"Does anyone have anything else to say? If not, then let's go home and discuss what to buy tomorrow. You can talk to me tonight or tomorrow morning." The village chief stood up and interrupted everyone's discussion.
Everyone quieted down after hearing what the village chief said.
"Village chief, I have one more thing to say." Yun the butcher stood up and said.
"Yun the Butcher, what else do you want to say?" the village chief asked in confusion.
"Village Chief, when Brother Wu and I were returning from the city gate to gather information, we heard a couple searching for their lost child. They said there have been missing children in the square every day these days."
"Village chief, this is true. I heard it too," Old Man Wu added.
"Village Chief, you also know Zirui, a relative's child adopted by my family. He was once encountered by human traffickers in the square. Later, his grandmother took advantage of the traffickers' downtime and escaped with him."
"They were later discovered by one of the traffickers and chased after. Zirui's grandmother later died from injuries sustained while trying to protect him."
"So, I think we should take this matter seriously. But fortunately, we will leave here and go to the South Gate tomorrow." Yun the Butcher said thankfully.
"Butcher Yun, is what you said true?"
"Yes, human traffickers are so abominable."
"When times are good, there are human traffickers. When times are bad, human traffickers become even more rampant."
"You have to keep an eye on your children. If they're taken away by human traffickers, the chances of finding them back are slim."
"Didn't you hear from Butcher Yun that there have been children missing from the square every day in recent days?"
"It's a good thing we didn't go to the square to rest."
"Yes, fortunately we will leave here and go to the South Gate tomorrow."
As soon as they heard the word human traffickers, everyone started talking.
"Village chief, Brother Yun and I discussed this before. The square is so small, yet children go missing every day and are never found. We think the missing children might have been taken to the city by human traffickers." Old Man Wu quickly stood up and said.
"If you think about it carefully, it's true. A lost child can't just go without food or water and sleep all the time. As long as he makes a sound, he might be found."
"Only when it is transported to the city will there be no movement in the square." The village chief thought about it and it was indeed true.
"Everyone, please be quiet for a moment. Now that we know there are human traffickers in the square, everyone should pay attention. When we set out tomorrow morning, stay close to the group and don't fall behind."
"Everyone, go home tonight and tell your children everything in advance. Don't run around tomorrow morning. If you really lose your child, it will be difficult to find him." The village chief said loudly.
"Understood, Village Chief."
"I'll tell my kids when I get home."
"Children will behave themselves once they hear about human traffickers."
Everyone present was talking about it.
"Okay, it's okay, let's all go back." said the village chief.
So everyone went home one after another.
Butcher Yun and Old Man Wu walked back together.
"Brother Wu, when you go back, you must have a good talk with your sister-in-law about the human traffickers. Ask everyone in the family to keep an eye on the child."
"Don't worry, let my children stay close to their parents tomorrow."
"That's good. I'll take Yiyi into the city tomorrow, and let the other children go to the South Gate."
"I feel like there hasn't been a single day of peace since I came here to escape the famine." Old man Wu continued to complain.
"Brother Wu, fleeing from famine is definitely not the same as staying at home. Once we get through this period, things will get smoother in the future." Butcher Yun continued to encourage Old Man Wu.
"That's all I can think of. Well, I'm home now. See you tomorrow."
"Okay, Brother Wu." Butcher Yun waved to Old Man Wu.
Butcher Yun also hurried to his destination. He found Yun Yiyi asleep on a chair. Several boys gathered nearby, chatting. Zhang was packing cotton next to the donkey cart.
Butcher Yun carried Yun Yiyi to the mat and told her to sleep well. He looked up and saw that it was getting dark. Yiyi was asleep and probably wouldn't wake up.
"Boss, there are human traffickers in the square. When we leave here for the South Gate tomorrow morning, please keep an eye on your brothers and tell them not to run around." Yun the Butcher whispered.
"I remember. Dad. Don't worry. I will take good care of my younger brothers." Old Man Yun answered in a loud voice.
"Take your brother and wash his feet and go to bed. You have to get up early tomorrow morning."
"Zirui, follow your auntie closely tomorrow morning. Don't fall behind, and don't be afraid. The traffickers haven't seen you in your current state."
"I think the traffickers steal children when adults aren't paying attention. As long as you stay close to the group tomorrow, the traffickers won't dare to provoke us when they see how long our group is."
"Second brother, third brother, you two have to behave yourself and don't run around. Remember?" Yun the butcher's face turned serious in an instant.
"Uncle, I will be good and obedient." Xie Zirui answered obediently.
"I understand, Dad." Second Brother Yun and Third Brother Yun answered in unison.
"Follow your eldest brother to wash his feet. After washing, go to sleep quickly. Be gentle and don't wake up your sister."
The young men nodded and went to wash their feet on their own initiative.
Butcher Yun walked over to Zhang and sat down.
"Boss, what did you talk about in the meeting? I see you are worried about something." Zhang asked with concern.
"Tomorrow morning, the village chief will lead the people of Yunjia Village who are not entering the city, along the path beside the city wall to the south gate of the county town."
"Master, why are you going to the South Gate for no reason?" Zhang stopped what she was doing.
"Wife, we have to go out of the city through the south gate. Another reason is that every family in our village needs a cart pulled by oxen or horses. There are too many refugees at the city gate, and driving a cart out would be too conspicuous."
"There are fewer refugees at the South Gate, so it's not conspicuous. Besides, if we continue forward, we must go through the South Gate."
"Wife, the county government will give each refugee family half a bucket of water for free every morning. But you can only get it once a day. Tomorrow morning, when we get to the South Gate, you can have the eldest brother go with everyone else to get it."
"Also, the government also sells water. A bucket costs five cents. The village chief requires every family to buy enough water for ten days. Since we have a child named Zirui, we need to use more water."
"So tomorrow when I go into town, I'll buy two more large water jugs. I'll buy water at the city gate and fill them up before returning. You just need to fill up the jugs we already have."
"Okay, I've got it, head of the household. There's one more thing I want to tell you in advance. So that you don't get scared. Yiyi may ask Zirui to go into the city with you tomorrow morning. If you want to save trouble, just agree directly. Otherwise, your daughter will keep pestering you." Zhang thought of Yiyi's cheating look and laughed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
