Page 45

With a child missing from the family, even if not their own, they were still the adults in charge—they weren't exactly in the mood to visit their parents' homes now.

Moreover, before Yu Sanbao left for the county town, he had made them promise to look after Su Rouer, who was burning up and out cold. There was no way Li Chunhua and Bai Xiaofeng could leave now.

All the adult men of the Yu family had gone to search nearby villages, fearing Ju Ge'er might have gotten lost and wandered into another village.

Only Huai Ge'er and the others remained at home.

Unable to sit idle, Huai Ge'er huddled with his three kid brothers, discussing the idea of heading to Mount Langshen again that day.

Though the villagers had helped search late into the night before, the darkness had limited visibility to just torchlight, possibly causing them to miss some clues.

Just as the three younger brothers all said 'Yeah!' at once, a little head with two pigtails peeked out from the side, her face lit up with hope: "Take Xingxing too! Xingxing wants to find Ju Ge'er!"

Gui Ge'er immediately yelped, "No, no! If Grandma finds out, she'll spank me again!"

Last time at Beimanggou's threshing ground, Wei Pozi had already tanned Gui Ge'er for leading Xingxing to the front of the crowd. Gui Ge'er had cried his eyes out.

Now, at the mention of going into the mountains, Gui Ge'er's first thought was to save his hide—no way could they take Xingxing somewhere dangerous!

Xingxing gave him puppy-dog eyes.

How could Gui Ge'er resist?

Huai Ge'er gave a noogie to Gui Ge'er's hair. "It's fine. Last time we took Xingxing into the mountains, Grandma didn't say anything. As long as we take good care of our little sister, she won't mind."

Seeing his eldest brother's reassurance, Gui Ge'er hesitated before nodding firmly, as if bracing himself. "Alright!"

Worst case, he'd just get another spanking from Grandma!

Xingxing cheered and loudly promised, "Xingxing won't cause any trouble for the brothers!"

Before setting off, Huai Ge'er placed a straw hat on Xingxing's head.

Huai Ge'er and Bai Ge'er each carried a sickle, instructing Liu Ge'er and Gui Ge'er to keep Xingxing close behind them.

The five of them set off into Mount Langshen once more.

Huai Ge'er, strong and loud, called out for Ju Ge'er as they walked.

The younger ones also took turns shouting Ju Ge'er's name into the surroundings.

Xingxing put her whole tiny body into yelling Ju Ge'er's name as loudly as she could.

But aside from birds scattering, there was no other response.

By the time they searched until nearly noon, the sun was beating down directly overhead. Fortunately, the shade from bushes and trees in the mountains gave some shade from the worst of it.

Still, climbing wasn't easy. Xingxing was huffing and puffing but refused to burden her brothers, insisting on walking on her own. Liu Ge'er found her a branch to use as a hiking stick.

Even so, Xingxing was exhausted, her tongue lolling like a tired pup.

Huai Ge'er took one look at her and said, "Let's rest by the stream."

The suggestion was met with a chorus of 'Yes!'.

The five siblings helped each other along as they pushed forward, finally reaching the streamside.

This was the upper reaches of the stream at the foot of the mountain. The water was crystal clear, shimmering under the sunlight, absolutely gorgeous.

Mountain children never really cared much about formalities, so the siblings scooped water with their hands and drank directly.

The icy stream water flowed down their throats into their stomachs—now that was refreshing!

After drinking, they found some rocks by the stream to sit on, resting and cooling off.

Xingxing noticed a few really pretty wild berries growing in the bushes by the nearby woods. She told Huai Geer and went to pick them.

Just as she was about to pluck the berries, Xingxing suddenly spotted something that looked really familiar hidden in the bushes.

She squeezed her way in with some effort and picked up the object.

"Xingxing!"

The Yu brothers, who had been watching her, immediately jumped to their feet and rushed over when they saw her disappear into the bushes.

But just as they arrived, the little girl emerged again, holding something in her hand!

Huai Geer, still catching his breath from the scare, let out a sigh of relief when he saw Xingxing was unharmed.

Seven-year-old Gui Geer couldn't help complaining, "Little sister! If I scared my brothers like that, they'd definitely tan my hide!"

Liu Ge'er shot his little brother a look. "Xingxing isn't as mischievous as you!"

Xingxing waved the object in her hand urgently. "Brothers, look at this!"

The Yu boys took a closer look and recognized the craftsmanship. "Huh? This looks like the grasshopper Fourth Uncle made!"

Xingxing nodded eagerly. "It is! I remember—a few days ago, Fourth Uncle made a grasshopper and asked Third Uncle to give it to Ju Geer!"

At her words, the expressions of the Yu brothers changed.

Huai Geer lifted Xingxing out of the bushes and assigned tasks to his younger brothers. "Ju Geer's grasshopper was left here, so he must be nearby. Search the area quickly!"

At their eldest brother's command, the younger brothers split up to search. Even little Xingxing, with her tiny, hoarse voice, called Ju Geer's name while looking around.

Soon, they found Ju Geer at the bottom of a small slope with signs of a tumble. His clothes were snagged and torn to shreds, his face deathly pale, and he lay unconscious.

"Ju Geer!"

They were all shocked. Huai Geer quickly checked Ju Geer's breathing—thankfully, there was still a faint breath.

"Ju Geer!"

Huai Geer shook Ju Geer anxiously, but he didn't wake.

Scooping him up, frantic with worry, Huai Geer said urgently, "We need to get him back to a doctor right away!"

Liu Ge'er immediately suggested, "Big brother, you take Ju Geer back first. Gui Geer and Xingxing are slower walkers, so the rest of us will follow behind. I know the way back! We'll just follow the path we came on!"