The next moment, the older woman was shoved off balance by the crowd and nearly fell to the floor.
“Careful!”
Quick as a flash, Lin Jingwan reached out and grabbed the woman, pulling her away.
If she fell here, she would definitely be trampled and injured!
Holding tightly onto her arm, Lin Jingwan struggled to pull her out of the crowd. Only after they reached a safe place did she casually tease, “Sis, watching the excitement is fun, but your life isn’t something you can gamble with. You have to be careful when you’re watching a show.”
Zhao Mingzhu couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.
Lin Jingwan rolled her eyes helplessly. “You still have the heart to laugh?”
“My name is Zhao Mingzhu. Thank you for saving me.”
Only then did Lin Jingwan take a closer look at her.
The woman was slender, her cheeks carrying a faint rosy hue, perhaps from years of working under the sun. Her eyes were bright and narrow, her gaze both sharp and gentle. She was the kind of woman who was simply pleasant to look at.
Lin Jingwan held out her hand. “I’m Lin Jingwan. No need to thank me. But, Sis, find somewhere safe to stay. I still have something to take care of.”
With that, she squeezed back into the crowd. She still needed to see how things were going with Li Zhaoye and the others.
Meanwhile, the fighting had stopped, and the commotion gradually died down.
Lin Jingwan took advantage of the opportunity to push through the passengers blocking the way and finally got a clear view of the scene.
Two railway police officers were restraining Tian Gang, who was covered in blood.
His arm was dislocated, his face covered in injuries, and he was no longer capable of struggling.
The man in black who had been lying on the floor was already injured and unconscious. He was the accomplice who had been lying in wait to launch the sneak attack.
Li Zhaoye was holding the terrified little Haitang in his arms.
Lin Jingwan looked at the shattered window. Clearly, that woman Tian Jia had escaped!
On a green-skinned train in the 1970s, the train traveled slowly enough that someone jumping from the window still had a chance of surviving.
At that moment, little Haitang, safe in Li Zhaoye’s arms, saw Lin Jingwan approaching. She slowly raised her thin little arms and stared at her with wide eyes.
It was an unmistakable request to be held.
Lin Jingwan’s heart softened, and she took the tiny child into her arms.
She felt almost weightless.
The poor child was frighteningly thin.
Just then, the railway police officer in charge finished securing the scene.
“Comrade Li, Comrade Lin, this case is rather unusual. We’ll need you to come with us to the crew office and give us a detailed statement.
“The window here has been shattered, so we’ve arranged another compartment for you. Sorry to trouble you, but please move there temporarily.”
“No problem,” Li Zhaoye replied calmly.
Soon, they moved to another compartment.
Li Zhaoye handled everything that followed.
Lin Jingwan stayed beside the timid little Haitang.
Hanhan and Luoluo also surrounded the little girl, chattering away and trying every possible way to coax her into relaxing.
After night fell, Lin Jingwan looked at the small, frail little girl sleeping restlessly. She simply turned on her side, pulled Haitang into her arms, and shared the bed with her.
The night passed peacefully, without another incident.
At daybreak, the soft morning light filtered through the train window. Lin Jingwan slowly opened her eyes.
She didn’t get up immediately. Instead, she sat upright, closed her eyes, calmed her mind, and regulated her breathing.
Just then, the compartment door was gently pushed open, and Li Zhaoye walked in.
Seeing the woman sitting quietly, he lowered his voice. “You’re awake so early? Do you want some warm water first?”
Lin Jingwan shook her head. Her gaze fell on the dark circles beneath his eyes.
“You didn’t sleep at all last night?”
“Mm. The situation was rather complicated, but fortunately, everything has been taken care of. We’ll need to transfer trains later, and a railway police officer will accompany us.”
“A railway police officer?”
“Yes. Normally, the police would escort us. But little Haitang doesn’t want to be separated from us, and our final destination is also Beijing, so we’ll accompany her for the rest of the journey.
“They’ve already contacted her family. They’ll meet us at the station.”
“Is the person coming her father?” Lin Jingwan asked.
“Her grandparents.”
Lin Jingwan frowned slightly. “Where is her father?”
The note had only contained the name Jin Xiangdong. Judging from that, he was probably the most important person in the child’s life.
“His identity is sensitive. He’s currently away on a classified mission.”
“A soldier?”
“Mm. He works for the national security system.”
Hearing that, Lin Jingwan fell silent and asked no further questions.
The Tian siblings had a gun. Considering little Haitang’s father’s identity, this matter was clearly connected to something much bigger. It was better for her not to pry.
Before long, the train slowly pulled into the station and came to a stop.
Lin Jingwan picked up little Haitang, with Hanhan and Luoluo following closely on either side. Li Zhaoye carried all the luggage, while a railway police officer followed behind them.
The five of them transferred in an orderly manner and boarded another train bound directly for Beijing.
The conditions in this train were exceptionally good. They had managed to get a scarce soft-sleeper private compartment, which even came with its own private toilet.
Such treatment once again confirmed the extraordinary status of little Haitang’s family.
After entering the compartment and settling down, they had barely finished arranging their things when they heard movement outside the door.
Lin Jingwan looked up and was surprised to see Zhao Mingzhu, whom she had met earlier, accompanied by the tall and upright Zhao Zhigang.
Zhao Zhigang was carrying a large wooden box on his shoulder and walking with extreme care.
When Zhao Mingzhu saw her, her eyes immediately lit up.
“Oh! Comrade Lin, what a coincidence!”
“Sister Zhao.” Lin Jingwan smiled in greeting. “You’re going to Beijing too?”
“Yes. I’m going to Beijing to attend an agricultural technology symposium.”
Zhao Mingzhu was cheerful and straightforward. She had already taken a liking to Lin Jingwan when she heard her sharp retorts earlier.
“Comrade Lin, I really feel like we clicked. From now on, just call me Mingzhu Sis.”
As she spoke, she turned and gestured toward Zhao Zhigang. “Take out that melon.”
“Comrade Lin, thank you for saving me earlier. I have nothing to repay you with, so I’d like to give you some local specialty I brought back from Turpan for you to try.”
“What is it?”
“A melon. Late-autumn watermelons from our storage. Zhigang, open it.”
“Yes, Auntie.”
Zhao Zhigang opened the wooden box.
Inside lay several round, lush green watermelons.
Watermelons!
Oh my goodness!
Lin Jingwan’s eyes lit up.
She hadn’t eaten a watermelon in more than twenty years. She had almost forgotten what they tasted like.
Hanhan and little Luoluo were equally astonished. Even Li Zhaoye, who had seen plenty in his time, couldn’t hide the surprise in his eyes.
It was November, yet they were actually looking at fresh watermelons!
Seeing everyone’s delighted expressions, Zhao Mingzhu smiled and explained, “I work at the Turpan County Agricultural Technology Station. These are late-autumn melons stored locally.
“The temperature difference between day and night there is quite large, and with professional cellar storage, they remain juicy even in winter. They’re a unique autumn-and-winter specialty of the Flaming Prefecture.
“I’m also bringing them to Beijing for the conference. I brought four this time.”
As she spoke, she generously pushed one watermelon toward Lin Jingwan.
“Here, it’s for you!”
Lin Jingwan hugged the watermelon, absolutely delighted.
This was a rare delicacy!
But she felt she couldn’t accept such a generous gift without giving something in return.
Suddenly, she remembered the eggs she had found in the badger’s den.
She had been so busy yesterday that she had forgotten to cook them, so she had packed them up and brought them along.
She quickly pulled out the cloth bag and handed the remaining eight eggs to Zhao Mingzhu.
“Mingzhu Sis, I don’t have any proper local specialties to give you in return. I happened to find these wild eggs while I was in the mountains. Take them and give them a try.”
Zhao Mingzhu picked up one of the oval eggs, her eyes filled with curiosity.
She moved toward the window and examined it carefully in the daylight, then exclaimed in surprise, “Look at the translucent pattern! This is a fertilized egg. It can actually hatch!”
She felt its thick shell.
“The tip is blunt and the tail is tapered, and there are fine speckles all over the surface. It’s neither an ordinary wild duck egg nor a goose egg, and it doesn’t look like a common chicken egg either. It’s a rare variety.”
With that, she gently handed the wild egg back to Lin Jingwan.
“I’m not very good at raising small animals. You seem careful and attentive. Why don’t you try incubating them?”
“They can actually hatch?” Lin Jingwan was surprised too.
Zhao Mingzhu selected two of the smaller eggs.
“I’ll just keep these two ordinary ones. I can cook and eat them when I get back.”
Lin Jingwan immediately seized the opportunity.
“Sis, quickly give me your address! Once you get to Beijing, I’ll come visit you!”
What she was thinking was that she absolutely had to build a good relationship with her. Then, if she ever wanted watermelon again, she’d have a source!
Zhao Mingzhu readily agreed.
“I won’t be staying in Beijing for more than a few days. Once the symposium is over, I’ll return to Turpan.
“I’ll give you two addresses one for my temporary office in Beijing and another for my permanent address at the Turpan Agricultural Technology Station.”
Lin Jingwan quickly turned to the man beside her.
“Li Zhaoye, give Sis an address in Beijing too.”
“Okay.”
Li Zhaoye picked up a pen and neatly wrote down the address.
After exchanging contact information, the two women leaned against the train window and chatted.
The more they talked, the more they hit it off.
Zhao Mingzhu was cheerful, straightforward, and open-minded. She told Lin Jingwan all sorts of interesting stories about Turpan’s local customs and farming life.
Her words were filled with genuine passion for agricultural technology.
After their conversation, Lin Jingwan learned that this Mingzhu Sis was quite an accomplished woman.
She had once served as the vice president of an agricultural school and was now responsible for agricultural variety testing and cultivation demonstrations.
She had passion in her heart, purpose in her eyes, and devoted herself wholeheartedly to improving agriculture.
Someone so passionate, practical, and hardworking naturally made people want to draw closer to her.
The two women chatted and laughed, completely engrossed in conversation.
Before they knew it, the train had arrived at the Beijing station.
After saying goodbye to Zhao Mingzhu, Lin Jingwan and the others got off the train.
But just as they exited the station, Lin Jingwan suddenly stopped in her tracks.
What was going on?!
Parked neatly on both sides were four military jeeps.
Beside each vehicle stood a uniformed soldier, standing solemnly at attention.
So many vehicles, so many soldiers, and such a grand reception…
Could some high-ranking leader be arriving?