A washbasin, toothpaste, a change of clothes…
Su Man silently went over the things she needed to buy. As she passed a stall, she caught sight of a figure out of the corner of her eye.
It was a woman dressed in cotton clothes, her hair streaked with gray and worry etched across her face. She was holding a sleeping child in her arms. Perhaps sensing someone looking at her, the woman quickly turned her head.
Probably because Su Man looked young and harmless, the woman smiled at her and was about to leave with the child.
“Auntie, wait a moment.” Su Man walked over.
The woman stopped and gave her an honest, good-natured smile. “Miss, what can I do for you?”
Su Man glanced at the child in her arms and asked with a smile, “How old is your little one? He sleeps so soundly. I wanted to ask you if you have any tricks. I’ll be having my baby soon too. It’s my first time becoming a mother, so I don’t have much experience.”
The woman, Zhang Guifen, answered with a smile, “There’s really no trick to it. My child has been obedient since he was little. He never gave me any trouble, even during confinement.”
As she spoke, she glanced at the sky. “Miss, it’s getting late. I still have to hurry home and make dinner. We can chat again if we get the chance.”
Zhang Guifen turned to leave, but Su Man reached out and grabbed the hem of her clothes.
“Hey, what are you doing?” Zhang Guifen immediately grew agitated.
Su Man smiled. “Auntie, could you let me take another look at the child?”
“What’s there to look at?” Zhang Guifen snapped angrily. She desperately tried to pull her clothes free, but when she saw that Su Man refused to let go, she immediately shouted at the top of her lungs, “Help! Somebody help! A child trafficker is trying to snatch my baby!”
The moment she shouted, more than a dozen people gathered around them.
Zhang Guifen pointed at Su Man and screamed, “Quick! Catch the trafficker! Call the police!”
Before anyone else could make a move, a figure suddenly pushed through the crowd, grabbed Su Man, and shouted, “Don’t move! Give yourself up and come with me to the police station!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned to Zhang Guifen. “Auntie, don’t be afraid. I’m here. She won’t be able to do anything to you. Come on, I’ll go with you to report it to the police right now.”
Caught completely off guard, Su Man had her left arm seized and twisted by the hotheaded young man. A sharp pain shot through her arm, making her vision go black.
At the same time, Zhang Guifen’s uneasy voice came from nearby. “The police… police station? No, no, there’s no need.”
The man, not understanding why, assumed she was simply afraid of the police station. He patiently explained, “Auntie, don’t be scared. The officers at the police station are there to serve the people. They won’t do anything to you. Besides, you’re the victim, so you need to give a statement…”
“N-No, no, no! I’m not going!” Zhang Guifen continued to refuse.
Holding the child, she turned and hurried away. “My husband is waiting for me at home. I have to go back.”
“Hey, Auntie! Auntie…”
Seeing Zhang Guifen about to leave, Su Man could no longer hold back.
“You idiot! She’s the trafficker! She doesn’t dare go to the police station because she’s afraid of getting arrested! Hurry up and stop her!”
The man hesitated, but Su Man shouted anxiously, “Everyone, stop her! Hurry! Otherwise, the child will be in danger!”
Her cry immediately sent the bystanders rushing after Zhang Guifen.
Whether she was the trafficker or not, it couldn’t hurt to catch her first!
Terrified, Zhang Guifen took off running. Even after she was caught, she kept shouting desperately, “It’s a mistake! You’ve got the wrong person! You’ve caught the wrong person! Oh, please, let me go!”
But no one was listening to her anymore.
With everyone pitching in, the two women were escorted to the police station. The bystanders pointed at them and insisted that they were child traffickers.
The police officers’ expressions changed at once. They took out their handcuffs and prepared to arrest them.
Su Man hurriedly explained, “Officer, please don’t misunderstand. The woman holding the child is the trafficker. I observed them carefully. That child hasn’t shown any sign of waking up from beginning to end. Under normal circumstances, that might not mean anything, but with all that commotion just now, he still didn’t react at all. He must have been given some kind of drug beforehand.”
“Besides, judging from the woman’s clothes, she seems to be from an ordinary family. But the clothes that child is wearing are clearly a style that has only recently become popular here from Haicheng. An ordinary family couldn’t afford them.”
“I’m willing to cooperate with the investigation, but I’m worried about the child’s safety. Please arrange for a doctor to examine him first!”
Su Man spoke clearly and logically, making her points one by one. The police unconsciously turned their attention to the child.
After taking a closer look, their expressions became stern as they stared at Zhang Guifen.
It was over. Everything was over.
Zhang Guifen’s legs went weak, and she collapsed onto the floor.
There was no need for further questioning. The truth was already clear. The police immediately took Zhang Guifen into custody and sent the child to the hospital for an examination.
Fortunately, Zhang Guifen had also been afraid that something might happen to the child, so she had only given him a tiny amount of sleeping medicine each time. It had affected his health somewhat, but once the drug residues were expelled from his system, he would be fine.
After finishing her statement at the police station, Su Man walked outside and discovered that the hotheaded young man who had attacked her without bothering to distinguish right from wrong was still waiting there.
“Comrade!”
The man scratched his head as he approached her. “I’m sorry about what happened earlier. I heard someone shouting about a child trafficker and panicked. Does your arm still hurt? Do you want to go to the hospital and get it checked? Don’t worry, I’ll cover all the expenses.”
If he hadn’t mentioned it, Su Man might not have thought about it. But now that he had, she could feel a dull ache spreading through her arm again.
She shook her arm and shook her head. “It’s fine. You meant well.”
After a brief pause, Su Man added dryly, “But next time, Comrade, please don’t be so quick to do a good deed without thinking…”
The man looked embarrassed.
He rubbed his nose and gave an awkward laugh. “Definitely, definitely. My name is Gu Cheng. If you ever need anything here in the capital, you can come find me anytime.”
Su Man nodded, not giving it much thought.
Gu Cheng suggested taking her to the hospital again, but Su Man refused.
She wasn’t seriously hurt, and besides, she still hadn’t gone to the supply store to buy her things. It was already getting late, and she needed to save as much time as possible.
Gu Cheng was somewhat disappointed, but he could only give up.
Before leaving, he watched Su Man’s retreating figure and belatedly realized that she was actually quite pretty.
She was dressed in a dark blue-green homespun outfit, which not only failed to make her look plain, but actually made her fair skin stand out even more. Her figure was slender and delicate. If she could wear one of those dacron dresses like the girls from the compound, she would probably look stunning.
Thinking this to himself, Gu Cheng turned and headed to a nearby gold shop.
“Third Brother.”
He called out to the people inside, then walked in excitedly, his face full of enthusiasm. “You have no idea what happened to me today. Just now, I…”
The moment Gu Cheng saw them, he began gesturing animatedly as he recounted what had just happened.
Standing in front of him was a young man in his early twenties. His crisp white shirt was tucked neatly into the waistband of his military trousers, and his tall, straight figure resembled a white poplar. His sharply defined brows and eyes carried a hint of sternness.
After listening to Gu Cheng’s account, he frowned slightly.
“When are you going to change that impulsive nature of yours? If you’d mistakenly arrested that girl today, could you have taken responsibility for the consequences?”
Gu Cheng immediately sobered, lowering his head and admitting his mistake obediently. “Third Brother, I was wrong this time.”
Sheng Xiao said nothing more. His gaze swept over the various pieces of gold jewelry displayed before him.
Gu Cheng followed his gaze and grinned. “How many grams of gold are you planning to buy for Sister-in-law today? Back then, the brothers and I even made a bet. We all said you’d be the last one to get married. Who would’ve thought every single one of us would be wrong?”
As he continued talking, the subject somehow circled back to Su Man.
“Third Brother, you didn’t see how impressive that girl was today. She managed to stop a child trafficker even in such a dangerous situation. What do you think—how about I make her my wife someday? The old man would definitely be thrilled!”
Gu Cheng excitedly began imagining the possibilities.