Chapter 044: The Compound Works Together to Find the Child

When Niu Xiaoxi said this, everyone present was stunned. Niu Xiaobei was lost?

Old Lady Yang hurriedly asked, "Xiaoxi, what do you mean by that? Xiaobei is missing? How could Xiaobei be missing? Isn't he studying well in school?"

Niu Xiaoxi was so anxious that tears started to fall down: "But Xiaobei is not in school now!"

"Hey, what's going on?"

Niu Xiaoxi sobbed, speechless. Beside her, Ma Yulan, looking distraught and completely drained, also explained tearfully, "Xiaoxi had the day off today. School and the newspaper office were both closed, so she went home. Before she came back, she bought some delicious food for Xiaobei, so she went straight to Xiaobei's school. When she got there, she found out Xiaobei hadn't been to school at all. Xiaoxi realized something was wrong and rushed home, but no one was home either. She quickly went to work to look for me, and I followed her around, looking everywhere for Xiaobei, but there was no sign of him..."

Ma Yulan, who is always quick and efficient in handling both big and small matters, was so panicked that everyone was really shocked.

Then everyone started talking about it.

"Why didn't Xiaobei go to school? I saw him walking towards the school with his schoolbag on his back this morning."

"Did he skip school? Kids his age don't tend to do well in school."

"Tsk, don't talk nonsense. Xiaobei isn't that kind of person. Was he taken away by human traffickers?"

"Human traffickers? That's impossible. Xiaobei is already a grown man of seventeen or eighteen. What kind of human trafficker would kidnap a child that old?"

"That's hard to say. Didn't the traffickers back then just sell young men to illegal coal mines?"

"Oh, that's dangerous. Should we go out and look for it quickly?"

"Where are you going to look for him? You don't even know where the child has gone?"

It was already time to get off work, and almost all the residents in the courtyard had returned. After learning about this incident, they all expressed their opinions, and the scene was very chaotic for a while.

Shi Yue took a deep breath and said loudly, "Everyone, be quiet! Xiaobei is missing, and we all have to help find him!"

A lost child is no small matter. Even people with whom you have a bad relationship will help find the child. What's more, he has a good relationship with Ma Yulan's family. When he and Xiaoqiu first came here with food poisoning, it was Ma Yulan who took the trouble to take care of him and Xiaoqiu in the hospital, so he took the initiative to speak up.

He looked at Ma Yulan and asked, "Auntie Ma, where did you and Xiaoxi go to look for Xiaobei? Have you been to all those video rooms, game rooms, billiard rooms, and dance halls around his school? Of course, I'm not saying Xiaobei will definitely go to those places, but just in case. Have you looked for him? And have you asked his teachers and classmates? Have they heard Xiaobei say where he wants to go or if he has anything to do?"

Aunt Ma wiped her tears and said, "No, I looked for him in the bookstore he usually went to after school, but I didn't have time to ask the teacher at school..."

Shi Yue thought for a moment and said, "Is that so? Then we have to split up and look for him. Someone has to look for places like the video room and the game room. And Aunt Ma, you have to take Xiaoxi District School to ask Xiaobei's teachers and classmates. And Aunt Gao, didn't you just say you saw Xiaobei leaving the house with his schoolbag this morning? Then, could you please ask the neighbors around here if anyone else saw Xiaobei leaving the house and if they know where he went?"

At this time, Zhao Hui heard the noise in the front yard and came over to help make arrangements.

He said, "Well, Shi Yue, Zhang Peng, Da Liu, and Xiao Dong, you guys are all grown-up guys, so it's convenient for you to go anywhere. Come with me to the game room near the school or something to find someone."

"good!"

Zhao Hui: "Also, Xiao Guo, you and your wife both run businesses nearby and know a lot of people. Could you please help me find out if anyone has seen Xiaobei?"

Guo Bozi: "Okay, my wife and I will go right away."

Zhao Hui: "Auntie Yang, your legs and feet are not in good condition, so please don't run out with us. Please wait for news in the courtyard and help everyone look after the child."

Old Lady Yang nodded quickly: "Okay, I won't go out."

Zhao Hui clapped his hands and said, "Okay, let's get started quickly, otherwise it will be even harder to find the child after dark."

As soon as Zhao Hui finished speaking, everyone in the yard immediately took action. Some went out to look for people, and some went to the nearby yards to inquire about the news. Children like Shi Qiu Shui were not assigned any tasks and could only sit in the yard and wait for news.

But this time she was very obedient and had no complaints at all.

No matter how ignorant Shi Qiu Shui was, she knew that a child like her could not help at all when confronting human traffickers. In order not to cause trouble to the orphanage, she had better stay in the orphanage honestly.

She sat in the yard with Old Lady Yang. It was getting a bit hot. Old Lady Yang fanned them with a large palm-leaf fan while asking, "Are you hungry, Xiaoqiu? If you are, Grandma Yang has some peach cakes at home. Can you get two to fill your stomach?"

Shi Qiushui shook his head: "Grandma Yang, I'm not hungry."

Old Lady Yang: "As long as you're not hungry, that's fine. If you're hungry, tell Grandma Yang."

Shi Qiushui nodded: "Okay."

She and Old Lady Yang sat in the yard and waited for more than two hours. As it was getting dark, the large group that had been sent out to look for the child finally returned, but they did not bring any good news.

Neither Ma Yulan and Niu Xiaoxi who went to the school to inquire about the news, nor Shi Yue and Zhao Hui who went to the game room and video room to look for someone, could find Niu Xiaobei. The classmates and teachers at the school also had no idea where Niu Xiaobei was.

However, Gao Cuifen, Li Xiuying, and others who asked the neighbors for information did have some results: "People in our alley only saw Xiaobei carrying his schoolbag to the bus stop that morning. As for which bus he got on or where he went, no one noticed."

Niu Xiaobei's school is nearby, so he doesn't need to take the bus, but he went to the bus stop to take the bus today.

Everyone realized that this was unusual. Ma Yulan panicked: "What? He took the bus? He, where could he go? He didn't go to school, where could he go?"

She was anxious and angry, and tears were about to fall as she spoke.

Shi Yue: "Auntie Ma, don't worry. It's better for Xiaobei to leave on his own than to be taken away by human traffickers, don't you think?"

Ma Yulan's eyes were red: "Then I am worried too. It's getting dark, and he's a child out there. What if something happens to him?"

Shi Yue was also anxious. Although Niu Xiaobei left on his own, he was alone outside and might be in danger.

He helped to think of a solution and asked, "Auntie Ma, please think carefully, has Xiaobei mentioned where he wants to go recently?"

Ma Yulan frowned and said with a bitter face: "No, Xiaobei never said that!"

Shi Yue: "What about his classmates? Do any of those who are close to him know about it?"

Ma Yulan said bitterly, "No, no, Xiaoxi and I just checked with all his good friends, and they all said they didn't know what Xiaobei was up to. But his deskmate said he's been a little secretive lately, different from before."

She covered her face with her trembling hands and sobbed in pain: "Where on earth did Xiaobei go? He's a kid, if he wants to go somewhere, just tell us. We won't stop him from going!"

She was very sad. She was worried that something might have happened to Niu Xiaobei outside, and she blamed herself for not noticing that something was wrong with Niu Xiaobei recently. It was only after Niu Xiaobei's deskmate told her that she realized it.

Everyone could see that Ma Yulan was blaming herself. Li Xiuying stepped forward, patted her on the shoulder, and comforted her, "Old Ma, don't think too much. The child is grown up, and it's normal for him to have some little secrets that he doesn't want to tell his family."

Ma Yulan nodded haggardly, her facial expression not changing at all, obviously she didn't hear what he said.

Li Xiuying sighed. She knew that no matter how much others said, Ma Yulan would not listen.

Shi Yue: "If all else fails, call the police. It's getting late now. If we continue to struggle, it will be even harder to find Xiaobei. We should call the police and ask the police to help us find him."

He didn't think of calling the police at first. He thought Niu Xiaobei had skipped classes to go out and play, and maybe everyone could find him if they looked for him. But after all this time, they still couldn't find Niu Xiaobei, so he had to call the police.

Ma Yulan: "Call the police? Yes, yes, call the police."

Ma Yulan was so anxious that she didn't think of calling the police. It was only when Shi Yue mentioned it that she remembered.

She took a step and was about to go out, but because she was too nervous, she didn't pay attention to the road under her feet and stumbled and almost fell.

"Oh, Aunt Ma, please be careful—"

Shi Yue took a step forward and reached out to hold Ma Yulan, preventing her from falling.

Shi Yue said worriedly, "Auntie Ma, are you okay? How about we go with you to the police station and report the crime?"

In the past, when he heard others say that hair turned white overnight, he thought it was an exaggeration. But after seeing Ma Yulan so anxiously that two of her hairs turned white this afternoon and her face looked haggard and old, he understood that it was not an exaggeration.

Ma Yulan's eldest son Niu Xiaodong supported Ma Yulan's other arm and nodded gratefully to Shi Yue: "Brother Shi, thank you for your help."

That afternoon when they found out that Niu Xiaobei was missing, no one in the Niu family was not anxious. Not to mention Ma Yulan and Niu Xiaoxi, who couldn't stop crying. Old Niutou was so anxious about the loss of his child that he almost had a heart attack and was still lying in bed. Niu Xiaodong and his sister Niu Xiaonan, who rushed back after hearing the news, were so anxious that they got a series of blisters on their mouths.

Niu Xiaodong actually didn't want to trouble others, but he was a little dazed at the moment and was afraid that he and Ma Yulan would not be able to explain the matter clearly if they went to the Public Security Bureau.

Shi Yue patted his shoulder and said, "Don't be polite. It's not a big deal. Finding the child is the most important thing. Let's go to the police station."

Shi Yue led the way, followed by the Niu family, and a few young men in the compound followed in the tail. The group of people rushed to the Public Security Bureau in a hurry. As soon as they entered the gate of the Public Security Bureau, before they had time to say anything, they heard a burst of crying and shouting.

"Comrades, please, please help me find my daughter! Please..."

Shi Yue was shocked. Is it such a coincidence? Is there also a family that lost a child here?

Before he had time to think about it, Ma Yulan, who was stimulated by the crying, rushed out first. She threw herself in front of the public security comrades and burst into tears.

"Comrade, I'm also missing my child. Please help me find him..."