novellhall Chapter 153 What's your name?
Chapter 153 What's your name?
"Gone? Gone..." The round-faced woman seemed unable to believe it. Tears streamed down her face, and her clothes were still stained with the vomit she had just thrown up. Her lips trembled as she repeated the two words. After several seconds, she seemed to recover and believe that she was really safe. She let out a heavy sigh of relief. "I was really scared to death just now. I thought they were going to..."
She patted her chest in fear, only to find her hand covered in a sticky mess. Looking down, she saw it was all vomit.
I didn't realize it when I was nervous, but now it smells awful.
She unbuttoned her coat, rolled up the vomit on it, and then got up to clean up.
"It's a pity that all the money I saved up for so long is gone in an instant, sigh..."
The middle-aged man bent down to pick up the scattered luggage on the ground and added, "Money can be saved again, but being safe and sound is the most important thing."
"That's true." The round-faced woman nodded in agreement.
The middle-aged woman opposite replied, "You bet. This is the first time I've ever encountered something like this in my life. It almost gave me a heart attack."
As she spoke, she took off her bulky clothes one by one, folded them neatly, and put them into her luggage bag.
Watching them busy themselves, Lin Shuyao gradually relaxed and began to pack her own things.
She took out the clothes that concealed her pregnant belly, unfolded her headscarf, secretly held a roll of banknotes hidden in her hair in her palm, and then moved to a safe place.
Fortunately, she had categorized her money when she was saving it, putting the larger denominations into one separate group and dividing the remaining smaller bills into several groups.
The robbers just stole small bills.
Those small bills looked like a thick roll, but they actually didn't have much money at all.
His most valuable watch was hidden in a crevice in the bed, and those people didn't even notice it.
All things considered, her losses should be the least among those in this carriage.
She didn't care about the makeup on her face.
When she used to love beauty, asking her to go out with such ugly makeup would have been like taking her life. But after this experience, she now thinks that being a little ugly is actually a good thing, and it's also a kind of talisman.
It will take another day to get to Guangzhou, and who knows what might happen? So I guess I'll just leave these dark spots on my face.
As the group packed up, the rain outside gradually subsided, and the train started running again, clattering along in the night.
After tidying up, everyone sat around the small table on the lower bunk. The exhaustion from surviving the ordeal subsided, and they gradually started talking.
The round-faced woman spoke first, her tone filled with doubt: "You tell me, why did the train suddenly stop while it was moving? I heard from my relative who works for the railway that whether a train moves or stops depends on orders from above, and the train conductor can't make that decision."
The middle-aged man chimed in, "Not only did the train stop, but the announcements on board were also cut off. And the commotion around the sleeper berths when that group robbed us was so loud, yet the police on the train couldn't get over. Don't you think there's something fishy about this?"
The middle-aged woman nodded, her expression grave: "It's suspicious. Such a big thing couldn't have happened so smoothly without inside help. Those people had already run away after grabbing the loot, and the train conductor and police only arrived much later; their reaction was too late."
Lin Shuyao thought the same way: "I also felt something was wrong. This robbery seemed like a premeditated and organized plan. In fact, besides the dispatch order, there is another way to make a train stop suddenly: tamper with the railway signal lights. The green light that was supposed to be for passage was changed to red, and the driver thought there was an emergency ahead. Plus, with such heavy rain outside, there might be a landslide or something like that, so he braked suddenly to stop the train."
"Young man, you're right!" The middle-aged man quickly sorted out the situation. "Considering the fact that the announcements were cut off, I reasonably suspect that some of the staff on the train are their accomplices. The train conductor and the railway police are the most likely suspects..."
Lin Shuyao nodded: "Yes, I also think they are the most suspicious, so we can't let our guard down. The crisis is not completely over yet."
"Ah!" The round-faced woman, who had initially thought everything was alright, was immediately terrified after hearing their analysis and clutched her arms. "What do we do now? We're still in danger..."
The middle-aged woman steadied her voice and said, "They've already robbed once, so they shouldn't attack again. The inside man's biggest fear right now is being discovered, so he's actively clearing his name. We're safe for now."
"Yes, don't be afraid, everything should be fine," Lin Shuyao reassured the round-faced woman.
"That's good..." The round-faced woman let out a weak sigh of relief, then turned to Lin Shuyao. "Oh, right, comrade, I haven't thanked you yet. If you hadn't woken us up in time, we might not have even had time to hide the money, and the losses would have been much greater."
The middle-aged woman nodded in agreement: "Yes, young lady, you're quick-witted. Disguising yourself and dressing up—if it weren't for your ideas, we women would definitely be in trouble."
"We're all women, it's only right that we look out for each other." Lin Shuyao smiled amicably at the two of them. "If it weren't for your good teamwork, I wouldn't have been able to get through this safely on my own. I have to thank you both."
She meant it sincerely; if the round-faced woman hadn't vomited in time, and if the middle-aged woman and the uncle hadn't pleaded for her, she wouldn't have been able to successfully deceive the robber.
"Young comrade, your timely notification bought us a lot of time. Thank you so much." The middle-aged man nodded gratefully to Lin Shuyao. "We've been through a life-or-death situation together. Let's get acquainted. My surname is Chen, Chen Jianguo. I work in the technical department of the Second Machinery Plant in the capital. I'm on a business trip to Guangzhou this time. If you ever need my help in the future, feel free to come to me."
The round-faced woman said solemnly, "My name is Zhao Xiulan, and I work for the Guangzhou Education Bureau. I just returned from a meeting in northern Beijing. I will always remember your kindness and will repay you when I have the chance."
Then the middle-aged woman spoke up: "Zhou Chunmei, I work at Yangcheng Steel Plant. I came to Beijing for a meeting, but I didn't expect to encounter something like this. Like I said before, if anyone needs help in the future, just let me know, and I, Zhou Chunmei, will do my best."
After the three finished speaking, they all looked at Lin Shuyao.
Lin Shuyao also wants to open up to everyone.
However, Shen Qing's name is definitely not allowed, nor is her real name Lin Shuyao. If someone finds out, her whereabouts will be exposed, and what if she is arrested and imprisoned?
As for the names on fake letters of introduction, they should never be used; such things cannot withstand scrutiny.
She racked her brains for a while, but couldn't come up with anything. She opened her mouth, then finally said, "I...I need to go to the restroom first."
Make up a story on the way to the toilet.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Chunmei stood up and said, "I'll go with you. It's not necessarily safe on this bus right now, and I'm worried about you going alone."
Zhou Chunmei walked to her side and naturally took her arm.
Lin Shuyao had no choice but to go out with the other person.
The lights in the corridor were still dim, with a small, yellowish light bulb every few meters.
The psychological trauma caused by the robbery has not yet subsided, and the doors of every carriage are tightly closed, for fear that someone will break in.
As we passed by, we could clearly hear people crying in several carriages. Some were injured, and others had their family members kidnapped by robbers. In short, they were all quite pitiful.
Lin Shuyao and Zhou Chunmei exchanged a glance, their eyes heavy, and unconsciously tightened their grip on each other's arms.
As I approached the restroom, a man walked towards me. He was dressed all in black, wearing a hat with the brim pulled low, and carrying a briefcase.
He walked very fast, as if he was in a hurry to get somewhere.
Zhou Chunmei moved aside, and the other person also turned to the side in the same direction, causing their shoulders to bump together.
"Clatter".
Something fell to the ground.
Zhou Chunmei subconsciously bent down to pick it up, but Lin Shuyao saw it—it was a watch!
Just an hour ago, the watch was on Chen Jianguo's wrist when the tall robber ripped it off.
Lin Shuyao gripped Zhou Chunmei's arm tightly and pulled her back, saying, "Mom, I can't hold it anymore, let's go to the toilet quickly."
Hearing her call her "Mom," Zhou Chunmei immediately tensed up, because she only played the role of Lin Shuyao's mother-in-law when facing robbers.
Zhou Chunmei stiffened for a moment, then quickly straightened up. It was this slight hesitation that the man opposite her noticed.
"I can do it myself." He squatted down and picked up the watch.
"I'm so sorry," Zhou Chunmei apologized, pretending nothing had happened as she continued walking with Lin Shuyao.
Just as the two women brushed past the man and walked in the opposite direction, the man reached down to his lower back, pulled out an iron hammer, raised it, and aimed it at Zhou Chunmei's head, smashing it with all his might, intending to kill her with one blow.
Lin Shuyao caught a glimpse of the elongated shadow on the wall out of the corner of her eye—oh no!
They've been discovered!
They wanted to kill him to silence him!
"Run!" Lin Shuyao shouted, grabbing Zhou Chunmei and running forward, yelling as she ran, "Help! Murder!"
But the corridor was too narrow; the two couldn't run side by side, only one in front of the other. Lin Shuyao let Zhou Chunmei run ahead, leaving herself a step behind.
After running only a couple of steps, the man, perhaps realizing the situation was getting out of control, hesitated and then released the hammer, throwing it at the two men's backs.
boom!
Lin Shuyao felt a sharp pain in the back of her head, as if something had exploded. The light in front of her eyes shattered into countless white dots, and she felt dizzy.
Then everything went black before my eyes, and my body went limp and I collapsed.
The man jumped out of the window and ran away.
……
When Lin Shuyao woke up again, all she saw was white.
A pale golden halo floated in the air.
Have you arrived in heaven?