The Song family's baggage was piled together, and each adult carried everything with two bags and four bamboo tubes.
Song Xixi and the other children are much more relaxed. They just need to stay close to the adults and don't get lost at night.
In order to prevent anyone from getting separated or left behind, the old village chief asked everyone to wait under the big tree where they had gathered before. After making sure that everyone was there, they set off together.
The Song family moved quickly and rushed to the big tree with the surrounding villagers in the first wave. It didn't take long for several more waves to come.
Zhou Taohua came over with her mother, Mrs. Zhou, and her son, Tu Maomao, carrying large and small bags. Seeing that the Song family had arrived, she greeted them with a smile, introduced Mrs. Zhou, and taught Tu Maomao how to call people.
Tu Maomao is twelve years old, almost as tall as his mother, but he behaves like a five-year-old child.
Song Wufu and others did not know that he had intellectual problems before, but now they saw it with their own eyes and did not show any abnormality. They rubbed Tu Maomao's head and praised him for being good, secretly sighing that Zhou Taohua was not easy, and he could still pull it off by himself in such a difficult situation.
Mother and child.
Tu Maomao is as stupid as he is, and he still has a sense of good intentions and malice. When he noticed the kindness of the Song family, the smile on his face was particularly bright.
Such an innocent smile made the villagers, who were looking at the chaos at the city gate and feeling heavy-hearted, unconsciously relax and start teasing him.
Seeing that no one was laughing at her son, Zhou Taohua secretly breathed a sigh of relief and felt more and more that her decision was right.
Just when the number of people reached more than half, and the old village chief and his family came over, suddenly a half-year-old child ran over crying: "The stone is gone, the stone is gone, please help me, uncles and uncles, help me find me."
Brother!"
Everyone was shocked: "What's going on? Shitou didn't stay with your family?"
Before the child could reply, Yang Cuilian stumbled over and knelt on the ground with a pop: "Niuniu is gone. My Niuniu is gone. Please, please help me, help me!"
Two children suddenly disappeared, and everyone became alert.
Song Xixi pulled Yang Cuilian up, her eyes showing a trace of anxiety: "Niuniu is a good girl and won't run around. Where did she disappear?"
Yang Cuilian cried: "At the place where we were resting, I was helping a sister-in-law nearby pack her things, and in the blink of an eye, Niuniu disappeared, woo woo..."
Song Xixi let go of her and ran towards the place where mother and daughter were resting with a sullen face.
Seeing this, Song Cai Niu Hua'er quickly put down her baggage and other things and asked the people around her to look after her, hoping to help Yang Cuilian find Niu Niu.
The lost stone also needed to be found, so the old village chief, who had inconvenient legs and feet, stayed behind and ordered a few young and strong people to protect the children present. The rest of the people went to help find people.
Looking at their retreating figures, the old village chief’s eyes were filled with worry: It’s best if nothing happens!
When Song Xixi came to the resting place of the mother and daughter, she only saw messy things scattered on the ground, and there were many people around to clean up the debris.
She saw an old lady sitting in the corner. From this angle, she could see the area clearly, so she walked over and asked the old lady if she had seen Niu Niu.
However, the old lady was deaf and could not hear clearly what Song Xixi said.
Yang Cuilian, who was chasing after her, cried: "I've asked, I've asked, but they didn't notice the person who took Niuniu away... Wuwu, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have just helped others and not paid attention to her."
It's all my fault..."
Song Xixi had no time to pay attention to her. The deaf old lady chatted with her for a few words. She lost her patience and could only change her target. She grabbed a half-year-old child who was playing nearby and asked about it.
Unexpectedly, this half-grown child actually said something: "I know Niuniu, and I told her just now. But before I said a few words, a little sister came over and took her away."
Song Xixi asked: "How old is that little sister? Have you seen what she looks like?"
The half-grown child thought for a moment and replied: "She is a little older than Niu Niu, a little taller than Niu Niu, and her hair is as messy as a chicken coop... Oh, by the way, she calls her sister Niu Niu."
Before Song Xixi could ask again, Yang Cuilian shouted loudly: "It's Tongtong, it must be Tongtong! Niu Niu will not leave quietly with someone she doesn't know. Tongtong must have taken her away!"
Niu Hua'er hurriedly said: "It will be easier if she is someone we know. Please take us to find her quickly."
Yang Cuilian looked around blankly, tears falling down her cheeks: "I don't know, I don't know where she is. I took Niuniu to line up in front of the porridge shed before, and I was separated from her family. I haven't seen her since..."
Speaking of this, she had a bad premonition: If Tongtong took Niuniu to play, he wouldn't even say hello. Now that their family is nowhere to be seen, could it be that they kidnapped her Niuniu on purpose?
Yes, ever since she met Li Xiufen, she had made sarcastic remarks to Li Xiufen. Li Xiufen was not a generous person, and I am afraid she had already harbored a grudge against her.
If he knew that she was going to leave here with Niu Niu tonight, and deliberately instigated Tong Tong to take Niu Niu away to retaliate against her, it would not be impossible.
Yang Cuilian turned pale and hurriedly told Song Xixi and others her guess.
Song Cai said rationally: "Leave one person waiting here, and the others will search separately. If they find one, they will meet here."
No one had any objections. In the end, Niu Hua'er stayed where she was, Song Xixi took Yang Cuilian to where Li Xiufen's family might be, and the others went in groups of three to look for people in different directions.
From inside a dead tree far away from the city gate, Tongtong grabbed Niu Niu's arm tightly: "Uncle Hu, you said that I would bring my sister over to show you, and you would give me to your aunt as your daughter.
Don’t keep your words without keeping them!”
Hu Laoer sneered and kicked her in the stomach: "Stupid thing, I lied to you, hahaha!"
After that, he picked up Niu Niu, who was about to cry. He looked at her and instructed Li Xiufen: "Go back and check the situation. If the Song family is in a hurry, come back and tell me immediately."
Li Xiufen glanced at Niu Niu and said suspiciously: "Food is so precious these days. The Song family is not that stupid. They will trade food for an outsider, right?"
Hu Laoer said nonchalantly, "If the Song family is willing to exchange grain for this girl, it's best. If not, we can exchange her for someone else. We won't suffer any loss after all."
Li Xiufen's heart skipped a beat and she asked cautiously: "For whom? She is my eldest brother's flesh and blood after all. You can't mess around!"
Hu Laoer looked hard, raised his hand and slapped her: "Smelly bitch, are you teaching me how to do things?"
Li Xiufen screamed, covering her face and looking at him in fear: "No, no, no, I didn't, I just asked, I'm afraid this girl will cause you trouble..."
Hu Laoer said disdainfully: "What kind of trouble can a little girl get into? Just do as I say. If you dare to disobey me, I will beat you to death!"
Li Xiufen said yes again and again, not daring to say anything more.
At this moment, a group of people rushed out and surrounded them: "Hey, you are lucky tonight, there are three lambs!"