CH 11

Chapter 11- Missing

This novel is only hosted on Foxaholic, copies found elsewhere are either stolen or plagiarized.

Lin Xiaoyin was not able to see Su Qin’s appearance clearly, but Meng Sisi and Wen Mei, both didn’t look grown-up either.

Especially Meng Sisi, who looks like a child in every way. Miss Lin, who was scolded for being an ‘idiot’, went to the corner, leaned against the wall and fell asleep wrapped in the cotton-padded jacket.

In the middle of the night, she dreamt of Zhang Xing pressing on her body and the foul odor that lingered on the tip of the nose caused her to cry unbearably.

She has lived to be 20 years old and has always been the darling of her family. In school, those little sisters around her would also yield to her that she had never endured this kind of suffering.

Recalling Li Chuan’s indifferent tone, her chest felt a burst of tearing pain.

The three girls heard her sobbing but they pretended not to hear and soon fell asleep.

**********

Early the next morning, Uncle Wen, who kept watch at the temple, was startled to see Lin Xiaoyin cowering in the corner, “Teacher Lin? Why are you sleeping here? Teacher Lin?”

The old man bent down and patted her on the shoulder.

Awakened from her dream, Lin Xiaoyin trembled with fear and when she saw clearly it was the old man, her face turned ghastly pale.

The mottled light and shadow from the sunlight that projected through the quaint window panes fell on the girl’s fair skin. Pursing her lips, she looked up at the old man and subconsciously grabbed the old man’s wrist, “Don’t … don’t send me back.”

Since this was not already their first day here, the three girls divided the dry food into two portions like yesterday. One portion was to be eaten now, the other was wrapped up in cloth.

Ready to escape at any time, these dry foods are prepared for emergencies.

Meng Sisi nibbled a mouthful of the corn bun and spoke vaguely with food in her mouth, “Grandpa Wen, she was forced to come up here. Last night … “

The little girl roughly recounted what had happened last night. Although it was not very clear, seeing Lin Xiaoyin’s disheveled clothes, Uncle Wen could probably guess what had occured too.

Slamming his fist on the window pane, Uncle Wen spoke angrily, “This beast ah, beast ah! Even the teacher is not spared! Our village will be destroyed in his hands sooner or later ah!”

The people in the village have always respected the support teachers who came from outside.

Firstly, it is because these teachers are assigned by the township government. If there are any mishaps, perhaps no more teachers will dare to come here to teach. Then those children will not have any education and will stay in this mountain for the rest of their lives.

Uncle Wen has two granddaughters. He hopes both his granddaughters will get educated then leave the mountain village and get admitted to university to earn big money, instead of staying in the mountains, get married, have babies and muddle through their lives.

This Zhang Xing, he actually didn’t even spare the teacher, this is driving the village to a dead end ah!

Uncle Wen’s son and daughter-in-law died in an accident when they went out to work last year. Uncle Wen always felt that it was a retribution for the sins committed by the villagers.

Therefore, in order to accumulate virtues for his grandchildren, he turned a blind eye to these abducted girls. Knowing that Zhang Xing is bold, Uncle Wen didn’t expect that stinky brat to be so gutsy to even dare get his hand on the support teacher.

But if he brings Teacher Lin to condemn Zhang Xing, will the villagers help him, or Zhang Xing?

Uncle Wen was uncertain. If all the villagers help Zhang Xing, then he … probably won’t live long.

Su Qin could see Uncle Wen’s hesitation and struggling with his conscience, hence she interjected and said, “Grandpa Wen, let Teacher Lin stay here for two days. If you let her go back now to make things clear, in the event that Village Chief Zhang convinces other villagers and leads them to target you, then … perhaps the other two teachers will be implicated too ah.”

This was also what Uncle Wen worried about. Should he take Lin Xiaoyin back to condemn Zhang Xing’s mother and son in a big fuss, but in case the villagers are on their side then the other two teachers who learn the truth will also not be able to leave the village alive.

Most of the villagers in their village have only been to Tongluo Township in their lifetime and very few people in the village have even applied for household registration and identity cards. Even if people in the village disappear, the judicial officers outside will not know about it.

As for Uncle Wen, why did he insist on sending his two granddaughters to school. It was because he had gone to see the big city.

When Uncle Wen went to the city to collect the bodies of his son and daughter-in-law last year, he was astonished by the prosperity of the big city. There are high-rise buildings, a never-ending flow of automobiles and everywhere is a dazzling sight.

""

Uncle Wen could never forget the policewoman who received him, nor the female forensic pathologist who bought him dinner.

Each and every chic working girl and how they live glamorously in the city ah … At that moment, the old man thought he would also want to let his two granddaughters come to the city in future.

**********

As soon as Lin Xiaoyin heard that the old man wanted to send her back to the village, she shook her head and said, “Old man, don’t send me back. I’ll wait here. Wait for Teacher Li and Teacher Zhang to bring the police over. Don’t tell anyone that I’m here. When I go out, I will give you money, lots of money.”

Recalling something, she added, “If I remember correctly, you are Xiuxiu’s grandfather, aren’t you? After I go home, I will repay you. I will buy Xiuxiu beautiful clothes. As long as you can help me, I will agree to any of your conditions. My family is rich and has lots of money.”

“Okay, I’ll help you. You don’t have to give Xiuxiu clothes.” Uncle Wen looked at Lin Xiaoyin who was cowering in the corner and said, “Promise me that once you go back, take my Xiuxiu out of the mountain and arrange for her to go to school in the city, okay?”

“Okay! Whatever you want! My family is rich, so it’s no problem to sponsor her until she goes to university!” Lin Xiaoyin’s expression was obviously a little distorted.

“Okay, you come with me.” Uncle Wen savored a mouthful of the tobacco pipe as he said to her.

Both her legs were numb when Lin Xiaoyin got up to follow Uncle Wen to the backyard.

The old man took her into the woodshed. Taking out bundles of firewood, he emptied out a place for her to squat and instructed her, “You stay here and don’t come out these few days. I will bring you food and water regularly.”

Lin Xiaoyin crouched there when the old man took another large basket to cover her.

Lin Xiaoyin stopped him, “Is this … necessary?”

“Yes.” Uncle Wen’s appearance was gentle and the wrinkles on his face moved as he spoke, “They naturally could also think of the safe place that you could think of. So, it is safer to hide like this.”

After Lin Xiaoyin squatted down properly, the old man covered her whole body with a basket, then placed layer upon layer of firewood to shield her.

She asked, “Squatting here … when I can come out?”

“Didn’t you say that Teacher Zhang will come find you?” The old man sighed and added, “But I can only offer you shelter for ten days. If they haven’t brought anyone to save you after ten days, I won’t dare to keep you here either.”

Recalling the hideous faces of Zhang Xing’s mother and son, Lin Xiaoyin immediately endured it. She crouched in place and did not dare to move again.

At the same time, two major events alarmed the whole village.

After the villagers sent Teacher Zhang away at five o’clock in the morning, they found out that – Teacher Lin was missing.

Not only that, Zhang Er’wa was missing too. Zhang Feng was so anxious that she stood in front of the Village Chief’s house and rained curses, “My family Er’wa has disappeared but you didn’t go look for him. Now it’s good, even Teacher Lin has gone missing too! I’ll see how you, the Village Chief, can explain to Mayor Li!  And how are you going to explain this to the county government!”

Having secret motives, Zhang Xing’s mother and son looked at each other and said, “Like this, let’s go to the mountain today to look for Er’wa and Teacher Lin. Maybe the two of them are seeing each other and having a fling.”

The villagers looked at each other in dismay and felt that it was unlikely.

The eight-year-old Zhang Xiuxiu stood in the crowd with her sister on her back, heard the Village Chief’s words and retorted, “Impossible! Teacher Lin definitely will not like Brother Er’wa. Teacher Lin likes someone like Teacher Li! Not only Teacher Lin, all of us girls like Teacher Li too!”

Zhang Xiuxiu’s younger brother slapped her forehead, “Elder Sister, can’t you be more restrained? Look out if Grandpa will spank your butt!”

As two people in the village had gone missing one after the other, this caused the villagers to be in a state of anxiety.

Leaning against the door frame, Li Chuan coldly sized up the group of villagers with an indifferent expression. But once someone met his sight he immediately revealed a warm gaze and smiled.

The eight-year-old girl stared raptly at Li Chuan with a wandering mind.

Teacher Li is the handsomest man she has ever seen. The little girl secretly swore that she would study hard in order to see Teacher Li more often in the future.

Zhang Xing summoned the villagers into several groups to go up the mountain to look for the people.

The back mountain which was the most dangerous and difficult part of Zhangjia gorge was assigned to Yun Fei’s mother and son where Zhang Er’wa just happened to be imprisoned inside a cave in that mountain too.

When night came and the villagers found nothing, they became even more frightened.

Someone said:

“It can’t be that the mountain is beset with bears and has eaten Zhang Er’wa and Teacher Lin, right?”

“Impossible, there hasn’t been any bears seen for many years.”

“Then how do you explain the disappearance of both Teacher Lin and Er’wa? I say ah, is due to the arrival of outsiders in the village that the mountain god is angry and captured Teacher Lin … “

The villagers then engaged in heated arguments.

Having sinister motives, Zhang Xing’s mother and son both thought of a place at the same time.

Being a city girl, Lin Xiaoyin wouldn’t dare to stay overnight in the mountains, so she most likely had gone to … the mountain temple.