At the doorway of the hospital ward stood a simple-looking, lame man.
The cuffs of his sleeves were worn shiny from use as he craned his neck to peek inside.
Chen Fengying shot him a look, and the limping man hobbled after her.
When they reached the stairwell landing, Chen Fengying lowered her voice.
“Zhao the Lame, did you get the train tickets?”
“Couldn’t.”
Out of habit, Zhao the Lame tapped the bowl of his tobacco pipe.
Remembering he couldn’t smoke in the hospital, he stuffed the tobacco back into his pocket.
He wiped his patched jacket with his hand and said, “A female educated youth ran away two days ago. The Revolutionary Committee has people staking out the train station. The inspections are strict.”
If they ran into those people and got questioned, it would be easy for their story to fall apart.
Chen Fengying grew anxious.
“Then what do we do?”
The two of them had come out together to scout for targets.
By chance, they ran into Qin Man, who had come to the provincial capital to visit relatives. Seeing the young woman—beautiful, with a full figure, a slender waist, and long legs—Chen Fengying immediately saw an opportunity.
“We already took the Ma family’s two hundred yuan. We promised to deliver her within seven days.”
The longer they delayed, the greater the chance of something going wrong. If Qin Man tried to escape again, she’d be much harder to control.
Fortunately, the girl was inexperienced and looked soft-hearted.
By spinning a convincing story, Chen Fengying had temporarily fooled the hospital staff.
Leaving for a little while wasn’t a problem—the hospital workers would unknowingly keep an eye on Qin Man for her.
“That damn girl actually wants pork dumplings. Why doesn’t she just choke to death?”
Chen Fengying cursed under her breath, then snorted at the thought of the money they were about to receive.
Zhao the Lame rolled up his sleeve, revealing a small glass bottle.
He motioned for Chen Fengying to come closer and whispered so only the two of them could hear.
“If she wants to eat, let her eat. Even death row inmates get one last good meal.”
“Buy the dumplings and mix this whole bottle into them.”
He slipped the bottle into Chen Fengying’s hand.
She squeezed it and smiled.
“You’re something else. Where’d you get this?”
“I gave the girl watching the storage room a meat bun. While she was busy eating, I swiped it.”
Zhao the Lame grinned lewdly, exposing a mouthful of yellowed teeth.
After a pause, he added, “Once the girl’s unconscious, we’ll carry her onto the ox cart.”
The cart had already been lined with straw and covered with quilts.
“Then we’ll tie up her hands and feet.”
Once she was tied up, she wouldn’t be able to struggle, making her much easier to guard.
Traveling by ox cart would be slower, but in five or six days they’d arrive no matter what.
Noticing Chen Fengying’s puzzled expression, Zhao the Lame pulled out a sheet of paper.
“Know what this is?”
“What does it say?”
Chen Fengying was illiterate and couldn’t read.
“Looks like one of those hospital certificates.”
“Acute meningitis with epilepsy.”
Zhao the Lame couldn’t read either. He had paid someone to forge it.
With this medical certificate, even if they ran into the Revolutionary Committee, they would have a plausible explanation.
Highly satisfied, Chen Fengying praised him.
“You really thought of everything. This time, you’ll get the bigger share.”
After finalizing their plan, Chen Fengying returned to the ward an hour later carrying a container of pork dumplings.
Qin Man lay on the iron-framed bed with her eyes closed, pretending to rest.
The old woman in the neighboring bed was still irritated after Qin Man had put her in her place earlier.
The moment she saw Chen Fengying, she sneered,
“Little sister, families of city officials only marry people of equal status. They’ll never look twice at your daughter.”
Chen Fengying rubbed her hands together and lowered her head in apparent shame.
Qin Man immediately fired back.
“If they won’t look at me, you think they’ll look at you?”
“You…”
The old woman huffed angrily.
After witnessing Qin Man’s temper earlier, she didn’t dare provoke her further.
Before turning away, however, her eyes lingered on the enamel mug full of pork dumplings, and she visibly swallowed.
Chen Fengying borrowed a small table, set it up, and said,
“Daughter, I bought them for you. Eat them while they’re hot.”
“You eat first, Mom.”
Qin Man deliberately pushed the chopsticks toward Chen Fengying.
Startled, Chen Fengying hurriedly stepped back.
“I’ve already eaten. I’m not hungry.”
“If you don’t eat, then I won’t either.”
Qin Man tossed the chopsticks aside, sneering inwardly.
After the original Qin Man had caused a scene, the traffickers had become much more cautious.
The pork dumplings they had gone through so much trouble to buy had been drugged.
She knew because the medical storage space that had belonged to her in her previous life had followed her after transmigration.
The traffickers had mixed chloral hydrate solution into the dumplings.
It was a commonly used sedative in the 1970s.
Later, because of its significant side effects and poor safety profile, it was gradually replaced by newer drugs.
Chloral hydrate had a faint irritating odor, and Qin Man had noticed it the moment she smelled the dumplings.
Apparently, after the original Qin Man’s earlier outburst, the traffickers had changed their tactics.
As the “mother and daughter” remained locked in a standoff over the plate of dumplings, the old woman in the neighboring bed turned around again.
“Little sister, not that it’s my place to say, but you’ve spoiled your daughter rotten by denying yourself everything.”
“Mom, go ahead and eat.”
Qin Man was still trying to think of a way out.
If she exposed them now, the traffickers might become desperate.
Chen Fengying picked up the enamel mug and used her chopsticks to take the dumpling nearest the edge.
She had only just mixed in the drug, so the dumplings on the edge had absorbed the least.
She only needed to eat one. She could spit it out as soon as she left the room. It shouldn’t be a problem.
Alarm bells were ringing in Chen Fengying’s mind.
Zhao the Lame had been right. This damn girl was becoming difficult to deal with.
After swallowing a single dumpling, Chen Fengying refused to eat another.
She pushed the enamel mug back toward Qin Man and sighed.
“Daughter, I only managed to trade for enough meat coupons for two ounces of pork. If you want pork dumplings again next meal, there won’t be any.”
This time, Qin Man had no excuse left.
Just as she picked up her chopsticks, there was a knock at the door.
Leading the way was Song Qingsong, the bespectacled young doctor who had visited earlier.
Beside him stood a young man wearing a black leather coat.
His sharp eyebrows swept upward toward his temples, and his deep-set eyes were bright and focused.
Chen Fengying nervously stood up, unconsciously wiping her hands on her clothes.
Song Qingsong introduced him.
“Auntie, this is Comrade Tan Zheng, the one who accidentally hit your daughter.”
Tan Zheng set a net bag containing apples, canned food, and malted milk on the small table.
Then his hand paused.
Looking at Chen Fengying, he spoke in a deep voice, deliberately slowing his words.
“Auntie, I’m truly sorry. It was my careless driving.”
“N-No, Comrade Tan. My daughter ran into the road…”
Facing Tan Zheng, Chen Fengying was terrified.
The reason she wanted to leave as soon as possible was because she feared running into him again.
After all, anyone driving a military jeep outside the military compound was certainly no ordinary citizen.
Tan Zheng frowned slightly and said earnestly,
“No matter what, the responsibility is mine. Comrade Qin Man should focus on recovering. I’ll cover all of her medical expenses, and if there’s anything else you need afterward, just let me know.”
The previous day, he had just driven out of the military compound when Qin Man suddenly darted into the road.
Although he had slammed on the brakes immediately, she had still been knocked unconscious.
At the time, he had an urgent assignment, so he entrusted his childhood friend, Song Qingsong from the Provincial Hospital, to take care of things.
Only half an hour earlier had Tan Zheng returned from a neighboring city.
He had stopped by the supply cooperative and casually bought a few gifts before coming to the hospital.
Song Qingsong had told him that Qin Man wanted to marry into one of the military compound families.
This staged accident had been aimed specifically at Tan Zheng.
The only one he pitied was her mother, who had been apologizing to everyone on her daughter’s behalf.
Adjusting his glasses, Song Qingsong joked, but at the same time worried that Qin Man might cling to Tan Zheng.
“You’ve visited her already. Time to head back.”
“No!”
Qin Man grabbed the enamel mug and smashed it onto the floor.
Pork dumplings scattered everywhere.