"You said you saw Lian Duoduo?" Everyone turned to look at Lian Manman.
"Mm-hmm," Lian Manman nodded, "She just walked by the entrance of the alley, looked so much like her."
"You must be mistaken," Lady He said, "In the past two days, the whole town has been turned upside down. If Duoduo were here, she would have been found a long ti ago."
Lian Manman slightly furrowed her brows; that figure, although wearing different clothes, still looked too much like Lian Duoduo.
"We have to go take a look," Lian Manman said as she quickly stood up. Even if there was a one percent chance, she had to go check. A ten-year-old girl out on the streets usually didn’t end well. Even if she mistook soone else, a wasted trip would be better than waking up from a dream every ti, thinking about the missed opportunity to save Lian Duoduo, which would be much more unsettling.
Lian Manman was set on chasing after Lian Duoduo, and naturally, Wu Lang and Xiao Qi stood up too and hurried over.
"Lady He, Brother Erlang, you should co too," Lian Manman called to Lady He and Erlang. She was afraid that they, just a few children, wouldn’t be able to handle it if they encountered the kidnapper who had taken Lian Duoduo.
"Mom, let’s go take a look too," Erlang nodded and said.
So, Lady He and Erlang followed them too.
Lian Manman ran to the mouth of the alley and searched in the direction that little girl headed. That girl had tiny feet and wasn’t walking fast; she had only reached the street corner.
"Duoduo, Lian Duoduo," Lian Manman shouted loudly.
The little girl suddenly stopped, turned her head, and saw Lian Manman.
Lian Manman also saw her face clearly.
"It really is Lian Duoduo," Lian Manman exclaid with joy.
But Lian Duoduo looked startled and, ignoring Lian Manman, rushed into the alley beside her.
Lian Duoduo seeing them and running away instead of being joyful! This greatly surprised Lian Manman. What was Lian Duoduo thinking, what on earth had happened?
"Let’s chase her quickly; we can’t let her get away," Lian Manman said and pursued in the direction Lian Duoduo had disappeared.
Lady He and Erlang, who had co out from behind the alley, also saw that the little girl was indeed Lian Duoduo. With his tall stature and long legs, Erlang quickly took the lead.
"Brother, you must catch up!" Lian Manman called out.
"Alright," Erlang replied while speeding up even more.
Erlang was up front, with Lian Manman, Wu Lang, and Xiao Qi closely behind. Lady He, a bit heavyset, ran along beside Lian Manman.
"Oh dear, I thought that girl might have died in so pond," Lady He said while running and added, "didn’t expect that she’d be in the town."
Lian Manman didn’t say anything; Lady He’s comnts were as unpleasant as ever.
They entered the alley and after several twists and turns, Lian Manman saw Erlang stopped in front of a household’s side gate.
"Duoduo’s there, why did you stop chasing?" Lian Manman arrived and asked Erlang.
"Was that really Duoduo?" Erlang asked.
Lian Manman found it strange, why would Erlang ask such a question.
"Didn’t we all see her? If that wasn’t Duoduo, who else could it be?" Lian Manman said.
Erlang raised his hand and scratched his head.
"I caught up to her just now, and she told I got the wrong person, she wasn’t Lian Duoduo," Erlang said, "Then she went through this door and bolted it shut."
Erlang pointed at the door behind him.
"Then she must not be Lian Duoduo," Lady He said, "If she were, why wouldn’t she recognize us... There really are people who look that much alike."
Lian Manman stamped her foot in frustration.
"How can it not be Lian Duoduo? If it wasn’t her, she wouldn’t have turned around when I called her earlier," Lian Manman insisted.
"But then she ran away, if she were Lian Duoduo, she wouldn’t have run," Lady He argued.
Lian Manman thought for a while. In her previous life, she had heard about so children being abducted and controlled to beg or even steal. Their captors were cruel, and the kids dared not resist. Lian Duoduo only being a ten-year-old girl, it was possible she was too scared to acknowledge them if she was under soone’s control.
"Whether she is or isn’t, we’ve chased her this far; we must make things clear," Lian Manman asserted.
"Now that I think about it, her voice did sound a lot like Duoduo’s," Erlang recalled.
"This girl, biting the hand that feeds her, we ca all the way here, and she still doesn’t recognize us," Lady He complained.
Lian Manman then stepped forward to knock on the door.
"Lian Duoduo, open up!" Lian Manman called.
Lian Manman knocked for a long ti, but there was no sound inside.
They were not planning to open the door. It was unclear what the situation inside was, whether the kidnapper who controlled Lian Duoduo was there.
User Comments
0 comments from readers