Chapter 624 | Chapter 625 | Chapter 626
Chapter 624: Impudent Human Traffickers
Sheng Wanyan swept her gaze over the scene and noticed the elderly lady following closely behind, weeping non-stop. Sheng Wanyan slowed her steps by a few paces, waiting for her to catch up.
“Excuse me, Grandma. Is your grandson wearing socks with a red tiger pattern?”
Hearing her words, the elderly lady instantly grabbed her hand in excitement. “Have you seen my grandson?”
The elderly lady’s exclamation alerted the public security officers. An officer walked over to question her.
“You’ve seen him?”
“Earlier at the dining area, I saw this elderly lady dining with her grandson.”
Sheng Wanyan had indeed seen them, but it was before the child went missing, not after.
Hearing this, the elderly lady instantly burst into tears again, her hope completely shattered.
“Ma’am, before your grandson went missing, was he wearing socks with a red tiger pattern?”
“Yes… sob, sob… those are my grandson’s favorite socks.”
Sheng Wanyan’s suspicions were confirmed upon hearing her words. She fixed her gaze on a thin, gaunt woman standing at the very back of the crowd.
“Then take a look. Is that sock sticking out of that lady’s pocket your grandson’s?”
Sheng Wanyan’s words caused the elderly lady’s eyes to widen instantly as she looked over. The woman standing at the back felt her heart thud heavily upon hearing Sheng Wanyan’s remark.
She hadn’t expected this woman to have such sharp eyes. Before she even had the chance to hide the sock properly, the public security officers had arrived.
Left with no choice, she had hurriedly stuffed it into her pocket and followed the officers during the search so as not to arouse anyone’s suspicion.
But as she walked, a corner of the sock had somehow slipped out of her pocket and ended up being spotted by this woman!
The thin woman tried to run, but the public security officers were no amateurs and immediately lunged forward to apprehend her.
“Speak! Where is the child?”
“What child? I don’t know anything!”
The woman refused to confess. An officer pulled the sock out of her pocket. When the elderly lady saw it, her eyes turned bloodshot as she stared fixedly at it.
“It is… it’s my grandson’s.”
“I made those socks with my own hands. There’s no mistaking it!”
Hearing the elderly lady’s words, the human trafficker’s face instantly turned pale. She knew she couldn’t escape this time.
“I just picked it up… I didn’t steal your grandson.”
The trafficker refused to admit it. In any case, no one knew she was the one who stole the child. The sock was just something she picked up on the train. Who wouldn’t pick up such a high-quality sock?
“You’re lying! Give my grandson back to me!”
The elderly lady trembled all over with rage. Even as she wept, she carried an air of refined elegance. She wanted to strike the trafficker before her, but she had long since drained all her physical strength.
“Yes, you are lying.”
Sheng Wanyan stepped forward to support the elderly lady, looking at the woman held by the public security officer, her words exceptionally firm and impactful.
“You’re talking nonsense! I’m not lying, I really just picked it up.”
Sheng Wanyan smiled upon hearing her words. “Are you certain?”
“Absolutely!”
The human trafficker forced herself to look back at Sheng Wanyan, instinctively sensing that this woman before her was no easy target.
“Then where did you pick it up? Which train car was it?”
“I… I, I… I just picked it up over by the open carriage section.”
Sheng Wanyan nodded at her response, turned around, and asked the elderly lady beside her, “Excuse me, which train car were you and your grandson staying in?”
“We are in a private compartment near the front of the train…”
“Did you ever take your grandson to the rear of the train?”
“No. We only stayed in the compartment or ate at the dining area.”
She had been extremely cautious. Aside from those two locations and the restroom, she hadn’t let her grandson wander aimlessly around the train at all.
“Since the sock was picked up at the rear of the train, doesn’t that prove the child is right here?”
The moment Sheng Wanyan spoke those words, the trafficker’s legs instantly went weak.
“It wasn’t me…”
The woman shook all over, refusing to admit she was the one who stole the child even if it killed her. Sheng Wanyan didn’t look anxious either.
“No one said it was you. This is merely a deduction.”
“Furthermore, wouldn’t we know the truth just by searching to see who has the other sock on them?”
The woman panicked instantly upon hearing her words. Seeing this, how could the public security officers not understand what was going on? They immediately initiated a search.
Everyone in the vicinity was searched, and in the end, it was found on the middle-aged man Sheng Wanyan had noticed at the very beginning.
“What is this?”
“Speak!”
An officer delivered a swift kick directly to the man’s knee. The middle-aged man dropped to his knees instantly, his forehead dripping with sweat, yet he remained stubbornly silent.
“Where is the child?”
“Not here.”
Seeing that he refused to confess, the officers began searching his berth. They searched the entire area but truly couldn’t find the child.
The middle-aged man and the woman both let out a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, Sheng Wanyan looked toward a large canvas sack sitting at the foot of the berth directly opposite the man’s.
Sheng Wanyan’s heart thudded. She stepped forward quickly and threw open the large canvas sack. When the man and the woman saw this, they instantly tried to stop her like crazed lunatics.
“Don’t move!!!”
Sheng Wanyan opened it up, only to see a fair and chubby little boy lying inside. However, because he had been stuffed inside the canvas sack, his breathing had been restricted, and his face was somewhat cyanotic.
Seeing that it was her grandson, the elderly lady rushed forward frantically. When she saw her grandson’s deathly pale face, she nearly fainted on the spot.
“Xu’er!!!”
The elderly lady hurriedly pulled her grandson out. Seeing this, the public security officers immediately stepped forward to inspect. Now that the evidence was ironclad, the human traffickers had nothing left to say.
“The child is going into shock.”
“Press hard on the child’s philtrum. I’m going to fetch my needles.”
The elderly lady was already at a complete loss. She only registered Sheng Wanyan’s instructions and instinctively did as she was told.
Sheng Wanyan returned to her compartment, retrieved her silver needles from her bag, and hurried back to the rear car, where she immediately began administering acupuncture to the child.
“This… do you know medicine?”
The officer felt somewhat anxious. After all, he was terrified that Sheng Wanyan was just desperately trying anything out of panic, which might end up causing the child’s death…
“I know a bit of the basics.”
Hearing this, the officer still couldn’t put his mind at ease. He hurriedly bellowed down the corridor, asking if there were any doctors on the train who could come save the child.
As it turned out, an old professor of traditional Chinese medicine from the Shanghai Medical College happened to be on board. Having some free time during the summer vacation, he was traveling to Shenzhen to visit his children when he ran right into this incident.
“I am a professor of traditional Chinese medicine at the Shanghai Medical College.”
“Where is the child?”
“Right this way, right this way!”
The officer hurriedly led him over. By the time the old professor arrived, Sheng Wanyan had already perfectly inserted the needles into the child’s head.
“Why have you already inserted needles!!!”
The officer’s heart nearly stopped at the sight. If something went wrong with the child because of her acupuncture, what would they do then!
The old professor hurried forward. When he saw the placement of her needles, he let out a sigh of relief in his heart.
Taking a closer look at her needle extraction movements and technique, he immediately had a clear assessment in his mind. He used his hand to block the officer who was about to step forward to stop her.
“She knows medicine.”
The moment the old professor spoke, the officer who had just been complaining about Sheng Wanyan instantly felt rather embarrassed.
Such a young girl… actually knew medicine!
Sheng Wanyan extracted the needles one by one and placed them back into her needle pouch. Holding her grandson, the elderly lady wanted to ask questions but couldn’t bring herself to speak.
After all, if it weren’t for this young woman before her, her grandson would likely be facing an ill-fated end.
“He will wake up in five minutes.”
Without waiting for her to ask, Sheng Wanyan provided the exact answer the lady wanted to know.
Hearing this, the elderly lady let out a massive sigh of relief. Sheng Wanyan cast a glance at the child in her arms.
“Ma’am, does the child suffer from an underlying illness?”
Chapter 625: Grandma Shen and Shen Xu
Hearing her words, the elderly lady’s eyes instantly widened as she stared at her. Upon hearing this, the old professor immediately stepped forward to feel the child’s pulse.
“It’s congenital asthma!”
Sheng Wanyan nodded. It was indeed asthma, which was why the child had gone into shock after being trapped in the canvas sack for less than half an hour.
Hearing her words, the elderly lady dropped straight to her knees and pleaded with Sheng Wanyan, “I beg you, please save my grandson.”
Her grandson was only two years old and already suffered from asthma. Every time she watched him struggle to breathe and face the brink of death, it felt as if a knife were scraping against her heart—painful and leaving her utterly powerless.
Sheng Wanyan helped her up and glanced at the old practitioner beside them. “Ma’am, perhaps this old professor possesses far better medical skills than I do.”
“I only know a bit of the basics. When it comes to the vast and profound knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine, I am far from an expert.”
The elderly lady looked at the professor beside Sheng Wanyan. The old professor shot Sheng Wanyan a glare, thinking to himself, Why is this girl so tactless?
The old professor of traditional Chinese medicine checked the child’s pulse once more. It was always better to treat this illness as early as possible; otherwise, it would only become more difficult later on.
“The child has an underlying illness, so how could you drag him around on such a grueling journey?” the old professor remarked.
The elderly lady’s face darkened with a touch of shame. After all, she had succumbed to feudal superstition. She had gone to pray for blessings, and a Daoist priest at the temple told her that if she took her grandson back to their ancestral home to pay respects to their ancestors, the child would encounter a benefactor.
Because of this, she—a person who had never believed in feudal superstitions—had broken her own principles for the sake of her grandson, taking him back to their old home to worship their ancestors.
The old professor merely offered that single piece of gentle nagging before focusing entirely on carefully reading the child’s pulse.
“It won’t be easy to cure completely, unless you have a hundred-year-old wild ginseng and a wild lingzhi mushroom.”
Hearing the old professor’s words, the elderly lady chimed in instantly, “Please treat my grandson, old professor. Anything else can be easily arranged.”
“As a physician, healing the sick and saving lives is only my duty.”
“If you can prepare those two medicinal ingredients within a month, it can be thoroughly cured.”
The old professor’s words instantly sparked a beacon of hope in the elderly lady’s heart. With reddened eyes, she expressed her deep gratitude to them.
“Alright. I will speak to my family the moment I return. We will definitely find them.”
Her children possessed extensive networks and held a fair amount of authority in Shenzhen, so tracking down these two rare medicinal ingredients would be relatively easy for them.
Sheng Wanyan looked at the old professor, but the old professor was staring intently at her silver needles.
“These silver needles of yours are truly exceptional…”
I want them…
Sheng Wanyan smiled and closed her needle pouch. Noting the old professor’s longing gaze, she placed them right into his hands.
“A gift for you.”
“Oh, this won’t do!”
“You are a practicing physician, and I am not. They are far more useful in your hands than in mine.”
This particular set of silver needles had been soaked by Sheng Wanyan in spiritual spring water for two whole years. She had prepared several sets of silver needles, so she didn’t lack this one. Furthermore, the value this old practitioner could bring out with these silver needles was far greater than what she could achieve.
The old professor accepted them with a hearty chuckle. What a generous and bright young junior… Is she married? He has a grandson…
Just as the old professor was about to ask, he saw Sheng Wanyan turning to leave. As she walked past the human traffickers, the two of them glared at her with venomous hatred.
“Just you wait!”
“You will die a horrible death!!! We will definitely drag you down to the grave with us!”
Hearing the threats from the two traffickers, Sheng Wanyan looked down at them. Seeing this, the elderly lady hurriedly stepped forward to shield her.
“You are the ones who will die a horrible death! You vile human traffickers!”
How could their family’s savior be bullied by these traffickers!
“None of you will meet a good end! We’ll kill you sooner or later!” The middle-aged man kneeling on the floor had eyes filled with pure murderous intent.
Sheng Wanyan smiled at the sight. “I’ll be waiting.”
“However, when it comes to the charge of murdering a military spouse, I am only afraid your family won’t be able to bear the consequences.”
The moment the two human traffickers heard this, their expressions froze instantly. That single sentence was more than enough to make them chicken out completely.
Today, they had truly run straight into a hard wall! If they had known, they wouldn’t have made a move this time… How much better would it have been to endure it and wait until next time? Now, the operations they had maintained for so many years had suffered a fatal blow right here, leaving them with no hope of recovery.
“Take them down for interrogation. See how many children have been abducted and trafficked by these two.”
“Check how many children are reported missing in this city, and contact their parents.”
“Yes, sir!”
The public security officers led the criminals away. Seeing this, Sheng Wanyan also prepared to return to her own compartment. However, after the elderly lady and the old professor exchanged contact information, she followed closely behind Sheng Wanyan while carrying her grandson.
“Girl, wait a moment.”
Sheng Wanyan stopped upon hearing the voice, turning around to look at the elderly lady.
“Child, what is your name? Where are you from?”
“Once I return to Shenzhen, I will definitely have the child’s parents pay a formal visit to express their gratitude.”
“It was just a small effort, there’s no need to go to such trouble.”
Sheng Wanyan didn’t think much of it, but the elderly lady refused to let her leave just like that. This was a life-saving grace, and it ought to be repaid manifold. Her family were not ungrateful wretches who could simply forget a life-saving favor and fail to express their gratitude.
“Child, though I am an old woman, my heart isn’t blind.”
“If it weren’t for you, our family would probably have fallen apart.”
“Child, thank you truly.”
Holding the child, the elderly lady bowed deeply to her. Sheng Wanyan hurriedly supported her to bring her back up.
“Ma’am, you’re overstating it.”
“I am a mother myself, so it was impossible for me to harbor a suspicion regarding a clue and choose to conceal it.”
The elderly lady shook her head with a smile. No, not everyone would meddle in such dangerous and troublesome affairs just like Sheng Wanyan had.
“My name is Sheng Wanyan, and I reside in the Capital.”
Sheng Wanyan shared her name and place of residence. Upon hearing this, the elderly lady hurriedly asked.
“Are you headed to Shenzhen? Do you have a place to stay?”
“This old lady possesses some real estate in Shenzhen. How about you come stay at my place?”
The elderly lady was exceptionally eager, not wishing to lose touch with her just like that. A proper visit was absolutely necessary.
“I am going to Shenzhen to handle some work matters, and I will be heading back after a period of time.”
“That’s perfect then. Come stay at my place. The child hasn’t woken up yet.”
“When he wakes up, it is only right that he kowtows to thank you.”
“Child, this old lady simply wishes to repay you. Please grant me this wish.”
If she didn’t offer a return gesture, her heart would simply feel ill at ease. Furthermore, for a matter this massive, Sheng Wanyan could choose not to care, but their family absolutely had to care!
“You can just address me as Grandma Shen from now on. My eldest son is the Mayor of Shenzhen.”
Sheng Wanyan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. This truly was a piece of convenience delivered right to her doorstep…
“Grandma Shen, I am traveling with my employees to handle work in Shenzhen, so staying at your residence would be rather inconvenient.”
“It would be much more convenient for my employees and me to stay at a guest house.”
Seeing the anxious look that flashed across Grandma Shen’s face, Sheng Wanyan continued.
“How about this… I will leave my contact information with you, and once I finish managing my work, I will pay a formal visit to your residence.”
There was no logic in having an elder visit her, especially when this elder was the mother of the Mayor of Shenzhen. During this trip to Shenzhen, she would actually need the Mayor’s cooperation and care quite a bit.
Sure enough, upon hearing that she would leave her contact information, Grandma Shen’s brow finally relaxed.
“Alright, let’s exchange contact details.”
Grandma Shen and she mutually noted down their numbers and addresses. Grandma Shen even went out of her way to have the train conductor arrange for her to move into Sheng Wanyan’s compartment section.
Chapter 626: Arriving in Shenzhen, Meeting Xu Guihua
However, since Sheng Wanyan had purchased all four tickets, this matter required her explicit consent.
Sheng Wanyan naturally agreed. She knew Grandma Shen was simply terrified and constantly worried that something would happen to her grandson.
Upon learning that Sheng Wanyan had agreed, Grandma Shen immediately packed her things and went to join her.
When Grandma Shen arrived, her grandson, Shen Xu, was already awake. Fair-skinned, chubby, and dressed in overalls, he was exceptionally adorable.
Looking at him, Sheng Wanyan couldn’t help but miss her twin sons back in the Capital, wondering how much the boys had grown by now.
“Xu’er, hurry up and thank Auntie Sheng.”
“If it weren’t for Auntie Sheng, Grandma wouldn’t have been able to find you.”
As Grandma Shen spoke, her eyes turned red uncontrollably once more, and she pulled her grandson into a tight embrace.
Shen Xu was completely oblivious, having no idea what sort of major crisis he had just survived.
Whatever his grandma said, he simply followed along.
“Thank you, Auntie~”
Shen Xu thanked her in a sweet, milky voice. Seeing this, Sheng Wanyan walked over to play and tease him.
“You’re welcome. You’re so cute.”
The two managers were also thoroughly captivated by Shen Xu. After being so busy since leaving the Capital, having a little fellow around to liven things up was quite nice.
“You’re so adorable. What’s your name?”
The two managers also teased Shen Xu. Whatever they asked, Shen Xu answered obediently, looking exceptionally well-behaved.
“Xu’er~”
“His formal name is Shen Xu,” Grandma Shen chimed in. Hearing the name, Sheng Wanyan liked it very much.
“A fine name.”
Grandma Shen nodded with a smile, gently ruffling Shen Xu’s head. Shen Xu then pulled out his pastries to share with everyone.
“Eat~”
Seeing this, Grandma Shen’s smile grew even brighter, and she kept softly calling him a “good boy.”
“Auntie won’t eat, Xu’er should eat it himself.”
Hearing that she wasn’t going to eat, Shen Xu could only put the pastry back into his small bag, spending the rest of the journey looking at her with a beaming smile.
Sheng Wanyan shook her head with a smile. It had to be said that this little fellow was quite amusing, and he got along wonderfully with the two managers along the way.
Grandma Shen also took exceptional care of her. Whenever she saw Sheng Wanyan getting up to fetch water or buy food, she would proactively take over to pay the bill and do the work.
No matter how much Sheng Wanyan insisted otherwise, Grandma Shen refused to listen. To Grandma Shen, these small gestures could never compare to the value of her grandson’s life.
Even working like a horse for Sheng Wanyan would only be right, let alone handling these trivial chores.
Left with no choice, Sheng Wanyan could only occasionally pull out some fruits and pastries from time to time to feed Shen Xu, which made the boy incredibly happy.
Cradling a large apple as he munched away, Grandma Shen worried about letting her spend too much money, yet she loved how attached Shen Xu was to her.
Accompanied by this little bundle of joy, they soon arrived in Shenzhen. Xu Guihua was already waiting at the train station with a car.
Following Sheng Wanyan’s advice, Xu Guihua had learned how to drive and had also arranged a car for the manager in Guangzhou.
Consequently, the moment she arrived in Shenzhen, she bought a car first to make it convenient for them to use.
Once a general manager was officially chosen later on, the car would just be handed over to them.
Sheng Wanyan walked out carrying her luggage. Xu Guihua was waiting alongside one of her managers, and the moment she spotted her, she ran over instantly.
“Wanyan!!!”
Xu Guihua hadn’t seen her for several years. The moment their eyes met, all the pent-up longing broke past her control.
Sheng Wanyan was equally thrilled to see her old friend. They hadn’t seen each other in over three years, and seeing her now brought a slight sense of daze.
So time… had already passed for so long.
When she recalled their days at the military base in Ice City now, it felt as though it had happened just a short while ago.
Yet with the reality of time before her eyes, she couldn’t help but sigh that time truly flew.
Someone had also come to pick up Grandma Shen and Shen Xu—it was the secretary of Shen Xu’s father.
Sheng Wanyan bid farewell to Grandma Shen. Grandma Shen was loath to part, and Shen Xu clung tightly to her thigh, refusing to let go.
“Auntie~ take Xu’er with you.”
Hearing him say he wanted to go with her instead of heading home, Sheng Wanyan instantly laughed until tears came to her eyes.
“Auntie will come visit you in a little while.”
“Auntie has to work. Once I finish my work, I’ll go see you, okay?”
Sheng Wanyan knelt down to hug him. Hearing that she would come find him, Shen Xu instantly agreed.
“Okay~ you must come see Xu’er.”
“I will!”
Sheng Wanyan nodded with a smile and gave him her word, and only then did Shen Xu let go of her leg.
Shen Xu knew that this auntie had an older daughter and two younger twin sons back home; from the moment he found out, he had wanted to meet them.
He had no friends, so he was just waiting for Sheng Wanyan to bring the older sister and younger brothers over.
“Will the older sister and younger brothers come too?”
Shen Xu tilted his head to look at her, his eyes full of anticipation. Unfortunately, neither Yi Yi nor Lailai and Maomao were here.
“The older sister and younger brothers aren’t here right now. When they visit next time, I’ll definitely bring them over.”
“Okay then~”
Xu’er didn’t push. He knew that adults were always very busy, and his grandma had taught him that he shouldn’t force others to satisfy his own demands.
Sheng Wanyan ruffled his head. After waving goodbye, both parties went their separate ways.
Xu Guihua hurriedly ushered them into the car, driving them toward the guest house.
The three managers sat in the back, familiarizing themselves with one another, while Sheng Wanyan sat in the passenger seat chatting with Xu Guihua.
“Is everything settled over in Guangzhou?”
“All arranged. We opened ten branch stores there, and the shopfronts and courtyards are all registered under your name.”
Xu Guihua knew perfectly well that Sheng Wanyan’s policy was to buy properties whenever possible. Consequently, as long as a property could be purchased, she had bought it on Sheng Wanyan’s behalf.
She trusted Sheng Wanyan’s foresight implicitly. Therefore, following Sheng Wanyan’s lead, she had also purchased a small courtyard for herself in the location Sheng Wanyan favored most in Guangzhou.
“I bought a small courtyard for myself too.”
“Not bad, Comrade Xu Guihua. You’re quite willing to spend money now.”
“Of course!”
Xu Guihua lifted her chin. She was a finance major after all, and these past few years of study hadn’t been in vain.
She had also purchased five shopfronts for herself back in Ice City. However, she definitely wouldn’t use them to open clothing stores, as that would blur the lines of their business.
Instead, she simply put them up for lease to let others run businesses there. Collecting the monthly rental income would serve as a nice inheritance for her children in the future.
Xu Guihua had never hidden these matters from Sheng Wanyan; in fact, she had sought Sheng Wanyan’s advice before buying the shopfronts.
Sheng Wanyan had pointed out a few excellent commercial districts, and Xu Guihua, being highly receptive to advice, bought exactly where Sheng Wanyan suggested.
Sheng Wanyan hadn’t seen Xu Guihua for several years, and she had to admit that Xu Guihua had changed immensely.
She used to be proud and opinionated, but now she was poised, driven, sharp-minded, and exceptionally mindful of boundaries when conversing.
The aura she carried had turned highly capable and efficient, managing tasks with a brisk and decisive manner—the distinct flavor of a strong corporate woman.
Dressed in a well-tailored suit, leather shoes, and a wristwatch, her entire style of dress had transformed.
People are bound to grow; everyone was gradually becoming a better version of themselves.
Xu Guihua drove to the guest house. Since hotels didn’t really exist yet and the era of coupons hadn’t completely concluded, staying here was their only option.
“Please present your documentation.”
The clerk at the counter asked them to produce their identification. Sheng Wanyan and the others brought them out and successfully checked in.
With one room per person, Sheng Wanyan was glad for the privacy, since she would be resting inside her space anyway.
“Wanyan, you all get some rest first. I’ll go buy dinner for you.”
Noticing the dark circles under Sheng Wanyan’s eyes, Xu Guihua felt immediate concern and automatically began taking care of her.
