Although the words were not finished, the meaning had already been conveyed.

His eyes were full of mockery; "We're from the same place. I had a crush on her when I was a teenager, and she helped me once. This is just to repay that kindness from back then. If she comes back again, she won't be able to leave so easily."

Zhao Meilan ran a long way before stopping, catching her breath for a while, before slowly walking towards the post office.

She bought a stamp and wrote a letter home.

Then he pretended to go to Zhang the tailor's place to ask if Zhou Yuting had been there.

Of course, Zhang the tailor couldn't meet the person in person, so he told the truth.

Zhao Meilan's eyes were full of anxiety, and then she pretended to be in a hurry and went to the oxcart to ask Old Li.

"Uncle Li, has Tingting come back?"

No! Wasn't she with you?

The villagers and educated youth who were on the bus and preparing to go back also looked puzzled.

"I just said I was going to mail a letter home, and she said she was going to Zhang the tailor to make a new dress. But when I went to Zhang's place after mailing the letter, Zhang said she hadn't gone there at all. I looked all over but couldn't find her. I don't know where she went?"

As she spoke, Zhao Meilan began to sob.

Zhang Cuilan looked at Zhao Meilan, who was crying anxiously, and sneered, "You're in such a hurry here, while she's probably having a good time somewhere."

"Auntie, you can't say that. I heard that Comrade Zhou encountered human traffickers in town last time. Why don't we help him look for them?"

When the other educated youth heard Zhang Xia's words, their faces turned pale. Could Zhou Yuting really be so unlucky as to have encountered human traffickers again?

“You can go if you want, but this old woman isn’t going. Zhou Zhiqing dresses so provocatively all the time. It’s no wonder she ran into human traffickers. Why do other people always run into them?”

Old Li knew that Zhou Yuting had encountered human traffickers before, and he was also anxious after hearing Zhang Xia's words, but he couldn't leave the oxcart.

So he said, "You all go down and help look for them. After all, they are educated youth from our village. I'll wait for you to come back here."

Several of them were initially reluctant to go, but remembering Zhou Yuting's previous encounter with human traffickers, they decided to go together to search, just in case something really happened.

They searched for a long time, looking all over town, but still couldn't find Zhou Yuting.

Finally, having no other choice, several educated youths went directly to the police station to report the incident.

The police verified the situation with them, asking about the location where Zhao Meilan and the others parted ways, the agreed meeting place, and other details. They then told them to go back first and that they would be notified if there was any news.

Su Li only heard about this after she came down the mountain, and her first reaction was that this matter was inextricably linked to Zhao Meilan.

However, she couldn't make things up without evidence.

Besides, she had warned Zhou Yuting more than once, but she didn't believe her. She wasn't surprised at all by today's outcome.

These days, Su Li has been busy cooking on the mountain, while Lu Huai is helping her repair the bathroom at her house.

She didn't even feed him, thinking that making someone work for free wasn't her style.

She filled a bag with apples from her storage space and took out some pastries.

When Lu Huai finished his work and was about to leave, he handed these to him, saying, "Take these back for Ya Ya, Xiao Hu, and Grandma to eat."

"No need, you keep it for yourself."

"I can eat a lot myself, so don't be polite with me! I hate it when people offer me food."

Lu Huai took the apple, his eyes darting around, and asked a question that had been weighing on his mind: "Su Li, I have a question for you, please don't be angry. You're covering your face with a scarf, is there a scar on your face? If so, I won't..."

Before he could finish speaking, Su Li said, "No!"

Why is that?

“I heard that wearing a face shield like this can reduce the damage from the sun and make your face whiter next year. So I plan to stop wearing it after the New Year.”

"Oh, oh, I see!"

Lu Huai lowered his head, concealing the emotions in his eyes, and was glad that he hadn't said what he was about to say, otherwise it would have only caused trouble for others.

Su Zhiqing is such a good person, how could he possibly be interested in him? With a family like his, anyone who gets involved with him will only be a burden.

He shouldn't have indulged in wishful thinking.

"Yes, did you go to the hospital for the child's check-up that I mentioned last time? I didn't mean anything by it, I was just checking in to see if you were okay with it."

Su Li still hoped that Lu Huai could take Hu Zi to the hospital for a check-up as soon as possible, so as to avoid being caught off guard if the child developed a disease.

"I went there. Xiaohu's health isn't very good; he needs surgery."

"Then, did you make it for him?"

"without"

Su Li could roughly guess that the surgery would cost a considerable amount of money.

For Lu Huai right now, even eating is a problem, let alone having that much money.

"If it's a matter of money, I can lend it to you first, after all, getting treatment is the most important thing."

Lu Huai looked up and met Su Li's sincere eyes; he knew she was serious.

“Xiao Hu’s surgery will cost 100 yuan and will be done at a big hospital in the city. I can’t leave the village to teach right now. The weather is also getting colder and colder. I’m thinking of taking him to the city next spring to have the surgery.”

"Okay, as long as you keep that in mind. If you don't have enough money or need any help from me, just come to me."

"good"

Lu Huai carried the fruit and pastries back home. As soon as he entered the courtyard, his grandmother had already prepared the meal.

When Ya Ya and Hu Zi saw him return, they rushed over to him.

"Brother, is that something you bought for Yaya?"

The little one tilted his head adorably, looking at the oil paper in Lu Huai's hand.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!