Chronicle of the 70s

Lu Xun then briefly talked about the child abduction and how they searched. In fact, the child wasn’t lost in the county where Li Xianglu lived, but about a hundred kilometers away, near Guanzhong, in another province known for its coal production.

Upon hearing this, Li Xianglu frowned slightly and unconsciously murmured, "Could it have been done on purpose?"

Qin Xi suddenly turned her head and yanked the person who’d spoken without thinking.

But the comment had already been overheard by everyone present.

Qin Xi laughed it off, "This girl listens to too many spy radio dramas, she loves making wild guesses." Then she patted Li Xianglu’s head with her large hand.

Li Xianglu blinked, hee-hee’d foolishly and said, "Yeah, yeah."

But everyone who heard it had a very solemn expression, especially a young woman named Xi Yunmei, one of the couple, who touched her child’s cheek with a bitter look on her face.

Seeing this, Mr. Li realized that the girl might have guessed right and jovially said, "Come on, have some water, I’m cooking right now. Let’s have a basin of water-mutton at noon. We’ve got some lamb at home."

Everyone hurriedly shook their heads. The young man, Lu Xun, chuckled, "We’ll have to leave tonight, I’m afraid we won’t have time. We won’t trouble you today, maybe some other time."

Mr. Li didn’t insist, and Xi Yunmei pointed to a row of gifts and told Mr. Li and Li Xianglu, "Here are some snacks and fabrics, not much, just a little token of our appreciation. Old Xiangxiang, don’t think it’s too little."

Mr. Li laughed and said, "You guys are too polite. The incident has passed, just be more cautious in the future."