Chapter 88: Chapter 88: Encounter with a Child Trafficker

The woman holding the baby was young, with a tender, innocent face. It was obvious she was a first-time mother, and traveling alone with her child left her a bit flustered and overwhelmed.

“Oh, oh, there, there. Don’t cry.”

She glanced around, wanting to breastfeed her baby, but there were too many people around, making her feel a little embarrassed.

But in the end, she couldn’t resist her child’s cries. She lifted her blouse, and as soon as the baby started nursing, the crying stopped.

The next second, a piece of cloth was held up in front of her, perfectly shielding her from view and sparing her any embarrassment.

The woman looked at Gu Qinghuan and gave a shy smile. “Thank you. It’s really hard taking care of the baby all by myself…”

Gu Qinghuan looked at the little one nursing in her arms and smiled gently. “You’re welcome.”

Children are the most adorable angels in the world.

Once the baby was fed, Gu Qinghuan put away her cloth. It was just a chance encounter, but she was glad she could help.

After lunch, there were still two or three hours before their train departed, so the family decided to walk around the area.

The waiting room was packed with people from all walks of life, and the air was stuffy and unpleasant—nothing like the clean, hygienic stations of later years.

Dabao and Beibei were clearly fascinated by the outside world, full of curiosity and questions.

So Gu Qinghuan and Xu Huaian spent their time answering the children’s endless stream of “whys.”

Along the way, they bought a few autumn pears to satisfy the kids’ cravings.

There were pears in their space, but none in the backpack. Xu Huaian wouldn’t let Gu Qinghuan take any out.

Just as they were about to head back, the two kids said they needed to use the restroom.

“Mama, look, isn’t that the auntie from before?” Beibei suddenly tugged at Gu Qinghuan’s hand.

Up ahead, a small crowd had gathered, seemingly in the middle of an argument. In the center was the woman who had been nursing earlier, looking extremely agitated. Her baby was now in the arms of an old lady.

“This is my son! How did he become your grandson? Give him back to me!” The woman’s voice was choked with tears, her face pale with fear. All she could do was repeat that the child was hers.

The woman’s name was Wang Xiaowei. She had just wanted to use the restroom, but holding the baby made it difficult. She’d hesitated outside the restroom door for a long time, unsure what to do.

Suddenly, a kindly looking older woman came over and said, “Give me the baby, I’ll hold him for you. You go ahead and use the restroom. When you gotta go, you gotta go. Don’t worry, I’ll wait for you right here.”

Wang Xiaowei had met many kind people on her journey, so she thought nothing of it and handed the baby over.

But as soon as she entered the restroom, she remembered she’d left her tissues in the baby’s swaddling cloth. She rushed back out—only to see the old woman running off with the baby at a surprising speed. Wang Xiaowei was terrified and chased after her.

But the old woman insisted the baby was her grandson.

Wang Xiaowei couldn’t overpower her and could only cling to her, refusing to let her leave.

The scene quickly became chaotic.

As Gu Qinghuan and her group approached, they heard the old woman putting on an act, lamenting, “Oh heavens, what is the world coming to? I’m just an old lady taking my grandson to visit family, and this young woman insists the child is hers! Is there no justice left?”

“Look, everyone, I even have the baby’s diapers and clothes with me!”

Wang Xiaowei was at a loss for words. For convenience, she had handed over not just the baby, but also the bag with all his things.

Gu Qinghuan and Xu Huaian exchanged a glance, immediately understanding what was really going on.

Back then, train stations were crawling with child traffickers. They hadn’t expected to run into one themselves.

Unfortunately, there were also well-meaning bystanders who didn’t know the truth.

A woman, full of righteous indignation, grabbed Wang Xiaowei and scolded her, “Young lady, you’re so young—why do something as awful as child trafficking? I’m taking you to the police today so they can punish you!”

She held tightly onto Wang Xiaowei, and several others kept a close eye on her as well.

Meanwhile, the real trafficker tried to slip away with the baby.

Wang Xiaowei, restrained by the crowd, watched helplessly as her child was carried farther and farther away. She burst into tears, crying out, “You’ve got it all wrong! I’m his mother! Please, let me go, or my baby will be taken away!”

The woman kept scolding her. “Snatching a child in broad daylight—do you have no shame? Come on, let’s see you cry in front of the police!”

Gu Qinghuan shot Xu Huaian a look. He immediately understood and rushed over to stop the trafficker from escaping.

Wang Xiaowei saw Gu Qinghuan approaching from afar, as if she were a savior. She cried out, “Sister, please help me! These people keep saying I’m a trafficker, and my son is about to be taken by the real one!”

Xu Huaian arrived just in time, grabbing the old woman and dragging her back.

What no one knew was that, in the crowd, a reporter happened to be passing through on a business trip and witnessed the whole scene.

Everyone’s attention turned to Gu Qinghuan and Xu Huaian.

Gu Qinghuan didn’t hesitate—she snatched the baby from the old woman’s arms. The woman tried to hold on, but Xu Huaian twisted her arm painfully, forcing her to let go.

The baby, who had been crying loudly before, seemed to sense he was safe now. He nestled quietly in Gu Qinghuan’s arms, no longer crying.

“What are you doing? Snatching a child in broad daylight! I’m going to report you to the police! Look, everyone, she’s in cahoots with that woman—they’re trying to steal my grandson!”

But the crowd was beginning to murmur in doubt.

Gu Qinghuan ignored her, giving her a sidelong glance. “Oh? Go ahead, then! I’m not afraid.”

The trafficker immediately fell silent.

Gu Qinghuan continued, “You say this is your grandson—so where exactly are you taking him?”

“None of your business!”

“If it’s none of my business, then let the police handle it. Either way, you’re not leaving today.”

The trafficker, realizing she was running out of time, reluctantly replied, “I’m taking my eldest grandson to visit family in the capital!”

Gu Qinghuan promptly grabbed the bag from her hand and opened it for everyone to see.

Inside were just a change of baby clothes, a few diapers, and some odds and ends.

“You’re taking your grandson all the way to the capital, and you didn’t even pack any food for him? Planning to starve him on the way and show up with a corpse? If I’m not mistaken, this baby is only three or four months old. If you care so much, why didn’t you bring anything for him to eat or drink?”

The trafficker immediately looked guilty, shrinking back and saying nothing.

The onlookers broke out in a cold sweat—was this old woman really not the baby’s grandmother?

Especially the woman who had been holding onto Wang Xiaowei. She quickly let go, afraid of getting herself into trouble.

Only then did Wang Xiaowei remember she had the most natural proof of all—better than any argument.

She gently took her baby back, and without any concern for embarrassment, turned around and started breastfeeding him right there.

Everything was finally clear.

The woman who had grabbed her looked embarrassed. “If you’d just said you were still nursing him, none of this would’ve happened!”

The old woman tried to run, but Xu Huaian pinned her to the ground, making her wail like a stuck pig."

"Chapter 89: Unlucky Wang Xiaowei