A young boy from the 1970s, separated from his family, fled famine and led his younger brother into

"Where...did you...get it?!"

Su Nianci felt as if her shoulders were being clamped tightly by two iron clamps, and the pain was excruciating.

She did not struggle or cry out.

She simply raised her head and met Zhou Wenqian's bloodshot eyes, which were filled with shock and grief, with an unusually calm gaze.

"Uncle Zhou, please let go of me. You're hurting me."

Her words brought Zhou Wenqian, who was on the verge of emotional collapse, back to his senses.

He released his grip as if electrocuted, staggered backward, and leaned against the cold carriage wall, panting heavily.

His gaze remained fixed on the military officer's ID card in Su Nianci's hand, as if it were his whole world that he had lost and regained.

Su Nianci rubbed her aching shoulder and did not answer his question immediately.

She knew that the initiative was now completely in her hands.

The calmer she remained, the more flustered Zhou Wenqian became.

She slowly closed the officer's ID card, and then carefully put it back into her pocket.

This action made Zhou Wenqian's eyes narrow again!

"Nianci!" he cried urgently, taking a step forward. "That...that thing..."

"Uncle Zhou," Su Nianci interrupted him, her voice still calm, "before answering your question, I'd like to ask you one first."

Zhou Wenqian was taken aback.

"You just called him... 'Wenxuan'?" Su Nianci looked at him and asked, enunciating each word clearly, "Is he... your younger brother?"

Zhou Wenqian's body suddenly stiffened!

He looked at the five-year-old girl in front of him, at her unfathomable eyes that seemed to see through everything, and a huge, absurd feeling welled up inside him.

He felt like he wasn't facing a child.

He was facing a negotiating opponent who was... equal to him, or even more powerful than him!

He remained silent for a long time before nodding dejectedly.

"Yes." His voice was filled with endless sorrow and exhaustion. "He was my only younger brother, Zhou Wenxuan. Three years ago, he graduated from military medical university and volunteered to go to the most arduous border defense unit... and then, we never heard from him again."

"We only received one notification of... 'missing'."

Missing!

It's not a sacrifice!

A storm raged in Su Nianci's heart!

She instantly understood why Zhou Wenxuan's belongings had ended up in a junkyard!

Because in official records, he was only "missing," not "sacrificed"!

The military could not find his whereabouts, could not classify his case, and naturally could not solemnly return his belongings to his family!

His briefcase was likely lost during his "disappearance," then picked up by an unsuspecting scavenger, and eventually sold to a scrap yard!

Everything makes sense now!

"Uncle Zhou," Su Nianci took a deep breath, knowing that the most crucial moment had arrived, "now, it's my turn to answer your question."

"This thing, and this..." She took out the German version of "Atlas of Human Anatomy" from her pocket. "I found it yesterday at a scrap metal recycling station in Shanhaiguan."

Zhou Wenqian's pupils suddenly contracted!

"A scrap metal recycling station?"

"Yes." Su Nianci nodded and began to recite the speech she had already rehearsed countless times in her mind.

"Yesterday, I saw that Little Stone was cold, so I wanted to get off the bus and find some cotton to make him some clothes. I went to the recycling station, and the uncle there took pity on me and let me rummage around. Then, I found a military green canvas bag in the pile of waste paper. This, and this book, were in that bag."

Her explanation was simple, direct, and without any unnecessary embellishment.

Because she knew that the simplest things are often the hardest to find flaws in.

"At the time, I didn't know what it was." A perfectly timed hint of lingering fear appeared on Su Nianci's face. "I just felt that this red booklet looked very important, so... so I secretly hid it. Uncle Zhou, I... did I do something wrong? Did I... take something I shouldn't have?"

She portrayed herself as an "ignorant and fearless" discoverer who stumbled upon the truth by chance.

Zhou Wenqian stared intently at her, his mind racing, trying to find even the slightest flaw in her words.

Su Nianci's expression was so innocent.

Her logic is too perfect.

An older sister who went to a recycling center to find cotton for her younger brother, a child who secretly hid a "red book" out of curiosity...

All of this seemed so... logical and natural.

He couldn't find any reason to doubt her.

He could only believe that it was all fate's arrangement! It was God who, through this child's eyes, allowed him to find a clue to his brother who had been missing for three years!

"You did nothing wrong, Nianci!" Zhou Wenqian exclaimed excitedly, grabbing Su Nianci's hand. "You did the right thing! You did the right thing! You...you are a great benefactor to our Zhou family!"

He was so excited that he became incoherent.

Su Nianci calmly withdrew her hand.

"Uncle Zhou, it's too early to talk about these things now." Her voice was like a calming agent, allowing Zhou Wenqian to regain his composure.

"This thing is now in my hands. I think you know better than I do what it represents."

"It's not just your brother's keepsake; it's a... huge problem."

"The belongings of a military doctor who had been missing for three years have appeared at a civilian junkyard. What exactly happened behind this? Was he killed by the enemy? Or... was he silenced by his own people? I think you want to know the answers to these questions even more than I do."

Every word Su Nianci said touched Zhou Wenqian's most vulnerable nerves!

Zhou Wenqian's face turned deathly pale instantly!

"What...what do you want to say?"

"Uncle Zhou, I am a five-year-old child, and I have a three-year-old brother with me. We are helpless and our future is uncertain. I am not capable of keeping such a dangerous secret, let alone facing the catastrophic disaster it may bring."

"So, I'd like to make a deal with you."

"A deal?" Zhou Wenqian was stunned.

"Yes." Su Nianci nodded, her eyes becoming incredibly firm and sharp!

"I am giving you this secret completely."

"And you need to agree to three conditions."

"First, from the moment we get off the train until we find my father's comrade-in-arms, Lu Zhenhua, and confirm that he can protect us, you are responsible for the safety and food and lodging of my brother and me."

"Secondly, you must use all your connections to help me find out the real reason why my father, Su Weiguo, and my mother sacrificed their lives!"

"Third," Su Nianci paused, her voice low yet filled with undeniable authority, "on the train, there's a train police captain named Lei Ming. He's been suspicious of me and monitoring me. I don't know what he's up to, but I can sense he has designs on Xiao Shitou. After I get off the train, I need your help to get rid of him completely!"

Three conditions!

Each one was straightforward and full of calculation!

This is no longer a child asking an elder for help!

This is a naked, high-stakes gamble, wagered on a shocking secret!

Looking at Su Nianci, who exuded an aura of power and seemed to have instantly transformed from an innocent child into a shrewd and ruthless strategist, Zhou Wenqian felt his worldview being completely overturned at that moment.

He was silent.

They remained silent for a long time.

The train let out a long "whoosh," and its massive body began to shake violently.

Arrived.

Harbin, we've arrived.

Zhou Wenqian looked at Su Nianci and finally nodded slowly.

"it is good."

He only said one word.

But this word represents a promise.

A promise he would fulfill with the reputation, status, and even his life for the rest of his life!

Su Nianci's heart finally settled down completely.

She successfully tied Zhou Wenqian, a professor at the military medical university, to her side completely.

Just then, the door to the private room was suddenly pulled open from the outside.

Lei Ming's cold and stern face appeared at the doorway.

Behind him was a bustling, noisy platform.

"I'm getting off the bus," he said succinctly.

His gaze swept back and forth between Su Nianci and Zhou Wenqian, his brows furrowing slightly.

He keenly sensed that in those short ten minutes, the atmosphere between the two men had undergone some kind of... strange change that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Professor Zhou, aren't you leaving?" he urged.

Zhou Wenqian stood up and picked up his briefcase.

He walked to Su Nianci's side and then did something that made Lei Ming's pupils shrink sharply!

He reached out and carefully picked up the still-sleeping little stone from Su Nianci's arms, holding it protectively in his embrace.

Then, he extended his other hand towards Su Nianci.

"Nianci, let's go."

His voice was filled with an unquestionable authority and protectiveness befitting an elder.

"Uncle will take you home."