I was reborn after my cousin stole my life.

Chapter 105: How the Child Was Lost

"If it were your own child, and the child was clearly too weak to speak to, would anyone stop and chat with a stranger after being called by them? If the child wasn't sick, their reaction would be normal. But to do this when the child is sick seems a bit deliberate."

"He said the child couldn't stand the wind, but he only paid attention to the child's head and didn't notice the child's exposed ankles. Of course, you could say he wasn't careful, but I saw the child's hair. She was clearly a girl, but she was wearing a boy's clothes. I've heard people say before that child traffickers change the appearance of children after they abduct them, dressing girls as boys and boys as girls to confuse people..."

The police officer listened attentively and took notes. After Yuan Xiu finished speaking, he gave her a thumbs-up and praised her, "Comrade Yuan Xiu, you are a very meticulous person. You noticed things that others didn't. If this child had met anyone else, I'm afraid..."

I'm afraid it's gone forever.

After Yuan Xiu finished giving her statement, it was Zhou Lei's turn.

"If the police hadn't called, we wouldn't have even known our child was missing..."

Zhou Lei wiped his face, trying to look more presentable. "After breakfast this morning, my mom took the child to kindergarten and won't pick him up until after school. We always assumed he was attending classes at kindergarten, but we never expected..."

At this moment, someone came in: "Captain, we've contacted the kindergarten. They said the children were still there when they ate lunch, and after lunch the teachers arranged for them to sleep. Some children are asleep, and some are playing in the kindergarten. They don't know when Xiaohua left the kindergarten."

Police Captain: "So they didn't notice the child was missing during afternoon classes?"

The team member shook his head: "They only found out when we called the military to contact them."

The captain shook his head. "By the time they realize the child is missing, the traffickers will probably already be on the train."

Yuan Xiu nodded. There was no family planning policy back then, and every family had many children. There were quite a few children in the kindergarten, but the number of teachers was limited, and the management was lax. There were definitely no teachers watching the children during their afternoon nap. Judging from the time, Xiao Hua'er was probably taken away by someone without their knowledge during her afternoon nap.

After the statement was taken, there was no further business for Yuan Xiu and the others.

Comrade Xiao Lin got into the jeep that Jiangzhou had brought from the army, along with Yuan Xiu, and they went back together.

On the bus, Comrade Xiao Lin said to Yuan Xiu, "You know what, Yuan Xiu? That human trafficker doesn't have a daughter at all! He only has a son! The police found out as soon as they called the coal briquette factory! Luckily, you didn't believe them and weren't influenced by what everyone was saying..."

Comrade Xiaolin had completely lost the arrogance of an artist; his eyes seemed to be shining as he looked at Yuan Xiu!

He sat in the back seat, leaning forward and craning his neck to chat with Yuan Xiu, who was sitting in the passenger seat: "If we hadn't stopped him then, that human trafficker would definitely not have come back. He said he had a daughter, but that lie falls apart on its own. He clearly has a wife, children, and a job, all for a little money..."

Jiang Zhou cleared his throat: "Comrade Lin, what you should be curious about is not the child trafficker, but who took that child out of the kindergarten. Our military kindergarten has never had a child go missing before, not to mention the kindergarten, nothing like this has ever happened in the neighborhood."

Comrade Xiaolin clapped his hands: "That's right! The kindergarten bears a huge responsibility! I'll go back and write a criticism report and hand it in, blah blah blah..."

Jiang Zhou and Yuan Xiu exchanged a glance, "..."

……

As soon as Yuan Juan opened the door, she saw her mother packing clothes. The bed was a mess, and the drawer by the bedside was open, with some loose change and tickets missing.

"Mom, what are you doing?"

Hearing the voice, Aunt Yuan almost jumped up. When she saw it was her, she said with a pale face, "Your dad called and said your grandma is in the hospital. He wants me to go back right away."

"Grandma's in the hospital?" Yuan Juan frowned. Her mother was terrified when her grandma was hospitalized.

"When did Dad call? How did he call? Where did he call from?" Yuan Juan wasn't stupid; long-distance calls weren't so easy to make.

She grabbed Aunt Yuan and asked in a trembling voice, "Mom, tell me honestly, did you steal Xiaohua?"

Aunt Yuan was so frightened that she covered her mouth, "No, no!"

Yuan Juan broke free. "Why are you in such a hurry? How could you do such a thing! How am I supposed to stay in the Zhou family after this!"

"I did it all for you! If you weren't pregnant with a daughter, would I have sold that little girl?"

Aunt Yuan packed everything into her bag, picked it up, and was about to leave. "Juan'er, if they ask you anything, just say you don't know anything. You're pregnant with Zhou Lei's child, and Xiao Hua'er isn't really lost. They definitely won't blame you. Mom's leaving now. Take care!"

After saying that, Aunt Yuan opened the door and went out. Yuan Juan followed behind, but after taking two steps, she turned back and sat down, her legs trembling.

"I don't know, I don't know, Zhou Lei can't blame me..."

Aunt Yuan jogged out of the courtyard and hailed a tricycle waiting for passengers by the roadside: "Take me to the station, quick!"

The driver glanced at her: "Catching a train?"

"Yes, yes, ride faster, and I'll give you extra money!"

Upon hearing the price, the driver smiled and called out, "Alright! Let's go!"

In the alley behind the state-run restaurant, an old farmer wearing a straw hat, carrying a bag of courage, knocked on the door, "Knock, knock, knock."

A moment later, the door opened, and a voice from inside could be faintly heard: "What is it?"

"Old Sun failed. That woman went to the train station and is trying to escape. You need to get out of there quickly."

"...If you can't even handle this simple matter, what kind of man are you, Lao Sun? You go first, figure out a way to get rid of that woman, we can't let her..."

The old farmer nodded, then mustered his courage and stepped out of the alley: "Pears, pears from our own trees, cheap!"

……

"Master Cheng, why are you taking leave again? This is putting me in a difficult position." The manager of the state-run restaurant looked helplessly at the leave application form in his hand.

Mr. Cheng's eyes were red and swollen: "My mother-in-law is sick, very sick. She probably won't live much longer. I have to go back to see her one last time."

"Don't your in-laws always bully you? I remember you transferred here before because you wanted to get away from them."

"No matter what, I've been her daughter-in-law for several years. She's an elder, and any conflicts should be resolved by now."

Seeing her like this, the supervisor sighed: "You're just too honest. If it were me... never mind, I'll approve this leave for you. Come back as soon as you're done. Our store can't do without you."

Master Cheng bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you, thank you!"

After leaving the office, she returned to her dormitory with red eyes. Soon after, everyone in the restaurant knew that her mother-in-law was dying and she had to go back to take care of her.

"Master Cheng has become more obedient."

"Exactly, she's only been someone's wife for a few years, and she still goes all the way back."

"I heard her in-laws are all really mean; they used to bully Master Cheng a lot..."

When Ms. Cheng came out carrying her bag, everyone was still chatting. Upon seeing her, they all offered their blessings.

"Have a safe trip, Master Cheng!"

"Master Cheng, please drive carefully!"

"Master Cheng, just send us a telegram if anything happens. You work for our state-run restaurant, and our unit will stand up for you!"

Master Cheng smiled and nodded: "Don't worry, I'll be back soon. Everyone, get back to work..."

As she walked, she waved to everyone. The moment she stepped out of the store, two soldiers in military uniforms blocked her way. "Comrade Cheng Yufen, we are from the security department. Please come with us."

Master Cheng's smile froze on his face.

Everyone: "..."

Silent as a cicada in winter.