"Scammed?" Grandma Fu shook her head without hesitation, saying, "Impossible. Xiao Wan went to their house in person to meet them. How could there be a problem?"
Fu Hong nodded in agreement, "That's right."
"Didn't you ever consider that the Xiao Wan you're talking about might also have problems?" Ling Xiao asked.
Grandma Fu and Fu Hong were both stunned, and quickly shook their heads in unison.
“That’s even more impossible. Although Xiao Wan has only been living next door to us for a short time, we often visit each other. I know her very well. She couldn’t possibly have any problems.” Grandma Fu said, pointing to Xing Zhaozhao, “They’re cousins, blood relatives. If Xiao Wan really had any problems, wouldn’t she know and tell us?”
Xing Zhaozhao: "..." I didn't expect this to involve her.
Xing Zhaozhao refused to be tied up, shook her head, and said, "Although we are cousins, we haven't been in contact for many years. We only recently reconnected, and she took the initiative to approach me. I really don't know what's wrong with her."
Grandma Fu's heart skipped a beat. Her face fell as she looked at Xing Zhaozhao: "What do you mean? Are you trying to shirk responsibility?"
Xing Zhaozhao laughed in anger at the old lady's words: "Shifting responsibility? What responsibility do I have to shift? Fu Lan has clearly stated that she doesn't want to, and it wasn't me who dragged her to Qingxi Town for the matchmaking. Ever since I first met Fu Lan, I've been worried that such a pretty young girl would get hurt, and I've reminded you more than once to keep an eye on her, but did you listen?"
Grandma Fu panicked upon hearing this: "When did you remind me? How come I didn't know?"
Suddenly, Fu Hong thought of something, her face turned pale, and she unconsciously gripped Grandma Fu's arm tightly.
Grandma Fu was in pain from being gripped, and turned to look at Fu Hong in confusion. Seeing that Fu Hong's face was pale, she asked, "Why do you suddenly look so pale? You look like you've seen a ghost."
“Grandma, she did remind me.” Fu Hong looked at her grandmother and said, her voice trembling.
The first time was when they met for the first time, and she didn't think much of it. The day before yesterday, she took her child to Dacheng Street to visit the old headmaster's family and then they ran into each other again. She reminded her again, and she really listened; otherwise, she wouldn't have come to Qingxi Town with them today. Unfortunately, at the last minute…
Fu Hong's gaze towards her grandmother unconsciously carried a hint of resentment. When Fu Lan ran away, she had intended to chase after her, but her grandmother stopped her...
After hearing what Fu Hong said, Grandma Fu noticed the look in Fu Hong's eyes and felt a strong sense of panic.
"What kind of look is that?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly. "Are you blaming me? Your parents passed away early, and your grandfather and I raised you sisters from infancy, just wanting to find you good homes so you could enjoy a comfortable life instead of the hardships we went through. What did I do wrong that you're blaming me?"
As Grandma Fu spoke, she patted Fu Hong twice and began to sob sadly.
Fu Hong's eyes reddened, and she hugged Grandma Fu tightly: "I'm sorry, Grandma, it's my fault. I didn't explain things clearly to you and I didn't take good care of my sister. Don't blame me, it's all my fault."
Grandma Fu then hugged Fu Hong and burst into tears.
Xing Zhaozhao couldn't stand it anymore and said to Fu Hong, "Fu Hong, even if she's an old woman, you shouldn't spoil her like this. If she's wrong, she's wrong. If you don't let her know she's wrong this time, she'll do it again next time."
Grandma Fu was displeased upon hearing this. Her eyes turned red as she glared at Xing Zhaozhao and said, "I haven't even come to you yet, and you have the nerve to talk to me like that."
Xing Zhaozhao: "??"
"What's wrong with me?" Xing Zhaozhao asked.
Grandma Fu pushed Fu Hong away, walked up to Xing Zhaozhao, pointed at her nose and said, "Since you knew Lin Wan had a problem, why didn't you just say it clearly? Why did you have to hide it and keep us in suspense? If you had said it clearly earlier, I definitely wouldn't have believed her, and Xiao Lan wouldn't have gotten into trouble. It's all your fault."
Xing Zhaozhao: "..." Damn it, if it weren't for the fact that it was Fu Lan who was missing, she really wouldn't want to get involved.
"If I had known Lin Wan was problematic earlier, I wouldn't have waited until now. I would have reported her to the police and had her arrested." Xing Zhaozhao looked coldly at Grandma Fu and said, "I only became suspicious a couple of days ago. You know what 'suspicion' means, right? Without evidence, would you really believe me if I told you? I asked you. Besides, I went to see Fu Lan right away. Because you were keeping a close eye on her, I even had to ask Old Madam Qin for help. And what happened? You treated us like thieves, and even had a falling out with Old Madam Qin, while you treated Lin Wan like a treasure. You don't even know what's good for you. What can we do?"
Grandma Fu was speechless for a moment, but she didn't care about anything else: "Anyway, it's your fault. When you first met our Fu Hong, there was no matchmaking yet, but you already reminded her. You must have known something all along. Maybe you and Lin Wan are in cahoots."
Xing Zhaozhao: "..." She knew Fu Lan would disappear, but she didn't know it was related to Lin Wan. Otherwise, she wouldn't have had to wait until now. It's a pity she can't say anything.
Even Ling Xiao couldn't help but glance at Xing Zhaozhao thoughtfully.
Fu Hong quickly pulled her grandmother back and apologized to Xing Zhaozhao, saying, "I'm sorry, my grandmother was just too anxious and spoke without thinking."
"Besides, there's no evidence yet, and we can't say for sure it's related to Sister Wan, right?" Fu Hong looked at Xing Zhaozhao expectantly, still harboring a sliver of hope. If Fu Lan's disappearance wasn't intentional, the chances of finding her might be higher.
A glimmer of hope also appeared in Grandma Fu's eyes.
Xing Zhaozhao looked at Ling Xiao questioningly.
“Anyway, if the food factories in the city are really going to assemble a convoy and head south, they definitely won't come to our Nanxi Town. I've lived here for thirty years and have never heard of such a thing. You've definitely been scammed. As for whether you were scammed by that guy named Yao Xiaozhuang, or by the two of them working together, it's hard to say. We need to confirm that first.” Ling Xiao paused, looked around, and asked, “By the way, didn't Lin Wan, whom you mentioned, come to Qingxi Town with us? Where is she?”
Grandma Fu and the others then realized what was happening and looked around, but sure enough, they didn't see anyone.
“I remember when we said we were coming to see Aunt Xing, she was still there. She must have known that coming to see Aunt Xing would give us away, so she secretly ran away halfway there,” Gao Qingshan said with a dark expression.
Grandma Fu's last glimmer of hope was extinguished.
Xing Zhaozhao wasn't worried: "It's alright. She can run away, but she can't hide. Her husband and children are in Lanyuan Town. Even if she wants to run, she can't go very far. We'll definitely catch her."
"The most important thing now is to find Xiaolan as soon as possible." Xing Zhaozhao said, then looked at Ling Xiao again and asked, "You are quite familiar with this place, do you have any clues?" Since they specifically chose to come to Qingxi Town to make their move, there must be a reason. She didn't believe that Ling Xiao, as a local bigwig, would know nothing.
Ling Xiao frowned, pondered for a moment, and said, "I can have someone search the town for you first. If you can find them, that would be great. If you can't, you'd better prepare for the worst. They may have been taken into the mountains, and it won't be easy to find them again."
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