Chapter 59

Chapter 59

In April, rain starts pouring out of nowhere. A group of kids came screeching down the hill, with Shen Banyue and her crew, who were at the back, quickly overtaking the others and gradually reaching the front.

Near the foot of the hill, a kid carrying a small basket slipped and was about to fall. Just then, Shen Banyue passed by, reached out and scooped the kid up without breaking stride, one kid in each arm, booking it downhill.

The kid's scream got stuck in their throat for a second, then turned into a big laugh: "Ahhh, so fast, so fun! Xiao Yue the Hero's the best!"

When they reached the village path, Shen Banyue set the kid down and said, all helpless, "Shouldn't you be getting home?"

The kid giggled and called back to their friends, "Hurry up, you guys! Hehe, Xiao Yue the Hero runs so fast, faster than an oxcart! I bet she's faster than a car!" The kid had never even been in a car.

Shen Banyue, already a bit ahead, stumbled: "..."

Gee, thanks.

Xiao Dizi wrapped her arms around Shen Banyue's neck and huffed, "Sister runs faster than a plane!" Thanks to Lin Mian, who's "seen the world," the little girl even knew about planes.

At the fork in the road, Shen Banyue yelled, "We're heading home!" and split off from Shen Wendong and Zhao Xuehai.

The three kids ran into the yard. Wang Guizhi poked her head out of the kitchen and said, "Xiao Yue, I've got a fire going in the room. You kids go warm up by the fire, and I'll bring hot water for you to wash up."

Inside, there was a fire burning, not wood like in winter, but charcoal. A wave of warm heat hit them as they walked in.

Shen Banyue set Xiao Dizi down and turned to grab a towel, only to find Lin Mian had already grabbed one. She took it and undid the little topknot on Xiao Dizi's head, messing up her hair until it looked like a bird's nest, making Wang Guizhi, who'd just walked in with an enamel basin and a thermos of hot water, crack up laughing.

Xiao Dizi, not knowing why Wang Guizhi was laughing, giggled along.

Wang Guizhi set down her things and chuckled as she went out to fetch another half bucket of water: "Alright, close the door and wash up quick. Change into dry clothes so you don't get sick."

Shen Banyue was about to say she didn't need to change, that she'd just dry off by the fire, but Lin Mian, who'd been drying his hair by the fire, suddenly stood up, grabbed his towel and bolted out: "I'm gonna change in my room." He was gone in a flash.

Wang Guizhi couldn't help laughing: "This kid, still getting shy."

Shen Banyue pushed Wang Guizhi out the door: "We kids have our pride too, of course we're shy! I'm closing the door to change."

Wang Guizhi smiled: "Alright, alright, you close the door and change. I'll make you some ginger soup."

A few minutes later, all three kids had changed, each holding a bowl of ginger soup, frowning as they drank.

Xiao Dizi had the smallest bowl and drank the slowest, taking a sip, sticking out her tongue, and saying, "So spicy." The older two, who knew "better to get it over with," waited for the soup to cool a bit, then tipped their heads back and downed it in one gulp.

A bowl of ginger soup settled in their bellies, leaving their mouths tingling but their bodies instantly warm.

Wang Guizhi was checking out their "haul" for the day. Two baskets: one full of wild greens and mushrooms, but digging underneath the leaves revealed a fluffy, plump rabbit hidden there.

"We caught three exactly. Shen Wendong and Zhao Xuehai took theirs back," Shen Banyue explained.

Wang Guizhi shook her head with a smile: "You kids are something else."

This was already the third time this month they'd caught rabbits, and each time exactly three, one for each family, as if they'd pre-arranged it with the wild rabbits on the hill.

Of course, they hadn't arranged anything with the rabbits. Lately, there were no major events requiring meat storage. Shen Banyue figured, if they wanted to eat, they could just catch one on the hill. No need for preserved meat or raising them—perfect.

The other basket held wild cherries and loquats, picked with branches and leaves still attached. It looked full, but when sorted, there wasn't much.

"So many got eaten by the little birds," Xiao Dizi sighed like a little adult. "Birds need to eat to grow up too, so we'll let them have some."

Wang Guizhi teased, "Then how about you share a bit of your meal with the birds every day?"

Xiao Dizi froze, furrowed her brow for a few seconds, then decisively shook her head: "Everyone should do their own thing. The birds can find their own food."

Just as they were laughing, a commotion came from outside the yard, followed by a shout: "Auntie Wang!" Before Wang Guizhi could respond, the visitor pushed open the yard gate, hunched over, and quickly ran under the eaves.

Shen Banyue and the others came out of the room and almost didn't recognize him at first glance. Xiao Dizi stared for a long moment and said, "Uncle Dai, you've turned into an old uncle."

Dai Xianghua: "..."

What a piercing little comment from this warm-hearted kid.

Wang Guizhi laughed: "Xianghua, you really look like you've lost weight. Come in and warm up by the fire."

Dai Xianghua hung his raincoat on the drying rack under the eaves, ran a hand through his messy hair, rubbed his face, and said, "Ah, I've been so busy I've lost track of day and night. Haven't even shaved in days."

Wang Guizhi brought him a bowl of ginger soup from the kitchen. As he drank, Dai Xianghua held his wet pant legs close to the fire to dry, saying, "I just got back from the county and came straight here. Xiao Yue, Xiao Mian, and Xiao Dizi, the information we got from interrogating the suspects at the detention center last time was crucial. Based on where 'Bald' and his crew confessed, we found the lair of that 'Xiangguzi.' She'd already fled, but following the trail, we rescued five kids!"

He looked at Xiao Dizi: "One of them is that little brother you mentioned."

Xiao Dizi blinked, half-understanding: "Uncle Dai saved the little brother from the bad guys?"

Dai Xianghua smiled: "It wasn't just Uncle Dai—it was many police comrades like me working together. And it's thanks to you, too. If you hadn't reminded Uncle Dai about that little brother, we wouldn't have found such an important lead."

Xiao Dizi giggled: "Xiao Dizi is awesome too!"

Dai Xianghua nodded: "Yes, awesome. You're all awesome and clever kids."

Wang Guizhi asked, "So the traffickers all got away? None caught?"

Dai Xianghua gave a mysterious, proud smile: "Once we found the place, how could we let them slip away? We spent over a week investigating and finally got a lead. We caught them in a village down below—that woman nicknamed 'Xiangguzi' and two male accomplices. The follow-up investigation is with the local police. Through this line, we might even catch a few more small fry."

He sighed: "That 'Xiangguzi' isn't old, just over thirty, but she's been in the kidnapping trade for over a decade. Ruthless and vicious. When we arrested them, she grabbed a village kid as a hostage and directly cut off the child's..."

He stopped mid-sentence, suddenly aware of the three minors in the room, and swallowed the rest, gesturing to Wang Guizhi with his pinky finger.

Everyone except Xiao Dizi understood: she'd cut off the hostage's pinky finger to threaten the police.

"They also had guns. Luckily, we were well-prepared and had planted 'spies' in the village beforehand. We rescued the hostage by the skin of our teeth and caught all three."

With guns and hostages, it was clear how dangerous the situation had been. Wang Guizhi couldn't help but murmur a prayer.

Dai Xianghua turned to Shen Banyue: "And about that strange old lady you mentioned last time, I went to the county and, with a colleague, checked with the neighborhood office. It's indeed very odd."

As he spoke, the last trace of a smile on his face vanished, and he frowned deeply: "The neighborhood office said she lives in a household with five guarantees. Originally, it was an old man with no children, a retired county office worker. About five or six years ago, he suddenly brought back an old woman, said to be from our commune's Xiaosong'ao Brigade. They lived together for about a year, then the old man fell ill and died. Since then, she's lived alone."

That didn't add up.

Unless Shen Banyue had mistaken the person, there was no explanation for why she'd lie to a little girl on the bus.

Shen Banyue frowned too. She couldn't have mistaken the person, so the other party must have lied. But why? They were strangers who'd never met.

Dai Xianghua continued: "The neighborhood office made excuses to ask the neighbors. They said the old woman seems to have no family left. Occasionally, a distant niece visits every few months to check on her, and sometimes she goes back to the village to trade for eggs or millet. Otherwise, she stays home alone. She's kind-hearted and sometimes helps neighbors watch their kids. She's well-liked in the area."

He paused and sighed: "After a side investigation, aside from the inconsistency with what you said, this old lady really seems fine."

If she were a lonely old woman, bringing a neighbor's kid home to treat them wasn't strange. Old people often crave company.

At the time, Dai Xianghua racked his brain and could only conclude that Shen Banyue had mistaken the person or misremembered.

Shen Banyue noticed Dai Xianghua said "seems." She asked, "So what's the reality?"

Dai Xianghua rubbed his face with his hands, sighed again, and then said, "After looking into it indirectly, we found no evidence she had any issues. We told the neighborhood staff to keep it quiet and left. Then, the day before yesterday, when we got back from another province, the neighborhood staff suddenly showed up and said the old lady had gone missing."

For a lonely old lady who barely talked to her neighbors and sometimes went to the countryside to swap for eggs, it wasn’t weird that nobody noticed she was gone for a few days.

It wasn’t until ration ticket distribution time, when the staff couldn’t find her after three days in a row, that they figured something was wrong.

Usually, even if the old lady went to the countryside, she’d steer clear of the end-of-month ration days. This was the first time she wasn’t around for ration distribution.

Worried something might have happened to her since she lived alone, the staff called a locksmith to break in. Inside, there was nobody, not a grain of rice in the kitchen, and nothing left except big furniture.

While everyone was scratching their heads, two people walked in and said they’d rented the place. When the staff asked, they found out these two had wanted to buy the house, but the old lady wouldn’t sell. Instead, she rented it to them for ten years, with a deal that if she died, they’d take care of her funeral and get the house. They thought it was a good deal, so they signed the contract and agreed.

That day was when they were supposed to take over from the old lady.

The staff were dumbfounded. The house had belonged to the old man, and since the couple never registered anything, the old lady couldn’t sell it even if she wanted to. These two had been totally scammed by her.

Of course, they’d only paid to rent it for ten years, so it wasn’t a total loss.

At first, the staff figured the old lady had sold her stuff and moved to the countryside to retire, thinking she was flaky for not telling the neighborhood. After all, the neighborhood office, feeling sorry for her as a lonely old lady, had specially approved a monthly subsidy even though her official residence wasn’t there.

Later, back at the office, the staff mentioned it to a coworker, who reminded her that the cops had looked into the old lady before. Worried there might be more to it, she went to the police station to report it.

"When we heard that, we rushed to Xiaosong’ao Brigade, but they said there was no old lady like that in the village."

This was really weird.

Wang Guizhi couldn’t help saying, "These days, you need an introduction letter just to leave town. She lived in the county for ages, and the neighborhood gave her subsidies and ration tickets—they must have checked her letter, right?"

Dai Xianghua gave a bitter smile and said, "The neighborhood did have her introduction letter. It looked real."

Looked real.

Shen Banyue asked, "So it was a fake?"

Dai Xianghua nodded. "We took it back to the station and had a forensics guy look at it carefully. It’s a forgery." He muttered, "The forensics guy said it was almost impossible to tell from the real deal."

Lin Mian asked, "So we can’t find her?"

Dai Xianghua shook his head, then nodded. "Xiao Yue said she saw her on the bus from our commune to the county. We figured she couldn’t have just popped up out of nowhere, so we called in all the brigade leaders and asked around, and finally found one person."

This whole thing wasn’t just weird and complicated—it was straight-up dramatic. Not just the three kids, but even Wang Guizhi was totally hooked.

Dai Xianghua went on, "There’s someone from Qingshan Brigade who fled here during a famine years ago, with a daughter in tow. About ten years ago, her daughter went to the city for temp work and supposedly started a family there. About five or six years ago, the old lady said her daughter had a kid and wanted her to come help out, so she moved to the county too.

The mother and daughter kept to themselves. The daughter didn’t even invite anyone from the village to her wedding, and nobody could say for sure which factory she worked at or where she got married. But the old lady’s official residence was still in the village, so she’d come back now and then to get grain and swap for eggs. As for her daughter, nobody in the village had seen her in over ten years."

Wang Guizhi felt her head spin. "But the old lady in the city lived alone. If it’s really her, where’s her daughter?"

Shen Banyue squinted a little, a guess forming in her head.

"The age and looks match. It’s probably the same old lady. The key thing is, her daughter’s name is Liu Xixiang. Years ago, villagers heard the old lady call her daughter ‘Xiangguzi.’"

Dai Xianghua let out a slow breath. "Our guys took folks from Qingshan Brigade to H Province last night and went to the detention center this morning to ID her. Over ten years, looks change, but all three people who went said that the trafficker we caught, ‘Xiangguzi,’ is definitely that Liu Xixiang from their brigade."

After the ID, they called back. The county had already started a citywide search for the old lady. Dai Xianghua had just gotten back from a mission and didn’t have to join the search, but the county sent him to ask the kids who first noticed the old lady acting weird if they’d missed anything.

Shen Banyue furrowed her brow a little. "Those traffickers said ‘Xiangguzi’s’ real name is Tian Xixiang."

So she wasn’t named Liu, but Tian. So what does that mean?

Lin Mian added, "Sister Yue, you said before there was a really nasty trafficker called Granny Tian."

Dai Xianghua, who looked grim, couldn’t help but smile at that and sighed, "You two are sharp. That’s right, ‘Xiangguzi’s’ real name is Tian Xixiang. She goes by her mom’s last name. That old lady must be the Granny Tian the traffickers talked about."

Granny Tian might have "retired," but her daughter had taken up her mother’s evil "mantle," becoming the even more cunning and ruthless leader of a trafficking ring.

Just one moment of hesitation had allowed Granny Tian, a criminal steeped in evil, to slip through their fingers. It was easy to imagine how much regret Dai Xianghua felt inside.

If only they hadn’t been so cautious, if only they hadn’t worried about disturbing an elderly person, if only he had trusted Xiao Yue a bit more and investigated more thoroughly and deeply—even if they couldn’t have caught her, they might have noticed her disappearance sooner.

But regret couldn’t buy a cure. She had not only fled but had done so leisurely, selling off her belongings and renting out the house. Every time Dai Xianghua thought about how, while they were searching high and low for traffickers, this one had been calmly "settling her affairs" right under their noses, he felt like he was going to spit blood.

"I’ve told you everything I know, Uncle Dai. If that old woman is Granny Tian, she must be very good at disguising herself. She might turn into someone we can’t imagine." Shen Banyue thought for a moment and admitted she couldn’t help further.

So much time had passed. Granny Tian had likely already left Shanxi County, or even T Province.

A seasoned, well-disguised trafficker who could even forge introduction letters—once she vanished from the police’s sight, it would be like a stone sinking into the sea. Finding her trail again would be extremely difficult.

Dai Xianghua knew the odds were slim. After all, Shen Banyue had only met her twice, both times by chance. It was already surprising that she had sensed something was off.

"It’s okay. Catching bad guys is for adults. You’ve already helped a lot."

Dai Xianghua shook his head, pushing back the regret and frustration, and smiled at the kids. "Regardless, the information you provided helped us catch those traffickers and rescue those children. The county asked me to tell you that once this operation is over, they’ll hold a meeting and invite you all to come. You’ll get certificates."

Xiao Dizi’s eyes lit up immediately. "Is it a Great Hero certificate?" She wiggled, curious and hopeful. "Does Xiao Dizi get one too?"

Dai Xianghua laughed heartily. "It’s a Little Hero certificate. All three of you will get one."

Lin Mian looked at Shen Banyue, then at Xiao Dizi, and said sheepishly, "But I didn’t really help much."

Dai Xianghua ruffled his hair. "You protected Xiao Dizi in the traffickers’ den and kept helping the younger kids after being rescued. How is that not being a little hero?"

Xiao Dizi giggled. "Big sister is a great hero, and Xiao Dizi and Brother Mian are little heroes."

She looked at Wang Guizhi and Dai Xianghua, apparently not wanting to play favorites. With the air of a little "balance master," she nodded her head and said, "Grandma and Uncle Dai are old heroes!"

Wang Guizhi: "..."

Thanks a lot for that.

Dai Xianghua, now lumped into the same generation as Wang Guizhi: "..."

He needed to find a razor and shave immediately!