"Oh my god, this ungrateful wretch! We raised her for over ten years, and now that she's all grown up, she's started swearing at her elders. She doesn't remember our kindness but only harbors resentment. She cursed at our entire family of four, then turned and walked away, saying she'd cut ties with us and never have anything to do with us again..."
The voices behind them grew fainter and fainter. By now, the sun had already peeked out from the mountainside. They knew they couldn't stay in this village any longer and might as well go to the town. In their memory, Nanmu Town was dozens of kilometers away from Yaoping Village. They had only been there once when they accompanied Jia Yulian to see a doctor when they were children, which was several years ago.
But the buses to town had already stopped running, and she could only wait until tomorrow morning. After this day of trouble, Zhang Yanni was already fed up with every second she spent there, so she decided to just hitch a ride on a coal train that night.
I'd always heard that the villagers who ran small businesses would hitch a ride on coal trucks at night to buy goods in the city in order to save a few cents on bus fare, but I'd never actually seen it done before. Now I'm going to experience it for myself.
Zhang Yanni first went to the river to wash her face, and suddenly noticed a wound on the right side of her forehead. It was dull and painful to the touch. She carefully wiped it to avoid the water getting into the wound and causing it to become infected. In the reflection, her red body was shiny. Wearing this wedding dress was not an option; it would make her stand out wherever she went.
She opened her bundle, found her usual clothes, and changed into them. The clothes were clean, but covered in patches. Indeed, cleanliness was now the only thing she could control in her life.
Putting on her brand-new floral cloth shoes, she quickly tidied her messy hair. To prevent infection of her wound, she wrapped her hair with a handkerchief and hurried towards the railway tracks, keeping a close eye on her surroundings.
People were already waiting to hitchhike in the ditches on both sides of the railway. They sat in groups of three or five on the sandy ground, and there were more than twenty people scattered around.
Zhang Yanni found an open space to sit down. The darkness of the sky gradually enveloped her, and she felt as if even the Milky Way was so close, almost within reach. Such a beautiful starry sky—wouldn't it be a waste to die? The most important thing now was to find a place to live. Yes, live! Live well!
When Liang Jiaheng returned to the police station, his mind was filled with the words Jia Yufeng had said to his face.
He went into the archives and searched for a long time before finally finding the old investigation documents in a file folder, which he then flipped through page by page.
Ultimately, their focus fell on the notice for assistance in the investigation and the missing person notice issued by the Yongning City Public Security Bureau back then.
The little girl named Zhang Yanni on the paper looked remarkably similar to Jia Yufeng, whom I had seen during the day.
Especially their big, round eyes are exactly the same.
Even the location of the moles on the nose and cheeks was exactly the same.
"This is Zhang Yanni, who went missing back then!"
Liang Jiaheng slammed his hand on the desk.
He then reported the matter to his superiors, and the Nanmu Town Public Security Bureau immediately contacted the Yongning City Public Security Bureau to discuss the matter.
When Ge Qiuqin received Wu Meixia's call, tears streamed down her face, and she was so excited that she couldn't even speak.
After all these years, her youngest daughter, whom she had longed for day and night, has finally been found.
They then immediately set off with Qin Gang, following the Yongning City police officers, to Nanmu Town.
They didn't even have time to stay at a hotel along the way, rushing day and night, afraid that even a second's delay would cause them to miss something.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
