Li Yuanyuan has disappeared?

Zhang Cheng looked at Zhao Qingwan, who was panting heavily and on the verge of tears, and felt utterly helpless. Last night, the old village chief's beating with a carrying pole had caused quite a stir, and today everyone in the village was gossiping... those old women, their words were all incredibly nasty.

No matter who it is, they wouldn't be able to stand being in this situation.

The key point is that Zhang Cheng feels he has been completely wronged in this matter!

I didn't do anything, I didn't even have a thought, so how did I become the eye of the storm?

Take this for example: Li Yuanyuan has disappeared, Zhao Qingwan, why are you coming to me? What does this have to do with me?

"Li Yuanyuan is missing. You should go find the village chief. What's the use of coming to me?" Zhang Cheng really didn't want to get involved in this mess, lest he give those gossipy women in the village more fodder for gossips. Their tongues are so sharp, are they just naturally braided?

"I...I went to the village chief," Zhao Qingwan said, her voice trembling with tears. "The village chief said that it's better for that kind of vixen to die out there!"

Zhang Cheng grimaced as he listened; the old village chief was certainly hard-hearted.

As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. Even if Li Yuanyuan did have some 'feelings' for me, she hadn't done anything outrageous. Besides, what if the old village chief had misunderstood? Who knows?

Seeing that Zhang Cheng didn't speak but just frowned, Zhao Qingwan burst into tears, sobbing as she said, "Zhang Cheng, Yuanyuan came to see you last night, really wanting to ask you if you could arrange some work for us educated youth. It's really not what they said. Yuanyuan is a proud girl, and now that she's been wronged like this, she definitely can't stand this injustice."

Are you here to ask me for a job?

But what respectable person would climb over the wall in the middle of the night to ask about work? Zhang Cheng didn't really believe that reason.

But since they've already put it that way, I can't just stand by and do nothing.

"When did she disappear?" Zhang Cheng asked again.

Upon hearing Zhang Cheng's agreement, Zhao Qingwan grasped at a lifeline and quickly said, "We haven't seen her since we woke up this morning, and we don't know when she left."

Zhang Cheng felt even more overwhelmed.

"Let's go check out the village committee first!"

After saying that, Zhang Cheng took off running towards the village committee.

Inside the village committee, the group of educated youth who had been sent to the countryside were all sighing and looking like wilted eggplants.

"Zhang Cheng is here!"

Zhao Qingwan's voice came from outside.

Everyone inside jumped up and ran out.

Zhang Cheng ignored the group and wandered around the village committee, carefully examining the ground for any possible traces.

Before long, he discovered some clues.

"Have we gone into the mountains?"

Zhang Cheng squinted, staring at the faint footprints, mostly covered by the fresh snow. Behind the village committee building, there was a small path leading into the mountains.

"Zhang Cheng, Yuanyuan doesn't know anything. If she really goes into the mountains, what if something happens to her?" Zhao Qingwan's voice trembled with anxiety.

"Don't panic!"

Zhang Cheng turned to the other educated youths who had gathered around him and said, "Lend me your felt hats and scarves first, I'll go into the mountains and look for some!"

"Here, take mine!" A young man in a tattered cotton-padded coat took off his felt hat and handed it over without saying a word.

Zhao Qingwan also quickly ran back to the village committee and took out a scarf.

Pulling the scarf around his neck and putting on the felt hat, Zhang Cheng rubbed his nose, put his hands in his sleeves, and followed the blurry footprints toward the path. Without turning his head, he called out, "Zhao Qingwan, go find the village chief and have him get people to look for Li Yuanyuan in the vicinity of the village. Tell them it was me who said it!"

"Oh, oh, oh!" Zhao Qingwan agreed repeatedly and turned to go find the old village chief.

The wind howled and blew incessantly, carrying snowflakes!

The snow was so deep it was almost up to Zhang Cheng's knees, making it extremely difficult to walk.

We've only just reached the foot of the mountain. Once we're really inside, the snow in some places could bury a person completely.

Of course, as the snow accumulates, it will gradually be compacted.

Regardless, in this kind of awful weather, even the most experienced hunter wouldn't easily venture into the mountains; it's too dangerous, and who knows when something unexpected might happen.

If Li Yuanyuan had already left this path and truly entered the deep mountains, Zhang Cheng had no intention of risking his life.

It would be such a loss if they actually died inside.

Even after he dies, he'll still be gossiped about by those old women; he can imagine all the nasty things they'll say.

Walking in the snow is inherently slow.

Zhang Cheng guessed that a city girl like Li Yuanyuan would have limited physical strength and probably wouldn't be able to go very far.

at the same time.

About half a mile away from Zhang Cheng, most of Li Yuanyuan's body was stuck in the snowdrift. The more she struggled, the deeper she sank, and she was so frightened that she dared not move anymore.

cold!

It was freezing cold!

Li Yuanyuan felt that her legs were almost numb from the cold.

Am I going to die?

She was filled with resentment, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably, freezing into ice crystals on the snow.

Previously, Li Yuanyuan had indeed considered suicide, otherwise she wouldn't have run to this desolate mountain wilderness so early in the morning.

But once she was trapped in that snow pit, watching death slowly approach, the feeling of despair ignited an incredibly strong will to survive within her. She was afraid, she regretted it.

"Help! Help!!!"

After catching her breath, Li Yuanyuan started shouting again, until her voice was hoarse.

But all she could hear was the whistling wind, like ghosts whispering in her ear…

"Waaaaah, I don't want to die! I'm still young! I don't want to die!!!" Li Yuanyuan's cries grew fainter and fainter; she was truly exhausted.

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