The portly man and several others, along with eight children, were all sent to the hospital. Hu Dingkun wanted Sisi to go to the hospital for a check-up as well, but she refused; all she wanted now was to go home, change her clothes, and take a good hot shower.
Sisi did not go straight home; first, she went to Su Ping’s house to remove her blood-stained clothes and put on Su Ping’s old clothes before going home. After returning, she simply said that Su Ping liked the woolen coat she was wearing and took it to make a sample.
Granny Zhao did not become suspicious, only urging Sisi to hurry and feed Du Du, as the little one was starving.
The women were unalarmed, but Old Man sensed something was amiss. He smelled the familiar scent of blood on his granddaughter and narrowed his eyes, recalling Su Ping’s anxious demeanor and Ah Nan’s changed clothes, he knew something must have happened.
Du Du also felt that something was not right. The famished little one pursed his lips and refused to feed from Sisi, gazing at her with his big, round eyes, seeming to accuse her of something. Follow current novᴇls on N()velFire.net
"Hey, could it be that Du Du is sick? He’s clearly hungry, why would he refuse to feed?" exclaimed Jin Wanming.
Her remark alarmed Zhu Aiqing and Granny Zhao, who promptly felt Du Du’s forehead for a fever, found his temperature normal, and then felt somewhat relieved. Still, they remained worried about Du Du’s refusal to feed.
Sisi couldn’t understand what was happening, but Old Man, looking meaningful from behind the curtain, said to her, "Ah Nan, could it be that you picked up some smell outside, a smell that Du Du’s sensitive nose can’t stand?"
Sisi shuddered inside, immediately thinking of the blood-stained clothes she’d changed out of. Even if her inner clothes were blood-free, they might still carry the scent of blood, which would indeed bother Du Du’s keen nose.
Without further pondering Old Man’s insinuations, Sisi went to the bathroom to shower at the urging of Granny Zhao and others.
As expected, once Sisi emerged from the shower smelling fresh and clean, Du Du, like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey, grabbed onto Sisi and started to feed voraciously. A few times he choked from eating too quickly, and Sisi gently patted his back, feeling incredibly guilty, and her hatred for the human traffickers deepened.
That evening, when Tian Xinhua returned from the countryside and learned from Hu Dingkun about the day’s events, he was too anxious to catch up with Hu Dingkun and hurried back home. Only upon seeing the unharmed Sisi and his son did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Sisi discreetly gestured with her index finger to him, and Tian Xinhua slightly nodded. Little did they know, Old Man had seen their exchange, his eyes flickering with an unusual light.
After the little one fell asleep at night, Sisi briefly shared the details of the day’s events. Tian Xinhua, frightened after the fact, held her tight and gently kissed Sisi, as if to express his own feelings of guilt.
Sisi patted his back reassuringly, deliberately speaking in a relaxed tone, "I’m not a defenseless canary, and besides, I have a mysterious protector. Brother Xin Hua, you don’t need to worry."
Due to the overwhelming stress of the day, Sisi soon fell into a deep sleep in Tian Xinhua’s arms. Tian Xinhua affectionately looked at the woman in his arms and the chubby boy beside him; both were his beloved treasures, and he was willing to risk his life to protect them.
He hadn’t expected that, after the crackdown, Huangyuan County would still have such poor public security. Tian Xinhua’s eyes narrowed slightly, determined to turn Huangyuan County into a peaceful city where no one needed to lock their doors at night.
At the same time, Tian Xinhua harbored a bit of doubt. According to Hu Dingkun’s account, Ah Nan had been through a tough battle during the day, which didn’t look easy at all. Where was that mysterious person?
Why didn’t he show up?
According to Ah Nan’s words, this mysterious person should be hiding by her side at all times, ready to appear when she’s in danger. So why didn’t he show up this afternoon?
Did he have something to do and left?
Or was there never such a mysterious person to begin with?
Tian Xinhua was startled by this bold idea, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt it was full of loopholes. All along, this mysterious person was mentioned only by Ah Nan, and only she had seen him. Before, Xinhua didn’t think too much about it and just felt that it was a great thing for Ah Nan to have such a powerful person protecting her.
But now, it seemed that there was a lot Ah Nan was still hiding. Tian Xinhua felt his mind was in chaos; he seemed to grasp some vague ideas, but they quickly scattered.
After pondering for a while, Tian Xinhua couldn’t be bothered to dwell on the issue anymore. If Ah Nan wasn’t willing to speak up, it meant she had her reasons for staying silent, and when she was ready to talk, she would naturally do so.
The next day, Tian Xinhua had Old Xu pay close attention to the matter involving the child traffickers and specifically stressed the importance of a crackdown, which Duan Hongjun naturally understood well.
The children were also sent back to their homes one by one, and their parents were naturally tearfully grateful. When they learned it was the county’s Deputy Secretary’s Wife who bravely fought the traffickers to save the children, they were even more grateful to Sisi, and the very next day, they visited her home to personally express their thanks.
Consequently, Sisi’s house had many visitors these days. The parents came bearing significant gifts, sincerely expressing their many thanks. Now, Granny Zhao and the others also learned about Sisi’s heroic deeds that day. Once the guests had left, they gave Sisi a stern talking-to, instructing her not to take unnecessary risks in the future.
The last guests to arrive were Mrs. Wu and her husband, along with a young couple holding Niu Niu. Mrs. Wu looked somewhat worn out, a stark contrast to her spirited appearance from two days prior.
Du Du was overjoyed to see the pretty sister and called out happily, waving for Niu Niu to join him in play. The young couple smiled and placed their daughter on the kang bed, and the two little ones quickly began to play happily together.
The young couple were Mrs. Wu’s grandson and granddaughter-in-law; the man named Zheng Guofeng was genteel and obviously not the type adept at socializing, a real intellectual talent. The woman named Shen Mingzhu, bright and generous, an adept social dancer, was the complete opposite of her husband. It was a mystery how this couple had come together.
Moreover, Sisi could not tell if it was just her impression, but she always felt that Mrs. Wu and Mr. Zheng didn’t seem to like their granddaughter-in-law that much; a certain cold distance was evident upon a careful look.
Mrs. Wu and Mr. Zheng, of course, had come specifically to express their thanks. Mrs. Wu apologetically said, "We should have come to say thanks earlier, but my health really hasn’t been cooperating. Been ill for several days, and to only make our visit today, it is truly impolite."
Only then did Sisi understand why Mrs. Wu looked so haggard and reproached her, "Granny Wu, why do you also care for such formalities? It is most important to take care of your health. Speaking of which, I didn’t know about it, but as the younger one, I should have visited you."
"Oh my, let’s not stand on ceremony with Granny and Mr. He," said Shen Mingzhu with a charming smile, joining in the conversation. Mrs. Wu smiled faintly, and Shen Mingzhu, not minding, took the opportunity to engage in a chat with Sisi.