As she was about to check the next seat, a woman in her twenties not far ahead suddenly helped up a girl dressed in floral fabric.
At first, Chen Lishu merely glanced and paid no mind, as Chen Liyuan was wearing a dark red plaid shirt that day. However, when her gaze fell upon the girl's lower half, she paused.
The floral-clad girl was wearing the black capri pants that Chen Lishu had made for Chen Liyuan.
The pants had bows on the sides of the legs, making them rather distinctive. It was highly unlikely that someone else would be wearing the exact same pants.
“You in front, please wait a moment.”
As soon as Chen Lishu spoke, she clearly felt the young woman’s steps falter. She then acted as if she hadn’t heard, hurrying towards the door with the person beside her.
Once the train stopped and the doors opened, she could directly take the person off. After getting off, she could blend into the crowd. Given that it was dark, it would be impossible for anyone to discover her.
Seeing the other party walking faster, Chen Lishu caught up in a few strides and grabbed her. It was then that she clearly saw that the person the woman was holding was indeed Chen Liyuan.
However, due to being drugged, the girl was in a semi-conscious state.
Just then, the train attendant also walked over.
“What are you doing? My sister is sick, and I’m in a hurry to take her off the train to see a doctor. Why are you stopping me?” the woman tried to make a final struggle.
“Is this the person you were looking for?”
Chen Lishu nodded. She stepped forward and snatched Chen Liyuan from the woman’s grasp. The train attendant then took control of the woman.
“Liyuan, wake up.” Someone offered a seat, and Chen Lishu helped her sit down on a nearby seat, gently patting Chen Liyuan’s cheek.
Chen Liyuan vaguely woke up. She was momentarily confused upon seeing Chen Lishu and the people around her. When she remembered what had happened, her face instantly turned pale. She looked at Chen Lishu, her lips trembling, and said, “Big Sister, I went to the restroom, and someone behind me covered my mouth…”
Chen Lishu hugged her tightly and said with some self-reproach, “It’s all my fault for not taking good care of you. It’s alright now, we’re safe.”
With the person found, Gu Xingdong, who was on the other side, heard the news and rushed over.
The train soon stopped, and the train attendant handed the criminals over to the station staff.
As dawn gradually broke, after the initial panic and fear, Chen Liyuan’s emotions slowly stabilized. However, after this experience, everyone was clearly in low spirits and had little appetite.
As they were about to disembark, the train attendant suddenly came to their row. He shook hands with Gu Xingdong and said excitedly, “We just received news that the people you helped apprehend are a traveling gang of kidnappers who have committed numerous crimes and are very cunning. The police have been very troubled by them. You have been a great help this time. Thank you, thank you very much.”
Gu Xingdong replied politely, “We didn’t help much. Instead, we should thank you. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have found her so smoothly.”
After a few more pleasantries, the train attendant turned and left.
The train arrived at the station a little past one o’clock in the afternoon, nearing two o’clock. As soon as they exited the station, Chen Liyuan was stunned by the scene before her.
She had already been amazed by the town’s schools and buildings during her month of study there. She had never known there could be so many people and so many tall buildings in the provincial capital. She felt her eyes weren’t enough to take it all in.
But to avoid embarrassing Chen Lishu, she had refrained from speaking until they took the bus and returned to the military family residential area with Chen Lishu and the others. Looking at the buildings before her, she couldn’t help but feel a little excited.
“Sister, this is my first time going inside a building,” Chen Liyuan said softly as they stood at the entrance of the house.
There were no multi-story buildings in the countryside, and the town consisted of bungalows. The department store in town was a multi-story building, but she had never been inside.
Chen Lishu smiled, “Our home is on the first floor. In a couple of days, I’ll take you around the city, and you can experience it properly then.”
The three entered the house. Chen Lishu asked Gu Xingdong to put Chen Liyuan’s belongings in her room first while she went to open all the windows in the house.
“Meow.” As soon as she opened the window, a dark shadow jumped onto the windowsill.
“How did you know we were back? You’re so smart,” Chen Lishu exclaimed affectionately, rubbing its furry head.
As if holding a grudge for being ‘abandoned,’ ‘Da Wang’ turned its head and sat on the windowsill with its rear end facing Chen Lishu.
“Big Sister, is this the Da Wang you mentioned? It’s so cute.” Chen Liyuan was delighted to see the plump ‘Da Wang’ and reached out to pet it. To her surprise, ‘Da Wang’ pushed off with its hind legs, landed silently on the ground outside, cast a disdainful glance back at Chen Liyuan, and then trotted away, its plump rear swaying, without looking back.
Chen Lishu noticed Chen Liyuan’s disappointment and comforted her, “Don’t pay attention to it. It’s just putting on a show. It’s a typical fair-weather friend. Once you have good food, it’ll naturally come to you.”
“Are you hungry? I’ll make dinner now.” Other than a small bite in the morning, the three of them hadn’t eaten anything since.
After speaking, Chen Lishu turned towards the kitchen and took out a basin to pick vegetables from the window. However, as soon as she arrived, she found that apart from two finger-length green peppers, everything else had been picked.
Knowing there were vegetables at home, the three of them went straight home after getting off the train and hadn’t bought any groceries.
As Chen Lishu hesitated whether to pick the two green peppers, Zhao Guiying’s voice came from behind her, “Sister-in-law, are you out of vegetables?”
Chen Lishu turned around and nodded with a smile, “Yes, we came back a bit suddenly.”
The house had been empty for half a month. They couldn’t just watch the vegetables rot in the ground. She guessed that the neighbors must have picked them.
Zhao Guiying pointed to her own vegetable garden, “I have some in my garden. Pick whatever you like.”
Chen Lishu felt a little embarrassed, “Thank you, Sister-in-law.”
“We’re neighbors, no need for thanks. Pick whatever you fancy.”
With Zhao Guiying’s permission, Chen Lishu picked two small cabbages and two tomatoes, planning to make noodle soup.
After dinner, Gu Xingdong could see that both sisters looked tired. Knowing that they had barely slept the previous night, he took the initiative to clean up the kitchen, telling them to go back to their room and get some rest.
Chen Lishu slept until dusk before waking up. Gu Xingdong was leaning against the headboard, reading a book.
“Didn’t you rest a little?”
“I dozed off for a bit.” Gu Xingdong turned his head and reached out to help her as she tried to get up.
Chen Lishu used his strength to get up and sat for a while. Feeling refreshed, she then got out of bed.
She went to the outer room and found Chen Liyuan’s room quiet. She gently pushed open the door to take a look and saw that she was still sleeping. Then, she turned to the kitchen.
After kneading the dough to prepare for making pancakes, Chen Lishu woke Chen Liyuan and then started cooking.