Lin Jingyan was also somewhat surprised. "Don't rush, wait a little longer. Maybe they went to the Nanshan Brigade on their way?"

"Really?" Su He asked, somewhat uncertain.

Let's wait until they get back and ask them.

Lin Jingyan cooked lunch, and the two adults and one child were very satisfied with the meal.

Well, although he doesn't cook for long, his skills haven't suffered, which is good.

As for the two younger ones, after feeding them formula and rice cereal, and playing with them for a while after their meal, they fell asleep again.

It wasn't until after 3 p.m. that Su He heard noises coming from outside.

When I went outside, I saw four elderly people returning with large and small bags.

Su He was surprised to see this. Didn't you say you weren't going to buy anything?

Lin's mother seemed very happy today. Seeing her expression, she smiled and explained, "There were so many things for sale, many of which I'd never seen before, and some that are usually hard to find at the supply and marketing cooperative. I couldn't resist and bought some, and I accidentally bought too much."

Grandma Su also said, "That's right. I heard that even people from the next town came this time. The market is much bigger than before. It stretches from one end of town to the other, and there are so many more people going!"

Grandma finally managed to scramble for some glutinous rice for you this time, so we'll make you zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) for the Dragon Boat Festival!

Lin's father, who was standing nearby, also opened a bag containing dried fruit, something that was hard to buy in winter.

He waved to Yuan Yuan, who happily ran over, took one, and ate it with gusto.

Su He looked at the large and small bags and didn't know what to say.

"If I had known you were buying so much, I would have let Jingyan come with you. He's a strong man and could have helped you carry it. You must be exhausted from carrying so much stuff and walking such a long way."

Lin's mother smiled and said, "These things aren't tiring, but the car ride is a bit tough. There are too many people, and it's so crowded that I feel like my bones are going to fall apart after I get off the bus."

Su He could already picture the scene and couldn't help but shudder. "Didn't you manage to get seats? Did you stand all the way back?"

"We got seats on the way there, but we couldn't get any on the way back. My auntie got some, thank goodness she was there, otherwise we wouldn't have had anywhere to put our things. A lot of people lost things when they got off the bus."

Grandma Su chuckled and said, "That's because you were too polite. As soon as the door opened, you rushed in. I thought you were following behind me. Who would have thought that when I sat down and turned around, you were all still standing there dumbfounded? Really, who cares about manners at a time like this?"

Lin's mother smiled sheepishly after hearing this, "We've never experienced this before, but we won't next time. There were so many people there today, and it looked quite chaotic. I heard that some children were even lost. Luckily, our Yuanyuan didn't go."

Su He paused for a moment, then asked, "Has the child been found?"

"I don't know, but it should be about the same. I saw quite a few police officers at the market today. There were police officers patrolling every few steps. Human traffickers wouldn't be that bold, would they?"

Su He was still a little worried after hearing this. She knew about the police being seconded there, and with the news of the market opening spreading so widely, everyone knew that a lot of people would be going. Plus, it was almost Chinese New Year, so petty theft would definitely increase.

Therefore, the higher-ups made arrangements in advance for the police to keep a close watch.

The police officers who were seconded there were almost all from police stations near the towns.

Logically speaking, there have been quite a few cases already, and petty theft is probably unavoidable, but I didn't expect that children would still go missing.

I don't know if I've found it or not. I'll try to find out more when I get to work tomorrow.