Chapter 102

Chapter 102

The two of them followed the direction he pointed to and saw a fat woman holding a sugar figurine, crouching beside two young children and talking to them.

They turned pale with fright and immediately ran over to Zhao Beichuan and Lu Yao!

"What's the sudden rush?"

Seeing the children's pale faces, Lu Yao reached out to hold them and said, "Did you get cold from playing? Shall we go home first?"

Xiaonian pursed her lips and shook her head, whispering, "Sister-in-law, we just saw the woman who tried to kidnap us!"

Lu Yao immediately looked up and scanned the area, "Where is she?"

"Right there!"

Zhao Beichuan walked in the direction they pointed, while Lu Yao comforted the children, "Stay here with my mother. I'll go check it out with your elder brother."

The two children nodded nervously; they didn't dare run around with so many people around.

Xiaochun followed the two to find the kidnapper. He had a vivid memory of the woman, as she had tormented him when he was sold to the brothel.

"She was right here just now, I saw her holding two sugar figurines and trying to coax some kids." Xiaochun scratched his head and looked around.

There were simply too many people out for a day of fun; the city's residents all came out to enjoy themselves, and it was easy to lose sight of someone in the crowd.

Zhao Beichuan, being tall, could see far. He spotted a fat woman leading two children toward a distant alley. He lifted Xiaochun up, "Do you see if that's her?"

"That's her, yes!"

Zhao Beichuan patted Xiaochun's head, "Go back home with Xiaonian quickly. I'll go check the situation with your sister-in-law."

In the distance, the woman called Auntie Lan was holding a five- or six-year-old child by the hand and carrying a three-year-old in her arms, heading toward an alley.

The child being led noticed they were walking too far and stopped, saying, "I don't want any more sugar. I want to find my mother."

The woman grabbed his hand tightly, "Follow Auntie to have some sugar first, and then we'll find your mother."

"No, you're hurting me! Let go!" The child cried loudly.

Auntie Lan slapped the child, "Shut up! If you cry any more, I'll feed you to the wolves!"

The child's eyes widened in fear, not understanding why the kind auntie had suddenly changed.

The child in her arms was also terrified, crying and kicking, and even urinated on her.

Auntie Lan was furious and pinched the child's bottom hard, "You lowly brat, daring to soil yourself on me. Wait until we get home, and I'll teach you a lesson!"

"Mother... Mother..." The two children wailed.

Passersby stopped to look at the scene.

Auntie Lan instantly put on a different face, "This child is so playful. We agreed to play for a bit and then go home for dinner. If you don't behave, your father will come and beat you."

The passersby smiled and shook their heads, then left.

On the other side of the bridge, two women and several maids suddenly shouted in panic, "Young Master, Young Miss!"

"Have you seen our Young Master and Young Miss? They're this tall!" The woman gestured at her waist, but the passersby shook their heads. With so many people around, how could they spot two children?

They were all servants of the Qu family. This morning, the lady had asked them to take the children out to play, but they had been so engrossed in watching a performance that they lost the children!

After searching everywhere without success, they were so anxious that they started crying and rushed home to report the news to the master.

The Qu family was the largest security firm in Ping Prefecture. The old master, Qu Changma, had retired, and the current head of the household was his eldest son, Qu Tian, who was a close friend of Cao Wuye. The two missing children were Qu Tian's stepchildren, a young son and daughter.

When the news reached the Qu family, Qu Tian was not at home. He had been invited to Cao Wuye's residence for a Lantern Festival dinner.

During the meal, a servant rushed in and whispered something in his ear. Qu Tian stood up abruptly, "Damn it, who dares to kidnap my children in Ping Prefecture? They must be tired of living!"

Cao Wuye was startled, "What happened?"

"Little Five and Little Six went out with their wet nurse and were kidnapped!"

"What?!" Everyone put down their chopsticks and stood up, asking where the children were lost.

With such an incident, the meal couldn't continue. Each person sent servants back to gather more people to help search for the children. They vowed to turn Ping Prefecture upside down if necessary!

At that moment, Auntie Lan had no idea whose children she had kidnapped. She had seen these two beautiful children and, seeing no one watching them, felt an urge to take them. A few words were enough to lure them into the alley.

Just ahead was the back door of the brothel. She cursed and dragged the two children inside.

"Quick, cut off these children's hair and change their clothes. This little brat's urine stinks."

"Yes." As the servants changed the children's clothes, they noticed golden locks around their necks, each engraved with the character 'Qu'.

If Auntie Lan had changed their clothes herself, she would have known whose children she had kidnapped. Unfortunately, the servant did not recognize the characters and quietly hid the golden locks.

By then, Zhao Beichuan and Lu Yao had chased the fat woman to the back door of the brothel. The footprints in the snow ended there, indicating that the woman had taken the two children inside.

Zhao Beichuan wanted to enter, but Lu Yao held him back, "We don't know what's inside. Don't take unnecessary risks. We already know who the kidnapper is. We can find a better opportunity to catch her and teach her a lesson."

"Alright."

The two retraced their steps. As they passed the bridge, they noticed that the performers and most of the onlookers were gone.

Lu Yao was worried the children might have returned home on their own, while Zhao Beichuan stayed behind to ask if anyone had lost their children. The woman they saw must have kidnapped someone's children, and since they had witnessed it, they decided to help.

The Qu family was almost driven mad by the search. The two wet nurses and four maids returned to the mansion and were immediately beaten. If the children were not found, all six of them would be punished severely.

The second wife, Lady Yang, wept until she fainted several times. She had only these two children, and now they were both gone. No one could bear such a blow.

Qu Tian's eyes also turned red. He had only gotten this pair of children in his thirties, and he doted on them like precious treasures. Now that they were missing and their fate unknown, it was as if the old father’s heart was being torn apart.

He called out all the people from the escort agency, determined to find his children today.

On the other side, Cao Wuye also summoned some people from the underworld to help inquire. He did not dare reveal whose children were missing, fearing that the kidnapper would be frightened and kill the children to cover up the crime.

It just so happened that Huang Yazi was among them. He led a few brothers to help search for the children and ran into Zhao Beichuan halfway.

They could be considered acquaintances despite their initial conflict, and they exchanged a few words upon meeting.

"Mr. Zhao, where are you going?"

"Just took my husband out for a stroll, and I think we saw a woman who had kidnapped two children. I’m here to find out whose children are missing."

Upon hearing this, Huang Yazi clapped his hands and said, "Great! Brother, you’ve done us a big favor today. Come quickly with me to Wuye’s place; he gathered us brothers to look for the children, saying that a friend’s two children went missing."

Hearing this, Zhao Beichuan hurriedly followed him to Wuye’s house.

Cao Wuye didn’t expect news to come so quickly, and immediately sent someone to inform the Qu family.

"Where are those two children now?"

Zhao Beichuan didn’t know the main entrance of the brothel, and the back alley was too remote to explain clearly at once.

Cao Wuye picked up his cloak and said, "Brother Da Chuan, come with me!"

It was already getting dark outside, and Cao Wuye led Zhao Beichuan and Huang Yazi, along with others, rushing out. On the way, they met Qu Tian and the escort agency brothers coming towards them.

Without exchanging pleasantries, the two groups headed directly in the direction Zhao Beichuan pointed.

*

Inside the brothel, the two children of the Qu family had been shaved bald. The boy wore old clothes, and the girl wore a tattered cotton jacket. They hugged each other, trembling with fear.

Lady Lan, after changing her clothes and taking a bath, lay down and fell asleep, still not awake.

A few servants in the brothel were slacking off, sitting together to play dice and gamble.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang from the back door, startling everyone.

Someone got up and walked to the back, but as soon as they pushed open the door, they were grabbed by the neck, "Where are the two children you kidnapped today?!"

"They... they are over there."

Seeing the bald-headed children in the corner, Qu Tian’s anger surged to the top of his head. He kicked the man away, "Close the front door! Not a single ant is allowed to leave today!"

"Yes!" The men from the escort agency closed both the front and back doors of the brothel.

Qu Tian went forward to pick up the children, but they were so frightened that they couldn’t even speak, screaming and trying to hide.

"Sweetie, Rui'er, it’s Father. Father has come to save you."

Cao Wuye felt a pang in his heart, seeing the good children suffer so much.

Zhao Beichuan thought of his own younger brother and sister, hating these kidnappers deeply!

Soon, Lady Lan was dragged out of her room. She looked at the group in the room with terror, "This, this is a misunderstanding... Mr. Qu, please listen to me—ah!"

Before she could finish speaking, Qu Tian slapped her hard, blood streaming from her nose and mouth, and a tooth flew out.

Lady Lan was so scared that her pants instantly became wet. She knew she had encountered someone formidable.

Qu Tian spat, "You dared to touch my children in Ping Prefecture. You have some nerve."

"Spare my life, spare my life, sir! I was blinded by greed and truly didn’t know these two children were yours!" If she had known, she wouldn’t have dared to kidnap them even if given a hundred lives!

"You even dared to shave my children’s heads." As he spoke, he pulled out a sharp dagger from his waist and slashed at Lady Lan’s scalp, causing skin and hair to fall off, leaving only a bloody head.

"Ahh! Ahhhh!!!" Lady Lan fainted, her eyes rolling back.

Cao Wuye ordered someone to take the children away quickly, so they wouldn’t be further frightened.

"That’s enough, Old Qu. The children are more important. Tie this person up and take her back."

Qu Tian was forcibly pulled out. He had to thank Zhao Beichuan; if not for his chance encounter, these two children might have met a tragic end.

"Thank you, Brother Zhao. In the future, if you need anything in Prefecture City, just say the word, and I will not refuse!"

Zhao Beichuan quickly supported him, "Brother Qu, you’re too kind. Anyone who came across this situation would help. Besides, this person is the same kidnapper who took my brother and sister. My children recognized her today, which is why I followed."

Qu Tian kicked the person on the ground, "Rest assured, I will make her wish she were dead but unable to die!"

It was late, and Zhao Beichuan was worried about his family, so he hurriedly bid farewell.

The children were found, and the others prepared to leave.

Qu Tian clasped his hands and said, "Thank you all for your help today. I’ll invite you all for a drink another day!"

Cao Wuye patted his arm, "It was a false alarm, and the children are safe. Go home and check on them, and comfort your wife, don’t let her get too upset."

*

When Zhao Beichuan returned home, it was already dark, and he hadn’t eaten all day.

At home, Lu Yao had already cooked the yuanxiao and waited anxiously for him, checking outside several times.

Hearing the sound of the front door, Lu Yao rushed out, "Finally, you’re back. How did it go? Did you find those two children?"

Zhao Beichuan’s face showed relief and joy, "We found them. Guess whose children the kidnapper took?"

Lu Yao shook his head.

"It's the child of the Qu family from the Escort Agency! The head of the Qu family is almost frantic, sending people everywhere to look for him. I happened to run into Huang Yazi and told him about it, so he led me to Cao Wuye’s place, and then we went to that back door with the head of the Qu family."

Lu Yao tightened his grip on his hand, "Is the child alright?"

"He's fine, just scared. That kidnapper is a habitual offender. When we got there, both children had their hair cut and were dressed differently. If they were taken out, even their own mothers might not recognize them."

Lu Yao covered his chest and sighed, "Thank goodness they found them, or the head of the Qu family would have been heartbroken."

"He is heartbroken, and angry enough to scalp that woman."

Lu Yao hissed, feeling a mix of relief and vindication, "Serves her right! People like that deserve to be torn apart!"

Zhao Beichuan washed his hands, "Is there any food left at home?"

"Yes, I left some yuanxiao in the pot for you. Eat them while they're hot."

He was really hungry, and he finished two large bowls of yuanxiao in a few bites, barely tasting them.

"Take it slow, glutinous rice isn't easy to digest, and eating too much will keep you up at night."

Zhao Beichuan squeezed Lu Yao's hand, "Then let's stay up." The past month back home had nearly driven him mad; he had long wanted to be intimate with his little husband.

Lu Yao blushed and spat at him, "I'll go heat some water."

Zhao Beichuan finished the third bowl in a few more bites, washed the dishes, and then couldn’t wait to pull Lu Yao into the room.

Rough, large hands caressed smooth skin, and low pants mixed with the sound of splashing water echoed through the night.