The conductor wiped the floor thoroughly, and Lu Jiansen quietly removed the soiled berth sheets to swap them for fresh ones.
While Lu Jiansen went to fill their thermos with hot water, Gu Xiaoxi carried the used linens down the hallway. Taking advantage of a brief passage through a dark train tunnel, she swept the dirty linens into her [Used Goods Storage], retrieving a fresh, crisp set of bedding and earning another Merit Point in the process.
Returning to her berth, she tested combining her [Trash Sweep] and [Trash Sorting] skills, watching with satisfaction as stray dust particles automatically swept into the corner waste receptacle.
Just then, the mother from earlier began weeping softly as she searched her bags. “My money… my travel money is gone!”
She had kept twenty yuan tucked in her coat pocket for her child’s medical expenses, which had vanished while she was preoccupied with her son’s fever.
Xiao Ye remarked coldly from her berth, “That girl across from you eats meat every meal—why don’t you ask her to give you some travel cash?”
Gu Xiaoxi looked up, her gaze cool. “You took three jiao from a distressed mother whose child is ill. If you’re so concerned about virtue, why don’t you return her money and add three jiao of your own? I’ll gladly match it.”
Xiao Ye choked on her words. “Why should I?!”
“Because you talk too much and care too little,” Gu Xiaoxi replied indifferently.
When Lu Jiansen returned with the thermos and learned of the missing money, he immediately alerted the railway security officers. Within half an hour, the security team located the pickpocket in another car and recovered the mother’s twenty yuan.
Overjoyed, the mother presented Gu Xiaoxi and Lu Jiansen with a large bag of homemade dried sweet potatoes as thanks. Gu Xiaoxi accepted graciously, handing two boiled eggs to the young boy in return to boost his strength.
As evening approached, a young woman wearing a crisp military uniform boarded the train at the next junction, taking a berth nearby.
Gu Xiaoxi froze the moment she saw the woman’s face.
In her past life, she had seen a photograph of this very woman tucked inside her brother’s wallet while going through his belongings after he sacrificed his life on duty.
Could this be her brother’s secret sweetheart?!
Noticing Gu Xiaoxi’s intense gaze, the young officer smiled gently. “Is there something on my face?”
Gu Xiaoxi smiled warmly, extending her hand. “You look remarkably familiar! My name is Gu Xiaoxi, nineteen years old.”
The officer returned the handshake warmly. “I’m Ding Lanyi, twenty-one. You can call me Sister Ding.”
From the upper berth, Xiao Ye peeked down, recognizing the name instantly. “Ding Lanyi? Is your elder sister named Ding Lanjing?”
Ding Lanyi looked up in surprise. “Yes, she is. How do you know her?”
Xiao Ye clapped her hands. “Second Brother, look! It’s our sister-in-law’s younger sister!”
Xiao Lin looked down from his berth, waving politely. “What a small world!”
It turned out Xiao Ye’s eldest brother was also a military battalion commander stationed at the same northern base. Ding Lanyi and Xiao Ye were both traveling north to visit Ding Lanjing, who had recently given birth.