Chapter 211 Vanished
But now it's almost dark, and there's still no sign of them.
The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became, and blurted out the question.
Shen Xiuye was loading things onto the car, shaking her head as she said, "Impossible! I made sure to bring two extra baskets this morning, and I even prepared three more last night. The livestock at home have more than enough to feed us for two days. There's no reason for her to run away again."
She bent over and unloaded the last basket from the vehicle.
As she spoke, she stopped what she was doing, straightened up, wiped her sweat, and frowned as she said seriously, "I've calculated everything, and even filled the feed troughs in the pigsty. Xiuwei is always obedient and not ignorant, so why would she run off for no reason? Besides, if she really went to cut grass, she would at least take a sickle, but I just glanced into the yard and there wasn't a single one missing from the tool shelf."
Upon hearing this, Shen Cuifen's heart tightened suddenly.
A buzzing sound filled my ears, and the world before my eyes seemed to suddenly darken.
She stared intently at the tightly closed courtyard gate, countless thoughts flashing through her mind.
Is something wrong with Xiuwei?
Was he taken away?
still……
She dared not think any further, only feeling a chill run from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.
"Where is she? She can't be half asleep, can she?"
Shen Cuifen's voice trembled slightly.
She tried to convince herself that maybe Xiuwei was just too tired.
I went back to my room and fell asleep, forgetting to lock the door.
But this idea was shattered by reality as soon as it took root.
That lock was clearly hanging outside the door.
Zheng Mingyue quickly patted her on the shoulder.
"Don't just stand there, come inside and take a look! We'll be there in a bit, don't delay us."
Knowing that Shen Cuifen was anxious, she didn't ask any more questions, but urged, "Go quickly, don't just stand here, we'll be there for you if anything happens."
Thinking about Xiuye being abducted in her previous life, Shen Cuifen's mind was in turmoil.
They didn't care about manners anymore.
That year, Shen Xiuye also disappeared suddenly in the same way.
It was not until three days later that it was found in a dilapidated temple ten miles away.
He was extremely thin, with a vacant look in his eyes, and he didn't say a word.
Later I found out that I had been tricked out of my money with sweet cakes.
This time, Shen Xiuwei was nowhere to be found.
The time, place, and atmosphere were just like back then.
She dared not wait any longer, dared not hesitate any longer.
Even if it's impolite, you must find the person immediately.
"Okay, Mingyue, please come in slowly, I'll go take a look first!"
She said those words hastily.
After saying that, she didn't even wait for a response before turning around and running towards the courtyard gate.
But as soon as she reached the courtyard gate, she felt a chill run down her spine.
The lock is on the outside!
The iron lock hung silently on the door knocker.
Shen Cuifen's pupils contracted, and her heart suddenly raced.
She froze on the spot, feeling a chill run down her spine.
Being locked out means that no one is inside, or... that someone is locked out.
How could Xiuwei possibly hang the lock on the outside herself?
Unless, she was forced to leave!
They rushed in without even locking the door properly.
It took several tries to finally insert the key into the lock.
With a soft click, the lock opened.
She pushed hard, and the door creaked open.
She had no intention of putting the lock back on, and even forgot to close the door.
Shen Cuifen didn't hear anything; her attention was entirely focused on the room.
But Song Wenhua, who was following behind, heard it clearly.
He looked down at the old lock; the chain was a little loose, and the clasp was slightly deformed.
He casually dusted himself off, quickly re-hung the garment, his movements swift and efficient. He didn't say a word, but his face had already darkened.
"Xiuwei! Xiuwei!"
She shouted as she rushed into the house.
The door to the main room was ajar. She pushed it open, but the room was empty.
There was still half a bowl of cold rice on the table, with chopsticks sticking out at an angle along the rim.
Her throat tightened, but she continued to rush inside, lifting the curtain of the inner room.
The bed was neatly made, the blankets were folded squarely, and even the pillows hadn't been touched.
No one answered.
The room was eerily quiet, with only her heavy breathing echoing in the background.
The wind outside gently rustled the window paper, making a soft "shush" sound.
Xiuwei wasn't there, the meal wasn't finished, and the door was locked from the outside.
Putting these three things together, there's only one possibility.
She didn't leave on her own.
Just then, a voice came from Lu Qiming's room: "Xiuwei isn't home; she just left about half an hour ago."
The voice was languid, with a slightly hoarse quality, as if the person had just woken up.
The door creaked open a crack.
Lu Qiming leaned out halfway, a smile on his face.
He was wearing an old jacket with worn-out cuffs and messy hair.
Shen Cuifen immediately rushed to Lu Qiming's door.
She stared intently at Lu Qiming.
"Dad, what did you say? Where did she go? Who took her away?"
He was looking at her with a happy smile.
"Cuifen's back? How's Zhongshun? I've been so worried these past two days I haven't been able to eat!"
Lu Qiming was completely oblivious to the unusual atmosphere and even smiled as he reached out to pat her shoulder.
But Shen Cuifen had no interest in paying attention to any of that; all she wanted to know was Xiuwei's whereabouts.
Shen Cuifen had no interest in responding to that.
She abruptly took half a step back, avoiding his hand, her voice rising to a shout.
"Dad, did Xiuwei mention where she was going before she left?"
She stared intently at Lu Qiming, her eyes filled with anxiety.
Lu Qiming shook his head: "She brought me food, filled her own bowl, and went out to eat. While she was eating, someone suddenly knocked on the door, and she ran out in a flash, without even putting her bowl down properly."
He scratched his head and recalled, "I asked her who she was, and she replied, 'I don't know, I'll go check,' and then she ran off. I thought maybe it was some relative coming to visit, so I didn't pay much attention. But she hasn't come back yet."
"What about Zhongshun? Didn't he come back with you?"
Lu Qiming peeked outwards.
He squinted at the courtyard gate, seemingly trying to find Zhong Shun's figure in the crowd.
In the courtyard, Zheng Mingyue and the others were walking in one after another, carrying things in their hands.
"He's back! But I don't have time to talk to you right now!"
After shouting, Shen Cuifen turned and rushed out.
Xiuwei has disappeared, and she was taken away by someone!
A knock on the door, a sudden departure, the door being locked from the outside.
This is all too suspicious.
She had only one thought in her mind.
Chase!
We must chase after them immediately, even if it means chasing them to the ends of the earth, to bring Xiuwei back!
The wind at the courtyard gate hadn't yet dispelled her voice.
"Xiuwei...is gone!"
Everyone stopped what they were doing, even Shen Xiuye, who was unloading things, suddenly looked up.
Zheng Mingyue's expression changed, and Song Wenhua immediately strode towards the courtyard exit.
Even Lu Qiming was stunned, his mouth half-open, unable to come to his senses for a long time.
This is too unusual; Shen Xiuwei is perfectly fine.
Why did you suddenly lock the door and disappear?
Shen Xiuye's heart skipped a beat; she also sensed that something was wrong.
She stood in the courtyard, the basket still hanging on her shoulder.
She stared at the lock that had been re-hung, her brows furrowing deeper and deeper.
Xiuwei has always been timid and never runs around, much less leave home without permission.
And... she had clearly told her to wait for them to come back before opening the door.
"That's not right! I specifically told her before I left that she wasn't allowed to go anywhere!"
This isn't lost, it's been taken away!
She went to gather pig feed specifically because she was afraid Shen Xiuwei would go out.
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