The two of them ate some local specialties in the bustling night market.
The night market was a food paradise, offering treats like the jelly - like bowl cakes and the soft, glutinous and sweet tangerine peel red bean porridge. There was also marinated beef offal and beef. The offal bubbled in the boiling pot, its fragrant smell making passers - by turn their heads frequently.
Here, you didn't need tickets to buy things. Money was the key.
After having a simple meal to fill their stomachs, Li Chuchu and Shen Yanshan were ready to return.
When they got back to the hotel,
The tape recorder that Shen Yanshan had bought in the night market had arrived.
The young delivery guy was rather lazy and casual. He rode a tricycle to deliver a cargo worth several thousand yuan.
He was wearing a ragged tank - top with holes on the shoulders and slippers. He was slouching on the roadside. When he saw Li Chuchu beside Shen Yanshan, who was as beautiful as a fairy, his eyes popped out.
Where had he seen such a stunning "sidekick" before?
"Hey, beautiful lady!"
Shen Yanshan's eyes turned cold, a glint of killing intent flashing in his eyes.
The young guy suddenly felt a chill down his back, as if he was being targeted. With a strong will to survive, he quickly changed his words, "You're so beautiful. You must be Brother Shen's girlfriend, right? Hahaha, then I should call you sister - in - law. Hello, sister - in - law!" People in this line of work had to be observant to make a living. He could change his attitude faster than turning a page.
The last greeting was so loud that it hurt Li Chuchu's ears.
She closed her eyes slightly.
He looked thin, but he had a strong voice.
Shen Yanshan still felt a bit annoyed at him.
The young guy flattered Shen Yanshan with a couple of smiles and said obsequiously, "Brother Shen, do you need me to help you carry this stuff in? Sister - in - law can watch the goods here. I'll carry them in with you."
Normally, he didn't offer a delivery - into - the - room service, but this was an exception.
For a job that could earn him six hundred yuan in one night, he was willing to do anything except sell his body.
The young guy happily started to carry the goods inside.
Li Chuchu was amazed at the pile of audio equipment. Sure enough, the big villain was never restricted by adversity. He had just climbed out of someone else's trap and was still making a profit on the way back.
But how could they transport so many goods?
It wasn't like an electronic watch that could be stuffed into a pocket.
Li Chuchu was extremely worried.
After all the goods were carried in, the delivery guy greeted Li Chuchu and rode his tricycle away leisurely.
Li Chuchu went upstairs.
Shen Yanshan was fiddling with a radio at the table.
The radio was about the size of a jewelry box, with many buttons on it. It looked like a rather bulky wooden box.
Li Chuchu watched curiously.
Why did a music - playing device have to be so bulky?
Hearing the footsteps behind him, Shen Yanshan just put a cassette into the radio. The music flowed out like a gentle stream, making Li Chuchu's eyes widen in surprise.
The sound quality was really good!
The four - speaker system definitely had its advantages. No wonder Shen Yanshan had taken such a big risk to buy this batch of radios.
The sound was indeed different from those cheap radios that cost thirty or forty yuan and often made noise: "The sound is really great. It's like being on the scene."
Shen Yanshan took out the cassette. After all, they were in a guesthouse. Playing music for too long might not be welcomed.
Li Chuchu said tactfully, "How can we take all these things on the train? Two of us may not be enough."
Shen Yanshan said gently, "I have a way. You rest first."
...
As a result, from the next morning until they got on the train on the third day, Li Chuchu never saw the goods again.
After packing their luggage, they went to the railway station.
An old woman was posting a missing - person notice in the phone booth next to the station. Her hair was white, and there were deep wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. An old man was standing beside her.
Li Chuchu was curious and took a few more glances.
At such an old age, why were they doing this at the railway station? Although it was already autumn, the "autumn tiger" was still very strong, and the sun was scorching.
Other people were also attracted by the elderly couple.
A railway - station staff member explained, "That old woman has been here for several days. I heard that her granddaughter is missing, and she's looking for her everywhere."
"Was she lost at the railway station? How old is she?"
"I don't know. I guess she's about fifteen or sixteen." "Fifteen or sixteen? She should be able to find her way home. If she can't, I'm afraid..."
The rest of the sentence was left unsaid,
but their tone said it all.
In these days, human traffickers didn't just target children. Some of them were so crazy that they abducted young girls and sold them to bachelors in the remote mountains as wives.
"The human traffickers are really rampant!"
"How many people abducted by human traffickers can come back? I've never heard of it. Well, wasn't there a human - trafficker who stole a child in Ningcheng caught last time?"
"Yes, it was a woman who helped the police catch them. It was a big deal. Those two human - traffickers were part of a criminal gang with more than ten years of experience. If it weren't for that brave and resourceful woman, they might have escaped again." When talking about this, the person was full of admiration.
Li Chuchu didn't expect that her story could be heard in such a far - away place as Chuncheng.
She was quite surprised.
The old couple was still asking passers - by on the roadside, "Have you seen a girl about this tall, with a ponytail?"
"My granddaughter's name is Jiang Wen. Have any of you seen her?"
Their white hair fluttered in the wind.
The walking stick stood shakily on the ground, and their cloudy eyes were full of helplessness.
At this moment,
A man in a railway - station uniform walked over. He was wearing a gray - blue peaked cap with a wheat - ear, gear and railway - emblem pattern in the middle. There were deep wrinkles on his face, and his skin was dark. He looked worried, "Dad, Mom, I've already sent people to look for Xiaowen. It's no use for you to post notices under the sun. Come back with me quickly!"
The two old people stood stubbornly on the spot, "No, we won't go back until we find Xiaowen! She's your sister's only daughter. She came all the way to us, and now she's lost. If we can't find her, your dad and I will feel so bad at home."
No wonder they dared to post missing - person notices at the railway station and no one drove them away. It turned out that they were the parents of the station master. There were also two young comrades following the station master.
Li Chuchu always felt that the name was a bit familiar.
Suddenly, she remembered.
On the way here,
The aunt had tricked Li Xiaguang into going to a factory in Dongguan. Li Xiaguang had also dragged an unlucky girl along. Wasn't that girl named Jiang Wen?
The old woman was so old but still waiting for her granddaughter at the railway station. It was so pitiful.
Li Chuchu hesitated. Her and Shen Yanshan's trip to Chuncheng was very special. They didn't want more people to know about it. But if she pretended not to know anything, she would feel guilty and couldn't sleep at night.