Chapter 200 - 201: The Child Snatcher
After their meal, Hua Manman paid the bill and left with Prince Zhao.
The noodle shop was in a rather secluded location, and since it was getting late, the streets were nearly empty when they left.
The carriage was parked on Changle Street, so they had to walk a short distance back to it.
Along the way, Hua Manman saw a woman holding a child and hurrying toward them.
The alley was quite narrow, only wide enough for two people to walk side by side.
Hua Manman intended to step aside to let the woman with the child pass first.
Instead, the woman stopped first, still holding her child.
She seemed very nervous, as if she wanted to continue forward but was wary of something. She stood rooted to the spot, hesitant to move.
Finding this odd, Hua Manman couldn’t help but give the woman a second glance.
The moon was bright tonight. By its silvery light, Hua Manman could vaguely make out the woman’s features.
When the woman noticed her scrutiny, she immediately turned away, avoiding Hua Manman’s gaze.
This only made Hua Manman more suspicious.
She continued walking with Prince Zhao. As they passed the woman, the woman clutched the child even tighter, burying its head entirely in her chest.
Although Hua Manman had never raised a child, she wasn’t completely clueless.
The way the woman was holding the child was clearly wrong.
The child’s face was pressed so tightly against the woman’s chest that it surely couldn’t breathe properly. It would suffocate if held like that for long.
But strangely, the child showed no reaction at all.
It was as if it were asleep.
Hua Manman had seen enough news reports to be wary. Faced with this situation, her mind instantly flooded with stories about child trafficking.
She stopped. ’I have to test this,’ she thought, putting on a curious expression as she asked.
"Ma’am, do you know how to get to Changle Street?"
The woman clearly hadn’t expected to be addressed and stiffened abruptly.
She shook her head quickly, indicating that she didn’t know.
Hua Manman noted her nervousness, which deepened her suspicion, but she kept a pleasant smile on her face.
"It’s the Mid-Autumn Festival. Are you out to see the lanterns too, Ma’am?"
The woman said nothing, clearly unwilling to engage in conversation.
But Hua Manman continued as if she hadn’t noticed the woman’s reluctance.
"We came out to see the lantern festival, too.
See these two lanterns? They’re our prizes from the festival. Aren’t they beautiful?
But I already have plenty of lanterns at home, so there’s not much use for these two.
How about I give one to your child?"
The woman shook her head again, refusing the offer.
Hua Manman smiled. "Don’t be shy. It’s just a lantern; it’s not worth anything. Let your child take a look. He can have whichever one he likes."
As she spoke, she raised the lanterns in her hand and held them out toward the woman.
Startled by this gesture, the woman hastily backed away.
In the dim yellow glow of the lanterns, Hua Manman clearly saw the flash of terror on the woman’s face.
An ordinary person might have been surprised or wary, but they wouldn’t have reacted so extremely.
Besides, they had been standing here talking for quite a while, and the child in her arms hadn’t stirred at all.
Even if it had been sleeping, the noise should have woken it by now.
For Hua Manman, it was still just a suspicion.
But Li Ji was already certain: this woman was a child kidnapper!
He could hear her thoughts clearly—
’I have to hurry and meet up with Liu San. If I delay any longer, the child’s family will come looking for him.
Why won’t these two leave? Do they suspect me? What am I going to do?’
Li Ji suddenly reached out and grabbed the woman’s arm.
The woman shrieked in terror, "Ah! What are you doing?!"
With a slight twist, Li Ji dislocated her arm. She lost her grip on the child.
Though she hadn’t expected Prince Zhao to strike so suddenly, Hua Manman reacted in a flash. Seeing the child about to hit the ground, she dropped her lanterns and caught him.
She looked down and saw he was a fair, chubby boy of about three.
His eyes were squeezed shut. He didn’t even stir when she caught him.
He didn’t look asleep. He looked like he had passed out.
The woman was in agony and terrified.
She wanted to snatch the child back, but Li Ji’s swift action had terrified her. Not daring to fight him head-on, she could only shriek in panic.
"Why are you kidnapping my child?!"
Hua Manman stared into her eyes and shot back, "Is he really your child?"
The woman’s courage wavered under her gaze, but she put on a brave front and yelled.
"If he’s not my child, is he yours? Give him back to me now, or I’m reporting you to the authorities!"
Li Ji chuckled. "Fine. We’ll go with you to the authorities."
The woman was all talk. How could she dare to actually go to the authorities?
She inwardly cursed the two of them for being busybodies.
’He’s not their child, so why are they getting involved?!’
Clutching her dislocated arm, her face twisted in pain, she was unwilling to leave just like that. Her eyes darted around and spotted people peering out from the nearby noodle shop.
So, the woman yelled at the top of her lungs.
"Help! Someone’s kidnapping a child! Can anyone help me?"
The noodle shop owner immediately ran out.
He was brandishing a meat cleaver and demanded menacingly.
"Who dares to kidnap a child? On a public street! Is there no law anymore?!"
The woman immediately pointed at Hua Manman and Li Ji.
"It was them! They kidnapped my child! They even attacked me and broke my arm! Sir, I beg you, please help me!"
The noodle shop owner recognized Hua Manman and Li Ji at a glance and asked in surprise, "It’s you two?"
He noticed that Hua Manman was holding a child.
He remembered that the two of them didn’t have a child with them when they were eating noodles just now.
The noodle shop owner couldn’t help but ask, "Why on earth would you two kidnap someone’s child?"
Just then, a few more people came out of the noodle shop. Residents from nearby homes also began to open their courtyard gates, craning their necks to look.
Seeing that she had a crowd on her side, the woman’s confidence returned, and she began to cry even more theatrically.
"SOB, SOB, SOB! My baby! The child I carried for ten months and nearly died giving birth to has been stolen by these two! Is there no justice left in this world?!"
Li Ji remained completely unfazed by the crowd’s pointing and murmuring.
He stated calmly, "Since you insist we kidnapped your child, then let’s take a trip to the Jingzhao Mansion and have the Capital Governor settle this."
The woman’s wailing faltered.
The noodle shop owner thought this made sense and immediately agreed.
"That’s right! Kidnapping a child is no small matter. You have to report it to the authorities!"
The woman wiped her tears and said,
"I’m just a simple woman. How could I dare set foot in a place like the Jingzhao Mansion?
Besides, anyone can see they aren’t ordinary people. They probably have connections with the officials at the Jingzhao Mansion.
Even if I took my case to the Jingzhao Mansion, I doubt I’d get justice."