Chapter 219 Child Disappearance Case
The fireworks display ended after a quarter of an hour, which is neither a long nor a short time.
So the Li family left the restaurant, thanked the innkeeper, and went to get their donkey cart, intending to release river lanterns at Anqu, the closest canal to their home.
It was just the right time to release the river lanterns and then drive the donkey cart home under the moonlight.
When we arrived at Anqu, we found that many people had already brought their families to buy river lanterns and were releasing them down the river along the ditches.
Xiao Silang saw the river lanterns he had been longing to release and insisted on getting down from Li Erxiong's arms. Li Erxiong took the opportunity to put him down, but his eyes followed him the whole time.
Today, Chang'an City is packed with people. If it weren't for the rows of constables and Imperial Guards patrolling every bustling street to maintain order, Li Sanniang would think that any accident during the Emperor's birthday celebration would be perfectly normal.
When Lu Zhu'er saw Xiao Si Lang get down on the ground, she nag Li San Niang to also get down and go to the stall selling river lanterns.
Xiao Silang was eventually a big kid, so it wasn't a big deal for him to let go. Li Dalang and the others quickly followed.
But Li San Niang dared not let go of Lu Zhu'er. Lu Zhu'er would only be three years old after the New Year, how could she dare to let go?
However, Li San Niang still put Lu Zhu'er down from her arms, but she held Lu Zhu'er's hand.
As long as Dewdrop could get down to the ground and run to the stall selling river lanterns, she didn't care that Li San Niang was holding her hand.
Li San Niang led Lu Zhu'er to the stall. The stall owner was a kind old man with a friendly smile. Seeing Li San Niang with Lu Zhu'er, he said, "Madam, please feel free to look around. We have all kinds of designs, all five copper coins a cup. You can also inscribe your name. There are brushes and ink on the table over there, feel free to use them."
Li San Niang smiled back at the old man and nodded to indicate that she understood.
Li San Niang thought to herself, "This stall owner is honest. He didn't raise prices because of the birthday festival. I remember the last time I came here with my second brother Li to release lanterns and pray for blessings during the Ghost Festival, a lantern cost five copper coins."
"Mother, it's beautiful!"
Li San Niang looked at the pretty lamp that Lu Zhu'er was pointing to; it was a rabbit lamp with two long ears.
Dewdrop held up two palms on either side of her ears, smiled, and said to Li Sanniang, "Mother, rabbit."
Seeing Lu Zhu'er's adorable appearance, Li San Niang figured it was probably the wild rabbit that Li Er Sao's family had sent over from the mountain, which they had caught and kept in the backyard. That's why Lu Zhu'er remembered it.
Of course, those last few rabbits were used by Li San Niang to test the medicine, and after the test, they were buried in the backyard.
"Does Dewdrop like this rabbit?"
Dewdrop nodded with her big, round eyes: "Dewdrop likes it, Mother, buy it."
Li San Niang nodded in agreement to buy Lu Zhu'er's request. She picked out a lotus-shaped cup, paid for it, and then led Lu Zhu'er to the stationery provided by the stall owner. She asked Lu Zhu'er what she wanted to write, and Lu Zhu'er blinked and said to Li San Niang, "Mother, just write 'Little Huang and Wu Lang grow up quickly.'"
Li's mother, Li's eldest sister-in-law, and Li's second sister-in-law, whose little Wulang was sleeping in the pocket of her chest, all smiled as they listened to Luzhu'er's childish words.
Sister-in-law Li said to her mother, "Haha, Mother, Luzhu'er has put Xiaohuang and Wulang together."
Li Ersao didn't think there was anything wrong with Luzhuer putting the little yellow dog and her son together. She even smiled and said to Luzhuer, "Thank you for thinking of Xiao Wulang. He will definitely appreciate Luzhuer's kindness and grow up with the little yellow dog soon."
Li San Niang didn't give Lu Zhu'er any perfunctory treatment. She neatly wrote down Lu Zhu'er's words on the paper: "May my little Huang and Wu Lang grow up quickly." She also wrote Lu Zhu'er's full name in the signature section: "Wang Wanlu of Chang'an Changshoufang."
On the scroll of paper inside the lotus leaf lamp that Li San Niang herself had chosen, she wrote the same words as before: "May my son Wang Wanlu have a peaceful and prosperous life," and left her name as Li Mingfang of Chang'an Changshoufang.
After writing it down and putting it into the wick, Li San Niang led Lu Zhu'er to the ditch, carefully holding Lu Zhu'er's waist, and let her put her rabbit lantern down herself.
Looking at the countless colorful river lanterns on the Anqu River, Li Sanniang felt that this was probably the most beautiful wish in people's hearts.
Li San Niang picked up Lu Zhu'er and asked her if she was cold. Lu Zhu'er had just said she wasn't cold when she leaned on Li San Niang's shoulder. Just then, Li San Niang heard a commotion coming from the street ahead.
Back by the roadside, Li's father, mother, eldest sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, and nineteen and Qiuxiang were waiting. Li's second brother took the four children to release river lanterns.
Sister-in-law Li and the others naturally heard the commotion coming from ahead. "What's going on? Are they here to put on a show?"
Li's mother chimed in, "No, this place is specifically reserved for people to release river lanterns; other businesses are not allowed here."
When Li Erxiong returned alone, just as Li Sanniang was about to ask where the four little ones had gone, the group of people in front of them also arrived near Li Sanniang and the others.
"Second brother, where are Fourth Brother and the others?"
"Excuse me, have you seen a young man?"
The Li family members all saw the sweat on the man's forehead and the anxious look on his face. Upon hearing his words, the three words "child abduction" popped into their minds!
Li Erxiong then became worried: "After I released the lantern, the others said they wanted to see where it would drift, so I came back first, leaving them by the ditch."
After Li Erxiong finished speaking, he quickly ran to the edge of the ditch. Not to mention Li Ersao, Li's father, mother, sister-in-law, and third sister-in-law, who were standing nearby, would all be anxious after hearing this.
Sister-in-law Li simply said, "Father and Mother, you wait here. I'll go and see."
Li San Niang hugged Lu Zhu'er tightly and didn't follow Li Da Sao, staying behind to keep Li's father, mother, and second sister-in-law company. Seeing this, Shi Jiu said something and followed Li Da Sao directly.
Seeing the situation, the man repeated to Li's father and the others, "Excuse me, my young master is lost. He's at the place where river lanterns are released upstream."
"The young master is only five years old, about this tall," the man gestured to a height that reached the young master's thigh, then continued to the Li family, "Today the young master is wearing a blue robe, and his hair is tied in two little buns with red ribbons. Have any of you seen him before?"
Did Li San Niang and the others ever notice other people's children on the street?
Their attention was all on their own children, and they also focused their attention on choosing the style of the river lantern.
Faced with the anxiety of the people in front of them, the Li family could only shake their heads and indicate that they did not know.
After bowing to Li Sanniang and the others, the man said, "My shopkeeper's surname is Xing. He owns a shop called Supermarket in both the East and West Markets. If you need any help, please feel free to contact us. My shopkeeper said that we can provide whatever amount of money you need, as long as the young master is safe and sound, we can discuss anything."
When Li San Niang heard the man say that he was the owner of a supermarket, she thought to herself, "Isn't this the supermarket opened by my fellow transmigrators?"
Before Li San Niang could figure out what to do, the man bowed and went to the old man selling river lanterns.
At this time, Sister-in-law Li and the others also returned.
Of course, Li Erxiong and Sixiao just came back with them.
When Li Erxiong and his group went to look for them, the four little ones had only walked a short distance downstream in the ditch.
Although Xiao Silang still wanted to go down and see where the river lanterns were, after Li Dalang said that he couldn't go too far, Xiao Silang didn't necessarily have to go.
Having walked quite a distance today, Xiao Silang said to Li Dalang in a coquettish tone, "Big brother, Xiao Si is tired."
Li Sanlang, who rarely spoke up, understood everything when he saw Xiao Silang like this.
"Hmph, tired? Are you going to ask your eldest brother to carry you again? When you're ordering your eldest brother around, you're acting like the fourth one? Don't we always have to call you the fourth one?"
Xiao Silang ignored Li Sanlang's taunts. At this moment, Li Dalang had already squatted down. Xiao Silang happily climbed onto Li Dalang's back, wrapped his arms around Li Dalang's neck, and even gave Li Sanlang a smug look.
"Hmph, the arrogant and smug look of a petty person who has achieved success, as the gentleman described, is probably referring to you, Li Xiaosi!"
Li Erlang, who had been watching the spectacle unfold, was genuinely amused: "Haha, Sanlang, you used that idiom well. That's exactly how the teacher taught you. Haha."
So, at this moment, what Li San Niang saw was Xiao Si Lang, who was still restless on Li Da Lang's back and staring at Li San Lang with wide eyes.
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