Chapter 33: The Child is Missing
Cao Daqiang was fuming but didn’t dare to have a complete falling out, so he had no choice but to endure it.
Now that their daughter was gone, Liu Yingzi would be heartbroken for a while, but she might eventually compromise and agree to have another child.
He thought he had everything under control.
But he didn’t know that Ling Anxun had already sent people out with a portrait of Shanshan, asking for her along the way.
The portrait was so lifelike that everyone who saw it spoke up immediately.
"Isn’t that the little girl from the Cao family? I just saw her around here a few days ago!"
"I know that little girl. She belongs to Yang Dapeng’s family. Come on, I’ll take you."
Yang Dapeng’s house wasn’t hard to find. They chatted as they walked and arrived at the door in no time.
"Zhang Yunhua! Someone’s here to see you!"
Hearing the shout, Zhang Yunhua hurried out to open the door.
As soon as she saw the unfamiliar faces at her door, she immediately grew wary.
"Who... are you looking for?"
"We’re looking for your Shanshan. Is she home?"
Zhang Yunhua quickly stepped aside to let them in.
But out of the corner of her eye, she saw a few nosy neighbors craning their necks from behind the visitors and frowned.
She quickly raised her hand and shooed them away.
"Don’t crowd the doorway! You can come gawk later!"
Blocked by her, the neighbors sheepishly drew their heads back.
They muttered a few words under their breath but eventually dispersed.
"Come, have a seat inside. Drink some water."
As she spoke, she pulled out a wooden stool from a corner.
Then she turned, brought over a few crude porcelain bowls, and poured in some freshly boiled water.
Ling Anxun quietly surveyed the old house.
The room was small, only a little over a hundred square feet.
The walls were made of mud bricks.
The plaster was peeling off in large patches, revealing the bricks and mud mortar underneath.
Strings of dried chilies and garlic hung from the beams overhead.
Firewood and farming tools were piled in a corner.
His gaze swept somberly over every detail, and his heart tightened slightly.
This dilapidated environment was far from what he had imagined.
Before long, Yang Dapeng came rushing back.
The moment he entered the main room and saw Ling Anxun sitting there, he froze on the spot.
Then, he dropped his hoe and snapped to attention.
"Reporting, Sir! Yang Dapeng, 2nd Company, 3rd Regiment, 7th Division!"
Ling Anxun nodded and raised his right hand, returning a standard military salute.
Few words were exchanged, but the man’s imposing presence was enough to make Yang Dapeng’s palms sweat and his heart POUND.
"Um... Mr. Ling, is there a reason you’re looking for Shanshan?"
he asked cautiously.
"Nothing serious."
Ling Anxun’s tone softened a bit.
"I just wanted to ask, does she know how to treat illnesses?"
The color drained from Yang Dapeng’s face.
He turned to look at his wife, who had been silent the whole time.
Zhang Yunhua’s brow was deeply furrowed, and she gave a slight shake of her head.
Yang Dapeng got the message and gave a forced laugh.
"You must be joking, Sir. Shanshan is only three years old. She can barely recognize a few words, how could she possibly know how to treat illnesses?"
As he spoke, his eyes darted about, and he unconsciously rubbed the back of his head, looking thoroughly ill at ease.
"Is that so?"
Ling Anxun’s voice was level, but it held a hint of disappointment.
The aide wanted to ask more questions.
Yang Dapeng’s heart clenched. Fearing the child would get into trouble, he quickly fabricated a story.
"She’s been frail since she was a baby. The doctor told us not to let her touch any medicine—she’s not even allowed to eat much candy. How could we dare let her treat anyone? If something were to go wrong, we couldn’t take the responsibility!"
Having failed to get a clear answer, Ling Anxun waved his hand.
Seeing the gesture, the aide immediately stepped forward, took hold of the wheelchair, and began to turn it around.
Yang Dapeng saw them all the way to the door.
He didn’t let out a sigh of relief until the jeep was completely out of sight, raising a hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.
"Yun Hua, where are you off to?"
He had just stepped back inside when he saw his wife holding a bamboo basket, about to head out.
"To find Shanshan!"
Yun Hua’s brow was furrowed, her voice edged with anxiety.
"She should’ve been home by now, but there’s still no sign of her! I just asked around at the entrance to the alley, and nobody’s seen her!"
Yang Dapeng slapped his forehead, cursing himself in frustration.
"I’m such an idiot! I was so busy with work in the fields I forgot to go get her! Come on, let’s look together!"
He hurried outside, tightening his belt as he went.
"Why have so many people been asking about her lately? I’m afraid someone with bad intentions has their eye on our girl!"
"What? People have been asking about Shanshan?"
At this, Zhang Yunhua’s face turned deathly pale.
"Tell me, what exactly happened? Who was asking? What did they ask? Huh? Tell me everything!"
Seeing her reaction, Yang Dapeng quickly steadied himself against the corner of the table.
He then carefully recounted his encounter with the stranger at the market earlier that day.
"The man was standing by the pork stall, wearing an old hat that covered half his face. He quietly asked me, ’Have you seen a little girl named Shanshan? She wears her hair in little braids and has a blue floral shirt.’ My heart skipped a beat, and I didn’t dare give a real answer, so I just said I hadn’t seen her... But the whole thing... it just feels fishy."
After listening to his story, Zhang Yunhua’s hands began to shake uncontrollably.
The color drained from her lips as she muttered tremulously.
"Oh, heavens... Please, God, protect her... Our child doesn’t know anything, she’s so innocent. Please don’t let her be tricked... If someone’s kidnapped her, how will I go on living!"
She collapsed onto a small stool, her hands twisting the corners of her apron.
Meanwhile, Liu Yingzi was at home, anxiously pacing back and forth.
She looked at the clock on the wall.
The hands pointed to a quarter past six, and the sky was already pitch-black.
But there was still no sign of Jiajia.
"Daqiang! Have you seen Jiajia? It’s time for dinner, where is that child? She hasn’t run off to play in the fields again, has she?"
she called out anxiously in the direction of the study.
Cao Daqiang didn’t look up, his eyes fixed on the documents on his desk as he answered.
"She probably lost track of time playing. Kids are like that. Why don’t you go look for her? Don’t let her go hungry."
He waved a hand dismissively.
The gesture seemed casual, but his fingertips were trembling slightly.
"Fine, I’ll go look for her."
Liu Yingzi didn’t ask any more questions. She snatched her coat from the rack.
Shrugging it on, she hurried out the door.
The door slammed shut with a BANG, and the room fell suddenly quiet.
Cao Daqiang sat frozen for a long time.
Then he abruptly threw down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and let out a long sigh.
But before he could even catch his breath, Liu Yingzi’s shout erupted from outside.
"Cao Daqiang! Get out here right now! You took Jiajia out today! Where is she? Where did she go? I just turned the entire family housing area upside down, I’ve checked every nook and cranny, and there’s no sign of her!"
Cao Daqiang jolted, his eyes flying open as if a BOMB had gone off in his head.
"What? She’s missing?"
Hearing this, his face turned as white as a sheet.
"Don’t panic, don’t panic... I’ll go with you and help you look!"
He struggled to get up, his voice trembling.
"You must have missed a spot. Don’t worry. That girl has always loved hide-and-seek, and she’s a great hider. Remember that time she hid in the woodshed at Old Yang’s house for two hours and no one could find her... Just calm down, calm down..."
Liu Yingzi reached out to help him.
But just as he managed to struggle to his feet, his legs gave out after only two steps, and he collapsed back onto the floor.
"That’s enough. Don’t move."
Liu Yingzi bit her lip, forcing back tears.
"I’ll go by myself. You wait here at home. In case Jiajia comes back on her own, you need to watch her and not let her run off again. Do you hear me?"