Chapter 46
"Grandfather, your family's Big Cutie!" Da Qiao skipped over to look for her grandfather.
Although she had already started to school, she and her elder cousin sister Dong He will still learn embroidery with her grandfather when they don't have classes to attend.
Her fingers were too short. The needles in her hands were too disobedient. She can't always embroider the way she desire.
She really envied her grandfather!
Her grandfather's hands were slender and good-looking. Unlike other old people's hands. They all have age spots. And the dark skin was wrinkled. Not good-looking at all!
More importantly, her grandfather's hands were very dexterous!
After getting his hand on the needle and threading it, he would embroidered a flower in an instant. Then an old hen. They looked remarkably true to life and pretty!
Elder Cousin Sister Dong He was also good at it. While herself, her grandfather said that her bum have long needles. Before reaching an hour, she was already twisting around. Not as patient as Elder Cousin Sister Dong He.
Oh, what an annoyance!
However, her grandmother said that everyone had their own shining points. Her shining point was being cute. What's more, her color matching was very good!
Her grandfather said that she was naturally sensitive to colors. If there was a chance in the future, she will be taught on drawing.
She thought it was a great idea. She can draw the things she liked!
"Younger Sister Da Qiao, you came? Quickly come in." Qiao Dong He happily responded when she heard Da Qiao's voice.
"Coming! Coming! Big Cutie will come in right away!"
"Pfft..."
Qiao Dong He covered her mouth and chuckled. She felt Younger Sister Da Qiao was too cute!
Qiao Dong He wonder if she will feel embarrassed when she grows up and recall how thick skinned she was?
After learning embroidery in the morning, Da Qiao stayed at the old house for lunch at noon. Then she joined her two elder cousin sisters on a nap after eating.
Half an hour later, Da Qiao suddenly burst into tears while dreaming. This startled Qiao Dong He and Qiao Dong Ying, who was beside her.
"Younger Sister Da Qiao. Younger Sister Da Qiao, what's wrong?" Qiao Dong He was a little overwhelmed.
Qiao Dong Ying stopped her sister and said, "Elder Sister, don't push her around. I'll call Grandfather and Grandmother over."
After she finished speaking, she quickly got out of bed and ran towards her grandparent's room.
Soon, Qiao Xiu Zhi and Xue Chuan ran over.
Da Qiao was still crying. Her little face was flushed red, while her eyes were tightly closed. Her long and dense eyelashes were wet. Pea-sized tears kept flowing out of her eyes.
When Qiao Xiu Zhi saw this, she gotten a scare.
She walked over, carried Da Qiao in her arms, and patted her face lightly as she spoke, "Da Qiao, it's Grandmother. Quickly wake up..."
After calling a few times, Da Qiao woke up from the nightmare. She opened her eyes and saw her grandmother. She cried out with a "waa": "Grandmother, I dreamed that little Sister Wan'er was taken away... Waa waa... I kept chasing and chasing, but I can't catch up with them..."
Qiao Xiu Zhi's heart thumped and kept sinking.
The thing she had been most worried about had finally happened.
After comforting Da Qiao, Qiao Xiu Zhi and Xue Chuan returned to their room. Qiao Xiu Zhi stated, "I want to go to the provincial capital to find old Fifth and his wife. I always feel that something has happened to them!"
Xue Chuan disagreed: "There are so many people. Where are you going to find them? Besides, if you go and they just come back, wouldn't you miss each other?"
Qiao Xiuzhi thought for a while and spoke, "What you said makes sense. I'll wait another half a month. If there is still no news from old Fifth, don't stop me then."
Xue Chuan held her hand and said, "Okay, I won't stop you. I will accompany you when the time comes!"
...
Dong Jing had never suffered so much!
Since her husband was locked up, she had been running around every day to find connections for her husband.
She was really about to collapse. A few times she couldn't help crying while covering her face on the road.
She regretted that she didn't stop her husband that day,. She even resented the fact that good people weren't rewarded for their good deed!
It just happened her elder sister and elder brother-in-law both went on a business trip and couldn't be contacted for a while!
She has thought of everything and found everyone she can find. She was really at a dead-end!
She can't take it anymore!
Just as Dong Jing burst into tears and became dizzy, there was an urgent knock on the door...
"Jing'er, Jing'er, open the door. It's Elder Sister!"
Elder Sister!
Dong Jing's eyes went sour and tears flowed out again. She got up and stumbled to open the door. Seeing her elder sister standing outside the door, she threw herself at her and burst into tears again.
Dong Xue hugged her sister and kept comforting her.
It wasn't until half an hour later that Dong Jing calmed down. Only then did she realize that there was a little girl in her elder brother-in-law, Chu Tian Bai's arms.
"Whose child is this? Why is she with you and Elder Brother-in-law?"
Her elder sister and elder brother-in-law had a daughter before. Little niece died when she was three years old. Her elder sister and elder brother-in-law were so sad that they fainted a few times.
Because her elder sister's health wasn't good, she hadn't gotten pregnant in the past few years. That was why Dong Jing was very curious when she saw her brother-in-law holding a little girl in his arms.
Chu Tian Bai rubbed the little girl's fluffy hair lightly. His eyes full of doting: "This is our daughter. Her name is Chu Wan. You can call her Wan Wan. Wan Wan, this is your maternal aunt. Say hello to Maternal Aunt, okay?"
The little girl leaned on his shoulder and hugged his neck tightly. She had heard it, but she didn't respond at all.
Instead of blaming her, Chu Tian Bai smiled dotingly and caringly: "This child had a bad life in the past. We rescued her from the traffickers."
Although Dong Jing was very curious, she was currently concerned about her husband. So she quickly turned the topic to rescuing her husband.
Chu Tian Bai was the deputy magistrate of Nan Ping County. He just got promoted last year. Although he was the deputy magistrate, this was the provincial city, so his words may not have much effect.
Since this matter was related to the life and future of his younger brother-in-law, he will definitely not refuse: "Don't worry. I'll go out and find a few people to see if someone can help."
Dong Jing's eyes turned red again: "Elder Brother-in-law, you must rescue Xue Wen. Otherwise I... I can't live anymore!"
Dong Xue hugged her younger sister again: "Don't worry, your elder brother-in-law will definitely save Xue Wen. He didn't kill people. At most we will spend more money!"
Chu Tian Bai wanted to go out to find someone. So he had to pass the little girl in his arms to his wife.
The little girl hugged his neck tightly and didn't let go. Her little body trembled uncontrollably.
Seeing this, Dong Jing frowned and looked at her elder sister with growing curiousity.
This little girl appeared a little abnormal. Even if my sister wants to adopt, she should adopt a lively and lovely child!
Dong Xue walked over and teased the little girl tenderly: "Wan Wan, it's Mom. Dad is going to do some work. Mom will carry you, alright?"
Anyway, after saying it seven or eight times, Dong Xue got her wish and hugged the little girl.
Chu Tian Bai hurried out to find someone to mediate.
After her elder brother-in-law left, Dong Jing brewed a cup of her favorite jasmine tea for her elder sister and a cup of malted milk for the little girl.
Dong Xue hugged the little girl and used in a childish tone: "Wan Wan, look at how much Maternal Aunt loves you. She poured you malted milk. Quickly thank Maternal Aunt."
The little girl still didn't move. Her little face was blank.
If someone from the Qiao family was here, they will discover that this little girl was none other than little Wan'er a.k.a Qiao Dong Wan.
Dong Jing felt it was getting stranger: "Elder Sister, how did you adopt this child?"
Dong Xue rubbed the child's hair and explained to her younger sister.
It turned out that after old woman Hua knew that her husband died, she hated little Wan'er for causing her husband's death. At the same time, she was afraid that the police would investigate to her side.
So after thinking about it again and again, she decided to sell little Wan'er!
Old woman Hua's elder cousin sister was a human trafficker. So she quickly sold little Wan'er.
Originally, when Cousin Sister Hua saw little Wan'er's fair skin and delicate features, she saw a big earning opportunity. However, she discovered that there was something wrong with this little girl after the transaction!
She can cry, but not speak. No matter what one say, she ignore people. She suspects that there was something wrong with the little girl's brain. How can such a little girl sell for a high price?
So she wanted to return the little girl. She wouldn't do a loss-making business. How could old woman Hua be willing?
The two sisters got into a fight. In the end, old woman Hua returned half of the money and told her elder cousin sister to take the person away. The farther she sold, the better!
Cousin Sister Hua felt she was unlucky. It just happened that another trafficker told her that there was a remote mountain village who wanted a little girl as a child bride. The other party's son wasn't a fool thought. Instead, a paralyzed one. In addition, the family was poor. They were afraid that he wouldn't be able to marry a wife in the future, so they thought of buying a little girl to be a child bride.
Cousin Sister Hua immediately handed little Wan'er to the other party. However, little Wan'er, who had always been silent and well-behaved, struggled at this moment. She escaped from her hand and ran away.
Cousin Sister Hua and that trafficker were both startled and immediately chased after her.
Little Wan'er ran and bumped around. As soon as she ran out of the alley, she ran into Chu Tian Bai who was passing by.
Chu Tian Bai was walking when a small object collided into him.
He lowered his head and saw a messy little girl hugging his thigh tightly with a panicked look on her face.
He was about to ask her in a quiet voice what happened, when he saw a man and a woman chasing her in the alley. He immediately realized something was wrong and subconsciously protected the little girl.
Cousin Sister Hua didn't want the meat that was about to enter her mouth to fly. She explained that the little girl was her granddaughter and asked Chu Tian Bai to return her to her!
Chu Tian Bai noted that her appearance didn't resemble the little girl at all. And the little girl was very afraid of the two of them. No matter what, he won't hand the little girl over.
He immediately called passers-by to help call the police. Then he joined hands with passers-by to take down the two and send them to the police station together.
At the police station, Cousin Sister Hua explained that this little girl was her nephew's daughter. Her nephew and nephew's wife died of illness a month ago. The little girl was temporarily put in her care. Since she couldn't raise her, she wanted to sell the little girl.
After the police went to investigate, they found out that Cousin Sister Hua didn't lie. Her nephew and nephew's wife had indeed died a month ago. Their only daughter was indeed given to her to raise.
What the police didn't know was that her nephew's daughter was sold by her half a month ago!
Cousin Sister Hua lived in a house alone and had little contact with the neighbors. So no one seen what her nephew's daughter look like.
When the police went over to investigate, they all said that it was a little girl around four or five years old. They only saw from afar, so they didn't know any other detail.
The reason why Cousin Sister Hua didn't pull old woman Hua in was because she wanted old woman Hua to take care of her grandson for her when she went to prison. Her son and daughter-in-law died a few years ago. Leaving only a seven-year-old grandson in the family.
The case was solved quickly .Cousin Sister Hua was sentenced to 20 years in prison, while the trafficker was sentenced to be shot.
Little Wan'er became an orphan because of "the premature death of her parents" and was sent to the orphanage. At this time, Chu Tian Bai stepped forward to request to adopt little Wan'er.
The orphanage had a heavy burden. If possible, the fewer people the better. Besides, this little girl had been reluctant to speak and she was afraid of seeing anyone except Chu Tian Bai. Now that someone adopt her, the police station and the welfare were naturally delighted.
After listening, Dong Jing sighed: "It is this child's blessing that she encounter you."
Although Chu Tian Bai was only the deputy county magistrate of a small place, he got his own connections.
With him taking action, Huang Xue Wen was released in less than three days.
Dong Jing saw how much weight her husband had lost and hugged him with another round of sobbing!
After settling her younger sister's affairs, Dong Xue and Chu Tian Bai returned to Nantian County with their daughter Chu Wan.
...
This month was a torture for Qiao Zhen Min.
Every day he opened his eyes, he wished he had never been to the county city!
He called the police on the same day. But there was an ocean of people. How could it be easy to find someone?
In addition, his wife had fallen ill again. He had to take care of his wife alone as well as cooperating with the police on the search. Within a few days, he was so thin that he lost his shape.
Seeing that he was so anxious, the police at the police station helped him contact the police station in the provincial city, but there was no news.
Later, his wife got a little better. He went to the provincial city to search in person.
He had asked someone to paint a picture of little Wan'er. Every day he took the picture of little Wan'er and asked people at the train station. The result was that he ended being driven away by the train station's management as soon as they saw him. Saying that he disturbed the law and order.
The money was spent like water. And there was still no news about little Wan'er.
"Zhen Min, speak to me. Even just half a sentence." Chen Qiao Qiao pulled her man's sleeve. Her sunken cheeks were covered with tears, "I know I was wrong. I really do. That day I shouldn't chase after the bag. I..."
At the end, she choked and trembled. Unable to utter a single word.
Qiao Zhen Min's eyes were completely bloodshot. He pulled his wife's hand away and said, "No. It's not your fault. It's my fault! I know you don't like little Wan'er and left her for you to look after. It's my, the dad's fault!"
After he finished speaking, he slapped himself hard twice!
Chen Qiao Qiao swayed for a while. Her face was as white as a piece of paper. Her dry lips closed together: "I don't, I don't dislike little Wan'er. I... just felt that she's not smart enough. But I don't dislike her. I didn't even think about losing her!"
She had liked smart people since she was a child. She first fell in love with Qiao Zhen Min, a country boy, because she liked his cleverness.
That was why she liked Xiao Qiao very much and had mentioned to her man several times that it would be nice if little Wan'er could be as smart as Xiao Qiao.
However, not was little Wan'er not smart, it was also a difficulty for her to even be a normal ordinary person.
Even so, she had never abused little Wan'er like Fang Xiao Juan!
Qiao Zhen Min gave her a sorrowful look: "You didn't abuse her, but you never liked her. I often go out to drive. You spend the longest time with the child, but she never gets close to you, the mom. Have you thought why?"
Chen Qiao Qiao swayed again. Her lips were trembling. She couldn't refute a word.
Qiao Zhen Min didn't say anything. He laid down on the bed and stated, "Go to sleep. We'll go back to the village tomorrow."
Another half month had passed, there was still no news from old Fifth.
Qiao Xiu Zhi was going to ask for a letter of introduction from the production leader and then go to the provincial city with Xue Chuan to find them.
At this moment, Qiao Zhen Min came back.
Three people went out. Now, one person was missing.