Qin Shen drove for two hours before swapping places with Fang Miao. He and the little cub sat in the rear, the little one who was squirming on his booster seat eventually fell asleep, while Qin Shen reclined against the backrest and closed his eyes, unknowingly falling asleep.
When he woke up, he found that the car had stopped, and Fang Miao was murmuring something in a low voice while holding out his cell phone.
“Why did you stop?” Qin Shen said, turning his head to look at Jiang Naonao, who was still sound asleep, drool streaming down his chin. He took out a handkerchief and wiped the little cub’s drool.
Seeing that he was awake, Fang Miao looked at him and said, “The navigation seems to be broken, I went the wrong way.”
Qin Shen examined the navigation system and then the front of the car. There was obviously no road ahead of them but the GPS system indicated that they had to proceed.
He stepped out of the car and had a look around. There was no village ahead or a shop nearby. It was a rocky country road, but there appeared to be a village not far away. He bent down and said to Fang Miao, “I’ll go to the village over there to ask for directions. Stay here and watch Naonao.”
As soon as his words fell, the child at the back woke up, rubbed his eyes, and opened his arms, asking for a hug.
Fang Miao went to hug him, but the little boy resisted, not wanting to hug him. Fang Miao, exasperated, squeezed a handful of soft flesh from the little one’s bottom and indicated to Qin Shen, “Let’s go, let’s all go together to ask for directions.”
Qin Shen carried Jiang Naonao and went to the village with Fang Miao, leaving the car on the side of the road.
It was around one or two o’clock in the afternoon, and the villagers were probably gone to the fields. They walked all the way to the village but saw no one. The residences in the village were very shabby. They were currently standing in front of a courtyard where they could hear voices within. Qin Shen was about to ask Fang Miao to knock on the door when a girl suddenly appeared from around the corner carrying a bucket. As soon as the girl saw the two of them, the bucket she was carrying fell to the ground with a crash.
The sound of talking in the courtyard became more audible as the courtyard door unexpectedly opened. An impatient middle-aged man with a dark complexion walked out. He was taken aback for a moment when he saw Qin Shen and Fang Miao at the door, and the look in his eyes changed. He mumbled something in a dialect to the person behind him.
As soon as he finished speaking, a middle-aged woman with a sallow complexion came out from behind and gave Qin Shen and Fang Miao a brief glance before dragging the girl into the yard.
“Hello Uncle! I just wanted to ask for directions,” Fang Miao greeted the middle-aged man briskly.
The middle-aged man glanced at them from head to toe, his gaze falling on Jiang Naonao, who was being carried by Qin Shen, as well on the wristwatch peeking out of Qin Shen’s sleeve. The middle-aged man said something in a dialect before opening the courtyard door and invited them in.
Fang Miao was about to enter, but Qin Shen took out his phone from his pocket and glanced at it, before saying, “Someone is coming to pick us up, so we won’t disturb you.”
He pulled Fang Miao and turned around to leave.
Fang Miao was puzzled and was about to open his mouth to ask, but Qin Shen gave him a stern look, so he could only swallow his words back down.
After leaving the village, Qin Shen whispered, “There’s something wrong in this village.”
The two of them returned to the car in haste. Qin Shen stuffed the little cub into Fang Miao, and let him sit in the passenger seat, then immediately shut the door and started the car quickly. He drove back the way they came and called the cops.
“Brother, what’s wrong with the village?” Fang Miao asked nervously while giving directions. He didn’t notice anything at all when they were there.
Qin Shen held the steering wheel with a grave expression. “There’s something wrong with that girl, and when they saw us, their expressions changed; their gazes were a little too wary.”
Fang Miao thought about it and realized that it made sense. They didn’t look scary, so why was the girl so frightened she dropped the bucket she carried when she saw them? Moreover, the girl had been looking at them before she was dragged into the yard. Now that he thought about it, the girl’s eyes looked to be pleading for help.
D*mn, Fang Miao shuddered. That girl must have been trafficked.
Suddenly a stone hit the car. Fang Miao turned around and saw many villagers rushing from the side of the road; on their hands were shovels and stones as they were led by the middle-aged man who had just invited them into the courtyard.
Sh*t, he knew there were no good people in this whole village.
Fang Miao cursed with a nasty expression. He’d heard about this type of community before. Because of poverty and patriarchy, the women in the village were all bought by them. They are found in almost every household. As a result, they are tightly knit and cautious of strangers. Because they are terrified it might be the cops. Everyone in the village will be made aware once a villager encounters a stranger. They will transport the trafficked women out secretly, hide them, and then return them when the stranger has left. These trafficked women couldn’t flee because the village was remote, not to mention that the whole village is heavily guarded.
Another rock smashed the car window. “Are they sick? What are they chasing us for?” Fang Miao snarled as he embraced Jiang Naonao tightly.
“They’re interested in the valuable things on us,” Qin Shen said, stepping on the gas, his stare icy cold. These villagers have lost all sense of humanity. They joined forces to murder him and Fang Miao after seeing his expensive wristwatch and fearing that they had already found that the girl was being trafficked. Anyway, the place is remote; no one will know about it if they were dealt with cleanly.
The car was sent on a bumpy mountain road, and as the villagers were more familiar with the road than they were, they were able to take shortcuts. Soon, nails were laid on their only way out.
“D*mn it!” Fang Miao scolded again. These villagers are so proficient in doing this; it’s probably not the first time they’ve done this kind of thing.
Qin Shen’s face darkened, and he sharply steered the wheel, driving diagonally to the side.
“Hold Naonao tightly,” Qin Shen instructed Fang Miao in a deep voice, and regardless of the villagers blocking the road, he drove straight into them.
He could only drive carelessly because there is no road beyond. A crack has already formed on the windows after a couple more stones hit them. Not far ahead was a river, so Qin Shen stepped on the gas pedal and drove towards it.
He came to a complete stop as they arrived at the river. “Brother, why did you stop?” Fang Miao asked anxiously.
“Get out of the car.” Qin Shen gave a quick command and then took Jiang Naonao from him and got out of the car. Fang Miao stomped his feet and could only keep up.
The villagers had already surrounded them with the shovels they were carrying. Qin Shen took a brief glance at the river behind him. The river was rushing downstream. Past the river curve in front of them were mountains on both sides. Unless the villagers also jumped into the river, they would absolutely not be able to catch up.
“Brother, what should we do? Are we going to jump into the river?” Fang Miao frantically asked Qin Shen, ignoring the villager who was saying something in dialect. He didn’t want to know what he was talking about at all.
He’s just visiting the set. Why did this happen?
“Yes, you jump down first,” Qin Shen urged.
“Really jump? Naonao will be hurt!” Fang Miao was taken aback. He and Qin Shen could swim, but Naonao’s still with them. It’s not like they’ll be rescued as soon as they jump in; the current was running fast, and something could happen to Naonao if they really jump.
“Even if you have an accident, he won’t.” Seeing the villagers approaching, Qin Shen didn’t bother to talk to him anymore and directly kicked him into the river. He followed suit, embraced Naonao, and then leapt into the river.
Fang Miao, who was kicked into the river unprepared, could only be swept downstream by the current. The curses of the villagers on the shore gradually disappeared. The water flow reduced slightly after crossing the river curve. Fang Miao wiped his face and hastily turned his head, only to see Qin Shen alone in the water, his arms empty. “Brother, where’s Naonao?!” he exclaimed.
A sound of trickling water could be heard. “Wow.” A small head appeared next to him. Jiang Naonao was carrying a freshly caught fish in his arms as his small tail mischievously flicked the water, deliberately splashing it on his face.
The author has something to say: Isn’t the process of my brother’s discovery of the small tail particularly thrilling and exciting?
Updates 2/2
