Wen Yining stared after the woman carrying the child, lost in thought. That woman didn’t look like a medical professional.
Then where did she get ether from?
Ether, in this era, was primarily used as an anesthetic. It wasn’t until the 1980s that hospitals gradually started replacing ether with other anesthetics. Later, ether became a classic example of controlled substances.
When it came to drugs that could affect the mind, Wen Yining wasn’t sure how strict regulations were in this era—but she was certain that ether wasn’t something ordinary people could obtain.
Who in their right mind would carry ether while traveling, let alone a woman with a child?
Wen Yining suspected the woman was a human trafficker.
Sure enough, shortly after the woman left, another flustered woman stumbled through the crowd, asking everyone if they had seen a little boy.
The woman didn’t know how many people she had asked, but the answer was always the same: no one had seen him.
Her tense nerves snapped; fear and despair over her missing child consumed her.
Her knees wobbled, and she nearly collapsed in front of the people around her.
A middle-aged man standing nearby was startled and reached out to steady her. “Hey, miss, what are you doing?”
The woman clutched the man’s arm and sobbed uncontrollably. “Please help me! My son is missing! I… I ran into traffickers! They’ve taken my son!”
The man looked troubled. “I… I can’t really help you. You need to find a conductor—they’ll help you look!”
People in this era were generally kind-hearted. Seeing the woman panic and hearing about the traffickers who had abducted her son, others quickly offered advice.
“Yes! The next station is coming up. If you don’t find the conductor now, the traffickers could get off with your son, and it’ll be even harder to find him!”
“Everyone with children, hold them tight! Don’t give the traffickers a chance!”
“Keep an eye on each other—check if anyone got on without a child but has one when they get off!”
“Those despicable traffickers! Stealing someone’s child—it ruins a whole family!”
“Find the conductor, alert the railway police!”
The woman’s voice was hoarse from crying. “Thank you all for helping… I…”
“Miss, stop crying for now,” a woman nearby pulled her up gently. “Find your child first. You need to stay strong—you can’t rely on us strangers to find him for you!”
The woman sniffled and, holding back tears, went to find a conductor.
Wen Yining tilted her head, watching this scene. She hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to provide information to the conductor, but the train was already slowing down.
As the train approached the station, Wen Yining was about to walk toward the conductor and the woman when a man carrying luggage brushed past her, intending to get off once the train stopped.
The luggage brushed against her chest. If the man had actually noticed her, Wen Yining might have suspected foul play.
Although she knew it was accidental, in the narrow train aisle some accidental contact was inevitable. Still, she instinctively blocked the luggage with her hand—nobody liked being repeatedly bumped in the chest by someone else’s bag.
Because of that small block, the loosely tied side of the luggage opened, revealing a tiny shoe.
The shoe dangled from a small foot, swaying with the man’s stride.
Wen Yining’s gaze fixed on the little shoe. She studied it carefully.
If she wasn’t mistaken, this shoe was identical to the one worn by the child the ether-carrying woman had held.
If it were a commercially sold shoe, she couldn’t be sure—anyone could buy one.
But in this era of material scarcity, most clothes and shoes were handmade.
She could not have mistaken this tiny tiger-patterned shoe.
She had already suspected the woman with ether was a trafficker. Now, this man carrying a child was likely her accomplice.
Human traffickers didn’t operate alone. They had collaborators: one would abduct the child, another would carry the child off the train, and finally, they’d sell the child to a buyer.
Wen Yining knocked lightly on the toilet door. Hearing Yao Yao’s reply, she spoke through the wood, holding back the stench: “Lock the door. I’ll be back for you soon. Don’t open it for anyone, no matter who knocks.”
She had to secure her own child before rescuing another.
Yao Yao wanted to protest, but she nodded bravely. “Okay, Mom. I’ll wait here.”
Wen Yining pushed the door to confirm it was secure, then seized her chance to approach the man carrying the child.
The aisle was crowded, but Wen Yining skillfully maneuvered through and positioned herself in front of him.
When he wasn’t paying attention, she suddenly tripped him with her foot.
Caught off guard, the man stumbled, and the inertia caused the child in his arms to slip from his grasp.
Wen Yining shouted, reaching for the “object,” pretending nonchalance: “Oh, sorry!”
“Eh?” She pretended to just realize she had caught a child, shaking him lightly. “Are you okay? Did you fall?”
The child, knocked out by ether, wasn’t going to wake up so easily—he hung limp like a ragdoll.
“What’s wrong with this kid?” Wen Yining asked nervously, glaring at the man. “This isn’t my problem!”
The man cursed as he scrambled up. “Mind your own business! Give me my kid back!”
Wen Yining checked the child’s forehead and pried his eyelids open. She frowned. “This kid doesn’t look sick… he seems unconscious. I studied medicine for years—I can help.”
The man reached for the child. “Thanks, but he’s just sleeping! Don’t worry about him!”
Wen Yining stepped back, holding the child and examining his tiny foot. “Your kid? That can’t be right. A woman just said her son was taken, and he was wearing these tiny tiger shoes!”
The man glared at her and reached for the child. “That’s my wife! She’s crazy! She always says her kid’s missing! Don’t believe her!”
Wen Yining still refused to hand over the child. “You brought the child off the train without your crazy wife? You’re a trafficker, aren’t you? Trying to abduct children and lie about it?”
Her voice carried, and several people in the aisle heard the words “child trafficker.” The crowd closed in around the man.
He didn’t want a scene. With so many witnesses, he couldn’t forcibly take the child. He glared at Wen Yining. “Your wife’s crazy, and now you are too! I’ll beat you!”
Raising his hand toward her face, he intended to strike.
Wen Yining, anticipating the threat, discreetly held a surgical blade between her fingers. Before he could hit her, her hand intercepted his raised arm.