Chapter 55 Outside, the lights shone brightly, in full bloom…

Outside, the city lights shone brightly, fireworks illuminated the night, and firecrackers crackled and popped incessantly. Inside, the atmosphere was warm and harmonious; Jiang Can and Shen Lang sat on the sofa watching the Spring Festival Gala.

As the host counted down, 1995 arrived.

The sound of firecrackers outside was incessant, and the longest and loudest firecrackers belonged to their family!

The New Year's Eve dinner was very lavish, with six hot dishes and six cold dishes, all of which were Shen Lang and Jiang Can's favorites! They also cooked sweet rice wine dumplings, and the two of them ate until their bellies were round, with quite a lot of food left over.

Who doesn't eat leftovers on the first day of the Lunar New Year?!

The landline kept ringing as people exchanged New Year's greetings. Xu Rao said, "Happy New Year! Have you eaten yet? Let's go to Amitabha Temple!" They agreed to meet at 1:30.

Jiang Can yawned, but she could hold on; she had to go and pray to the God of Wealth.

The two changed into new clothes and shoes, comforted Tiger, and then went downstairs and out the door.

It's so cold outside, and it's started snowing again.

When they arrived, Xu Rao, Fang Yuan, and Zhan Junzhuo were already there. After waiting for a while, Zhu Zi and Xu Min also arrived.

Everyone was dressed warmly. It was the middle of the night, and it was incredibly cold. The north wind was howling, and the snowflakes were hitting our faces like tiny knives scraping them.

Jiang Can pulled her scarf tighter, leaving only her eyes visible.

The Amitabha Temple is located in the suburbs, not far away, but for young people, an hour's journey is nothing!

There were many people on the road, including older people who carried baskets filled with incense, banknotes, folded gold ingots, pork, fruit, and other offerings. Jiang Can and his group didn't bring any with them; they would buy them at the temple entrance.

We have everything you could want!

There was a particularly slippery slope where a group of children slid down the slide and then climbed back up from the side, having a great time.

Jiang Can and the others slid down the slope, which was quite fun.

About an hour later, we arrived at Mount Amitabha.

At the foot of the mountain, besides stalls selling incense, paper money, and gold ingots, there were also many food stalls. One of the fried skewers stalls had a particularly strong aroma that could waft far, and a large crowd had gathered around it.

Everyone had just finished their New Year's Eve dinner and wasn't hungry at all, but they still wanted to eat a little more.

Zhan Junzhuo squeezed inside to buy fried skewers.

Xu Rao wanted to buy red sugarcane: "I'll put it in the incense ash when I burn incense later. Eating it will make me smart and healthy!" The stall was packed with people, and the sugarcane was selling like hotcakes. She tried to squeeze in, her hair getting all messed up, but she didn't manage to get very far in.

Zhu Zi: "I'll go!" He squeezed in, bought two sugarcanes, and carried them out.

Zhan Junzhuo also carried a large bag of fried skewers, including fried gluten, fried balut, fried ham sausage, and fried chicken wings. They were fried until crispy and fragrant, and coated with chili oil and cumin powder, making them look very appetizing.

Everyone gathered around Zhan Junzhuo to eat skewers, heads down and backs bent, their clothes so thick that if they didn't bend down, the chili oil would drip onto their clothes.

Jiang Can held a skewer in one hand and pulled her scarf with the other. She took a bite of half a skewer of fried gluten. The outside was crispy and crunchy, coated with chili oil. It was quite delicious, especially when everyone was fighting over it.

There's also fried balut, which are balut eggs that haven't hatched into chicks. They're coated in a layer of starch liquid and fried until golden brown and crispy, even more fragrant than regular eggs.

Visitors to the temple must eat.

There was another stall nearby frying balut (fertilized duck eggs). Oil sizzled in the pan, frying the balut until golden brown. Zhan Junzhu bought five yuan worth of balut and balut-free eggs, dipped them in chili flakes, and they were incredibly delicious.

Those who love balut (fertilized duck egg) will want to eat it as soon as they see it, while those who don't will refuse to eat a single bite.

Jiang Can had never eaten this before, but tried it today and found it quite delicious, especially the pan-fried version, which was very fragrant.

After eating their fill of snacks, it was time to buy incense. Jiang Can and Shen Lang selected incense, paper money, and gold ingots—basically everything that was on sale. Each person bought their own incense; since it was for burning incense for the gods, they had to pay for it themselves and choose it themselves.

Carrying a bag full of things, I walked towards the temple entrance.

There are so many people here. The bridge leading into the temple is packed with people. Just follow the flow of people in. You will be pushed and shoved by the crowd. If you have children, be careful not to fall.

Perhaps because this is a temple, I haven't heard of anything happening here over the years; it's very safe.

Upon entering the temple, they found a large incense burner with flames burning inside. Jiang Can and Shen Lang threw in half of the incense sticks, paper money, and gold ingots, which immediately burst into flames.

When you get close, your cheeks feel burning hot from the heat.

Jiang Can clasped his hands together and made a wish: "Peace and good fortune, may wealth descend from heaven!"

For example, demolition compensation, finding gold! Our family welcomes all kinds of offers.

Zhan Junzhuo also put two sugarcanes into the large incense burner to burn. There were more than a dozen sugarcanes in there, all meant to be burned for food. He had to keep a close eye on them, or someone would steal them.

A little boy, about seven or eight years old, came to kowtow with his grandmother. He didn't notice the paper money that was blown away, and his clothes were ripped with a hole the size of a palm. The little boy turned his head to look at his clothes and burst into tears, "Waaaaah, my new clothes!"

He cried very loudly.

The clothes were secondary; as long as no one got burned, that was fine. His grandmother quickly pulled him over, saying, "Quickly kowtow! The Bodhisattva is protecting you! Bodhisattva, please bless you!"

Little boy: "Ouch! My new clothes! Bodhisattva, please give me back my clothes!"

My new clothes, which I only get to wear during the Lunar New Year, have been burned!

He hadn't visited any relatives, nor had he shown off his new clothes to his friends; the more he cried, the sadder he became.

His grandma slapped him and said, "I'll buy you another one later, hurry up and kowtow."

That's right, otherwise why didn't everyone else's clothes catch fire, but the little boy's clothes did! This is how they ward off disaster.

Others' hearts were filled with even greater sincerity when they worshipped Buddha.

Jiang Can and his companions burned incense and kowtowed outside, then went inside the hall to kowtow again. The main hall enshrined Maitreya Buddha, and there were many people, so they had to queue.

Jiang Can donated another hundred yuan to the temple, and Xu Rao and the others followed suit, much to the delight of the temple's abbot, who uttered a string of auspicious words and said that their names would be engraved on a monument later, to be remembered forever. The courtyard patted the microphone and began to announce: "Mr. and Mrs. Shen donated two hundred yuan, Ms. Xu donated one hundred yuan..."

The loudspeaker is hung above the main hall, and the sound can be heard as far as the temple gate.

Amidst the dean's words of gratitude, Jiang Can and the others went to the east side hall, where the God of Wealth was enshrined. Upon arriving there, Shen Lang offered incense and kowtowed with exceptional sincerity, praying for the God of Wealth to bless them with great wealth!

Only Xu Min went into the Guanyin Temple for granting children in the west side hall. Jiang Can and Shen Lang didn't want children at all, and the others were all single and didn't need children either, so none of them went in.

There were also many fortune-telling stalls in the temple. One of them had a large crowd around him, waiting in line to have their fortunes told. Xu Rao and Jiang Can also joined in, waiting in line while listening to the master draw lots and tell fortunes for others.

It's incredibly accurate; just by looking at your palm, it can glean a wealth of information, including where you live, whether your parents are alive, whether you're married with children, and how many siblings you have.

A middle-aged woman patted Jiang Can on the shoulder and said with a smile, "This master is incredibly accurate. He only comes to tell fortunes during the Spring Festival. I come to have my fortune told every Spring Festival!"

In the distance, a commotion suddenly broke out, as if a fight had started.

The voice sounded familiar. Xu Rao said, "Why does it sound like Zhu Zi's voice?"

Jiang Can: "It's the pillar!"

Several people quickly ran over, squeezed through the crowd, and took another look.

Zhu Zi got into a fight with five or six men. Or rather, it was a one-sided beating of Zhu Zi by the six men. He couldn't win at all. Someone grabbed his arm and pinned him to the ground. A man with a buzz cut stepped on Zhu Zi's chest and yelled, "You fucking bastard, are you looking for death?!" He clenched his fist and punched Zhu Zi in the stomach.

Zhu Zi shouted, "Brother Lang! Help!"

Damn, are these guys crazy?! Why did they even bother hitting him?!

Fang Yuan rushed over, kicked the crew-cut man who was standing on a pillar to the ground, and kicked him in the stomach. Several other men swung their fists at him.

Zhu Zi got up and joined the battle, and they were already fighting fiercely.

Shen Lang grabbed one of the men by the collar and slammed him onto the other two. A dozen or so people got into a brawl, but of course, these people were no match for Shen Lang. After he had subdued them, he looked at Zhu Zi and asked, "What happened? Where's your wife?"

Zhu Zi raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his lips: "Minmin saw that I was being taken advantage of, so she went to call you guys."

She couldn't help at all; in fact, she would only be a burden to Zhu Zi. She immediately called for reinforcements.

Thinking about what had just happened, he kicked the man with the buzz cut again, furious: "Damn it, are you sick in the head?! You hit me without warning!"

The man with the buzz cut spat at him: "You look like a monster, daring to grope a young girl's butt in a temple, so what if I beat you up!"

Zhu Zi cursed, "Are you fucking crazy? I came here with my wife, who am I supposed to touch?" He then proceeded to punch and kick the man with the buzz cut.

Shen Lang frowned, sensing something was wrong. "Zhu Zi, hurry up and go find your wife!" He turned to look for Jiang Can, but after searching the crowd, he couldn't find her, and Xu Rao was nowhere to be seen either.

His heart tightened, a chill ran from head to toe, and his fingers trembled slightly. About two minutes had passed since the fight started. How far could they have gone in two minutes? And they were going to take two little girls with them!

Jiang Can must be unconscious, otherwise she wouldn't have left.

These people find it difficult to leave Amitabha Temple.

No, Xu Min has been missing for even longer.

There were too many people here, and he couldn't find anything. His strength alone was simply not enough.

Shen Lang punched the crew-cut man in the face, causing him to spit out blood and knock out his teeth. He addressed the crowd, saying, "These men are human traffickers. They've abducted three young women who were with us. I need ten people to tie them up! Twenty yuan each!" He pulled out a wad of cash from his pocket. "I'll give them another twenty yuan when the police arrive."

Zhu Zi could hardly believe his ears. Human traffickers? Then what about his wife…? His head was spinning. He bit his tongue and said, “Brother Lang, what… what did I do?”

A group of people rushed over, and Shen Lang stuffed the money into the hands of a familiar face from Xingfu City. "Brother, please give me the money. Zhu Zi, block the west gate. Fang Yuan, block the north gate."

There's no need to block the main entrance; the flow of people coming in is so large that they can't get out at all.

However, the courtyard wall here is not high, and it is easy to climb over. There are farmlands behind it, and it is too difficult to find in the middle of the night.

He grabbed the crew-cut man and rushed towards the main hall, snatched the microphone, and announced, "There are human traffickers in the temple. Please protect the women and children around you. Three young women, aged 18 to 21, are missing. They were wearing a pink down jacket, a black down jacket, and a red down jacket, respectively."

For the next hour, I will compensate those who stay at the temple with 20 yuan. A reward of 100 yuan will be given to anyone who provides accurate information. A reward of 500 yuan will be given for catching a human trafficker. A reward of 1000 yuan will be given for rescuing a victim.

The human traffickers are in a hurry to leave the temple, perhaps by the main gate, perhaps by climbing over the wall, perhaps by using the dog hole. Anyone who can stop the human traffickers from leaving will be rewarded with twenty yuan.

Please cooperate with each other and ensure your own safety.

With such a generous reward, the human traffickers would not leave the Amitabha Temple.

The host was also a bit dumbfounded. These people had just donated money, and now they'd been abducted?! They'd just been wishing them peace and happiness; wasn't this a slap in the face to Amitabha Temple?!

If word gets out, who will donate money, and who will come to Amitabha Temple to burn incense!

He said, "Mr. Shen, please don't hesitate to ask if you need any help."

As he listened to the list of rewards, all he could see was money.

Shen Lang: "If I can find my wife, I will donate another thousand yuan. Abbot, besides the gates, where else in the temple can one go outside? Where can one hide?"

He had to find the person within an hour; he couldn't keep stopping everyone from leaving.

An hour is enough.

The host felt a surge of warmth and immediately pointed out several possible exits and hiding places for Shen Lang. Shen Lang asked the host to help him call the police, and then turned on the loudspeaker again to repeat the points that needed attention.

He repeated the bounty offer, making sure that all the worshippers in the temple heard the news.

Zhan Junzhuo rushed in from outside, looking anxious: "Brother Lang, what should I do now!"

Shen Lang: "Wait." He grabbed the crew-cut man. "Where are they? Are you going to tell me or not?"

He stared at the crew-cut man with a cold look in his eyes, and the crew-cut man shivered. "A woman gave me ten yuan, saying that the man touched her butt and that I should beat him up."

Shen Lang kicked him in the leg, and his leg broke with a 'crack'. The crew-cut man screamed in pain: "I'll talk, I'll talk. This is my first time doing this, I don't know anything. I can only work with you if I succeed this time. I found the other guys, and I gave each of them ten yuan."

He was in excruciating pain, which didn't seem like he was lying.

An elderly woman carrying a basket quickly ran over. "I saw it! It was right next to the artificial hill in the west hall. I couldn't hold it in any longer and went over there to check. I saw a woman in her forties carrying a little girl in a pink dress. She said the little girl was dizzy from the incense and was just getting some fresh air. After I relieved myself, I heard a loudspeaker and rushed over to check, but no one was there. So I ran over here. I guarantee she's still inside the temple and hasn't left! The wall over there is extremely high; there's no way to climb over it."

Shen Lang handed a wad of cash to Zhan Junzhuo: "Give me the money, and write down the details."

Shen Lang turned on the loudspeaker: "Human traffickers appeared near the artificial hill at the West Gate a minute ago. It is speculated that the artificial hill may be able to hide people. Everyone can continue to track them down."

Then a middle-aged woman carrying a child came over and said, "I saw a young man with his arm around a girl wearing a red down jacket. The girl had her head down and was holding a baby in her arms. But now that I think about it, the girl was a bit strange. Several minutes have passed. She was near the stone pier under the tree at the west gate. I suspect she may have left the temple. I hope this helps you."

Shen Lang frowned. It was Ximen too!

Zhan Junzhuo offered her money, but she shook her head, saying, "I just wanted to help you."

Zhan Junzhuo stuffed the money into the child's arms.

At this moment, a master walked in from outside, surrounded by a group of people. Several people said in unison, "This is Master Bai, his predictions are exceptionally accurate."

"We can definitely pinpoint the location of the human traffickers."

"Catch the human traffickers and rescue the test subjects."

Master Bai was wearing a thick gray robe, had a long beard, and his hair was tied up in a bun. He said, "Want a reading? One hundred for the divination fee."

Shen Lang didn't know where the human traffickers were, and he was even more afraid that they would resort to desperate measures. He was at a loss at the moment, so he immediately took out a hundred yuan and handed it to Master Bai, "Please tell me where Jiang Can, Xu Rao, and Xu Min are."

Master Bai took out two coins from his pocket, tossed them on the table, muttered to himself for a while, and finally said, "Alive, near water, underground? Hmm, underground."

Shen Lang: "Okay!"

They ran straight west; there must be something wrong here. A lot of people have gathered here, searching everywhere. They've even turned the artificial hill upside down, but there's nothing inside.

He examined the artificial hill and the stone piers under the trees in great detail, shining his flashlight on them repeatedly, but the ground was covered with shoe prints, and he couldn't see anything.

Shen Lang asked the abbot for an iron hoe and a spade, and hired someone to hoe the ground, turning up all the soil in that area.

The abbot was very supportive, feeling that human traffickers were despicable. He brought out all the usable tools in the temple and cooperated fully.

The workload isn't much; this area is only twenty or thirty square meters, and we don't need to dig too deep—thirty centimeters is enough.

A man exclaimed in surprise, "Here! The soil here is especially loose!" Seven or eight people with tools came over to dig. When they dug down to about ten centimeters, they encountered an obstacle. Inside was a layer of boards, like a coffin. After digging through the top layer, everyone lifted the coffin lid together.

Shen Lang finally dropped what he was holding, and Jiang Can and the other two lay side by side inside. At the other end were two children, one who looked about three or four years old and the other who was a little over one year old.

He jumped in and hugged Jiang Can. Jiang Can's body was warm and his breathing was even. He was still alive and well, but his clothes were a little damp. Water had been dug into the shallow pit, and moisture had seeped into the coffin.

He patted Jiang Can, trying to wake him up, but it was no use; Jiang Can was fast asleep.

He first carried the two children out and had someone catch them, then he also brought out Xu Min and Xu Rao, who were carried by several aunties, and sent them to the main hall.

It's too cold outside, and the coffin is damp and chilly.

There's a stove in the main hall, which makes it much warmer.

The person has been found, but the human trafficker hasn't! Shen Lang doesn't trust anyone else, so he sent Zhan Junzhuo to keep watch, just in case the human trafficker was also helping and tried to kill someone in a fit of rage!

Zhan Junzhuo kept a close watch on him.

Shen Lang picked up Jiang Can and jumped out. Finding the person was only the first step; the next step was to find the human traffickers.

This is a lot of work, and it can't be done by just two or three people. Since these human traffickers dared to make a move, let's keep them all here.