Chapter 177 Kidnapping
Zhang Xiuying nodded vigorously: "Okay, you go contact Akai, I'll go ask the villagers for more details, and my daughter will go to the city to ask my second son for money."
They split up and acted separately.
Now that the road is repaired, Liu Zhixia quickly arrived in the city and found Zhou Juan.
Upon seeing her, Zhou Juan's face lit up with joy: "Little sister! You've come at the perfect time! I've just landed another big deal with a big boss, and he's incredibly generous. We're going to get another big order!"
She had barely finished speaking when she noticed that Liu Zhixia's expression was off.
"What's wrong?"
Liu Zhixia's voice was low: "The fourth brother has been kidnapped. It was done by that Boss He, who wants a ransom of two thousand yuan."
"What?!"
Zhou Juan exclaimed in surprise and quickly pulled the person into the house.
"What exactly happened?"
“He and Xu, the educated youth, were arrested at school, and each was fined 1,000 yuan. My mother and I had no other choice but to sell the pickled vegetable recipe to raise the money.”
Zhou Juan took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down: "I understand you're in a hurry to raise money, but selling the formula isn't profitable. The manager's payment just arrived today, why don't we borrow from him first?"
Liu Zhixia was taken aback: "Will this work?"
"Give it a try! It's always a way. I'll go back to my parents' house and try to raise some more. Our business is doing so well, we can pay back the two thousand yuan sooner or later."
Liu Zhixia added, "Second Sister-in-law, we need to save two people. Xu Zhiqing too..."
“I know, she’s my future sister-in-law!” Zhou Juan interrupted her, laughing heartily, then her expression turned serious. “I’ll handle the money. But have you thought about whether she’ll really come back after we give her the money?”
“Kidnapping and extortion are serious crimes, especially since teachers and educated youth were kidnapped. They are certain to die. Will He Shijie pay the ransom and then kill them? Either way, he's going to die, so killing them will make it easier to escape.”
Liu Zhixia sighed, "This is what I'm most worried about. We can only try to raise money to keep him on the go while also thinking of other solutions. The village has already contacted Shen Yi, hoping to get help from him."
"Where is the police station?"
"We already have a warrant for his arrest, so we can't count on him. The captain is already communicating with him."
"Okay! Let's settle the money first!"
Zhou Juan took Liu Zhixia to the manager. Upon hearing that it was money to save a life, the manager signed an IOU without saying a word and approved two thousand yuan in cash.
"Having worked with you for so long, I trust your character. Hurry and take it to save people!"
The manager waved his hand dismissively, displaying great generosity.
Zhou Juan was moved to tears: "Thank you, Manager! We will remember this kindness!"
The manager waved his hand: "Don't mention it. I'll tell Weidong to give you all the time off. Go back and take care of your family matters; it's a matter of life and death!"
"Okay! Let's go find Weidong right now!"
Liu Zhixia and Zhou Juan found Liu Weidong. Upon hearing that his fourth brother had been kidnapped, he threw down his things and followed them back to the village without saying a word.
At this point, the village was in an uproar.
The kidnapping occurred near the school, and many students witnessed it. The news spread like wildfire, causing widespread panic.
Even so, the kidnappers vanished as if they had disappeared into thin air.
Aunt Zhou rushed back from the city with the latest news: "The police found He Shijie's abandoned car by the roadside. This guy has probably hidden deep in the mountains. I reckon he's somewhere around here. Everyone, please don't go up the mountain recently! He might have real weapons; running into him would be fatal!"
Liu Zhixia patted her heavy handbag: "We've raised the money. But the other party didn't say where the delivery will be made. Where are we supposed to find them?"
Zhao Dongmei squeezed through the crowd: "He sent someone to tell us to go to that burnt-down wooden house in the mountains. But the terrain there is complicated, what if they have an ambush... Should we stall for time and wait for Kai and the others to come back?"
What did they say over there?
"It will take at least one or two days."
Liu Zhixia was silent for a moment, then her eyes hardened: "I can't wait any longer. I'll go to the cabin and stall them to buy some time."
"Um."
Before leaving, Liu Zhixia whispered in Aunt Zhou's ear, "How would He Shijie know about that wooden house? It was left behind by an old hunter; outsiders have no idea about it. Gu Mansheng must have gotten involved too."
Aunt Zhou's eyes sharpened: "Understood, I will have people keep a close eye on the Lu family!"
Just as Liu Zhixia was about to go up the mountain, Liu Xiangyang grabbed her arm: "Little sister! It's too dangerous, I'll go!"
Liu Zhixia shook her head and pushed his hand away: "Brother, I know that place better than you do. Besides, He Shijie wants my money and formula. It would be more valuable and safer for me to go than for you to go."
Liu Xiangyang was so anxious that his face turned red and his neck bulged: "What if he detains you?"
"Don't worry, he wants money, not my life. As long as I'm kept alive with money, I'm safe."
Liu Xiangyang wanted to persuade her again, but Zhou Juan grabbed him, her eyes firm: "Big brother, little sister is the calmest right now, listen to her. I'll go with her, don't worry."
Liu Xiangyang frowned: "You? Why can't I go?"
Zhou Juan glared at him: "You're already so confused, going there will only make things worse! Stay in the village and keep watch, don't let the Lu family cause any more trouble!"
Liu Xiangyang opened his mouth, but in the end, he nodded helplessly.
Zhou Juan and Liu Zhixia went up the mountain together.
Zhou Juan rarely climbs mountains, and she followed behind, panting, which wasted a lot of time.
By the time they reached the burned-out forest, it was already dark.
The charred tree trunks looked particularly menacing in the night, and the dilapidated wooden house stood alone among them.
He Shijie was sitting around a campfire with several of his men, looking relaxed, as if they were camping rather than fleeing.
Upon seeing Liu Zhixia, He Shijie gave his subordinate a wink.
Several burly men immediately surrounded them, scanning their surroundings warily.
"You've got guts, daring to come all by yourself?" He Shijie said with a half-smile, his eyes sinister. "Didn't you bring a tail?"
"There are only two of us women. What, is Boss He scared?" Liu Zhixia said calmly.
"Very good." He Shijie nodded in satisfaction, his gaze falling on the two men's empty hands, his brows furrowing slightly. "Where's the money?"
Liu Zhixia spread her hands: "Boss He, last time Da Bao was kidnapped, it took us half a day to scrape together five hundred yuan. Two thousand yuan, do you think it's two thousand pieces of paper? We came here to discuss with you whether you can give us a few more days?"
He Shijie's face darkened: "No way! I want to see the money tonight!"
Zhou Juan said anxiously, "It's so late, where are we going to get you the money? My sister is planning to sell the formula, but finding a buyer takes time! And it takes time for the buyer to raise the money! How about we give you three more days?"
He Shijie's eyes darted around, and he looked at the two of them suspiciously.
"Three days? Trying to buy time to call for reinforcements?" He sneered. "No way! Two days at most! You'd better behave yourselves for the next two days and don't even think about calling the police. I've already hidden them somewhere else. If anything happens to me, you'll never see them again for the rest of your lives!"
Liu Zhixia suppressed her unease and tentatively said, "Okay. We'll take care of bringing you meals for the next two days, and also give Lao Si and the others something to eat, so they don't go hungry."
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