Chapter 131 Eavesdropping

Zhang Xiuying was so anxious that tears welled up in her eyes: "So we're just going to wait like this? Do nothing?"

Aunt Zhou patted her back to comfort her: "Xiuying, worry makes you confused. The brigade leader is a sensible man, you can rest assured leaving him in his care. I'll keep an eye on things here too, I promise not a single fly will get away. You should take the villagers back first, too many people blocking this way could easily cause friction between the two brigades, which would only make things worse."

Seeing her mother still hesitating, Liu Zhixia leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Mother, you should take the villagers back first. It's so late, and everyone must be tired after searching all night. Leave this to me; I still need to go and investigate the Shen family."

Liu Xuejun quickly chimed in, "Yes, Mom, my sister and I will stay. You and Dad can take Erbao back first."

Looking at her two children, Zhang Xiuying choked up and said, "Dabao... I'm entrusting him to you!"

Liu Zhixia squeezed her mother's hand tightly: "Don't worry! I will definitely bring Dabao back safely!"

"Then you all need to be careful! Make sure nothing happens to you!"

Only then did Zhang Xiuying lead the villagers away, turning back every few steps.

Only Liu Zhixia and her brother and Aunt Zhou remained at the scene; the rest were all militiamen from the brigade.

Liu Zhixia looked at the captain with a determined expression: "Captain, I want to sneak into the Shen family's house to investigate. They're trapped inside with people watching them from the outside. They can't get out, so they're definitely discussing their next move. If we eavesdrop now, we might get some information."

The captain hesitated for a moment: "Isn't this too dangerous for a young woman like you?"

Aunt Zhou objected: "Captain, don't underestimate the girls in our brigade! Our Xia is just as capable as any man!"

The captain was amused and nodded, saying, "Alright! Let's give it a try, but remember, safety first! Send a signal immediately if anything happens!"

Liu Zhixia responded and led Liu Xuejun to quietly sneak to the outside of the Shen family's courtyard wall.

With the captain's tacit approval, the militiamen who were secretly keeping watch did not stop them.

Liu Zhixia lowered her voice: "Squat down."

Although Liu Xuejun didn't understand, he obediently did as he was told and assumed a horse stance.

Without hesitation, Liu Zhixia lightly touched the ground with her toes, stepped on her younger brother's shoulder, and like a nimble cat, silently climbed onto the wall, landing lightly on the ground.

His fluid and graceful movements left the militiamen who were keeping watch in awe.

By the time Liu Xuejun realized what was happening, his sister had already disappeared over the wall.

Liu Zhixia sneaked into the Shen family's courtyard. She knew the place well; she had been there when her eldest brother was welcoming his bride.

She crouched low and quietly crept to the base of the window in the main room.

Sure enough, the two elders of the Shen family, their two daughters-in-law, and Shen Hongmei were all in the room, and the atmosphere was terribly oppressive.

"What?! You guys really caught Da Bao?!"

Shen Hongmei suddenly screamed, startling everyone inside and outside the house.

With lightning speed, Mother Shen covered her mouth and whispered angrily, "Are you courting death?! There must be someone in the brigade eavesdropping outside. Do you want to send your whole family to jail?"

Shen's father cautiously opened the window and peered out.

The instant the window opened, Liu Zhixia moved with a thought and slipped into the space. Inside the space, not only was she invisible, but she could also clearly hear everything happening outside—a perfect eavesdropping position.

Seeing that no one was outside, Shen's father closed the window with relief, then turned to Shen Hongmei and gave her a good scolding: "We've lost all our money and food, and it's hard to say whether the whole family can survive the winter! If we don't use this method to ask the Liu family for money, we'll all starve to death!"

Shen Hongmei's eyes were bloodshot, and she screamed hysterically, "I told you to take it easy! You wouldn't listen! Now that you've paid compensation, what right do you have to touch my son?!"

"Smack!"

Father Shen slapped him across the face: "Shut up! You're a good-for-nothing, and you're a good-for-nothing too! It's his good fortune if he can bring some money to the family! Besides, he's your own son. Even if something happens to him, it's just a family matter, and the police can't do anything to us!"

Shen Hongmei's legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground, looking at her parents in horror: "An accident? What accident? What do you want to do to Dabao?"

Mother Shen quickly pressed her down, awkwardly reassuring her, "Daughter, don't be afraid, it's just a matter of chance. As long as the Liu family is willing to pay, Da Bao will definitely be fine."

Shen Hongmei took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down: "What... exactly do you want?"

Father Shen snorted coldly: "We originally planned to pretend to be human traffickers and ask the Liu family for money in a couple of days. Who knew the Liu family would react so quickly and guess that it was us? Now we have to change our plans and find a way to contact the Liu family to exchange money for people."

Shen Hongmei gritted her teeth: "How many do you want?"

Father Shen held up one finger, his eyes gleaming greedily: "Not much, just a thousand yuan!"

"one thousand?!"

Not only Shen Hongmei, but even the two daughters-in-law next to her were shocked and gasped.

These days, a thousand yuan is an astronomical figure! This isn't just about money, it's about life!

Mr. Shen ignored the shock of the crowd and sneered, "So what if it's a thousand? I heard that their military officer son-in-law left behind a lot of good things when he left, including more than that amount of money and banknotes! Plus their own business, a thousand is more than enough for them. If they can't even part with this much money, it just means that Da Bao isn't that important to them."

Liu Zhixia, who was hiding in the space, felt a chill run down her spine.

That old man is really asking for the moon! These days, having a few hundred dollars makes you rich, but he's asking for a thousand. He's practically treating the Liu family like a fat sheep to be slaughtered!

Shen Hongmei trembled with fear: "Father, what if... what if they really can't come up with that much money?"

Father Shen's eyes hardened: "Can't afford it? Then sell the child! The second son has already contacted a buyer. That family has no sons and is willing to pay fifty yuan to buy him out."

"Fifty yuan?!" Shen Hongmei cried, "You sold my son for fifty yuan? The Liu family would definitely be willing to pay fifty! Why didn't you..."

"Smack!"

Her father slapped her across the face, interrupting her plea: "Idiot! Selling it to the Liu family would get you a thousand, but selling it to an outsider would only get you fifty! Can't you do the math? Besides, it's just a child. If it's gone, you can have another one! Liu Xiangyang has already dumped you, and you're still feeling sorry for the Liu family's offspring?"

Shen Hongmei covered her swollen face and collapsed to the ground in despair.

In this house, she was like a ghost, her voice barely audible.

The thought that Da Bao, who had a promising future, might be sold to some remote mountain village to suffer made her heart ache as if it were being cut by a knife.

Now, all she can do is pray that the Liu family can raise enough money to redeem Da Bao.

The atmosphere inside was so oppressive it was suffocating. Zhang and Chen made an excuse and secretly slipped out.

Zhang leaned against the wall, breathing in large gulps of fresh air, trying to calm her wildly beating heart.

She knew the Shen family was ruthless, but she never imagined they could be this ruthless! Kidnapping, extortion, and even selling children—they're really going to cause a huge uproar!