The entire Gu Family Village was in chaos.
Gu Ruhai and Li Xuemei were on the verge of insanity.
Two children were missing.
No!
Three children were missing.
Gu Xiaoqing, Gu Xiaojie, and Zhang Zijie.
The three children seemed to have vanished suddenly from the village.
The whole village was mobilized, starting to search for the children everywhere.
Gu Xifeng, also known as Aunt Zhang, had already fainted from crying. After all, the youngest son of the Zhang Family was missing; how could anyone feel good about that?
Li Xuemei was crying so hard her eyes were swollen and nearly blind, while Gu Ruhai took people out of the village to search; neighboring villages were also searched.
Gu Xiaoying accompanied Li Xuemei, waiting at home for any news.
They were all afraid that if the children were out playing and returned to an empty home, and then left again, what would they do?
Thus, Li Xuemei stayed at home waiting for news.
But she was truly going mad inside.
This waiting was far more nerve-wracking than searching outside.
Gu Rushan and Jiang Xiulan, along with Mr. Gu and Mrs. Gu, all came, mindful of the family’s face; but secretly, Jiang Xiulan was pleased.
If it weren’t for the occasional outsiders coming and going, Jiang Xiulan’s lips would have been smiling.
Let Gu Ruhai show off.
See, he’s getting his comeuppance now.
Gu Ruhai had only one son, who was now forty-eight, and Li Xuemei was already forty-two. If Gu Xiaojie couldn’t be found, Gu Ruhai’s family would face extinction.
Gu Xiaoqing was directly ignored by Jiang Xiulan, as she was just a girl, so her fate wasn’t of much concern.
What does facing extinction mean?
The family property of the eldest would go to Gu Rushan and Gu Ruhe’s families.
Thinking of this, Jiang Xiulan felt at ease.
If you don’t share the secret recipe with me and keep flaunting it all day, well, now it’s over. The money you two earned will end up in our pockets.
Those blessed with good fortune need not hurry.
Mr. Gu smoked silently, while Mrs. Gu kept grumbling, hinting that Li Xuemei was a jinx.
The atmosphere in the house was stifling.
Li Xuemei cried bitterly, wanting to die.
The two children were her lifeline.
This wasn’t just digging her heart out.
The front door slammed, and many people entered.
Jiang Xiulan leisurely walked down from the second floor; by now she had already treated this place as her own home without any reservations.
However, she still pretended to be worried as she watched Gu Ruhai walk in through the door, followed by several villagers.
When Li Xuemei heard the sound, she rushed over and grabbed Gu Ruhai, asking, "Did you find them?"
Gu Ruhai handed a piece of fabric to Li Xuemei and said gravely, "This is Xiaoqing’s, right?"
Li Xuemei clutched it in her hand, tears streaming down, replying repeatedly, "Yes, yes, this is Xiaoqing’s, the fabric from Xiaoqing’s cotton jacket is just like this. I recognize it. Was she found?"
Li Xuemei had already subconsciously assumed something had happened to her child.
Could she have fallen into the river?
Or what else?
If the fabric is here, shouldn’t the person also be visible?
Li Xuemei looked behind Gu Ruhe but saw nothing.
Anxiously, she asked Gu Ruhe, "What about the child, what’s going on, say something."
Her lips, blistered from stress, bled when she became agitated.
The scene was quite frightening.
Jiang Xiulan felt a sinking feeling, hoping that the children hadn’t really been found.
Could it be that these two little rascals really have the ability; I heard that in neighboring villages and my older brother’s village, quite a few kids have gone missing these days.
When I heard Gu Xiaoqing and Gu Xiaojie were missing, I automatically thought they’d been taken by human traffickers.
If those two children returned, what would become of me?
She, too, anxiously asked, "Brother, what about the children?"
Gu Ruhai pounded his fist onto the edge of the kang, his knuckles stained with blood, and his sturdy back sagged, making him look like an old man who had suddenly aged decades overnight.
Harshly, he said, "We found this on the branch by the path near the river at the village entrance. It’s not far from the main road, and someone saw a tractor parked there, but no one saw any children.
But neighboring villages have had children go missing these past few days, adding up to roughly a dozen children gone missing. We’ve reported it to the police station. The officers said they’ve opened a case but advised us to search our surroundings ourselves. In situations like this, missing children often aren’t found, as traffickers typically take them away quickly rather than wait for us to find them."
These words carried a sense of discouragement and repressed helplessness.
Nowadays, children are always going missing; even in neighboring villages, it’s not all at once—they’re taken one by one from different villages, and most are never found. Eventually, only the parents continue searching.
It’s like finding a needle in a haystack.
Moreover, who has ever heard of a child returning after going missing all these years?
Li Xuemei was stunned, her eyes rolling over as she fainted.
Gu Ruhai’s eyes reddened as he picked Li Xuemei up and laid her on the kang, pulling up a quilt to cover her.
Though they were Li Xuemei’s children, when he heard the news himself, his heart ached, wishing he could die.
For so many years, the children were with him but hadn’t enjoyed any good fortune. The family had only just begun to live comfortably, and he was considering how to improve the children’s lives.
And now they’re gone.
This was self-punishment.
Even heaven couldn’t bear to watch.
As an incompetent father, heaven was angry; this was his punishment.
Gu Ruhai told Gu Xiaoying quietly, "Watch your mom, don’t leave her side for a moment. I’m going to look for your sister and brother."
He said this and walked out, his stubbly beard making Mr. Gu’s heart ache.
After all, he was his son; though there were some disputes, this didn’t change the bond of blood.
Mrs. Gu muttered, "It’s all the eldest one’s fault. If the eldest wasn’t unfilial and didn’t listen to us, would the children be missing?"
Mr. Gu glared sharply like daggers, scaring Mrs. Gu into immediately shutting her mouth.
Jiang Xiulan, feeling at ease, turned and went to the kitchen, saying, "Sister-in-law hasn’t eaten for two days; I’ll make something to eat, lest the adults can’t take it without the kids found."
Her words actually seemed sincere.
She was just thinking that since Gu Ruhai had just organized a warming feast, there must be plenty of good leftovers in the kitchen.
"Make me a bowl too; I’m hungry," Mrs. Gu’s voice came through.