Mrs. Xu was going crazy. "What does he look like? Who is he?"

She looked so ferocious that Steel Egg started to cry again, and said incoherently, "I don't know, I don't remember."

Goudan's mother took her son over to comfort him, but she was also a little angry, "Sister-in-law, don't yell at my child. Your own daughter left with someone and you didn't even know it."

Mrs. Xu's eyes were a little dazed. She couldn't refute what was said. She opened her mouth like a chicken with its neck strangled, but no sound came out. Finally, she hung her head in despair, unable to even cry out.

When Goudan’s mother saw this, she felt regretful. Why did she have to say this when there were so many other things she could have said? Isn’t this just stabbing people in the heart?

He couldn't bring himself to apologize for a moment, so he slapped the guy's butt twice, "I told you not to say it! I told you not to say it!"

Before Gangdan could react, he felt a sharp pain in his butt. He was so upset that he opened his mouth and cried so loudly that the roof almost blew off!

Of course everyone wants to persuade the child when he cries, and persuade Goudan’s mother not to take her anger out on the child, as the child is still young and doesn’t understand anything.

It's a small room, but it's as lively as if someone is dancing disco inside.

Lin Minjun: "Stop arguing. I think I know who took Lingling away."

"Who?" Mrs. Xu seemed to have grabbed a life-saving straw.

Lin Minjun glanced at the people around her and hesitated for a moment, "It has something to do with Lingling's previous relationship. I'm afraid it's not appropriate to say it in front of so many people."

"Tell me, there's nothing to hide. We all know what we should know. Now the important thing is to find Lingling." Mrs. Xu said with a wry smile.

Lin Minjun didn't mention this, and asked Gangdan first: "Do you still have the candy that the man who took Sister Lingling away gave you? Can you show it to Sister?"

Steel Egg sobbed and took out two candies from his pocket.

When Lin Minjun saw this, she was sure: "Sister-in-law, I think the person who took Lingling away was the one she talked to before, the ex-boyfriend. If we find him, we should be able to find Lingling."

Mrs. Xu was surprised: "Xiao Lin, are you mistaken? Lingling's boyfriend broke up a few months ago. Why would she go with him?"

"Yeah, Lingling said that she broke up with that guy a long time ago, and she hasn't been seen close to anyone in recent times." Someone echoed.

"There must be a mistake. I've seen Lingling's boyfriend. He doesn't look that good, and his appearance is even worse. It's obvious that he comes from a poor family. How could Lingling go with a guy like that?"

Everyone was talking, saying they didn't believe it. In fact, they didn't mean to go against Lin Minjun, it just sounded a bit ridiculous.

After all, parents' orders were still important at that time, and there were few rebellious girls. If they said they were breaking up, they really broke up. They would quickly go on blind dates and get married, and there would be no severance.

"As far as I'm concerned, it's better to go home and take a nap instead of asking her here. We all have to go to work tomorrow, so there's no time to waste here." The speaker was Xiao Zhao, an employee of the power supply bureau who lived in the innermost house at the back.

Lin Minjun looked in the direction of the voice and recognized him at once. Everyone called him Zhao Wei. He was a single man and had never been married. She was not familiar with Zhao Wei and he seemed a stranger to her when she saw him.

Zhao Wei had two dark circles under his eyes, and said impatiently, "You guys are really something. You trust a woman. What can she do? You just talk about her ex-girlfriend. The police still need evidence to handle the case."

What he said was really rude. As neighbors, someone came up to smooth things over, "Come on, Xiao Zhao, they didn't say anything, can't you just say less and listen to what they said? We are all here to find someone."

It would have been fine if no one had advised him, but once someone advised him, Zhao Wei felt embarrassed and became angry, saying, "Did I say anything wrong? There is nothing wrong with what I said. You are just making a fuss and making everyone else mad. I am not targeting her."

He said, "What can a woman do? Can she carry a gun and go to the battlefield or do manual labor? Why don't you stay at home and find someone to marry? Instead, you run out to open a shop. Is this what a woman can do? Even though the business in the shop is good now, it's still not as good as our iron rice bowl. It may fail at any time. What? What are you doing so far away from me? Am I wrong?"

When Zhao Wei was halfway through his speech, he suddenly realized that all the neighbors standing around him took two steps back, leaving a circle around him.

Aunt Xu, who was closest to him, rolled her eyes, turned around and sat on the bench.

Stupid, tactless idiot.

Didn't you see that Lin Minjun's boyfriend was still standing there? He was making up stories about her right in front of her. Wasn't he afraid that Yan Li would take back the house and kick him out?

Everyone thinks this guy is hopeless and incredibly stupid. No wonder he has been unable to find a wife. He is a mentally abnormal person.

Before Yan Li could say anything, Aunt Cao glanced at him and said in a particularly nonchalant voice, "Xiao Zhao, we women hold up half the sky, and our role is not just to do housework at home. Our Xiao Lin is not only going to open a store, but also a restaurant soon. The restaurant has been renovated. I'm afraid you will be so angry when you go home tonight."

Zhao Wei's eyes suddenly widened, his expression even scarier than that of Mrs. Xu just now, "How is this possible? How can a woman open a wine shop?"

"Xiao Lin, is what Aunt Cao said true? Are you really going to open it?" Goudan's mother asked quickly.

Lin Minjun didn't want to say it so early, but since it had come out, she had no choice but to nod and admit, "Yes, the restaurant is still finishing up, and it will be open soon."

"That's really something. You were still setting up a stall back then. It seems that being a self-employed person can really make money."

"This is true. I heard that my third aunt's youngest son's wife's brother set up a stall in the park to sell candied haws. In less than a year, he bought a bicycle. I heard that he is planning to get married this year. Tell me if this business can make money. If it's not possible, why don't we become self-employed?"

"You want to be a self-employed person? Do you want to quit your job?"

"Resign."

"If you resign, it will be a disgrace to the whole family. Your ancestors will crawl out of their graves to scold you."

There was a lot of noise in the room. Everyone was discussing whether being a self-employed person could make money and whether they could quit their jobs to start their own business. No one remembered Lingling.

Finally, Yan Li stepped out to mediate and brought the topic back to Lingling. He looked at Lin Minjun and said, "Jun, tell me, why do you suspect that he is Lingling's partner?"

Having said that, he stood directly behind Lin Minjun and said nothing. But Zhao Wei looked at him and didn't dare to say anything more about those women not being able to go out and open shops.

Lin Minjun explained in detail: "You all know that Lingling often comes to my shop. Sometimes she eats a bowl of rice noodles, and sometimes she chats with me. She did break up with her boyfriend before, but in the past month or so, I found that Lingling always has extra things in her schoolbag when she comes over, either a bottle of soda, a bag of cookies, or this candy."

She held up two candies in her hand. "Children don't like ginger candy anymore because it tastes spicy. They prefer White Rabbit and Red Prawn Crisps. The cooperatives in the capital city don't sell it. It's only sold in the suburbs. Lingling's ex-boyfriend lives in the suburbs."

"You mean that guy gave all these things to you?"

"Yes, and this month, Lingling came to my place later than before. I guess she was talking to that guy." Lin Minjun said, "I didn't know Lingling was with a man before. I didn't think about it. Now I think about it, the two of them broke up for a while, and then the guy came to see Lingling, and they started talking again, so she followed him."

"That's all I know. I've told you everything. As for whether or not we should go and look for him, that's up to you."

It’s late at night, do you want to go look for it?

The neighbors were worried about Lingling again, but they didn't know where her ex-boyfriend's house was, so they looked at each other and then turned their attention to Mrs. Xu.

Mrs. Xu clenched her fists and said, "I want to look for it. I don't have any other clues right now. Maybe I can find it if I go over and take a look."

Yan Li made a prompt decision: "Let's go together. All the guys with bicycles in the alley should come with me. More people means more strength."

"Then we can all go. If that family refuses to let Lingling out, we can at least save face!" Aunt Cao's voice was so loud.

Everyone responded at once. The older ones went home to look after their children, and the rest left. Those who had cars rode bicycles with people sitting in the back. About five or six cars went out of the alley in a mighty manner.

Yan Li rode in the front, and Lin Minjun sat in the back, holding a flashlight in his hand to illuminate the front.

Occasionally I glanced back and saw the enthusiastic young men in the alley riding breathlessly, sweating, but no one wanted to turn back.

Well, each era has its own advantages and disadvantages. In a few decades, everyone will live in high-rise buildings and won’t even know who their neighbor across the street is.

In Lin Minjun's memory, there were very few neighbors who would come out to look for someone just by being called.

I don't know how long I rode for, from dusk to dawn, from the city to the suburbs, and gradually I could no longer see buildings like department stores and cinemas. All I could see on the roadside were farmlands, countless farmlands, and low houses.

When we arrived at the entrance of a village, it was already completely light. The villagers were squatting at their doorsteps brushing their teeth, looking at this group of people in confusion.

Mrs. Xu jumped off the bicycle with weak legs and looked around. "This is it. I met someone from their family once before."

She pointed in a direction and said, "Go this way. I remember it was a small bungalow."

It is indeed a very remote place with no roads. There seems to be no cooperative in the village, so I guess the conditions are not very good.

But the villagers were very enthusiastic. As they were talking, someone came over to ask what was going on. "Comrade, what are you guys doing here? Are you bandits?"

"Fellow villager, have you ever seen bandits coming in broad daylight?" Aunt Cao said with a smile, "We are here to look for someone. Do you know where the Qian family in this village lives?"

"There are only two families with the surname Qian in the village, both of whom fled from other places. Which one are you looking for?"

"A family with a son, and his son has found a girlfriend in the city." Aunt Cao said without hesitation.

The fellow immediately pointed in a direction and said, "It's right there. Follow this road to the end and then turn a corner and you'll be there."

Everyone followed the road the local pointed out and saw a small house at the end of the road, a house made of loess with a small kitchen. A young man was squatting at the door, holding a branch in his hand and twisting it in his mouth.

This is Lingling’s ex, her ex-boyfriend.

Mrs. Xu had stumbled all the way here, her legs as weak as noodles, but she was the first to rush forward, and was about to ask the child if he had seen the young lady.

Before he could finish his words, the man saw a group of people coming towards him. He then looked up and saw that it was Mrs. Xu who was leading the group. He became as alert as a rabbit and started to run.