This is an ordinary ancient town in the south of the Yangtze River, with about a hundred households, basically maintaining its appearance a hundred years ago.
In the rainy season in the south of the Yangtze River, the drizzle of rain gently beats on the path paved with bluestones. On both sides of the path are scattered old huts, and there are only a few pedestrians along the way.
A young man is sitting in a wheelchair on a stone bridge over a small river. A girl behind him is holding an umbrella to protect them from the rain. The two of them seem to be admiring this picturesque scenery.
The streets on both sides of the river are considered the center of the ancient town. There are various shops on the streets, including those that recycle and sell food, snack bars, and barber shops.
The building of the shop is also old, but the street is exceptionally neat and clean. At the end of this road is a small shop selling bean curd. Earthy gray walls, blue tiles, an ordinary two-story building. The wooden signboard reads Mujia Douhua. From a distance, the small building was now in a mess. The store door was not closed, and the door panels fell to the ground randomly. Things in the store were scattered all over the floor. The wooden windows on the second floor were also damaged.
In front of the grain and oil store in the small street, two aunties were chewing softly under the eaves.
Although the distance was a bit far and it was raining, it was no problem at all for Zhang Qilu. He listened to their conversation carefully.
"Yes, Mrs. Wang, my father-in-law came back and told us that it was very lively the night before yesterday. It seems that he went to the Mu family."
"Yes, yes, I don't know who the Mu family has offended. All three members of the family are missing now. Your father-in-law is a village cadre. He must know something when he cooperates with their investigation. Please tell me quickly, what is going on? .”
"My father-in-law said that after the security officer's investigation, there were several waves of people coming that night. The first wave of people entered the Mu house and didn't know what they were looking for. They made the house a mess."
"They don't have much at home except for two and a half boys. But don't tell me, those two boys are really good-looking. If they dress up and sing in the Huangmei Opera, they will look very good. "As she said that, the woman started to sing with gestures.
"Who says it's not the case? Later, another group of people came, and they started fighting indiscriminately when they met. What's even more strange is that not long after, another group of people came and they blocked the entire street."
"Yes, I heard about it too. Many people were injured and some were killed. Children in their teens were taken away by them. Do you think they are human traffickers? We also have grandchildren. Shouldn't we Move to town."
"What kind of human trafficker? No matter how powerful the trafficker is, it is impossible for him to kill and kidnap people so blatantly. But let me ask you, have you seen anything dirty these days?"
"Yes, yes, last night, I saw a black shadow like a monkey flash past. It was scary."
Zhang Qilu stopped listening after hearing this. He smiled at Li beside him and said
"It seems we are late. That was originally the store where the three sons of the Mu family supported their family." Then Zhang Qilu told Li Xiaoxiao what he heard and what he analyzed.
Li Xiaoxiao always looks confused now. A girl who has been bedridden all year round is indeed relatively ignorant about the world. It may be that she enjoys this kind of real freedom and is too lazy to think about it. Anyway, except for Zhang Qilu, she is not interested in anyone. I don't care much about people and things.
"Brother Qi, you don't need to tell me these things. I will listen to you anyway. I will just follow you wherever you go. You must remember that you promised my parents that you would take care of me for the rest of your life." Only She only spoke so much when she was alone with Zhang Qilu.
Zhang Qilu ignored her and continued, "I don't think he was caught. I heard that many innocent children were captured. If they caught him, there is no need to do this. Let's go with a smile. Bar."
"Where are you going? Brother Qi" asked Li Xiaoxiao while pushing Zhang Qilu towards the bottom of the bridge.
"Didn't you say you would follow me wherever I go?"
"If you don't ask, don't ask. By the way, Brother Qi, when will you be able to walk?"
The girl pushing the boy walked happily on the stone road.
"I don't know. It might take a few months, or it might take a year and a half. It took a bit long to find you this time."
"Okay, it's all my fault."
The two people passed a large archway while talking, and finally left this ancient town in the south of the Yangtze River.
"Yes, brother Qi, I'm a little curious now about where we are going."
"I know a place where he might be."
Li Xiaoxiao skillfully stopped a taxi.
...
Xiaoshan is located to the south of Lin'an. It was originally Lin'an's backyard and had a large number of state-owned factories. Most of the state-owned factories have lost their former glory, and now only the glorious past can be vaguely seen. A large number of workers have been laid off, and there has been a serious population loss. At this moment, Xiao Shan gives people the feeling of a hero in his twilight years.
Zhang Qilu and Li Xiaoxiao are now in front of an old dormitory building. This is an ordinary four-story building, next door is Xiaoshan Gearbox Factory. Because it is a unit that provides spare parts to Jiangnan shipyards, it can still maintain operations. They can still vaguely hear the sound of metal banging coming from the factory next door.
Zhang Qilu told Li Xiaoxiao behind him about the situation here.
"Six years ago, his mother unexpectedly became pregnant again. In this era of only children, having a second child is basically a luxury for most families. In the end, their family was able to overcome all difficulties and prepare thousands of dollars. He was fined, but his mother unexpectedly gave birth prematurely. Under a lot of pressure, hesitation, and the huge physical deficit caused by premature birth, his mother passed away before she could be discharged from the hospital."
Li Xiaoxiao said with some regret, "It's such a pity to throw away your life just to have one more child."
"Every era has its own restrictions. There's nothing we can do about it," Zhang Qilu explained.
"Brother Qi, didn't you say that we children all have some backgrounds in our families? Then how could his family do this for money?"
"Their family is an exception, just an ordinary worker family. His grandfather used to be a senior technician in this factory, so he was assigned to this two-bedroom welfare house here. The two elders who were supposed to enjoy retirement life, after their daughter died He also passed away not long after. After that, his father took care of two children alone, lost his job, and his life got worse and worse. In the end, he had to go back to his hometown and make a living by selling tofu. I originally advised him and me He wanted to go, but his father and his brother were not in good health, so he kept dragging them because he was worried. Only his father and I knew this place. He always hung the key around his neck like a treasure, and we walked up. "
The structure of the house is very old. The doorway of a room at the end of the second floor. Zhang Qilu found that the door was unlocked and pushed it open directly. There was a thin young man lying in the room.
When Zhang Qilu saw this scene, he was surprised and happy and called out, "Muzi Mountain."
