Lin Jianming and his wife knew only what Shen Siyuan had told them.
But they still hoped to learn from their daughter what exactly had happened back then.
After receiving her mother’s affirmation that she was still a good child, Duoduo also started talking about what had happened back then.
"She said she put on her favorite yellow rain boots, took her favorite little umbrella, and left the house. On the way, she even encountered two little frogs, croaking..."
"She said she took some coins out of her piggy bank..."
"She said she brought a ’telescope,’ and could see her brother in the classroom from the school gates..."
"She said she twirled the umbrella handle, scattering the rainwater in spirals, splashing onto the leaves by the side of the road..."
"She said when she passed by the front of a small store, she saw the old shop owner grandfather lying on a rocking chair listening to the radio. She bent down and tiptoed quietly past his front door..."
"She said there were many small puddles on the road, and she stepped in each one, splashing water high..."
Lin Jianming and his wife’s mood also became cheerful and lively following Duoduo’s words.
Back then, Duoduo was happy, she was free...
"Duoduo said her mom taught her many characters, and so she recognized the number six, so she got on bus number six. The bus uncle told her she was just a kid, so she didn’t need to pay. She was so happy, she kept the money to buy candy with her brother when she saw him..."
"She said she met a strange uncle, and only later did she realize he was a big bad guy..."
"The big bad guy abducted her, tied her up; he was so fierce, she was very scared..."
Hearing this, Lin Jianming and his wife felt so heartbroken they could hardly breathe...
"Duoduo then said, she cried for a very long time, she was hungry and thirsty..."
"Duoduo said she fell asleep, and when she woke up, the big bad guy came back holding an axe, he was very angry, and he also cursed at dad..."
At this point, Duoduo put her hands on her hips, puffing up in a huffy little posture, defending her dad.
Lin Jianming could no longer hold back, he reached out and embraced Duoduo in his arms, kissing and nuzzling her head.
"I’m sorry... it’s all dad’s fault... it’s all my fault..."
Lin Jianming felt tremendous self-blame.
"Duoduo said the big bad guy raised the axe, aimed at her neck, she was so scared, her neck hurt so much... so much... then she fell asleep, and knew nothing..."
"Duoduo said when she woke up, she found herself by a small river, she walked a long time until she reached the roadside, and found a bus again..."
"Duoduo said she took the bus every day, she saw many grandpas and grandmas, uncles and aunties, and many, many children, but among those uncles and aunties there were no mom and dad, among the children, there was no brother..."
"Duoduo said after a long, long time, riding bus after bus, so many she couldn’t remember how many, she also met Granny Zhang, Grandpa Lu, Uncle Pang Sheng, Aunt Xiao Jing..., many, many people, but they all one by one left, eventually only Duoduo remained..."
Lin Jianming and his wife’s mood fluctuated dramatically with Duoduo’s words.
Although what Duoduo said was not very clear, and the order was somewhat confused, they still managed to sort out the sequence of events from that time.
But the more they understood, the more pain they felt, as if being pricked by needles repeatedly, creating countless holes...
Until Duoduo said, she met Brother Banner Master.
She got to know Sister Xiao Yue and Dou Dou.
They played together, watched cartoons together, and flew freely in the sky like birds...
Duoduo became happy and free again...
"Why do you call him Banner Master Brother? What is a Banner Master?"
Lin Jianming noticed this special term in her words.
"Banner Master is just Banner Master."
Duoduo blinked her eyes, not understanding why Dad was asking such a strange question.
Lin Jianming asked again, and Duoduo laughed, saying that Dou Dou always calls her brother "Potato," and her brother said that it makes him sound like a big sweet potato, then she burst out giggling...
Lin Jianming saw that he couldn’t get a clear answer, so he didn’t pursue further.
Song Qingwei came into the room and took out an old kaleidoscope.
This kaleidoscope, referred to as the "telescope" by Duoduo, had fallen on the ground when Duoduo was kidnapped years ago, picked up by the police, but later retrieved by Lin Jianming and had been well-preserved at home ever since.
Duoduo happily took her "telescope" and held it up to her eyes, immediately seeing a world of colorful splendor.
Watching Duoduo shouting in amazement, Lin Jianming and his wife felt even the midday sun seemed more splendid.
"When will our son come back?" Song Qingwei asked Lin Jianming.
He should be back soon, there might be some traffic on the road.
He has already made his position clear, Lin Libo wouldn’t dare not to return.
"Why don’t you call him again and ask."
Song Qingwei looked toward Duoduo in the courtyard under the sunlight.
"Okay." Lin Jianming also felt that the wait was getting long.
So, he dialed Lin Libo’s number again.
"Why are you so slow, where are you now?"
"Don’t rush me, there’s a traffic jam, I can’t help it, but I’m nearly there," Lin Libo said.
"Daddy, is that Bo Bo?"
Duoduo saw Lin Jianming making a call and immediately ran over.
"Yes, your brother will be back soon," Lin Jianming hung up the call.
On the other end, Lin Libo looked at his phone, puzzled.
He thought he heard a little girl’s voice just now, vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t quite remember.
At this moment, the car had reached the entrance of the lane and couldn’t go further.
So Lin Libo simply got out of the car and told the driver, "You go back first, I will call you this afternoon to pick me up."
"Alright, Chairman Lin."
The driver drove away; the place was too crowded, and any delay could lead to a long traffic jam.
Lin Libo, with hands in his pockets, followed the crowd into the lane. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵⁂𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⁂𝓷𝓮𝓽
Although he is already forty-three this year, he looks just about thirty.
After all, living a good life and paying attention to maintenance, naturally slows the aging process.
Seeing the bustling crowd, Lin Libo felt a headache, which is one of the reasons he was reluctant to return to the old house.
The place was too crowded with tourists everywhere, and it was easy to bump into someone.
When he was younger, he enjoyed such environments, finding them lively.
But at his age now, he preferred peace and quiet, naturally disliking crowded places, only returning during holidays.
However, this made his parents visit him more frequently, almost every week, since the transport was convenient.
At that moment, his phone rang. It was a call from a work colleague; he had to answer.
So, he took the call while walking through the alley towards his home.
Reaching the front door, he saw the two vermilion doors slightly ajar, not closed, so he pushed the door and directly entered.