Chapter 273: Chapter 273: The Truth_1 Chapter 273: Chapter 273: The Truth_1 Upon being asked, the village head did seem a little puzzled. With furrowed brows, he thought for a moment, and it seemed he had a vague recollection. His wife appeared to recall something, then excitedly slapped her thigh and whispered something into his ear.
The village head’s demeanor suddenly became animated, and he took the leading man’s hand, “So you’re the family of that lady! I remember now, the very beautiful lady, right? I remember she was indeed pregnant, then, sitting alone by the field. My wife saw that delicate woman, without warm clothing, food, and with a child in her womb, and so she invited her to stay with us. And she ended up staying for several months.”
The village head finally remembered. He had never seen such a lovely and delicate woman before, she looked like a young lady from traditional opera.
It was his wife’s kind-heartedness at that time, they later heard that the lady was being hunted, with her life and the life of her unborn child in danger. Upon hearing this, the village head’s wife became more protective over her, hiding her day and night for fear of being discovered.
Unfortunately, when the lady was about to give birth, she suddenly disappeared from the house. By the time they realized and started searching for her, she was gone without a trace, and even the child was missing.
The village head and his wife would sometimes mention it, finding it unbelievable, as if it was all a dream. Later, they found a letter at their house, presumably left by the lady. After asking a school teacher to read it, they learned that the lady had been found by her enemies and had to leave to avoid involving them.
The letter also mentioned that her child would be left in Shanshui Town, and if possible, they should look after the child for her as a favor, to be rewarded later. Of course, the village head has not come across her child, and the incident became a story many people heard about.
“Yes!” Qiao Lin seemed to get excited too, gripping the village head’s rough hands, “Village head, do you know where the child is now?”
“This…” the village head and his wife exchanged a glance, then with regret, shook their heads, “Mr. Qiao, it’s not that we don’t want to tell you, it’s that we just don’t know. There were many children born in our village 17 years ago, we have no idea where that woman’s child is.”
Qiao Lin seemed a little disappointed, but still remembered the old man’s instructions, “Do you remember a person named Qiao Anchu in the village?”
“Anchu?” The village head smiled, “Qiao Anchu? Of course, I remember. He is one of the disciples of the old Taoist, probably 17 years old this year. But he left the town a few months ago. Mr. Qiao, why are you asking about him all of a sudden? Is there any connection between Anchu and the Qiao Family?”
Qiao Lin did not answer directly but asked another question, “Village head, do you know anything about Qiao Anchu’s background? Like his date of birth.”
“We’re not very clear about this child, we only know that Taoist master had four disciples and Anchu seems to be one of those adopted by the master.” The village head pondered, “The Taoist master wasn’t from our village. He came to Shanshui Town a long time ago, and has been living on the mountain with his four disciples. Unfortunately, the Taoist master died not long ago. After his death, all four of his disciples left the town and have not returned.”
“I see.” Qiao Lin was slightly disappointed, not having found anything during this trip. However, the story did match up.
The truth would have to wait until that person agreed to meet them and undergo a thorough verification process. Only then could the full answer be revealed.