"What did you say? When did you go missing? You were here this morning!"
Xu Zi frowned, immediately parked his bicycle, and was about to go out to look for someone.
"Have you asked Ma Zi and the other kids? Isn't Xiao Rong with them?"
Yu Jiu hurriedly followed.
"I asked around, and they all said they hadn't seen Xiao Rong. They said that around 10 o'clock, Xiao Rong said he felt a little hungry and wanted to go home to eat, so they parted ways. But Xiao Rong wasn't at home, and the children who usually played with him also said that Xiao Rong didn't come out to look for them later."
I've searched the neighborhood, but no matter how much I call Xiaorong, no one answers. He's definitely missing. I don't know if he's lost or if someone took him away. Brother, cousin, please help me! Please help me find Xiaorong! I beg you, he's my only brother!
Lin Zheng was extremely anxious, his usually composed and handsome face showing great concern. He bent his knees and was about to kneel down before Xu Zijiang.
"Get up, what are you doing! Do you think I won't help you find Xiao Rong? A man's knees are worth gold, he can't just kneel. Xiao Rong might be lost, I'll send someone to find him right now. Don't rush, the more you rush, the more likely you are to make a mistake."
Xu Zi grabbed his arm and pulled him up. He gave Lin Zheng a deep lecture with a cold face, then strode out the door. Yu Jiu quickly closed the door and followed.
Xu Zijiang will use a loudspeaker to broadcast.
"Has anyone seen Lin Rong? If you have any clues, come and tell me. Everyone, drop what you're doing and come out to look for her. Lin Rong is missing. Everyone, come out and look for her. Lin Rong is missing. She might be lost."
Xu Zijiang used a loudspeaker to gather most of the production team. He divided them into four teams, one each in the east, west, south, and north, instructing everyone to search carefully. Finding the missing child would earn them work points; they had to find them. A missing child was a serious matter, and even if it was a voluntary effort, everyone would be eager to help. Neighbors would come in handy, wouldn't they? But Xu Zijiang's use of work points as an incentive further fueled their enthusiasm. Who wouldn't want to do a good deed and earn work points at the same time?
So almost everyone on the team, young and old, men and women, was mobilized. Xu Zijiang, Yu Jiu, Lin Zheng, and Gouzi each led a team. They agreed to search for one hour, and if they couldn't find it within an hour, they would immediately return to their doorsteps and discuss the plan again.
The team is only so big, and with so many people searching in four directions, if they still can't find the child after an hour, then the child might not be lost, and simply searching like this might not be enough to find them.
Yu Jiu nodded, indicating she understood. She went to the east side, where there were more people and less bushes. Yu Jiu and the others searched while shouting loudly.
"Xiao Rong, Xiao Rong, where are you? Xiao Rong, can you hear me? Xiao Rong, come out! Everyone's looking for you. Your brother wants you to come home for dinner."
Yu Jiu not only searched the bushes, but also went into the houses along the way, worried that the child might be hiding in one of the houses playing hide-and-seek. But there was nothing there, not in other people's houses, not in the bushes. Yu Jiu searched carefully, even in the trees, but still couldn't find Lin Rong.
On the other side, Xu Zi was leading his team westward, heading towards the mountains. Logically, even if the children got lost, the team was limited. Where could they possibly go? At worst, they could just ask for directions. If they didn't return, they might have wandered into the mountains, lost and helpless, unable to find their way out.
"Lin Rong, Lin Rong, Xiao Rong! Can you hear me? Are you on the mountain? Answer me if you hear me, your cousin is here to find you."
Xu Zijiang's voice was loud and clear as they shouted and made their way up the mountain, conducting a thorough search. Their shouts startled the birds in the trees, causing them to flutter away. But apart from that, there was no other sound, no response; only their shouts echoed through the mountains.
"No, let's go deeper and look more carefully. If there's no one there, let's see if we can find any pieces of shoes or clothes. If we can find them, they'll be a clue."
Xu Zijiang gave the instructions.
"Okay, I understand, Captain."
Everyone continued their search, and Xu Zijiang also looked down at the ground, hoping to find some trace of Lin Rong's footprints. However, since it hadn't rained recently, the sand and wind would blow up dust that covered the footprints. From the village to the mountain, he couldn't find a single footprint that resembled Lin Rong's; he was truly without any clues.
Xu Zijiang and the others searched almost the entire mountain, but there was still no trace of the child. The agreed-upon one-hour time limit had passed. Xu Zijiang told everyone to continue searching while he returned to his doorstep, where Yu Jiu, Gouzi, and Lin Zheng were already waiting.
"Any leads, Captain?"
Lin Zheng was the first to rush over. His face was deathly pale, and he was swaying precariously. His frail body seemed unable to support his intense emotions, and he looked like he was about to collapse.
"No, what about you?"
Xu Zijiang helped him up, and he shook his head, looking at Yu Jiu and Gouzi. Judging from Lin Zheng's reaction, he had absolutely no leads.
"No, we didn't find anything, we didn't find anything either. Could it be that Xiao Rong isn't with the team anymore? Does he miss home? Has he mentioned home to you? Could it be that he misses home and wants to go to the station to take a bus home?"
Yu Jiu couldn't help but bring up a new idea.
"Impossible. Xiao Rong misses home, but he doesn't have the courage to go alone. Even if he wants to go home, he'll ask me to take him back. He won't go alone. How could he abandon me?"
Lin Zheng muttered to himself, repeatedly saying that he wouldn't leave alone. Lin Rong wasn't exactly a brave child, and it was indeed hard for everyone to believe that he had run away to return to his hometown alone. Then how strange! How could a perfectly normal person just disappear?
Xu Zijiang frowned and pondered.
"Here's what we'll do, Lin Zheng, you should go home and look for her again. See if Xiao Rong is home, and check if any money or clothes are missing. See if Xiao Rong ran away from home on her own, or if she disappeared unexpectedly. This is very important."
"good."
Having exhausted all other leads, Lin Zheng could only follow Yu Jiu and Xu Zijiang's instructions and run home again to carefully check if anything was missing.
"Dog, take a few men and search outside the village. Go out of the village and turn right. I'll take the men and turn left in a bit."
Xu Zi gave the dog another order, and this time he went outside.
"Okay, I understand, Captain, I'll go right away."
The team had been searched almost from top to bottom, and if no one was found, Xu Zi would consider searching outside. But before that, he needed to confirm whether any strangers had come to the team that morning, and whether the child had wandered off on his own or had been kidnapped.
Xu Zijiang then went to find Ma Zi and the other kids who hung out with Lin Rong.
"Was Xiaorong acting strange this morning? Did he cry? Did he tell you he missed home, or did he argue or have a fight with you? The most important thing now is to find him. You must tell the truth and not lie."
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