Lin Lan thought for a mont. "It was almost four o’clock. A man carrying a basket on his back ca to my door wanting to buy a chicken. He didn’t look like a good person to ."
The woman beside her nodded as well. "Yeah, a monkey-faced man asked if I had any chickens to sell. He looked so shifty that I just closed my courtyard gate. A little while later, Aunt Su started searching for her Little Yong."
"The police are here," soone shouted, and the crowd parted to let them through.
Lin Lan saw Yao Xiuyun and the officer nad Wang He arrive.
Yao Xiuyun gave Lin Lan a slight nod, then followed Wang He into the courtyard and said to Old Mrs. Su, "Ma’am, we’ve already sent officers to the bus and train stations to look for the child. Can you tell us what happened in detail?"
Old Mrs. Su, slumped on the ground, looked at them with tear-filled eyes. "I was weeding the vegetable patch, and my dear grandson was squatting by the courtyard gate. I told him not to play by the ditch, and he said he was watching ants move house. He even ca to find to dig up an earthworm to feed the ants."
As she spoke, Old Mrs. Su began to wail, beating her chest and stamping her feet. "He was right there at the courtyard gate! How could he just disappear in the blink of an eye?"
The onlookers began to whisper among themselves. "A kidnapper, coming right to our doorsteps. What are we supposed to do now? Lock our kids in the yard and never let them out?"
"Soone in Team Two had more than a dozen ducks stolen last night. There’s always an increase in petty theft as the New Year approaches, but who would’ve thought soone would actually steal a child!"
"Exactly. We’ll have to keep a much closer eye on our little ones from now on."
Wang He went to inspect the spot Old Mrs. Su had pointed to. Sure enough, at the base of the wall lay an earthworm torn into several pieces, and ants were crawling into a hole in the wall.
’A child not even three years old couldn’t have run off very far,’ he thought. ’It’s highly likely he was abducted.’
"Mr. Wang..." Lin Lan called out to him, then told him about the man she had seen.
The other woman also told Wang He about the monkey-faced man she had seen. "Officer, you could tell just by looking at that man he was no good. I’d say there’s a good chance he’s the one who took Su Xiaoyong."
Wang He considered this for a mont before saying to the two won, "We’ll need your cooperation shortly. Please give a detailed description of the man to one of our investigating officers."
Lin Lan nodded readily. "Of course. Officer Yao knows where I live. Co and get whenever you need ."
Wang He nodded, and he and Yao Xiuyun left the Su family’s ho.
As Lin Lan and Li Guizhi walked back, Li Guizhi sighed. "This is just terrible for Old Mrs. Su. Her daughter-in-law will definitely bla her for not keeping a better eye on the boy."
"But who could have expected it to happen right on her own doorstep?"
Lin Lan thought about the missing children she had seen on TV. ’He’d be considered lucky if he was just sold to a family who wanted a son. The real fear is that his captors will break his arms and legs and force him to beg in a big city.’
She decided that starting tomorrow, she would take Little Douzi to and from school herself.
Little Douzi tugged on Lin Lan’s arm. "Mama, did soone steal Little Yong from Granny Su’s house?"
Lin Lan stroked his head. "Yes. And I’ve told you before, you can’t take things from other people. Except for your Third Aunt and Eldest Aunt, you can’t accept food from anyone, even if you know them. And you must never go off to play with anyone."
Little Douzi nodded seriously. "I rember. I won’t take things from other people."
Not long after Lin Lan and her son returned ho, Yao Xiuyun ca to their house, bringing another officer and the woman from earlier.
They carefully questioned the two won about the monkey-faced man’s features, then drew a composite sketch for them to identify. The three of them didn’t leave until both won confird that the sketch was accurate.
Wu Shufen looked at Lin Lan with concern. "Starting tomorrow, I’ll be the one to take and pick up Little Douzi."
Lin Lan nodded. "I’ll take him on my bicycle."
「Early the next morning」
After Wang Zhixue and his brother picked up the pastries, Lin Lan wheeled her bicycle out with Little Douzi, ready to take him to school.
Just as they were leaving, they saw Yang ihua and her two children walking onto Shiqiao.
Yang ihua pointed at Little Douzi on the bicycle’s rear rack. "Lin Lan, you heard what happened, too?"
Lin Lan nodded. "I did. I wonder if they’ve found the boy yet."
"They haven’t. Where would they even begin to look? I heard from Xiang Hua that the Su family was still out searching last night. Little Yong’s mom fainted in the street and had to be taken to the hospital." Yang ihua cursed, full of indignation. "Those damn traffickers! They should be hacked to pieces when they’re caught."
Lin Lan looked up at the sky. "I just hope they can catch that monkey-faced man and get Little Yong back."
Yang ihua sighed. "I know. Everyone feels that way. We’re all just wishing he’ll be found imdiately."
"Mom, I’m going with Auntie! You don’t have to take ." Little Kai had sohow scrambled onto the rear rack of the bike and was now squeezed in next to Little Douzi.
Yang ihua waved her hand agreeably. "Go on, then! You can go with your aunt. I’ll pick you all up at noon when school gets out."
Lin Lan said to Little Yun, who was still standing nearby, "Co on, Little Yun. You can sit on the crossbar."
"Thank you, Auntie!" Little Yun climbed onto the crossbar.
On the way, Lin Lan noticed that all the younger children were accompanied by an adult. The Su family’s incident had clearly put everyone on high alert.
After coming back from the school, Lin Lan went straight to Limin Street to give the blueprint for the ironing board to Woodworker Li.
Woodworker Li laughed. "This is simple. I’ll just find a big wooden board, plane it smooth, sand off the splinters, and build a folding stand for the bottom. That’ll do it."
Lin Lan nodded. "I’ll be counting on you, Master Li."
Master Li smiled. "My pleasure."
Lin Lan ca out of the shop and walked to the one next door. Seeing the door was ajar and hearing voices inside, she figured they were stocking rchandise, so she got on her bike and started riding back ho.
As night was falling, Li Xiangyang arrived in East Market. After unloading Liu Da’s cargo, he drove with Duan Hongjun and Liu Biao to Lin Lan’s house. The mont he stepped out of the truck, he heard Wangcai’s joyous barks.
When Lin Lan heard Wangcai barking, she knew Li Xiangyang had arrived. She put down her work, went to the courtyard gate, and slid open the bolt to find an unshaven Li Xiangyang with his hand raised, just about to knock.
Li Xiangyang’s eyes crinkled with a smile as he looked at her. "You knew I was here?"
"It wasn’t who knew, it was Wangcai!" Lin Lan said with a laugh, pointing at the dog, who was wagging his tail so hard it looked like it might snap off. "I think he’s getting too smart for his own good."
Little Douzi ran out and grabbed Li Xiangyang’s arm. "Uncle Xiangyang, you’re back!"
Li Xiangyang ruffled his fluffy hair. "Have you been behaving at ho?"
Little Douzi nodded eagerly. "Yes!" Then he ran over to the large truck. "Whoa, what a huge truck!"
Duan Hongjun, who was unloading cargo from the truck bed with Liu Biao, looked down at him. "Want to learn how to drive? Uncle Duan will teach you."
"I do!" Little Douzi shouted back.
Duan Hongjun chuckled. "Alright. When you’re all grown up, Uncle Duan will teach you."
Little Douzi rolled his eyes at him. "By the ti I’m grown up, my Uncle Xiangyang can teach , too." After saying his piece, he went to help Li Xiangyang carry things.
Duan Hongjun laughed. "Little fella’s got so attitude, huh!"
Everyone helped carry the goods into the main hall and set them down. Lin Lan and Lin Yuezhen poured hot water for the three n to wash their faces, while Wu Shufen and Qiaohui brought the wontons they had prepared to the table.
Wu Shufen said cheerfully to Duan Hongjun and Liu Biao, "Thank you both for your trouble. We don’t have much else for dinner, but we made you a bowl of wontons in chili oil."
Duan Hongjun smiled. "Auntie, wontons are perfect! After driving for a few days, sothing hot and brothy is exactly what I’ve been craving."
Li Xiangyang and Liu Biao ca over and sat down, and the three of them started eating. SLURP, SLURP.
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