Lin Heyu pressed his lips into a straight line, his expression blank as he stared ahead. Yuan Maoqiu couldn’t get an answer from him and asked Sheng Guoning: “Captain Sheng, explain why there’s an extra one?”
“That child’s DNA doesn’t match anything in the database. Xiao Shitou and she are closely related. I suspect they were orphans who grew up together and accidentally got caught up in the kidnapping case.”
Yuan Maoqiu was stunned: “……Then was she sold to Yang Weiyi and his wife as a kidney donor? Is it because she was worthless and couldn’t be ransomed?”
“I’m not sure. But according to the Tu Laogui’s style, useless hostages are usually killed. It’s very likely they didn’t know the details about Tao Tao and just used her because her blood type matched Yang He’s.” Sheng Guoning’s tone was filled with frustration, “Lin Heyu, are you even listening? If you had told us earlier that this girl is closely related to Xiao Shitou, Zhizhi would have paid more attention…”
“Zhizhi?” Lin Heyu’s mind flashed with realization, sensing something unusual, “What happened to Xiao Shitou?”
“……” Sheng Guoning hesitated for several seconds before answering, “Nothing. He’s fine. Where are you heading now?”
The abrupt change in topic was too forced. The car in front turned into a service area, which was convenient for him, so Lin Heyu turned into the service area as well. As soon as the car stopped, Lin Heyu grabbed the phone from Yuan Maoqiu: “Tell me the truth. What happened to Xiao Shitou?”
“Nothing…”
“Did he secretly run away?”
“……” Sheng Guoning praised, “You really know your child well.”
Lin Heyu thought about the call from Lin Zhizhi last night. Could it be that Xiao Shitou had already left home then? If it was such an important matter, Zhizhi wouldn’t have made just one call; she must have been extremely worried.
But then again, she had Sheng Guoning with her now, and didn’t she seek help from him immediately?
“Do you know where he went?” Lin Heyu asked in a deep voice, his low pressure causing Yuan Maoqiu to shrink in the corner, not daring to speak.
“Let me ask you, did you mention Tao Tao’s whereabouts to him? The place he’s going to is Muli.”
Lin Heyu was speechless. How could he have mentioned such things to Xiao Shitou? Moreover, he was most worried about this kind of solo adventure, which was why he had left him with Zhizhi.
“Don’t worry. The kid has prepared thoroughly for running away. I’ve sent Shen Ruiru and her team to the train station to look for him. It’s best if they can intercept him.”
Lin Heyu tightened his grip on his phone: “It’s difficult. I can let you know the destination, but I won’t let you find him.”
“……” Sheng Guoning praised again, “You really know your child.”
Xiao Shitou was missing again. Lin Heyu felt helpless and frustrated. He couldn’t bring himself to blame Lin Zhizhi and could only take the blame on himself: He shouldn’t have let him stay; sending him back to Haijing would have been better. He should have found more people to watch over him. This wouldn’t have happened otherwise.
Although Sheng Guoning had sent people to search, the chances of finding him in a short time were slim. Xiao Shitou had been struggling in society from a young age and had some hiding skills. Fortunately, he was also heading to Muli soon. Lin Heyu made up his mind to be stricter this time. No matter how he used tears to attack, he wouldn’t show any mercy. He had to fix this habit of running off without notice in one go.
After hanging up, Lin Heyu’s face remained unchanged, still wearing a grim expression.
A hand rested on his shoulder. Yuan Maoqiu asked: “Heyu, who is that girl? What’s her relation to Xiao Shitou?”
“……Sister.” Lin Heyu tightly gripped the steering wheel, “She’s Xiao Shitou’s sister, without a specific name. Like him, she’s an orphan. I only recently learned that there was another extra child among the hostages.”
—
[02/28, 14:14, Nanyi City Su Bojiang Ferry Terminal]
Xiao Shitou came out of the ferry terminal, found a step on the roadside to sit down, and quickly finished the remaining half of the bread with mineral water. It was already 2 PM. He had to reach the chemical plant before dark. He had just asked passersby, and it was only a few kilometers from Muli. There were buses in town that could reach Baimei Mountain, but there were no direct lines to the chemical plant; transfers were required. According to the map, the shortest direct route between the two points was over Baimei Mountain.
After swallowing the last bite of bread, Xiao Shitou wiped his mouth. With half a bottle of mineral water left, he continued drinking on the road. He followed the directions given by others to find the bus stop but was suddenly stopped by a small, ragged figure. The dirty little girl held out a bowl, asking, “Brother, please help. Save my mother!”
The begging girl had messy, unkempt black hair and large, bright eyes. She looked up at Xiao Shitou, and not far away on the sidewalk, a similarly dirty middle-aged woman leaned against a flower bed, looking weak. Her right leg was swollen like an elephant’s, and a large lump on her right lymph node made her head tilt to one side, suffering from illness.
During his time wandering outside, Xiao Shitou had witnessed countless separations and deaths. Families forced to beg for medicine due to terminal illness often ended up with only the child left to wander. He had come to understand that the most terrifying disease in this world was poverty. Unfortunately, he and the Gardenia flower lived at the bottom of society, where even a cold could lead to a fatal pneumonia.
Fortunately, they had survived safely to this point. Whenever they encountered such pitiful people suffering from illness on the streets, the Gardenia flower would be deeply affected, shedding tears and donating all the money earned from selling bottles that day.
However, among the poor, there is often mutual sympathy. Sometimes beggars see their attire and realize they are also children, and they feel embarrassed to take even a few coins. Later, Gardenia flower simply threw the money into the teapot when no one was watching, and Xiao Shitou would buy an extra flower roll or brown sugar steamed bun to reward his sister.
The world of children is the purest. In their eyes, no one is nobler than anyone else. Although money creates class divisions in society, in the face of life’s greater meaning, the rich and powerful are not necessarily generous, and the poor are not necessarily stingy. Everything depends on the heart.
Xiao Shitou looked down. The little girl’s bright eyes were as spotless as Gardenia flower’s. His heart felt as if it were being tickled by a tiny feather: “How old are you?”
“Five years old.”
Her age was similar to Gardenia’s. He reached into his pocket, calculating how much help he could provide.
When he left, he had a total of 52 yuan. Buying a bottle of mineral water, a map, and taking the ferry cost 14 yuan. Now he had little money left and didn’t know how long he’d stay in Muli. Every yuan was significant and could very well be a lifesaving meal.
Although he was accustomed to hard times and rough living, he needed to hold on until he saw Gardenia. That was the most important thing right now. If he didn’t have to transfer, climbing over Baimei Mountain could save him at least ten yuan in transportation costs. After careful consideration, Xiao Shitou took out a ten yuan note from his pocket and put it into the girl’s bowl.
“I’m sorry, I can only help you this much.” Xiao Shitou gave a helpless smile, but his sincerity was unmistakable.
The little girl’s eyes widened as she received her first “large sum” of the day. She kept bowing and thanking Xiao Shitou, holding her bowl with delight and eagerly running to find her mother, her lively figure like a cheerful little bird.
Baimei Mountain got its name from the two winding mountain springs in its middle. The entire mountain resembled a human face, situated near the national highway of Muli. Xiao Shitou took a twenty-minute bus ride. When he got off, he was already in Muli, and the view was barren.
Unlike the evergreen Cheng’an Mountain, Baimei Mountain in winter was truly desolate. Although it was already spring, the bare land only had sparse grass and couldn’t compensate for the yellowed half-mountain. Only two springs flowed down from the sides of the mountain, merging in the middle. From a distance, it looked like two white eyebrows on the wrinkled face of an old man.
The path up the mountain was directly across the road, and the closest entrance to Muli was on the south side. At the bus stop, Xiao Shitou found a bus to “Southern Baimei Mountain,” but before he could be happy, he learned that the road ahead was under construction, cutting off this only route.
He sighed in frustration, turning around in circles until he was left with only the option of climbing over the mountain. He bought the cheapest bottle of mineral water at a newsstand. The sun had moved to the west, and he took off his jacket, tying the sleeves around his waist, and started climbing the mountain along the stone steps.
The path up the mountain was relatively easy, though somewhat steep, it had well-maintained stone steps. As he climbed higher, the steps gradually disappeared and turned into a dirt path worn by footsteps. He didn’t know how much time had passed and could only judge by the changing sunlight. Once it got dark, climbing over the mountain would be even more difficult.
He carefully climbed using dry tree branches for support. Despite his caution, accidents were inevitable. By chance, he stepped on a broken branch on the ground, and Xiao Shitou slipped, falling onto a patch of thorny hooks. He raised his hands, and his palms were scratched with red lines, some areas even bleeding.
Ahead, flickering bits of light were the sunset’s reflection in the flowing mountain spring. Xiao Shitou’s heart leaped with joy. He finally reached the spring on the left. He walked over to wash his hands clean, looked around, and thought that in May, this place would be lush and green, with blooming vegetation. Daytime would offer spring outings, and nighttime would provide a view of the moon reflected in the little spring—a kind of romance.
If there’s a chance in the future, he should definitely bring Lin Heyu here. Xiao Shitou propped his chin up, realizing he was only thinking of him and quickly added in his mind: Ah, and Aunt Lin and her future boyfriend.
Meanwhile, Lin Zhizhi had also arrived in Muli. She took a taxi immediately after leaving the station, heading straight for Baimei Mountain. On the way, she received a call from Sheng Guoning: “Zhizhi, are you at home now?”
“Uh…… No,” Lin Zhizhi lied nervously, “I, I went to the company. There’s an impromptu meeting with the client.”
Muli was not a safe place, and given Sheng Guoning and Lin Heyu’s personalities, they would never allow her to come. With Xiao Shitou already missing, if something happened to Lin Zhizhi too, the two men would go crazy with worry.
That’s exactly why she couldn’t stay home. Xiao Shitou was lost because of her, and now she had to trouble them to dispatch police forces to find him. If she could find him herself, it wouldn’t affect the progress of the case.
“Oh, you went to the company, then it’s fine.” Sheng Guoning clearly breathed a sigh of relief, “Focus on your work and don’t worry too much about Xiao Shitou. Leave it to us.”
“Mm, okay.” Lin Zhizhi hung up, rubbed her forehead, and sighed. Xiao Shitou, please show up quickly and don’t cause any more trouble for the adults.
It was just in time for the evening rush hour. Both the exit and entry roads were congested. The taxi stopped and went all the way until dusk, finally arriving at the south side of Baimei Mountain.
Lin Zhizhi squinted as darkness fell, unable to see the mountain’s condition. She wasn’t sure if Xiao Shitou had arrived or passed by already. The shops on the opposite side were sparse. She showed the photo and inquired along the way, not even sparing the cars parked by the roadside.
Ahead was the entrance to Baimei Mountain. On the slope was a Volkswagen car. Lin Zhizhi walked over, first looking at the front seat and finding no one. As she turned around, she suddenly heard a dull sound from the back window: “Thud!”
Lin Zhizhi turned back and knocked on the glass: “Is anyone there?”
No one responded despite several knocks. She felt puzzled. Where did that sound come from? It must have been from inside the car since it was so close.
Lin Zhizhi bent down to observe the window with anti-glare film. Suddenly, a face pressed up against it, its blurry outline startling her, causing her to step back. When she looked again, the face had disappeared, and the car was quiet as if nothing had happened.
In an instant, goosebumps covered her arms. Lin Zhizhi felt a growing sense of unease. As Lin Heyu’s sister, accustomed to hearing about many strange cases from her detective brother, she was sure that there was something abnormal in the car just from the recent noise. She quietly noted the license plate and turned to leave the entrance to the mountain.
Actually, she had not left but was hiding behind the large stone tablet at the entrance to the mountain, marked “Baimei Mountain.” Behind her was a dirt wall, with withered ivy only leaving behind bare branches, layered and intertwined like a blanket covering the tablet, providing her with a good hiding spot.
Lin Zhizhi clung to the side of the stone tablet, her phone camera open and set to video mode. She moved the phone slowly along the stone wall until the Volkswagen car appeared on the screen.
In less than five minutes, a man got out of the car, looked around to make sure no one was nearby, and opened the car’s trunk. Then another person got out, holding a little girl, whose arms were unnaturally twisted behind her back. Lin Zhizhi zoomed in, but the poor lighting affected the image quality, blurring the girl’s face into a mosaic. However, she could still see the girl’s disheveled hair and a yellow tape stuck over her mouth.
Kidnapping?!
Although this place was somewhat remote, it wasn’t a backwater village. How brazen were these people to stuff a child into the trunk like this!
It was probably her who had made the noise to attract attention. Lin Zhizhi’s palms were sweaty and sticky, almost causing her to drop her phone. She quickly stopped the recording and dialed 110 with trembling fingers.
A cold hand suddenly appeared behind her and covered her mouth. Lin Zhizhi was startled, almost dropping her phone, and the call to the police was instantly cut off.
“Don’t call the police yet.”
