The train started moving again, leaving the station farther and farther behind. The figures on the platform gradually blurred until they disappeared from view.
The aisle inside the carriage was still crowded, but after the recent capture of the trafficker, the atmosphere had noticeably calmed. Parents holding children tightened their grip on their little ones, keeping a wary eye on strangers nearby.
Wen Yining held her daughter and started heading toward the direction where the crying mother had gone to find the train staff. She could feel several pairs of eyes on her, scrutinizing her every move, guarding against her becoming the next trafficker.
She understood—before the trafficker was caught, his face gave no hint of the evil he carried. Blending into the crowd, he looked like any ordinary person.
Passing the restroom, Wen Yining knocked on the door. “Yao Yao, come out!”
The door swung open immediately, and Yao Yao stepped out, her face scrunched up.
“It’s so stinky, Mom! If you hadn’t come to knock, I’d have fainted from the smell!”
Yao Yao was an obedient child. When Wen Yining had told her to stay inside, she had stood there patiently, just as she was told.
Technically, Yao Yao hadn’t been in the restroom for very long, but the smell was overwhelming. Standing there even briefly, she felt as if it had permeated her entirely. Even at the Cheng family home, going to the public restroom had never been this foul.
When Yao Yao came out, she hesitated to hold her mother’s hand, worried that the lingering stench on her body might transfer.
“Yao Yao, you walk in front. Mom will follow behind,” Wen Yining said, adjusting the child in her arms, not freeing her hand to hold Yao Yao’s.
Yao Yao froze, staring at the little boy now in her mother’s arms. “Mom, when did you have another baby?”
Before she went to the restroom, her mother’s arms had been empty. How did she come back holding a little brother?
Yao Yao remembered how slowly children grew up in the alley—babies would only start walking and talking after a year. But her mother was amazing; this little brother seemed to have grown up instantly.
Standing on tiptoe, Yao Yao peeked at the child. She would finally have a brother and no longer be scolded as a barren, useless hen.
Seeing Yao Yao’s hopeful expression, Wen Yining smiled wryly. “You really like having a little brother, huh?”
Yao Yao nodded sincerely. “Yes. Then Mom and I won’t be scolded anymore.”
“Even without a brother, no one would scold us,” Wen Yining replied with a teasing smile. In her life, no one except herself would be her true support.
Especially men—husbands or sons—could bring chaos rather than security.
Yao Yao tugged at her mother’s clothing, touching the little leg sticking out from her arms. “But Grandpa and Grandma said if you can’t have a son, the family line ends. Only by having a son will people respect you.”
Wen Yining’s lips curved in a faint smile. She knew Yao Yao was repeating the common view of most people at the time. Even in later eras, many still believed that only sons could ensure a family’s future.
“But most people’s opinions don’t define me,” Wen Yining said softly. “Mommy will tell you: from a genetics perspective, it’s the daughters who carry on the family’s bloodline.”
Yao Yao tilted her head, confused. “Mom, what’s genetics?”
“It’s a bit complicated,” Wen Yining said gently. “You just need to know that being a girl doesn’t make you any less than any boy.”
She didn’t lecture the child with dry technicalities. She simply squeezed Yao Yao’s small hand. “As for this little boy, don’t worry about him. He belongs to another family—he was almost abducted, and I just happened to save him. Soon his mother will come to take him back.”
Yao Yao didn’t show any disappointment at the thought of losing the little brother. Instead, her eyes filled with admiration for her mother.
“Mom, you’re amazing!” she exclaimed. At that moment, Wen Yining in Yao Yao’s eyes was an invincible hero. “Did you go save the child while making me stay hidden?”
“You’re very smart, Yao Yao,” Wen Yining said with a smile. “Remember this: your safety always comes first. Just like earlier, when I went to rescue that child, I had to ensure you were safe first. People must learn to love themselves before loving others.”
Wen Yining carried them down almost the entire carriage without finding the train staff or the child’s mother. She decided not to continue searching and returned to the carriage where they had been before.
After a short wait, the crying mother, led by the train attendant, finally arrived.
Seeing her child safe in Wen Yining’s arms, the woman hurried forward, crying and thanking her. “Thank you so much, young lady! Thank you for saving my child!”
As if mere words weren’t enough, she almost knelt in gratitude. If her child had been taken, she wouldn’t have survived. Wen Yining had saved her life—one kowtow wouldn’t be enough to repay her.
Wen Yining gently blocked Yao Yao behind her and steadied the woman. “No, no, don’t do that. What matters is that your child is safe. Since I encountered the situation, I couldn’t just stand by. If we hadn’t acted, it would have been the same as condoning the trafficker.”
The woman held her child in one arm and clutched Wen Yining’s hand with the other. “Comrade, you’re such a good comrade. I don’t even know what to say.”
Wen Yining smiled and helped the woman steady herself. “I wasn’t the only one who helped. A young man also intervened. He caught the trafficker when he tried to escape onto the platform. When you arrive at your station, you can check with the staff or the police to find out his unit and name, and write him a thank-you letter.”
The woman sniffled, voice choked. “Of course I will! I came with my child to visit my husband in the army. If my child had been abducted, I wouldn’t have faced anyone. I might as well have jumped off the train myself!”
“No, don’t think like that. The child is so young. How miserable it would be without a mother,” Wen Yining comforted her. “The child is fine—just knocked out by the trafficker. Wipe his face, and he’ll wake up soon.”
The woman grabbed Wen Yining’s hand, tears brimming again. “I really can’t thank you enough, miss.”
Wen Yining patted her hand gently. “Perhaps it was fate that brought us together. I’m also visiting family.”
She turned to Yao Yao, letting her greet the woman.
Yao Yao timidly held her mother’s hand. “Hello, Auntie!”
“Hello, hello,” Li Xia said, patting Yao Yao’s cheek. “I can’t believe your child is so grown! You’re here visiting too? How wonderful—we can be companions for the journey.”
Li Xia asked about Wen Yining and Yao Yao’s seats. Hearing they were stuck in the crowded hard-seats, she asked the train staff to upgrade them to a sleeper.
Wen Yining had little luggage. After paying the fare difference, she followed Li Xia to the sleeper carriage with Yao Yao.
During conversation, Wen Yining learned that Li Xia was a military wife. Her husband had just been promoted to company commander. He hadn’t been home on leave for two years, so she had brought their child to visit.
“When we arrive at the station, Wen sister, you’ll come with me,” Li Xia said, holding her child tightly. “I can’t let go for even a moment. My husband will meet us, and you’re traveling alone with a child—it’s not safe. Our destinations are the same, and we need to thank you properly anyway.”
Wen Yining nodded politely. “Thank you, sister.”
Li Xia playfully scolded her. “What are you being polite for?”
The next stop was the southern border. When the train arrived, Li Xia, holding her child, led the way, with Wen Yining and Yao Yao following behind out of the station.