Wow wow wow...
"Uncle, I...I don't remember where I live anymore...Waaah..."
"Me too! What should I do?... "
"I will never see my father, mother, and grandfather again..."
"I miss my mother, my mother..."
...
Nie Zhen stood there speechlessly. Although he wanted to shout, he couldn't bring himself to yell when he saw those little faces crying their eyes out.
The constables who followed him were not reliable at all; most of them were unmarried and their skills in coaxing children were really lacking.
Those with kids at home, weren't they just that scholar and the scarred man? Nie Zhen looked at the two of them, his eyes clearly pleading for help.
He Yingyuan had no choice but to step forward; he was quite patient with the little child.
"Children, don't cry. Uncle has candies of all flavors here. Whoever stops crying can come and get one."
Look everyone, this guy is holding candies you've never tried before!
After saying that, Luo Huan walked over and stretched out her hand, revealing colorful, fingernail-sized pieces of candy. These were the candies that Qin San Niang usually gave to the children. He Yingyuan had asked Luo Huan to take them with her before leaving, just in case.
Gradually, the children's eyes were drawn to the candy. The younger ones had already stopped crying and came over with tears in their eyes, saying, "Brother, I want some."
"I want one too!"
...
When the other children saw them coming to receive candy, they couldn't resist the temptation. You see, Zheng Mazi and the others never gave them enough to eat, let alone candy, to prevent them from escaping! Even at home, candy wasn't something you could just get anytime, let alone such good stuff. The children decided to fill their stomachs first so they would have the energy to cry.
Once everyone had their candy, He Yingyuan began to coax them again, "Now that you've eaten my candy, you're Uncle's good friends. You're all big kids now. See that constable over there, riding a tall horse? He's really powerful. All those bad guys who arrested you were sent to jail by him!"
If you behave and listen to him, he will find you a safe place where you can eat your fill and sleep soundly, and then he will slowly help you find your family! Do you understand?
Those children were innocent by nature; otherwise, they wouldn't have been abducted by child traffickers. Some of the older ones were sold by their families. They didn't care about finding their families again; as long as they had a place to eat, they didn't want to go home. If they went home, even if they didn't starve to death, they would be sold again. And if they were sold again, they probably wouldn't be so lucky!
In short, regardless of what everyone thought, they all nodded in unison towards He Yingyuan. Several children secretly glanced in Nie Zhen's direction, then, as if frightened, quickly looked away, pretending not to see anything.
The constables breathed a sigh of relief. With so many children, even a single cry from each one would be a headache. As long as they didn't cry, their journey home would be smooth!
"Brother, we'll meet again!" Nie Zhen said to He Yingyuan with his hands clasped. He hadn't seen Gu Qingshan and thought that the scarred man had escorted his child back. In fact, after Qin Sanniang met up with them, she took Gu Qingshan into the mountains while everyone was not paying attention.
Finding a secluded spot, Qin San Niang pretended to push aside the bushes and, taking advantage of the poor visibility, quickly moved the children out.
"Qingshan, the children are all here." Gu Qingshan saw that the children were lying in the grass, breathing smoothly, and thought that they had been drugged.
Seeing that Azhi and the others were safe and sound, Gu Qingshan almost burst into tears of joy.
Realizing he couldn't possibly carry all the children on his back, he gave them water again. This was the second time they had drunk water from his space. Judging from how quickly the other children woke up, Xiao Er and the others should be awake by now.
Sure enough, in less than fifteen minutes, Mingzhe was gesturing wildly and making noises, which suggests that the children had resisted fiercely when they were caught.
Qin San Niang quickly grasped his small hand and gently stroked his hair. "Mingzhe, don't be afraid. I'm your aunt, San Niang. Everything's alright now, don't be scared!"
Seemingly sensing the presence of familiar faces, He Mingzhe finally calmed down, and soon the children all woke up one after another.
Upon seeing who it was, they all began to sob quietly, clearly quite frightened.
Qin San Niang could only coax softly, "Alright, those bad guys have all been caught, I'll teach them a lesson! Now, all of you should go home obediently, Grandma and the others are waiting for you there!"
After crying for a while, they felt much better. These children had all experienced fleeing from war; they had seen and heard about cannibalism. Hearing what Qin Sanniang said, and thinking about how worried their families must be if they were lost, they all stopped crying and hurriedly asked to go home!
Once the little ones are awake, things will be much easier. Gu Qingshan led them all onto the horse, two in front and two behind, to meet up with He Yingyuan.
"Sister, are you going to chase after those two beasts now? I'll come help you later!" He now hated Qiu Laoda and Chen Guang'an so much he wanted to skin them alive; there was absolutely no way he would spare their lives. However, even a cornered beast will fight, and he was also worried that Qin San Niang had fallen into a trap.
"I've already had Xiaobai follow them; finding them won't be a problem. You don't need to come help me. We still need to continue building the house tomorrow, and it's getting late. Hurry back so your family won't worry!" With that, Qin Sanniang mounted her horse.
"Don't worry, I'll be careful. Those two petty thieves are no match for your older sister! Also, children, this is a lesson learned. When you get back, apologize to Grandma and the others. If you hadn't insisted on playing by the stream, how could you have run into bad people? I'll tell you the details when I get back!"
Upon hearing her words, the children's faces immediately fell! They just lowered their heads and nodded, thinking about how to get through this, completely forgetting their earlier fear!
Qin San Niang turned on her flashlight, instantly illuminating the forest. Following the tracks left by Xiao Bai, she guessed that the two were terrified. There were no main roads in the forest, so they had been heading deeper into the woods along small paths! Qin San Niang guessed that they wanted to bypass the forest and come out when things calmed down, or perhaps there was another way out in the deep forest?
Regardless, she had to hold her breath and concentrate. As the forest grew darker, Qin San Niang knew she had entered the deep forest. Fortunately, she had a flashlight and a spatial magic, so even if she encountered danger, she could hide. She was also wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying a gun, so she was fully prepared!
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