The December wind, carrying shards of snow, felt like countless tiny knives scraping against one's face, stinging the skin. When Lin Wanqiu peeked out from behind the tree, a thin layer of frost had already formed on her eyelashes. The gaudy floral cotton-padded jacket in her sight was gradually receding into the distance, while the newly tied red silk sash around Lin Moli's waist swayed in the cold wind, resembling the forked tongue of a venomous snake, making Lin Wanqiu's heart tighten.

She gripped the dagger hidden in her sleeve, the cold metallic touch sending a chill down her spine, barely suppressing the anxiety that surged through her throat. The words she'd heard on the wind while hiding behind the tree still echoed in her ears—"That brat…after school this afternoon…at the alley entrance…" Each word struck her like a hammer blow. Lin Moli had indeed come for Nian An; that fake Li cadre wasn't from the county revolutionary committee at all, but the leader of a gang of thugs!

"I have to tell Tingzhou right away." Lin Wanqiu bit her lower lip and turned to run towards the village entrance. The snow crunched under her feet, and mud splattered onto her trouser legs, but she didn't care. Her mind was filled with Nian'an's smiling face with its dimples. If anything happened to Nian'an, she would risk her life to make those people pay!

Just as they reached the village entrance, they saw the sideline production team's carriage heading back. Shen Tingzhou sat atop the carriage shaft, his posture as upright as a pine tree. A layer of snow had settled on his dark cotton coat, but it did not diminish his sharpness in the slightest. Lin Wanqiu's eyes lit up, and she rushed over, her voice trembling with urgency: "Tingzhou! Something terrible has happened! Lin Moli is going to attack Nian'an!"

Upon hearing the sound, Shen Tingzhou immediately pulled on the reins, bringing the carriage to a steady stop. He jumped down and quickly walked to Lin Wanqiu's side. Seeing that she was pale and breathing rapidly, he quickly took her arm and said, "Don't panic, tell me slowly, what happened?"

"I just went near the school and saw Lin Moli with that fake Officer Li and two thugs!" Lin Wanqiu grabbed his hand, her fingertips icy cold. "They were discussing... discussing kidnapping Nian'an at the alley entrance after school this afternoon! The child-trafficking gang Uncle Zhang mentioned, they're them!"

Shen Tingzhou's eyes instantly turned as cold as an ice cellar, and the air around him seemed to freeze. He had gone to the county town yesterday to inquire and confirmed that there was no cadre surnamed Li in the county revolutionary committee. He had also discovered a gang of hooligans led by "Brother Li" who specialized in trafficking children in the urban-rural fringe areas. He never expected that this group would collude with Lin Moli!

“Don’t panic,” Shen Tingzhou gripped her hand, his tone steady yet carrying an undeniable strength. “I’ve already arranged for two reliable villagers to keep watch near the school. They’ll report any movement immediately. Now we need to quickly come up with a plan to turn the tables and wipe these people out in one fell swoop.”

Lin Wanqiu breathed a slight sigh of relief, but her heart was still in her throat: "But Nian'an is still at school. What if they make a move beforehand?"

“No, that won’t happen,” Shen Tingzhou said, taking out a small brass whistle from his pocket. It was the same one he had given Nian’an that morning. “This whistle has a special sound. I’ve set up hidden sentries around the school. As long as Nian’an blows the whistle, they can arrive within three minutes. I’ve also already spoken with the teachers at the school and asked them to stay in the office with Nian’an this afternoon until we pick her up.”

He was prepared, and Lin Wanqiu was completely relieved. However, the thought that Lin Moli could do something as heinous as kidnapping a child made her eyes turn colder: "Why would Lin Moli do this? What grudge does she have against us that she would harm a child!"

"She's just jealous of how well we're doing and wants to steal our assets." Shen Tingzhou sneered. "She thinks she can control us by colluding with thugs, but she doesn't realize she's already walking into a dead end. This time, we're not only going to rescue Nian'an, but we'll also make her and those thugs pay the price they deserve."

The two walked quickly home, discussing their strategy as they went. Shen Tingzhou planned to have the villagers lie in ambush at the alley entrance near the school, so they could capture the thugs when they made their move; at the same time, they would have someone keep an eye on Lin Moli to prevent her from escaping. Lin Wanqiu suggested that Nian'an cooperate by staging a scene, pretending to be lured to the alley entrance to catch the thugs.

"Nian'an is so young, won't he be scared?" Lin Wanqiu was a little worried. Although her son was much more cheerful than before, he was only four years old after all. He was afraid that he would be frightened and at a loss when faced with thugs.

“When I taught him self-defense this morning, I told him not to panic if he encountered bad people, and to do what we taught him.” Shen Tingzhou recalled his son’s earnest nod, and a hint of tenderness flashed in his eyes. “Nian’an is very sensible. He knows that this is to protect himself and to protect us.”

Back home, the two immediately gathered the villagers from their sideline business group. Everyone was furious when they heard that Lin Moli had colluded with thugs to kidnap Nian An.

"That Lin Moli is utterly heartless! How could she do that to such a lovely child like Nian'an!" Aunt Li slammed her hand on the table in anger. "Wanqiu, Tingzhou, you decide what to do, and we'll do whatever you say!"

"Yes! We'll fight these thugs to the death! We absolutely cannot let them hurt Nian'an!" Uncle Zhang clenched his fist, his eyes resolute.

The villagers were outraged and all expressed their willingness to help. Seeing this, Shen Tingzhou immediately began assigning tasks: "Uncle Zhang, you take two people and lie in ambush at the alley entrance near the school. Remember, wait until the thugs make their move before coming out, don't alert them; Aunt Li, you take a few women and keep an eye on Lin Moli. If she dares to leave the village, stop her immediately; the rest of you, stay with me at the school gate and be ready to provide support at any time."

Everyone agreed in unison and immediately split up to take action. Lin Wanqiu stayed at home to prepare emergency medical supplies. She took out anti-inflammatory drugs, bandages, and hemostatic agents from her spatial storage and neatly placed them in a cloth bag. She also took out a sharp dagger and hid it at her waist—she wanted to go to the scene herself so that she could immediately protect Nian'an in case of any unexpected events.

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!