"Lost? How could that be?"
Li Chuchu was a bit surprised.
It wasn't because of the lost money.
There were countless people who lost money on the train. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary.
Mainly because Shen Yanshan was usually an extremely cautious person. Logically speaking, anyone could lose money before him.
Moreover, given his nature, it would be considered kind of him if he didn't take advantage of others. How could others take advantage of him?
However, since he said so, Li Chuchu felt it was her duty to cooperate with him. "What should we do? Should I go look for it for you? Or should we go tell the train police?"
Li Chuchu just stood up when Shen Yanshan quickly grabbed her wrist. "I'll go look for it."
She watched as he went to talk to the train attendant on duty in the front. He acted so panicked that Li Chuchu couldn't tell if it was real or not.
Did he really lose his money?
With the mentality of "better others than me", Li Chuchu stroked her chest. Fortunately, she had hidden her money well. Not even a single coin was lost.
When Shen Yanshan came back, Li Chuchu immediately looked at him eagerly. "How about it? Did you find your wallet?"
Shen Yanshan shook his head. "No. The train conductor said it's most likely impossible to find it."
Although she had already expected this result, Li Chuchu still showed a disappointed expression and tried to comfort him. "It's okay. I'll eat less for the next few days. After we get off the train, we'll go beg for food. The train is not far from Spring City. There must be a way to get there."
Shen Yanshan gave Li Chuchu a look that was hard to describe.
After a long while, he squeezed out a sound between his teeth. "Yeah."
The man across from them slurped up his plain noodles in two mouthfuls, then silently lay down, turned over, and continued to catch up on sleep.
He showed no sign of abnormality. He just looked like a normal young man who was a bit socially awkward.
...
At night,
When it was time to wash up, Shen Yanshan pulled Li Chuchu aside. "You sleep in my berth tonight."
Li Chuchu nodded. "Did your money really get stolen?"
Shen Yanshan calmly replied, "Yeah."
"Can we steal it back?" Li Chuchu asked curiously.
He glanced at Li Chuchu but didn't say a word.
Li Chuchu immediately understood. "Okay. I promise I won't get in the way."
The lights on the train were turned off at ten o'clock.
Li Chuchu got into the berth in the dark.
Shen Yanshan tiptoed over and lay down on the berth opposite the young man.
It was a bit noisy at night. The train itself made a rumbling sound as it shook. There were many children in the carriage, and there were often the sounds of children's cries and noises. It didn't gradually quiet down until the second half of the night.
In the first half of the night, the man just turned over once and tightly hugged the black bag in his arms.
Shen Yanshan lay in bed, keeping his breathing steady, pretending to be asleep with his eyes closed.
In the second half of the night,
There came a rustling sound from the next carriage, as if there were also some voices deliberately lowered.
"Boss, that kid seems to be in... this carriage..."
The man opened his eyes suddenly, then quickly got out of bed. He looked very anxious and accidentally knocked over the teacup beside him. He quickly reached out to steady it.
He hesitated on the berth for a while. Hearing that the footsteps seemed to be approaching, he finally gritted his teeth and stuffed the black bag under the berth. In the pitch - black night, the black bag blended in with the berth and other people's luggage.
There was nothing to be seen.
Seeing that the people around him didn't move, the man turned around and ran away.
Just then,
Shen Yanshan opened his eyes. He accurately found the place where the man had hidden the black bag. He opened the bag and, looking at it under the small lamp at his feet, saw that there was a thick stack of money inside.
The footsteps on that side were getting closer.
Shen Yanshan looked incredibly calm. He quickly took out a few stacks of money from it. He estimated it to be about tens of thousands of yuan. He didn't take it all, then put the bag back in place.
He stuffed the money into his clothes and then lay down.
Immediately afterwards,
There came a sound of footsteps from the other side of the carriage.
"Boss, that kid isn't here! It seems he's run away!"
"Damn it. Hurry up and see if the stuff is here!"
There came a sound of searching from the side, followed by the sound of a bag falling to the ground.
It was still the same person. "I found this."
Shen Yanshan opened his eyes a tiny slit.
He saw the leader take out all the money in the bag at once. The empty bag fell to the ground. He weighed the money in his hand, frowned, and said, "It's wrong. The amount is wrong! The rest must have been taken away by that bastard."
The subordinate beside him stammered in a low voice, "Could it be... taken away by someone else?"
Feeling someone approaching,
Shen Yanshan quickly closed his eyes.
The leader bent down and reached into the quilt to feel. "The bed is still warm. That bastard just left not long ago. Who would have the ability in such a short time? Stop talking nonsense. Hurry up and chase!"
The group of people all left.
In the dark night,
Shen Yanshan opened his eyes. It was three thirty in the morning. There was no trace of sleep in his black eyes. There was only a cold and slightly sarcastic look on his face.
The pickpockets on the train had formed fixed organized groups. The pickpocket groups would divide their "territories". Committing crimes across territories might lead to revenge. If a new pickpocket "didn't understand the rules" and stole from the "targets" of other groups, the stolen goods would be forcibly taken away, and they might even be beaten up violently.
Obviously, the person lying next to him was a new pickpocket who "didn't understand the rules".
He got itchy fingers when he saw an easy target.
His skills were good.
It was a pity.
As a newcomer, he didn't understand the rules, and in the end, he got nothing.
Since the amount of money was wrong, both sides would definitely suspect each other.
But no one would suspect him. After all, he was just a "target" who had already been victimized.
Shen Yanshan slightly moved his arm and then continued to sleep with his eyes closed.
...
Li Chuchu woke up in the morning with a grumpy mood.
As soon as she opened her eyes,
Shen Yanshan handed her a towel and a thermos.
Li Chuchu mumbled and complained to him, "This middle - level berth is really uncomfortable to sleep in! Not only do I have to climb up and down, but I can't even sit up straight."
Shen Yanshan stroked her head and comforted her. "We'll be there soon. You've had a hard time on this journey. After we get off the train, we'll find a guesthouse to have a good rest."
That was better.
Li Chuchu slowly got out of bed to wash up.
Maybe because the train was about to reach the terminal station, the atmosphere on the train was extremely lively. Even those who didn't like to talk couldn't help but chat with the people next to them.
Only the guy on the opposite berth didn't show up.
It wasn't until it was almost time to get off the train that
Li Chuchu saw him near the toilet in the carriage.
The man, whose eyes were originally small, had a bruise on his eye. Leaning against the door, he stared around angrily.
A thief suspected everyone. He warily looked at the people in the carriage. Everyone seemed suspicious to him.
When other people lost money or got beaten, they could call the police. But if he called the police, it would be like turning himself in.
So no matter how aggrieved he was, he could only swallow it himself.
Li Chuchu thought of something and suddenly leaned close to Shen Yanshan and whispered, "Did you find the money?"
The warm breath blew on Shen Yanshan's ear. He couldn't help but tighten the hand around Li Chuchu's waist.
"Yeah."
His wife was really smart.
Just then, the train attendant's voice rang out, interrupting what Li Chuchu was about to say.
"The train has arrived at the terminal station of this journey - Spring City Station."
After two days and two nights, they finally arrived in Spring City!