After a brief commotion, the factory gate slammed shut, and the factory fell silent instantly.
It's over.
Everything is over.
Her clothes were gone, Li Chuanli had been taken away, and all the plans she had made were now shattered. Zhang Fangfang's body slumped against the wall, slowly collapsing until she finally sat down on the ground.
Just then, another sound came from not far away.
Zhang Fangfang immediately tensed up.
"Is there anyone left?" Several police officers returned to check if there were any remaining fugitives.
"It seems like it's gone."
Zhang Fangfang held her breath, not daring to move an inch, until the police officers left, at which point she collapsed to the ground.
The next morning, news of the police raid on Zhang Fangfang's factory spread throughout Wangcheng County and Nanzhou City, becoming a topic of conversation among various groups of people.
"Hey, have you heard? All the workers at Zhang's factory have been arrested?"
"Yes, they've all been arrested. My aunt works in the factory, but the workers are all honest and don't know anything, so they were arrested at night. They asked each of them a few questions and then released them overnight."
"Why did you get arrested?"
"Don't you know? The government is cracking down on counterfeits now. This Zhang family factory, from the very beginning, has been producing all the clothes that are modeled after Feng Qing's. After they got rich, they became bolder, and this time they even openly put Feng Qing's logo on their clothes. I heard that the police officers this time were actually hired by the Feng Qing Group, specifically to crack down on counterfeits!"
"Fengqing Group has such a tough style!"
"That's right! Oh, Feng Qing worked so hard to make these clothes, and you copied them, even using inferior fabric to fool the public. That's unacceptable. The country must crack down on people like that! The police have arrested Zhang's people and confiscated their clothes. It's clear that Feng Qing Group is in the right!"
"What will happen to the Zhang family then?"
"What should we do? They've broken the law, and those who break the law should be punished. But even if they aren't punished, the Zhang family is in big trouble now."
"Why did it turn out so badly?"
"The debt collectors are all coming to Zhang Fangfang and Li Chuanli's doorsteps, demanding money for fabric, shoe soles, factory buildings, transportation, and workers' wages. It's no small amount, and now they're all coming to their doorsteps to collect it."
"..."
The news of the police raid on Zhang's counterfeit goods has spread like wildfire, and almost everyone knows about it.
The Ji family was no exception.
"Well done!" Liang Wenhua slammed his hand on the table when he heard Ji Ningzhi mention this. "People like Zhang Fangfang deserve it!"
As soon as Liang Wenhua finished speaking, Ji Yousheng glanced at her, and she immediately dared not speak.
Ji Ningzhi said, "But I heard that Zhang Fangfang has not been caught yet, and the police have notified her family."
"Zhang Fangfang ran away?" Ji Yousheng asked.
“I don’t know if she ran away or if she didn’t know about this, but I heard from the workers at her factory that Zhang Fangfang didn’t go to the police station, but Li Chuanli was arrested.” Ji Ningzhi’s eyes dimmed for a moment when she mentioned Li Chuanli.
"We'll arrest her sooner or later!" Liang Wenhua said fiercely. "Where can a woman like her run off to? She's broken the law, do you think the police will let her off the hook? They'll drag her out even if they have to crawl through a hole in the ground!"
Ji Ningzhi also agreed.
Ji Yousheng finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although Zhang Fangfang hadn't been arrested yet, it was only a matter of time before she was, since the country was cracking down on counterfeits.
After the meal, Liang Wenhua happily hummed a tune while washing the dishes.
Ji Ningzhi was filling a water bottle with boiling water.
Liang Wenhua had been as timid as a mouse for a while, not daring to speak to Ji Yousheng and Ji Ningzhi. Now that he knew that Zhang Fangfang and Li Chuanli had received their due punishment, he felt lighter and approached Ji Ningzhi, saying, "Ningzhi."
"What are you doing?" Ning Zhi lifted the pot lid, picked up a ladle, and started pouring in hot water.
"How's your brother doing lately? What has he been up to?" Liang Wenhua asked.
“He and Gangzi are helping his wife deliver goods; they’ll be back in the next couple of days,” Ji Ningzhi said.
Liang Wenhua had been holding back for a while, but her heart was itching with curiosity. Finally, she asked, "What about Hengheng? Did you go to Shuiwan Village to see Hengheng these past two days?" Liang Wenhua knew that Ji Ningzhi doted on Hengheng the most. Ji Ningzhi's change of heart towards Wen Qing was largely due to Hengheng. Whenever she had time, Ji Ningzhi would go to see Hengheng. This time, Ji Yanjun and Wen Qing had almost severed ties with Liang Wenhua because of the painting, but Ji Ningzhi still went to Shuiwan Village to see Hengheng whenever she had time. She missed Hengheng terribly if she didn't see her.
Liang Wenhua was also very anxious.
"Has he lost weight?" Liang Wenhua asked.
Ji Ningzhi replied, "No, he's still just like Fatty."
Upon hearing this, Liang Wenhua's eyes lit up, and she moved a little closer to Ji Ningzhi: "Has he grown taller? Can he call me 'Grandma'?"
After all, Liang Wenhua was Ji Ningzhi's biological mother. No matter how annoying she was before, seeing how much she cared for Hengheng, Ji Ningzhi couldn't bear to refuse her. So she told Liang Wenhua about Hengheng's recent situation: "Hengheng has been eating a lot lately, even more than his sister-in-law. He can walk without holding onto the wall, but he's still unsteady. He can speak in two-word phrases now, and he's getting prettier and prettier."
As Liang Wenhua listened, her eyes overflowed with affection. She had so much love for her eldest grandson. The more she listened, the more anxious she became. She said, "Ningzhi, I want to go to Shuiwan Village to see Hengheng tomorrow. I haven't seen him in so long."
Ji Ningzhi put down the water ladle: "Mom, you'd better not go. He cries as soon as you touch him, you know that."
Liang Wenhua looked embarrassed: "I'm just looking, I'm not touching him."
Ji Ningzhi put the stopper in the water bottle and said, "You don't need to go either. His maternal grandmother is bringing him to the county town for a haircut tomorrow. You can just go and take a look."
"Come get a haircut, your hair's grown long?" Liang Wenhua is always very enthusiastic when it comes to his grandson.
"Yes, Mom, I'm telling you, you should wait until Hengheng has his head shaved before you go to see him. Otherwise, with your love for your grandson, you'll want to hug him as soon as you see him, and he'll definitely cry and won't even want to get his head shaved," Ji Ningzhi said.
"Okay, okay, I understand." Liang Wenhua smiled and agreed repeatedly, thinking to herself that she would wait at the crossroads early tomorrow morning, and then watch outside the barbershop. She would appear after Hengheng finished getting her haircut. It had been a long time since she had seen Hengheng, and maybe Hengheng would be willing to let her hug him.
As Liang Wenhua washed the dishes, she wondered what Hengheng was doing.
"Hengheng, Mom is back!" At this moment, in the courtyard of the Wen family in Shuiwan Village, Yao Shiling was fetching water and called out to Hengheng, who was lying on the small table scribbling with Wen Peng's pencil.
When chubby Hengheng heard his mother's name, his dark eyes lit up, and he turned his head and saw Wen Qing and Wen Liang entering the yard.
"Mommy!" Hengheng didn't care about anything else, dropped the pencil in his hand, and ran towards Wen Qing with his short legs: "Mommy!"
"Slow down, slow down!" Wen Qing picked up Hengheng first, kissed his fair and chubby face, and asked, "Were you good today?"
"I'll be good," Hengheng replied in a childish voice.
Wen Qing smiled and reached out to wipe away the pencil marks from the corner of his mouth, asking, "Why is your mouth so dirty?"
“It’s not dirty,” Hengheng replied.
"Nonsense." Wen Qing wiped his mouth again with her hand, then held it out for him to see: "Tell me, isn't it dirty? Where did this dirty child come from? Whose child is he?"
"Mommy, home." Hengheng wrapped his chubby little arms around Wen Qing's neck, buried his chubby face in Wen Qing's arms, and said in a sweet, childish voice, "Mommy, home."
Wen Qing laughed: "Come on, let Mom wash you."
"Mom, I love you."
Wen Qing couldn't help but laugh out loud and gave him a big kiss on his chubby cheek: "Mommy loves you too, I love you so much."
"Super chicken, so sweet, Mom."
Wen Liang watched Hengheng's chubby face and laughed.
I had just finished dinner when Ji Yanjun called.
Wen Qing washed her hands and answered the phone: "Yan Jun."
"Wife, do you miss me?" Ji Yanjun asked, because he missed his wife and son terribly.
Seeing that no one was in the main room, Wen Qing whispered, "I've been thinking about it."
Ji Yanjun and Ji Yanjun kissed each other hard into the microphone.
"Shameless," Wen Qing muttered under her breath.
Ji Yanjun gave him another kiss from the other end.
"you……"
"Wife, give me a kiss too."
"Get lost."
As the two were whispering to each other, Wen Peng took Heng Heng's little hand and led her into the main room.
Wen Qing immediately whispered, "Pengpeng and Hengheng are here."
Hengheng tilted her little head up, blinked her big, watery eyes, and stared at Wen Qing, as if wondering who her mother was talking to on the phone. Her face turned red.
Wen Qing quickly changed the subject, focusing on Zhang Fangfang's situation.
"The police station has stepped in to resolve this matter," Wen Qing said.
"Zhang Fangfang still hasn't been found?" Ji Yanjun asked.
Wen Qing replied, "Mm."
Ji Yanjun pondered for a moment, then said, "Be careful. I always felt that Zhang Fangfang wasn't the type to give up so easily. Tell Mom to keep a close eye on Hengheng and not to leave Shuiwan Village unless absolutely necessary. I'll be in the county town tomorrow."
"Okay, I'm going to school for two classes tomorrow, and I'll come back after that."
"Um."
Wen Qing was about to say something more to Ji Yanjun when she noticed something fleshy lying on her lap. Without even looking, she knew it was Hengheng.
"Daddy, I want Daddy." The little guy hugged Wen Qing's leg with his little arms, wanting to talk to his father.
Wen Qing had no choice but to ask Wen Peng to bring a high chair so he could stand on it to answer the phone.
No one could hear what Ji Yanjun was saying, but they saw Hengheng holding the phone in his chubby little hands, putting it to his ear in a very serious manner, and talking to Ji Yanjun: "Daddy!"
"dad!"
"Eat, meat!"
"Miss you!"
"Mommy, hug me!"
"Hmm... Little Knife..."
"Dad, come back!"
"Daddy! I love you!"
"..."
Yao Shiling, Wen Liang, and Wen Peng looked at his chubby little face, his chubby little hands, and his sweet little voice, and all three of them laughed.
A moment later, Hengheng turned around, handed the phone to Wenqing, and said, "Dad, make a call."
Wen Qing then answered the phone.
Ji Yanjun was somewhat worried about Zhang Fangfang. Zhang Fangfang was now desperate and might do something rash, so she and Hengheng should be careful.
“Okay, I understand.” Wen Qing and Ji Yan both had the same idea.
Therefore, when Wen Qing went to school in Nanzhou the next day, she said to Yao Shiling, "Mom, why don't you not take Hengheng to get a haircut? Hengheng is too naughty. I'll come back after my two classes and go to the county town with you to get him a haircut. Yanjun will be back soon too."
Yao Shiling quickly agreed: "That's fine too."
"Okay, I'm leaving now. Don't tell him, or he'll cry if he can't find me."
"good."
While Hengheng wasn't paying attention, Wen Qing got into the car and went to Nanzhou to start her classes.
Before long, Wen Liang, Wen Peng, and the children from Shuiwan Village went to school or to play, while the adults went to Fengqing Shoe Factory to start work.
Only Yao Shiling and Hengheng were in the Wen family courtyard.
Hengheng sat on the ground pulling a slingshot and playing with mud balls. Yao Shiling watched for a while and said, "Hengheng, Grandma is going to feed the cows. Don't run around."
"Don't run." Hengheng was busy setting up Wenpeng's slingshot and didn't have time to run.
To prevent him from running away, Yao Shiling closed both the front and back gates before heading to the cowshed to feed the cows. She would occasionally glance back at Hengheng and see him with his head down, fiddling with his slingshot in his chubby little hands, not even thinking of running around. He was incredibly well-behaved.
Yao Shiling smiled, picked up a pile of grass and put it into the cattle trough. The cattle were extremely hungry and nudged the grass as soon as they saw it.
"You've knocked it over! If you do it again, I'll kill you!" Yao Shiling scolded, picking up the grass and putting it back into the trough. "Eat well!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she seemed to hear the courtyard gate creak open.
Yao Shiling immediately turned around to look, and there was nothing there except a few mud balls where Hengheng had just been sitting.
"Hengheng." Yao Shiling immediately came out of the cowshed and walked into the yard to find the gate wide open, just wide enough for one person.
"Hengheng!" Yao Shiling called out as she quickly went out the door. She thought she would see Hengheng smiling mischievously at her as soon as she stepped out, but she saw nothing when she got out the door. Yao Shiling panicked.
"Hengheng! Hengheng!" Yao Shiling, afraid she had made a mistake, hurriedly ran back to the courtyard and searched every room, calling out, "Hengheng, Hengheng!"
She wasn't in the yard, but in the blink of an eye she ran out again, shouting loudly throughout the village, "Hengheng! Hengheng!"
Several elderly people were called out.
"Uncle, have you seen our Hengheng?" Yao Shiling asked anxiously.
No, why?
"I only turned around for a moment, and Hengheng disappeared." Yao Shiling's eyes immediately reddened with anxiety.
"Don't rush, keep looking."
Yao Shiling continued to call out, "Hengheng! Hengheng!"
Before long, everyone in the village who wasn't working at Fengqing Shoe Factory helped look for Hengheng, worried that he might have gotten stuck somewhere. So everyone searched everywhere, even looking at the cellars and wells.
Fearing that Hengheng had fallen into the water, they searched along the ditches and riverbanks.
But in the end, they gained nothing.
Yao Shiling finally couldn't hold back her tears, which streamed down her face. Someone also went to inform Wen Liang and Wen Peng.
Wen Liang and Wen Peng rushed back with their schoolbags on their backs.
"Mom, what happened?" Wen Peng asked, his face pale.
"Hengheng is missing." Yao Shiling cried as she recounted the events.
Wen Liang sensed something was amiss. Although Hengheng was quick and liked to run around, it was unlikely that he would disappear so quickly after the door opened or after picking up some grass from the ground, and that no one in the village had seen him. Either Hengheng had crawled into a hole or something, or someone had taken him away.
"Mom, Hengheng might have been taken away," Wen Liang said.
Yao Shiling was taken aback: "Who held him?"
"I don't know yet, let's call the police first and then notify my sister." Wen Liang called the police station first, but couldn't reach Wen Qing. However, less than ten minutes later, Wen Qing returned in Feng Qing's car.
Wen Qing was still smiling when she got out of the car, but when she learned that Hengheng was missing, her whole body swayed involuntarily.
"sister."
"Wen Qing".
"Big sister."
Wen Liang, Yao Shiling, and Wen Peng helped Wen Qing up. After a moment of confusion, Wen Qing calmed down, asked about the situation, and then said, "Zhang Fangfang took her away."
Yao Shiling wiped away her tears with guilt.
Wen Liang asked, "So what do we do now?"
"Wait, she will definitely contact us." Wen Qing clenched her fists, a dark glint in her eyes, then turned around.
Yao Shiling grabbed her: "Wen Qing, Heng Heng..."
Wen Qing patted Yao Shiling's hand and said, "Mom, don't worry, Hengheng will be fine."
"I'll go with you to find Hengheng."
Wen Qing comforted her, "Mom, it's okay. You stay home and let Liangliang come with me to the group's business department to wait."
Yao Shiling had no choice but to agree.
Then Wen Qing and Wen Liang got into a car and left Shuiwan Village.
Sitting in the toy car, Wen Qing's mind was filled with Hengheng, chubby and plump, his little arms like lotus roots wrapped around her neck, saying in a childish voice, "Mommy, I love you, Mommy, I miss you, Mommy, plump..."
He was taken away by Zhang Fangfang. Will Zhang Fangfang beat him in a frenzy? Will she hurt him? He's so young and doesn't understand anything.
As she thought about it, Wen Qing's eyes reddened.
"Sister," Wen Liang called out.
Wen Qing wiped her eyes and said, "It's nothing."
Wen Liang said, "I have already called the police."
“Yes, okay, it’s the right thing to do to call the police,” Wen Qing said.
Wen Liang stopped talking.
Soon after, they arrived at Fengqing Group. Wen Qing went straight into the Fengqing Business Department. The Fengqing Business Department's phone number was publicly available, so Zhang Fangfang could either call the Ji family or call here.
Zhang Fangfang is threatening Wen Qing, so it's more likely that the fight will reach here.
Wen Qing sat down in the business department and instructed the telephone operator, "If any call is to me, notify me immediately. I'm in the meeting room."
Although the telephone operators didn't understand what was going on, they all answered in unison.
Wen Qing sat down in the reception room, and after forcing himself to calm down for a moment, he gave the order: "Wen Liang."
"Yes, sister."
Wen Qing said expressionlessly, "Now mobilize all personnel in Fengqing to search the entire county."
How do I search?
“Go to a police station and ask them to do you a favor and get the names and addresses of everyone in Wangcheng County who has a phone. Whether it’s in the countryside or the city, as long as they have a phone, whether it’s a private or public phone, send one person to keep watch over each one. Zhang Fangfang will definitely try to contact me by phone. Once any of you see them, don’t alert her. Hengheng’s safety comes first. Just call me to let me know,” Wen Qing said.
Wen Liang was taken aback. He hadn't expected Wen Qing to come up with such a method. Zhang Fangfang needed to contact Wen Qing by phone, and this phone number greatly reduced the search area. He had to admit, his older sister was incredibly clever.
"Okay," Wen Liang readily agreed.
"Also, it might not be Zhang Fangfang herself making the call; it could be someone else. Find someone quick-witted to keep an eye on them, and ideally, they should be able to overhear what they're saying. Since I'm the one answering the phone, I'll find a way to get them to leak information to you."
"Okay, sis, I understand."
"We need to be fast. Use all of Feng Qing's cars and bicycles," Wen Qing said.
"Understood." Wen Liang ran off immediately after receiving the order.
Wen Qing picked up the phone next to her and called Zhou Xu at the Nanzhou Police Station. As Mrs. Ji, she asked Zhou Xu to lead the staff of Fengqing Clothing Store in Nanzhou City to find Zhang Fangfang by guarding the phone.
Zhou Xu readily agreed.
Wen Qing then called Aunt Xiao and Bao Hong, instructing them to obey Zhou Xu's orders and to have Aunt Xiao and Bao Hong take people to guard Li Chuanli's house in Nanzhou.
After hanging up the phone, Wen Qing called Ji Yanjun's transportation company and Feng Qing Transportation Company again, asking them to send people to guard all the major traffic arteries in Nanzhou City. Although she had a feeling that Zhang Fangfang was in the county town and at most had gone to Nanzhou City, she still had to be on guard.
Furthermore, they instructed the transportation company to use its connections to notify key transportation routes in various small towns, aiming to make it impossible for Zhang Fangfang to escape.
After everything was arranged, Wen Qing sat in the reception room waiting for a call while thinking. As she thought, she remembered Hengheng's fair and tender little face, her sweet little voice, and her soft little body. Thinking of this, she couldn't control her emotions.
"Qingqing." At this moment, Ji Yanjun pushed open the door and entered, looking travel-worn.
"Yanjun." Wen Qing stood up.
Ji Yanjun pulled her into his arms: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Wen Qing finally couldn't hold back her fear: "Yanjun, in the life before last, Hengheng died before he could see the world. He must have been angry in that life, so he never even appeared. What if he did in this life...?"
"No, no." Ji Yanjun hugged Wen Qing tightly. He had returned happily, ready to reunite with his family. He went back to Shuiwan Village immediately, only to find that Hengheng was missing. He immediately thought of Zhang Fangfang and called Zhou Xu. Wen Qing had already done everything he wanted to do. He rushed to Fengqing Group and found Wen Qing sitting there like a lost soul. His heart ached as if it were being torn apart.
"But I can't find him."
“We will find her.” Ji Yanjun said in a deep voice, “Hengheng’s purpose is very clear. She is absolutely safe now.”
"Where is Hengheng?"
Where is Hengheng?
No one else knew where Hengheng was, but Liang Wenhua knew perfectly well. Early in the morning, she was thinking about seeing her eldest grandson, so after breakfast she took a handful of milk candy and waited behind a big tree on the dirt road. She chose to wait behind the tree because she was afraid Yao Shiling would see her, and also because she was afraid Hengheng would cry if he saw her.
She waited happily behind the tree, knowing she would soon see her chubby grandson!
At that moment, a bicycle collided with an oxcart at the Datu intersection, completely blocking the intersection. A car behind couldn't pass and kept honking its horn.
When the horn stopped, Liang Wenhua heard the child crying. It was Hengheng crying. She recognized him immediately. She leaned into the car and looked through the windshield. She didn't see Wen Qing or Ji Yanjun. She saw the face of a strange man. She leaned closer and vaguely saw Zhang Fangfang's face.
That bitch Zhang Fangfang, that bitch… Why is Hengheng crying in that bitch's car? What is Zhang Fangfang trying to do? Kidnap him? She had to stop her; her grandson was still crying. Liang Wenhua was instantly consumed by rage, her brain practically boiling. Without thinking, she strode forward, pounding on the car window and shouting, “Zhang Fangfang, Zhang Fangfang, open the door for me! Give me back my grandson!”
Zhang Fangfang was startled when she saw Liang Wenhua and said to the man behind her, "Open the door and take this woman with you!"
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