“Hey! What are you doing? Why are you snatching my grandson? Give my grandson back!”
Before the old woman could finish screaming, Li Luoyu kicked her over and pinned her to the ground, stepping on her back while holding the child. “Drop the act about family affection, you human trafficker!”
On the other side, the leading soldier had already finished dealing with things. He was also holding a child, while two soldiers behind him had the burly man and the woman in the red floral shirt handcuffed behind their backs. They’d even searched them—the man’s gun had been confiscated.
“Aiyo! Murder! Murder!”
Unable to get up, the old woman caught sight of her companions being subdued. Her heart went cold. She flopped on the ground like a toad, wailing loudly as her headscarf came loose. “Is there no justice left? You shameless girl! Snatching an old woman’s grandson in broad daylight! Don’t think that just because you’re a martyr’s child you can do whatever you want! Ahhh! Give my grandson back!”
No matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t figure out how she’d been exposed. Everything had gone smoothly before. Now all she could do was roll around and cause a scene, hoping to muddle through and grasp a slim chance at survival.
Li Luoyu didn’t like listening to her foul language. With a kick, she dislocated the woman’s jaw. “Shut up. Such a fair, plump little boy—how could he possibly be your grandson, you ugly old hag?”
She even removed the cloth wrapped around the little boy’s head and openly showed him to everyone, making sure they got a clear look.
The crowd: We’re confused, okay? We were still watching those people apologize, and suddenly you knocked this old woman down and called her a trafficker? How were we supposed to know?
A bold middle-aged woman leaned in to take a look at the boy in Li Luoyu’s arms, then flipped the old woman over to compare their faces carefully. Nodding, she said, “The young lady’s right. That little boy is fair and chubby, while this old woman’s got slanted eyes and a sharp face—she looks mean and nasty. No way they’re related.”
“Yeah, yeah. I already felt something was off about her when she got on the train—sneaky-looking. Said the kid had a cold and couldn’t be exposed to wind, so she wrapped him up tight.”
“Now that you mention it, it clicks. My granddaughter’s two, about the same age. What kind of grandmother wraps her own grandson up like a dumpling?”
“Exactly! Look at all this noise and the kid’s still sleeping like a log. Could he have been drugged with sleeping pills?”
The crowd chimed in one after another, completely ignoring the old woman’s despair. With her jaw dislocated, she could only make “heh heh” sounds, drool pooling on the ground—utterly disgusting.
Li Luoyu lifted her chin and nudged the old woman with her foot. “She’s all yours.”
The remaining two soldiers stepped forward and, in a few swift moves, hauled the old woman up like a chicken and cuffed her, bringing her over to join her accomplices.
The leading soldier’s eyes flashed with approval. “Nice moves. Interested in joining the army?”
Li Luoyu: Am I really that popular? In just this short time, two jobs have already been offered to me.
She stepped forward, handed the child in her arms to him, and smiled as she shook her head. “No thanks. I’m heading to the countryside to take care of my grandfather.”
The man sighed almost imperceptibly. He’d heard about the Li family being sent down, but hadn’t expected to run into the grandfather and granddaughter here. His own grandfather had tried hard to help with the matter—he’d smashed several teacups in frustration in his study—but Beijing was the center of power, and they were too far away in the southwest to make a real difference.
Looking down at the two sleeping children in his arms, he realized that the child Li Luoyu had saved was actually their brigade commander’s grandson. A bit helpless, he thought: I don’t even know how to take care of kids… Still, the mission was complete.
Only then did he turn to greet the elderly man in the corner. “Grandpa Li, are you well?”
Grandpa Li finally got a clear look at him. “Oh, you’re the second boy of the Huo family—Huo Jin, right? What are you doing here?”
Huo Jin straightened his back and gently rocked the swaddled babies, though the way he held them looked rather awkward. “Our brigade commander’s grandson was taken by criminals. I was assigned at the last minute to track them down here.”
Grandpa Li looked at his stiff posture and suddenly laughed. “That girl Luoluo—she’s been like a little leopard since she was young. This time she helped by sheer coincidence.”
Huo Jin tilted his head to glance at the bold, unrestrained girl beside the old man and teased with a grin, “That little girl who used to chase after me calling ‘big brother’ has finally grown up.”
Li Luoyu shot him a glare and said nothing. That was the original owner, not me. I’m not taking the blame.
Grandpa Li waved his hand. “Isn’t that so? She’s stubborn as can be. By the way, thank your grandfather for our family’s matter. Tell him not to waste any more effort—and to be careful of the people around him.”
A cold glint flashed through Huo Jin’s eyes. “Understood!”
Li Luoyu added, “The kids have ingested a large amount of sleeping pills. You’d better take them to a hospital as soon as possible. Also, that old woman isn’t simple.”
When she withdrew her mental power earlier, she’d planted a psychological suggestion in the old woman’s mind. Their interrogation should go much more smoothly—maybe they could even follow the trail and catch the big fish behind this. That would be quite a significant achievement.
Huo Jin nodded in understanding, flashing a roguish grin. “Xiao Li, I’ll put in a commendation for you when I get back—just wait!”
Li Luoyu replied, “Sure. As long as it comes with money.” It might have been a small effort, but turning down cash would be foolish.
Huo Jin’s mouth twitched. Military merit is more useful than a bonus, isn’t it? Still, he agreed and turned to leave, stiffly carrying the children.
As soon as Huo Jin left, the oppressive atmosphere in the carriage vanished. The passengers stretched their stiff shoulders, gathering in small groups and whispering among themselves as the usual train noise returned.
“Whoa, that scared me to death. I didn’t expect human traffickers to be so close—I was even smiling and asking if the kid wanted water.”
“Exactly! Gave me a fright too. These traffickers are really despicable.”
“Yeah, especially that woman in red—she smiled like a flower. I even greeted her.”
“That young lady isn’t simple. Took down the old woman in just a couple of moves—so cool!”
“Looks really can be deceiving. From now on, we’ve got to stay alert and not get fooled by these criminals.”
The chatterboxes also came over to apologize to the elders. “We’re really sorry—we were just being jealous, didn’t mean any harm. Please forgive us.”
Grandpa Li waved his hand, indicating it was nothing.
The male educated youth finally mustered his courage, blushing as he solemnly apologized to the elders before leaving as well.
Li Luoyu clasped her hands behind her back, adopting an air of authority as she commented, “Mm, recognizing your mistakes and correcting them is the greatest virtue. Young man, in the future you must live uprightly and act with integrity—only then can you walk a broad and open path.”
The old men: “……”
This girl… she really knows how to put on an act.