Shen Jialuo got tired of fighting grasshoppers with Tiedan next door, so he went to pet Houfu, who was sitting obediently at the door, because he was really bored.
"Let's go play with my sister instead."
Shen Jialu muttered, "Those mischievous monkeys like Tiedan are always making a fuss, but my soft and sweet little sister is much more fun."
Shen Jialuo looked around and found that there were only a few people left in Lili's original seat; most of them had gone to play in groups.
Shen Jiahao and Shen Jialu moved between the thirty-odd tables, busy adding a pair of chopsticks to one table and getting a cup for another.
Shen Jiawen was also busy tidying up some empty plates and taking them back to the kitchen.
By this time, everyone had finally finished eating and started chatting casually, and the few people finally had some free time.
Shen Jialuo looked around but couldn't find Lili. Seeing that Lili wasn't with her three brothers either, he guessed that perhaps Lili had eaten her fill and was sleepy, so she went back to her room to rest.
Shen Jialuo went home and searched again, but still couldn't find Lili. He even went to Doctor Sikong's hut, but found Shen Jiaqing quietly writing something while Doctor Sikong lay there watching.
Shen Jialuo was getting anxious. Where did his sister go?
Shen Jialuo hurriedly ran to find Shen Jiahao. Shen Jiahao and his two younger brothers were resting and drinking water in Lili's original seat. When they heard that Lili was missing, Shen Jiahao was extremely anxious: "What? I thought Lili had gone back to her room to rest!"
Shen Jialu was also very anxious. When Shen Jialuo heard that Shen Jiahao didn't know where Lili was either, he became even more flustered.
Several people stood up and were about to go find Old Lady Shen, but fortunately Shen Jiawen stopped them: "Don't rush, I was with Lili earlier. After Lili finished eating, she went to play with Wang Hongfang. It seems she went to the river."
"real?"
Shen Jiawen nodded and looked at the sky: "Yes, it's been quite a while. I noticed those two girls weren't following us. Let's go and call them home now."
"good!"
When the group heard that they were going to play by the river, they were no longer in such a hurry.
Just as Shen Jiawen thought, the riverbank wasn't far away, and Lili was always someone they could trust. Today, all the villagers were gathered here, and Wang Hongfang was the granddaughter of the Wang family, whom they knew very well. Nothing bad was bound to happen to her.
Although quite some time has passed, it's normal for Lili to lose track of time since it was her first time making friends alone.
The osmanthus cakes made by Yang were almost ready. Lili loved osmanthus cakes the most, so the group decided to go to the river to find Lili and bring her home.
Tang Xiaowei, who was passing by, heard that the group was going to the river to look for Lili and came over to say that he wanted to go too: "Is it because Lili went to the river to catch fish that she hasn't come back for so long? I want to go catch fish too! My dad said that if I follow Lili, I'll get to eat meat!"
Then a few village children, led by Tiedan, gathered around and started clamoring to go too.
Shen Jialuo and Tiedan were on good terms, and it was just a matter of going to the river together, so he naturally agreed. Thus, Shen Jialuo turned to ask his older brother for his opinion.
Shen Jiahao thought for a moment, maybe Lili really was catching fish and lost track of time, so it wouldn't hurt to let them go and see how amazing their precious little sister was.
Shen Jiahao nodded in agreement, and a group of children, led by him, set off in a grand procession towards the river.
When some people saw them, they asked where such a large group of people were going. After hearing Tiedan say that he was going to the river to watch Lili catch fish, they chuckled and told them to learn from her how to catch fish.
Only after the children's figures turned a corner and disappeared did Ms. Li, who had been engrossed in eating, loosen her sweaty hands.
Does the fact that that little money-loser hasn't returned for so long mean that Liu Dashi has already succeeded?
I guess so?
Hahahaha.
Ms. Li felt a surge of joy.
A worthless piece of trash!
After feeling refreshed, Ms. Li's heart skipped a beat again.
With so many people going there, if they don't find that little money-loser, won't things escalate?
Ms. Li was absent-minded and had a sullen face until her mother-in-law, Aunt Li, returned from chatting at the next table. Seeing Ms. Li's face, which looked like she owed money, Aunt Li also frowned and said, "What are you thinking about? Who are you giving that look to?"
Ms. Li chuckled sheepishly as she regained her composure: "No, nothing."
Aunt Li rolled her eyes at her, muttered something, and got up to leave: "I really don't know who she's trying to impress with that sour face all day long. No wonder she has a gambling addict brother."
Ms. Li's face darkened; she felt both embarrassed and relieved.
Hmph, who told that little money-loser to be so talkative?
If she hadn't been so talkative, how could Liu Dashi's gambling addiction have been discovered, and how could her in-laws have given her such a hard time?
So it's all that little money-loser's fault, she deserves it!
Thinking this way, Ms. Li comforted herself.
Liu Dashi took the person away; she only bought him some sleeping pills, it had nothing to do with her.
No one saw her talking to or meeting Liu Dashi, and no one even knew that Liu Dashi was there.
We definitely can't suspect them!
Ms. Li breathed a sigh of relief, put down her bowl and chopsticks, and got up to go chat elsewhere.
In the kitchen, Yang and several others packed the steamed osmanthus cakes into plates, but the children who had been helping earlier didn't come in for a long time.
Yang was absent-minded and felt uneasy.
Liu asked curiously, "Hey, where are those boys? Are they sitting down to eat?"
Mrs. Chen smiled and said, "I guess so. I saw Jiahao and Jialu busy running around. They're almost done now and are probably eating."
Liu thought about it and agreed. Her two sons were so sensible, so she was naturally gratified and heartbroken.
Mrs. Tang picked up the osmanthus cake: "Let the children eat it, we'll just take it over."
Yang also picked up two plates of osmanthus cakes: "Let's make a few trips together."
She wanted to visit her daughter and son, but for some reason, she felt uneasy.
Yang placed the osmanthus cakes on both tables, and everyone at the tables praised her for her excellent craftsmanship.
While Yang humbly agreed, she searched for Shen Jialuo and Lili.
After searching for several days without finding her, the village chief's wife, Tang, told her, "Aunt Wang just told me that Lili took her son Hongfang to play by the river. Jiahao and the others ran to the river to find Lili as soon as they heard that. My Xiaowei is there too, so don't worry."
"Yeah?"
Yang glanced at the riverbank, feeling that something was amiss, but ultimately said nothing: "That's fine then. I was worried that Lili and Jialuo, those mischievous monkeys, would run far away."
Mrs. Tang patted her hand with a smile: "With Jiahao here, aren't you worried? Even my husband is afraid of that kid Jiahao."
After thinking about her nephew's ability to shatter stones with a single punch, Madam Yang felt reassured.
However, Yang always felt that a gaze was fixed on her, but when she turned her head, there was nothing there.
Madam Yang shook her head to herself. Was she too tired lately?
I'm always restless.
As she watched Yang's retreating figure, Xiao Li forced herself to calmly take a sip of tea.
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