The market is busier than usual today.
Just after nine o'clock, the dirt street was already crowded with people.
A peddler carrying a load on his shoulder pole shakes a rattle drum, while an old man selling potatoes squats behind his wooden stall, calling out his wares.
Women in blue cloth jackets were picking and choosing fabrics around the stall, and the air was filled with the aroma of fried dough sticks and the sounds of children playing.
Guan Wenru held He Sheng's hand, while He Yi and He Qi followed hand in hand beside them. The three little ones huddled together, their eyes wide open.
Zeng Chunlan walked beside Guan Wenru, clutching a cloth bag in her hand, glancing up at the stall every now and then. "Little Guan, look, the sugar figurine vendor up ahead is still there. The one I told you about yesterday is him. He can make Sun Wukong so realistically that you can see every single hair!"
Upon hearing about sugar figurines, He Sheng immediately tugged at Guan Wenru's hand, his voice bright and clear, "Mommy, Mommy! Shall we go see the sugar figurines? I want to see if Sun Wukong's golden cudgel is red!"
"Don't rush," Guan Wenru said with a smile, patting the back of his hand. "Let's go pick out some milk candy for Dad first. Remember? You all said you wanted to buy Dad the sweetest one."
He Yi nodded immediately and tugged at He Sheng's sleeve, "Yes, let's buy milk candy first, Daddy loves milk candy the most!"
He Qi chimed in softly, "Mom, I remember the milk candies at the market last time were wrapped in transparent paper with words on them. Let's look for those."
Zeng Chunlan listened from the side and couldn't help but laugh, "The three of you are really like little adults, always thinking about your father."
"Okay, let's go to that general store first. I remember they have milk candy, and it's cheap, two for a penny."
After buying candy at the grocery store, as soon as they stepped outside, Zeng Chunlan's eyes suddenly lit up, and she tugged at Guan Wenru's arm:
"Hey! Wenru, look over there! That old fabric stall, the pattern looks thick and nice, perfect for making autumn clothes for the kids, shall we go take a look?"
Guan Wenru looked in the direction she pointed and sure enough, there was a cloth stall with several bolts of dark gray and navy blue old cloth hanging on the wall, which looked warm.
However, she doesn't lack fabric at home, so she doesn't need to buy any.
But I have to accompany Zeng Chunlan to see her.
Guan Wenru took her triplets with her.
No one noticed that, at the foot of the wall of the oil mill in the far corner of the market, two figures were staring intently at them.
Scarface squatted on the ground, his hat brim pulled down low, covering most of his face, revealing only a scar that ran from his brow bone to his jaw.
He held a nearly extinguished cigarette in his hand, oblivious to the fact that the butt was almost burning his fingers. His eyes were fixed on the triplets like those of a venomous snake, and his Adam's apple bobbed.
The tall, thin guy next to him wasn't much better off; his fingers were unconsciously picking at the plaster on the wall, and his voice was barely audible, "Boss, He Yanzhi isn't here today!"
"Damn it! The opportunity has finally come!" Scarface stubbed out his cigarette, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it. When he looked up, his eyes gleamed with excitement.
However, the market was crowded, and the two women were holding the child's hand the whole time, so it wasn't easy for them to make a move!
Thinking of this, Scarface and the tall, thin man exchanged a glance.
“Come on, let’s wait on that dirt road over there.” Scarface’s voice was hoarse as he pointed to a side road at the edge of the market.
It was a dirt road, not many people usually walked on it, and there were several bundles of dry grass piled up on the side, just enough to hide someone.
Zeng Chunlan and Guan Wenru strolled around for a while, when Zeng Chunlan suddenly remembered that she needed to find that traditional Chinese medicine doctor.
She knew the triplets wouldn't have the patience to accompany her to the doctor, so she asked Guan Wenru to take the triplets sightseeing first, and then they would meet at the state-run restaurant at noon.
Guan Wenru immediately agreed.
After Zeng Chunlan left, Guan Wenru took the triplets to continue shopping, letting them have as much fun as they wanted.
By almost midnight, the three little ones' legs were aching from walking.
He Sheng rubbed his stomach and mumbled softly, "Mom, I'm hungry. Let's go to the state-run restaurant quickly. I want to eat meat buns."
He Yi nodded, a light sheen of sweat on his forehead. "Mom, the millet porridge at the restaurant is delicious too. Did I drink two bowls when Dad took us there last time?"
Guan Wenru smiled and patted He Yi's head, then took out a handkerchief from her bag and wiped their sweat. "Alright, let's go to the state-run restaurant first. It's not far, just around the corner. We'll have steamed buns today, and also some stir-fried vegetables, to satisfy your cravings."
He Qi's eyes lit up. "Mom, can you save a steamed bun for Dad? He can heat it up and eat it when he gets back."
"Of course you can." Guan Wenru felt a warm glow in her heart.
She led the three children forward.
After walking about five or six hundred meters from the market, I suddenly stopped.
On the dirt road around the corner ahead, a dark figure suddenly rushed out, moving as fast as the wind, and pounced straight at the mother and her three children!
"Watch out!" Guan Wenru's mind went blank for a moment, and her years of vigilance instantly kicked in. Almost instinctively, she retreated to the side and back, while quickly pulling the triplets behind her.
At the same time, she released the triplets' hands, took out a pistol from her spatial storage, and fired without hesitation!
Bang!
Gunshots rang out on the empty dirt road, making the leaves of the surrounding trees rustle.
Before the scarred man could even get close, he was shot squarely in the thigh, blood instantly soaking his trouser leg, and he let out a muffled groan.
He knelt down with a thud, raising his pistol. His eyes were filled with ferocity and resentment.
Guan Wenru roared, "Don't move!"
She fired another shot, but he dodged it!
"Mom!" The triplets trembled at the sound of the gunshot, tears streaming down their faces, their voices filled with fear.
Guan Wenru's hand holding the gun was still trembling slightly as he stared intently at the scarred man on the ground, wanting to fire again.
Just then, a gust of wind suddenly came from the back of my neck…
She knew something was wrong and turned around abruptly, but it was too late!
The tall, thin man appeared behind her at some point and, taking advantage of the moment she was dealing with the scarred man, scooped up He Sheng, who was still in shock!
He Sheng was so frightened that he burst into tears, pounding his little hands on the tall, thin man's shoulders and crying out, "Mommy! Mommy, save me! Let me go! I want my mommy!"
"He Sheng!" Guan Wenru's heart clenched. Just as she was about to raise her gun to aim at the tall, thin man, she saw him quickly pull out a gun from his pocket and press the muzzle firmly against He Sheng's temple.
He Sheng's cries instantly became hoarse, and his little body trembled uncontrollably.
"Don't move!" The tall, thin man's voice was shrill and fierce, his eyes bloodshot. "Put the gun down! Or I'll kill this brat right now!"
Guan Wenru felt as if her heart was being gripped by a giant hand, the pain making it almost impossible for her to breathe.
But she knew she couldn't panic!
He Yi and He Qi were still hiding behind her crying, and He Sheng was still in the hands of the tall, thin man. If she lost her composure, the children would be in grave danger.
She took a deep breath, the gun still pointed at the tall, thin man, her voice trying to remain calm, but unable to hide a tremor, "Who are you? Why did you kidnap my child? Release him!"
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