Chronicle of the 70s
Chapter 84 - 082 Human trafficker monthly ticket 120 additional - s

Chapter 84: 082 Human trafficker monthly ticket 120 additional Chapters

Li Xianglu rolled her eyes, a smile curling up at the corners of her mouth.

Then, beaming, she turned to the woman beside her and asked, "Auntie, is this a boy or a girl?"

When speaking, Li Xianglu deliberately included some local dialect, giving off an earthy vibe.

Upon hearing this, the woman first anxiously glanced at the man beside her. Seeing that he was looking down, she then answered, "It’s a boy. It’s troublesome having such a young one at my age."

Li Xianglu tensed up upon hearing it was a boy; her suspicions increased.

In this era, the preference for boys over girls was particularly severe. If traffickers were selling people, they would definitely prioritize boys, as they fetched a higher price.

With this in mind, Li Xianglu cheerfully said, "A boy, how wonderful. My brother’s wife is also pregnant and showing quite a bit. Everyone says it’s going to be a girl. My brother is so worried, but who knows whether the old wives’ tale is true or not?"

The woman perked up upon hearing this and began to speak with a smile, but for some reason, she suddenly glanced to the side and hesitantly said, "Actually, I’m not clear on that matter either."

Li Xianglu raised an eyebrow and glanced inside, then said with a smile, "If she has a girl, our family will probably be up in arms."

The woman’s eyes shone upon hearing this, eager to say something, but the man beside her glared over, and she wilted, awkwardly smiling and shaking her head.

At this moment, Qin Xi heard the commotion and turned around, eyebrows raised in confusion.

Li Xianglu blinked and then signaled with her eyes towards the man and woman beside her.

Qin Xi glanced over discreetly for a while, furrowing her brows. She then looked back at Li Xianglu.

She saw Li Xianglu all eager and could not help but nod reluctantly in agreement.

Seeing the approval, Li Xianglu immediately gently took Grandpa Li’s hand to check the time. The train had already been running for six hours, which meant there was one more hour to arrival?

Qin Xi stood up, took down an olive-green carry-on bag from the rack, and pulled out a large lunchbox with four stuffed buns inside. She ate one herself, handed another one to the just-awakened Qin Zhen, and then stood up to pass it back saying, "Grandpa, have some food. I asked the ticket inspector earlier, and the train is a bit late. It will probably take another two hours to arrive."

Mr. Li was already awake when his granddaughter checked the watch on his wrist, rubbed his eyes, twisted his neck, and then became fully alert.

Li Xianglu handed over a meat-stuffed bun wrapped in a handkerchief, and Grandpa Li took it and began to nibble on it.

It was a bit cold, but it was made with lean meat and had pickles in it, which was not greasy, and actually, it tasted better than when hot.

Li Xianglu began eating from the lunchbox, taking small bites and glancing at the couple beside her.

By this time, it was already four in the afternoon. Many people had not eaten lunch yet, and those who could smell the scent of the meat began to get up, rummaging through their belongings to find some food to eat.

The couple next to them did the same. The man awkwardly held the child while the woman got up, stood in the aisle, and took a blue parcel from the rack above. She unwrapped it, pulled out a piece of cheesecloth, and then took out two plain steamed buns, handing one to the man and keeping one for herself.

After finishing the meat-stuffed bun, Li Xianglu, sipping warm water from her military canteen, asked with a smile, "Big sister, would you like some water?"

The woman eagerly looked at the army-green canteen in Li Xianglu’s hand, licked her lips, but upon seeing the man beside her darken his face, she shook her head.

Li Xianglu then suddenly came to a realization and said, "Look at my memory, my sister brought water and I forgot about it."

Then the middle-aged woman sitting behind Li Xianglu smiled and said, "Exactly, she was just helping the kid drink water, this girl is really kind-hearted."

Coincidentally, just as she finished speaking, the woman choked on a mouthful of bing, her face turning beet red.

The middle-aged woman sitting behind Li Xianglu saw this and shouted, "Oh dear, drink some water quick, dry bing can choke someone to death."

As soon as she heard that, the woman frantically searched for water, but saw the man shaking his head not allowing her to touch the bags.

The woman then snapped out of it, immediately stopping her search and managed to recover by continuously patting her chest.

Li Xianglu squinted her eyes looking over, her lips slightly curling up. Then she stood up and stuffed her lunch box into their travel bag. At that moment, the bus shook and Li Xianglu took the chance to cry out, her hand leaning on a nearby rack. Upon touching it, the blue bag and an adjacent small suitcase vanished.

Li Xianglu quickly sat down, and Grandpa Li promptly asked if his granddaughter was hurt.

Li Xianglu shook her head to indicate she was fine.

After eating, everyone started looking out the windows. The Loess Plateau had long since passed, and a neat asphalt road unfolded before their eyes.

At this moment, the bus had already entered the Provincial City, on the road towards the station.

There were many buildings, many crowds in diverse clothing, colors becoming more plentiful, bicycles even more so, and cars frequently weaving through, dazzling to the eyes.

Li Xianglu was also curiously watching this largest city in the Northwest, truly worthy of being the Provincial City, with its many people, vehicles, tall buildings, and much wider roads.

Neat rows of trees lined the roadsides, and their bus drove toward an older street which, to their surprise, was lined with tall French plane trees on both sides. Li Xianglu’s eyes brightened; the evenly planted trees on both sides of the road were extremely beautiful. She thought to herself that if it were summer here, it would be quite a scene.

Qin Xi turned around and said to the entranced Li Xianglu, "These plane trees are really great in the summer, all green and lush. But in the spring, it’s a different story—fluffy seeds flying everywhere, making everyone itch all over."

Hearing Qin Xi speak as if listing treasures, Li Xianglu’s eyes brightened, "You’ve been to the Provincial City?"

Qin Xi smiled and nodded, then pointed to a row of buildings, "That’s the freight station behind the train station."

Li Xianglu followed the direction Qin Xi was pointing and looked over. It was a large area of single-story buildings, bustling with hand-pushed carts coming in and out—it must be the freight station.

The bus continued on its way and Li Xianglu stood up to fetch something when she suddenly let out a frightened shriek, "Oh no!"

Qin Xi quickly stood up and asked, "What’s wrong?"

Li Xianglu replied with a frantic look, "The food in the bag is gone!"

Qin Xi, puzzled, raised an eyebrow, took the handbag, and started searching through it, but nothing was missing.

At that moment, the woman sitting behind Li Xianglu also let out an exclamation, "Oh no, my suitcase is gone, driver, driver, my suitcase is gone!"

Suddenly the whole carriage erupted into chaos, and the middle-aged couple with the child also became tense. The woman quickly stood up to look at the rack, and then let out a loud wail, "Oh no, my bag is gone!"

ps: Tomorrow’s update will be late, sorry, I’ve been playing all day and I’ve used up all my drafts. I’ll work hard to write more tomorrow. Thank you all for these past few days, for lifting the subscription of the new book to third place! Thank you, love you all!