Starting from 40, holding the Star Mall to lead the motherland

Chapter 30 Escape

"Open the box..." "My box is full of valuables. Can you afford to pay for them if they are lost?"

The screams, curses, threats... all disappeared after a gunshot.

One of the Japanese soldiers shouted, "Anyone who refuses to cooperate with the inspection will be shot on the spot."

The entire carriage quickly became quiet.

Han Hui was startled awake by the sound of gunfire and sat up: "What's going on? Why are there gunshots in the car?"

Huang Shufen was a little flustered and said with a worried look on her face: "Xiaoman, many Japanese soldiers have boarded the bus and are checking everyone's luggage one by one."

Han Hui yawned and said, "We only brought some spare clothes. If they want to check, let them do it."

Huang Shufen was very worried: "Xiaoman, the Japanese are raiding the village and want everything. They're going to take all our money. How are we going to live in Shanghai?"

When you're away from home, without money, food, shelter, and shelter become problems. As for relying on Han Yongjing, I never counted on him before, and I don't dare to think about it now.

Xiaocao's heart sank when she heard this. Before being sold to the Han family, she had never had a full meal, so her biggest fear was not having enough to eat. Only those who had experienced that kind of pain could understand.

Han Hui slapped her head and said, "Look at my brain. How could I have forgotten this? Come, let's hide the money."

In front of Wang Chuan and the mother and daughter across from her, Han Hui hid the money under her pillow and quilt. As for the jewelry, each of the three took two pieces and hid them on their bodies.

Han Hui feigned indifference as she glanced at Wang Chuan. He remained gentle, though a touch nervous. She could only admire his mental fortitude.

Soon it was their turn. Two Japanese soldiers pointed their guns at them and shouted, "Open all your luggage."

Han Hui cooperated very well, taking out the package from under the bed and opening it in front of everyone. The package containing snacks had been snatched away, and the remaining package contained a change of clothes for the three of them.

He Sanmei was terrified and tremblingly opened the two packages on the bed. There was nothing inside except clothes and food.

Wang Chuan's heart was about to jump out of his chest, but he pretended to be calm. When he bent over to pull the wicker box out from under the bed, he found something wrong. The box was lighter than before.

Seeing that he was slow, the second devil pointed the bayonet of his Type 38 rifle at him and said: "If you dawdle again, I will send you to see the King of Hell."

Wang Chuan calmly took Han Hui's package away and placed his own wicker box on the table. This wicker box was not the same one he had brought up. Although he didn't know when it was swapped, the current situation was a good thing for him.

The second devil saw that the wicker box contained clothes, books, tea, and other things. He then looked down under the bed and saw nothing underneath. He ordered again, "Lift up the beds and shake them a few times."

Han Hui swept banknotes between the pillow and bedding, which would not fly out even if she shook them a few times.

The enemy checked their household registration and tickets again, and after confirming that there was no problem, they went to the next carriage.

Huang Shufen breathed a sigh of relief. The money and jewelry were gone, and they would not be left on the streets anymore.

"Bang, bang, bang..." A burst of gunfire rang out from the hard-seat area, but soon quiet returned. Han Hui sighed, thinking some anti-Japanese patriots had been discovered and, knowing they couldn't escape, were desperately trying. It would be nice to drag a few people down with them before dying.

The train started again, Han Hui lay back on the bed and soon fell asleep.

Wang Chuan leaned back on the bed, thinking about what had just happened. He was certain the cane box had fit perfectly under the bed, and since boarding the train, he had only been away for about a minute to use the restroom, meaning the cane box had been swapped within that minute. Only someone in the same train car could have swapped the cane boxes so quickly.

The most suspicious person was the girl named Han Hui. He Sanmei and her daughter looked like simple country folk; Huang Shufen was a housewife who never left her house, with a shallow mind and spoke without thinking; and Xiaocao was even less knowledgeable.

He had met all kinds of people over the years and believed he wouldn't make a mistake. But among all these people, only Han Hui was hard to figure out.

Normally, a girl from a small town who'd never traveled far would be anxious about suddenly heading to a big city like Shanghai. But this girl wasn't like that. She'd been calm from the moment I met her. It's a stretch to say she'd changed her wicker box, since she only brought a package, not a suitcase.

After much thought, Wang Chuan finally came up with a clue. However, one thing was certain: the other party had no ill intentions, otherwise he would have been captured by now.

The next day, Han Hui went to buy breakfast. Jiang Chuan smiled and asked him to go buy it: "I am an adult. How can I always let a little girl run errands for you?"

He didn't dare to move before because he had to keep an eye on the box. Now that he no longer has this concern, he can't ask Han Hui to help him buy food.

"Then I'll have to trouble Teacher Wang," said Han Hui.

She guessed that Wang Chuan should be suspicious of her, but she was very frank. First, no one knew about her space, and second, she helped Jiang Chuan escape.

Breakfast on the train consisted of bread, steamed buns, and porridge. Han Hui wasn't picky about her food; she ate whatever she could get, as long as she wasn't hungry. Wang Chuan bought her just enough to fill her stomach, and afterward she went back to the restaurant.

After returning, she found that Wang Chuan was telling everyone a story. The story was about a mother who moved three times in order to give her son a good study environment.

He Sanmei hesitated and said, "Teacher Wang, can reading really make people smarter?"

Wang Chuan smiled and said, "Of course. Reading not only helps you understand many truths and broaden your horizons, but it also makes you braver. Look at Miss Han. It was because she read that she dared to bring Mrs. Han to Shanghai to live with her relatives. If you didn't read, you wouldn't know where to go when you go out. You can ask for directions, but it would be dangerous if you meet someone with bad intentions."

He Sanmei thought about her timid daughter and said that reading can make people braver. When they get to Shanghai, she should ask her husband to arrange for her daughter to go to school to learn to read and write.

Huang Shufen agreed: "My son also said that reading can make people wise and knowledgeable, so he persuaded my father-in-law to let my son Xiaoman go to a private school."

Old Master Han agreed to let me go to a private school because, firstly, I was only five years old at the time, and at that age, there was no gender difference; and secondly, he couldn't persuade Han Mengyang. However, when I turned ten, Old Master didn't let me go, saying that I only needed to learn how to write letters and read accounts.

Wang Chuan had heard her mention it before, but she didn't go into detail. Now it seems that she is also a progressive young person.

Han Hui yawned and climbed into bed to continue sleeping. She didn't sleep well last night, so she needed to catch up now.

Watching her quickly drift off to sleep, Wang Chuan dispelled his earlier concerns. First, she was too calm, and second, given her condition, it was impossible for her to have accomplices. But the thought of the lost radio filled him with anxiety. The underground organization in Shanghai had been severely damaged, and he had gone there to assist another comrade in rebuilding it, only to encounter this accident before even reaching Shanghai. Without the radio, he was temporarily unable to contact his family, and the reconstruction would take even longer.

(End of this chapter)