiently, "Stop whining and go check the goods."
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