Chapter 71 - 070 Haunted House
Aunt Zhong frowned, her eyes glistening faintly with tears: "Sangsang, it’s Auntie who let you down. Don’t be too upset for now. Let’s keep looking everywhere. Yanyan is a sensible and obedient child—perhaps he’ll come back on his own soon."
Gousheng tilted his head and spoke softly: "Auntie, don’t cry. I’ll help look for Brother Yan too. There are plenty of places he and I usually play; he might just be hiding somewhere."
Tian Sangsang sniffled hard, glanced at Gousheng, and then at Aunt Zhong: "Auntie, this isn’t your fault. It’s mine for not keeping a closer eye on Yanyan. I’ll go search again myself." In truth, while Tian Tian’s words earlier had been cruel, they weren’t without merit. If it weren’t for her own incompetence as a mother, how could Yanyan have gone missing? Ultimately, it was her own failure to properly watch over him.
Widow Meng also arrived and said, "Alright then, let’s split up to search."
In the end, Li Xiaoqin took Gousheng to the places he often played to search there, Aunt Zhong searched within the village, Widow Meng headed toward the river, Tian Guogui went to the fields, and Tian Sangsang went outside the village. It was nearing five o’clock in the afternoon by then, yet no one had gone back to cook or eat—they all continued helping her search. This touched Tian Sangsang deeply.
But as night descended, every piece of news Tian Sangsang received was the same: nothing. Her heart sank, hollow and restless once more.
Calculating the time, it must’ve been near midnight. She glanced at the window and tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She had barely eaten, only taking a few sips of water and some flatbread before falling onto the bed. Outside, the sound of cicadas droned on endlessly, their faint melodies weaving hauntingly through the dark night. No, she couldn’t remain passive. She had to take action!
Tonight, she hadn’t changed out of her clothes. Tian Sangsang resolutely got out of bed, exchanged items in her dimensional space for an old-fashioned flashlight, and quietly stepped out of her house to avoid disturbing the neighbors. She made sure to lock the courtyard door carefully.