hotmtlnovel Chapter 701 Little Actor
Chapter 701 Little Actor
Xiao Dang frowned, her eyes widening in surprise, and asked, "Mom, wasn't Auntie watching over him? How could he be gone? Where is she?"
These words pierced Qin Huairu's heart like a needle. She suddenly raised her head, her eyes blazing, and stared straight at Jia Dongxu's aunt: "If anything happens to Jia Cai, I'll never forgive you! I shouldn't have trusted you in the first place!"
Jia Dongxu's aunt shrank back in fright, her face as white as paper. She gripped Jia Dongxu's arm tightly, her voice trembling: "Dongxu, you have to believe me, I had absolutely no selfish thoughts about the child! I just turned around to go to the kitchen to pour a cup of hot water, it was only a blink of an eye, and the child was gone. I really don't know what happened!"
Seeing his aunt's panicked state, Jia Dongxu felt a tightness in his chest. He knew his aunt had taken good care of Qin Huairu and the child these past few days, handling everything meticulously. Besides, the family needed help right now, so he could only sigh and try to comfort Qin Huairu: "Huairu, I know you're frantic, but this definitely wasn't your aunt's doing. She has no reason to do such a thing. Let's wait for Director He and the others to arrive and have the police investigate thoroughly. Maybe the child crawled out on his own?" Jia Dongxu said something he himself didn't believe.
Qin Huairu wanted to say something, but swallowed her words back. The thought of her child possibly falling into the drainage ditch at the alley entrance, or being kidnapped by some wicked person, made her heart ache as if being gripped by a giant hand. She could only cover her face and sob softly, her cries echoing in the quiet courtyard, making everyone who heard them feel a tightness in their chest. The family remained frozen in the courtyard, the air thick with an unyielding anxiety and unease.
In He Yuzhu's house next door, He Yuzhu was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), smoking a pipe. The embers in the pipe flickered, reflecting his tightly furrowed brows. Qin Jingru stood to the side, clutching an unfinished shoe sole in her hand, her face filled with panic, glancing out of the yard every now and then.
"You better explain yourself clearly, what exactly happened?" He Yuzhu tapped his pipe, not bothering to brush the ash off his trousers, his brows furrowed. "How could a perfectly healthy child just disappear like that?"
Qin Jingru sighed, her voice low: "Brother Zhuzi, don't you understand yet? Qin Huairu's youngest son, that precious Jia Cai, has been stolen! I went to the yard to fetch water just now and heard her crying so hard she was almost passing out. Jia Dongxu and his aunt were arguing nearby. Several households in the yard opened their doors to peek out, but they still haven't found him."
He Yuzhu was stunned. The pipe in his hand fell to the ground with a "clatter." He quickly picked it up, his eyes filled with disbelief: "Stealing a child? Who in this yard would dare to do such a despicable thing? Aren't they afraid of being struck by lightning?" His heart also tightened—no matter what, it was a toddler who had just learned to walk, chubby and smiling when he saw people. If something really happened to him, Qin Huairu's whole family would probably be ruined.
A series of hurried footsteps and voices came from outside the courtyard gate. He Yuzhu stood up and said, "It's probably our uncles. Let's go out and see." He walked out the door, and Qin Jingru quickly followed. Her heart was pounding with anxiety, and she could only hope that her child would be found safely.
He Yuzhu looked at Qin Jingru sitting opposite him sewing shoe soles, his brows furrowing involuntarily. He put down the enamel mug in his hand, his tone serious: "Jingru, I have something to tell you. The mess that's been tangled up with the Jia family is completely unresolved and has nothing to do with us. We'd better not get involved, lest we get ourselves tainted and then can't shake it off, understand?"
He now completely understood that the Jia family was like a bottomless pit. Today, Bang Geng caused trouble and had to pay compensation; tomorrow, Jia Zhangshi owed gambling debts and had to pay them back; and the day after, Qin Huairu came crying to borrow grain. In the past, he would help out out of neighborly affection, but the more he helped, the more they clung to him. It was better to draw a clear line from the beginning and focus on his own life.
Qin Jingru nodded, the steel needle in her hand pausing slightly on the cloth, the fine stitches veering a little off course. She was naturally gentle and always listened to He Yuzhu, knowing he genuinely cared for the family, so she didn't say anything more, simply replying softly, "I understand, I won't interfere."
He Yuzhu breathed a sigh of relief, planning to go to the market that afternoon. Jingru had been complaining of dizziness lately, so he needed to buy some pork ribs to make soup and nourish her, and also two pounds of pork belly to make dumplings for dinner. As for the Jia family's affairs, he didn't want to get involved anymore—Bang Geng had caused the trouble, and Qin Huairu had insisted on taking the blame; they should bear the consequences themselves. He couldn't expect others to be the ones to take the fall and cover for them.
Xiao Dang, sitting in the corner picking vegetables, watched everything unfold. She silently clenched the hem of her clothes, the coarse cloth forming deep wrinkles. She knew that saying even a single extra word at a time like this could cause trouble. After all, in this family, she was always sidelined. Jia Zhangshi doted on Bang Geng, and Qin Huairu protected Jia Cai. The more she spoke, the more mistakes she would make. It was better to stay quiet and watch how they behaved, rather than becoming their punching bag.
Inside the courtyard, Qin Huairu was holding Jia Dongxu's arm, her face showing a mixture of uncertain expectation, her voice low: "Dongxu, I waited at the entrance of the courtyard for a while and ran into He Feng. I told him about Jia Cai's situation and asked him to help me think of a solution. He... he said he'd consider it. Do you think... this will work?"
Her voice trembled slightly, like a drowning person grasping at a last straw. These past few days, she had run herself ragged trying to get help from everyone she knew in the courtyard, but everyone avoided her. Now that He Feng was willing to relent, even if it was just to "consider it," she saw a glimmer of hope.
Before Jia Dongxu could respond, Xiao Dang, who had just returned from outside, overheard the conversation. Her heart skipped a beat, and her palms sweated with anxiety. She never expected that Qin Huairu would go to He Feng—she knew that although He Feng was the director of the Public Security Bureau, he was always impartial and never interfered in the private affairs of the courtyard. Moreover, the Jia family had a bad reputation for petty theft over the years, so how could He Feng easily take action?
But then she thought again. He Feng was, after all, the bureau chief, wielding real power. It wasn't surprising that Qin Huairu went to him when she was desperate. However… Xiao Dang's heart skipped a beat. In her mind, someone like He Feng wouldn't help for no reason; there were probably some hidden conditions. The Jia family was penniless now; what could they offer in return? They might have to pay an even greater price, perhaps even losing their entire family.