They rushed to the orphanage at breakneck speed, and Huang's face was terribly gloomy.
"Tell me, what exactly happened?"
The orphanage's gates are always locked; even delivery people aren't allowed inside. How could a child get lost like that?
As the dean, Lü Feng's hair was so messy from pulling it so much it looked like a bird's nest.
"Madam, everything was normal today. When we took roll call this morning, all the children were there. But after their afternoon nap, Baozi, who is in charge of taking care of Xiaotangyuan, said that Xiaotangyuan was missing."
Before bedtime, he was worried that Xiao Tangyuan would wet the bed, so he specially put a bed pad on the little guy's bed. The other children in the same room can all testify to this.
When I woke up, I couldn't find the little glutinous rice balls.
Baozi reported it to Granny Dong, who was in charge of childcare in their room, but she said she didn't know either, as she had fallen asleep at noon.
We've searched the entire yard, but we still can't find Xiao Tangyuan. We've checked every room, but we still haven't found the child.
Huang closed her eyes.
"Have you checked the gatehouse and the surrounding walls? If the gatehouse and walls are fine, then the child probably hasn't left the yard yet."
Lu Feng was shocked, "Madam, you mean...?"
Madam Huang nodded, "The person in charge has embezzled. Tie up Granny Dong, who is in charge of childcare for this house."
After saying this, Huang got up and went to ask the officers if they had discovered any clues.
Because the report came from the orphanage, Magistrate Qiu took it very seriously.
They dispatched several of their most capable constables to investigate, one of whom was Zhao Jinzhou from Zhao Family Village.
The constables' judgment was the same as Lü Feng's: the door lock definitely hadn't been opened during the entire lunch break.
Old Qiu, who was in charge of the gatehouse, had a bit of an upset stomach today, so he brewed himself a pot of medicine during his lunch break and sat at the door watching the stove. He couldn't possibly not know if anyone came in or out.
Especially at noon, he would lock the gate to prevent children from sneaking out if he wasn't looking.
It's not that once children enter a sales home, they're never allowed to leave again.
For safety reasons, children must be accompanied by caregivers when they go out.
After being fed and cared for for a period of time, the children who were previously pale, thin, and dressed in tattered clothes now look completely different. They have not only gained weight but also become much fairer.
Going out again won't be so safe.
Determining that the child should still be in the orphanage, everyone began searching for the doll.
First, we need to check the children's rooms, including the rolled-up blankets. After all, Xiaotangyuan is only two years old, a tiny little bundle, and it's not easy to find her if she's stuffed anywhere.
Then came the nursery, and then the storeroom; every slightly larger package or box had to be opened and inspected.
Even the flour jar and rice jar were not spared by the Huang family.
They managed to get a long-armed officer to rummage through the inside, and then Madam Huang herself took a stick and stretched it around to make sure there was nothing hidden inside.
They searched every room but couldn't find the child.
Huang had people walk through every row of the vegetable garden in the yard, but they still found nothing.
Everyone looked grim.
Standing under the blazing sun, Mrs. Huang scanned the entire orphanage, pondering which corner she had overlooked.
Under such a blazing sun, his wife stood there for two quarters of an hour, letting the sweat drip down her face.
Finally, Huang's gaze settled on the well in the courtyard. She quickly walked over, as it was the only place in the courtyard she hadn't searched.
Seeing Huang rushing straight to the well, Tian Xiaolan, who was following behind, was afraid that her mother-in-law would jump into the well out of self-blame, so she shouted, "Mother-in-law!"
Just as her heart was pounding in her throat, Huang turned her head, her face beaming with joy.
"Come quick, the child is in the well."
Now it was Tian Xiaolan's turn to lose her composure. She plopped down on the ground, tears streaming down her face.
That little dumpling, she even gave it a bath. It was such a pretty little thing. After being in the well for so long, wouldn't it have died long ago?
Lu Feng and the constables quickly ran to the well and worked together to move the stone slab covering it, thus seeing the situation inside.
A bucket hangs in the well, and the child sleeping peacefully inside the bucket is Xiao Tangyuan.
Mrs. Huang personally pulled the bucket up little by little, afraid that if the rope broke, the little dumpling would fall in and cause a big problem.
The moment the bucket was out of the well, Lü Feng quickly picked it up and carried it over.
I gently placed it on the ground and lifted the little guy out of the bucket.
After confirming that the little one was still breathing, I began to massage the little one's arms and legs little by little.
"This is truly a tragedy. The little guy has been curled up for so long; his arms and legs are probably parched. If it goes on any longer, he might develop a chronic illness, which would be a real sin."
A tall, burly man's eyes welled up with tears.
The child was finally found, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Mrs. Huang turned to her daughter-in-law...
"Second son's wife, quickly send someone to fetch a doctor."
"This little guy has been in the well for so long, he's bound to catch a cold. Looks like he was given quite a bit of sleeping pills."
After confirming that the child was still alive, Tian Xiaolan regained her strength, stood up, dusted herself off, took out a handful of copper coins, and called the two oldest boys to go out and find a doctor nearby.
Tell the nursery to go get a doctor. Stop making a fuss. Tian Xiaolan doesn't like anyone right now, especially since they're so slow.
The children were very excited when they learned that Little Tangyuan had been found.
Those two thirteen or fourteen-year-old boys considered themselves the older brothers, and that if their younger brothers needed help, the older brothers had to rush to do it.
The doctor lived nearby. About fifteen minutes later, a doctor with gray hair came running up, panting, following behind the two young men.
Panting as he ran, he said, "You two brats, slow down! Don't drop my medicine box."
The two boys ran alongside, saying, "Doctor, hurry up! My little Tangyuan is still unconscious."
The old doctor entered the courtyard, helped the patient, and after taking several dozen breaths, his violently beating heart finally calmed down.
After taking the little dumpling's pulse,
"The child was already weak and had a frail body. He caught a cold and was given a lot of sleeping pills. I just don't know if he will become stupid after he wakes up."
Lü Feng was shocked.
"Doctor, can you tell me what medicine we can use to detoxify the child? This little guy is only two years old. If he becomes mentally impaired, how will he live in the future?"
The old doctor waved his hand, "Once I prescribe the medicine, the little guy won't be stupid even if he wants to."
Everyone...
I really want to slap this old man who's talking so heavily.
The medicine is ready. Quickly send those two boys to pick it up.
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