"That shouldn't be the case!"
Mrs. Zhai's brows furrowed deeply: "Yaxin left our house before four o'clock. Even if her car was slow, she should have arrived much earlier..."
She suddenly stopped speaking, her eyes filled with worry: "Did something happen to Yaxin on her way home?"
The more she thought about it, the more uneasy Zhai's mother felt.
What's wrong with you two?
Mr. Zhai pushed open the door and walked in. Seeing his wife and daughter both frowning, he couldn't help but ask them what was wrong.
"Qiuqiu and I were talking about Yaxin!"
Taking the briefcase from Mr. Zhai, Mrs. Zhai placed it in a safe place, then turned her gaze back to Mr. Zhai: "Yaxin came to the county town today, and Qiuqiu happened to run into her, so we invited her to come over for a while. But that girl left from our side of the road before four o'clock, and she still hasn't arrived at her own home..."
Mother Zhai recounted everything she had heard from her daughter, Zhai Qiu. After hearing what she said, Father Zhai couldn't help but frown: "It's already dark, and it's past six o'clock. Judging from this situation, the child has most likely encountered some kind of accident on the way."
"Dad, what should we do?"
Zhai Qiu's eyes were full of self-blame. She said, "It's all my fault for inviting Ya Xin to our house. She was planning to go home after shopping with her classmates at the department store, but I stopped her to chat and insisted that she come to our house to play for a while before going back... Dad, if something really happens to Ya Xin, I will definitely have a guilty conscience for the rest of my life, and I will not be able to continue to associate with Sister Song Lan!"
"Don't worry, let's call Comrade Song's home and see if he's gone back yet. If... if he's still not there, I'll contact the county public security bureau and ask Captain Li of the criminal investigation team to send officers to help Comrade Song search."
The Captain Li of the Criminal Investigation Brigade mentioned by Zhai's father is actually the father of one of the three children Song Lan rescued from kidnappers, named Li Jinhao.
This Captain Li's full name is Li Xueqin.
"Xiao Li is probably off work by now. Why don't you call his home now?"
Zhai's mother made a suggestion.
After the previous abduction incident, not only did the Zhai and Zhao families become closer, but the families of the three children also visited each other during holidays.
Of course, the five families also have dealings with Song Lan.
After all, Song Lan saved Zhai Qiu, Zhao Tiantian, and Li Jinhao from the kidnappers, which is equivalent to saving five families. This kindness is greater than the sky, and all five families will remember it in their hearts!
"good."
Mr. Zhai nodded, then took out a phone book from the drawer under the coffee table.
Zhai's mother and Zhai Qiu watched as Zhai's father found the phone number and dialed it. After hearing that the call had been successfully transferred, the mother and daughter remained quiet and focused, afraid of making any noise that might disturb Zhai's father's call.
Here I must mention that Zhai's father is a county leader, and a high-ranking one at that. On the Li family's end, Li Xueqin's wife, Song Xue, answered the phone. When she heard that the caller was looking for Li Xueqin, she immediately called her husband, who had just walked into the house, to the landline to answer the call.
"It's a call from Leader Zhai."
Song Xue lowered her voice and said something. Upon hearing this, Li Xueqin looked serious. He put the receiver to his ear and said into the microphone, "I am Li Xueqin..." Before he could finish speaking, he heard Zhai's father's voice.
After a while, the two ended the call. Li Xueqin put the receiver back on the landline, picked up his police cap, and was about to leave home.
Seeing this, Song Xue quickly asked, "What happened?"
"Comrade Song's sister-in-law went missing in the county town today, and Leader Zhai asked me to help find her."
After saying a few words, Li Xueqin disappeared outside the door.
It was freezing cold, and it was late at night, so there were far fewer people on the streets of the county town than during the day.
"Searching aimlessly is not a good idea."
Qin Yanzheng's expression was unreadable. He said something in a low voice, and upon hearing this, Yang Fan said, "Why don't we go to the police station to report this first?"
Seeing that Song Lan remained silent, Qin Yanzheng softly called out, "Lanlan..."
"parking!"
Song Lan snapped out of her daze and, without responding to Qin Yanzheng, said to Yang Fan, "Pull over."
Qin Yanzheng and Yang Fan were both puzzled, but Yang Fan still did as Song Lan said, turning the steering wheel and slowly bringing the car to a stop on the side of the street.
"System, are you sure my sister-in-law is in an empty courtyard in the alley ahead?"
After getting off the bus, Song Lan stood on the street and asked the system through her thoughts.
[Reply to host: This system does not lie! Also, host should be familiar with that courtyard!]
The system's mechanical voice sounded cold and impersonal at this moment.
"I'm sorry, System! I'm not doubting you, I'm just too surprised and a little bit incredulous."
Song Lan explained, then said, "The courtyard you mentioned, could it be the one I went to when I was tracking the kidnapper?"
That's right.
System response.
"How is my sister-in-law doing now?"
Song Lan asked.
[Locked in a cellar, the person is unconscious!]
The system spoke mechanically.
"She was kidnapped, right?"
Song Lan revealed her guess.
[Host, don't you think your question is a bit redundant?]
If she hadn't been kidnapped, how could she have been drugged and locked up in that empty, desolate, and dilapidated courtyard?
"How many kidnappers are there? And how should I inform Qin Yanzheng about my second sister's whereabouts?"
Song Lan fell into deep thought.
[There's only one right now, but it seems like it's waiting for someone and doesn't look like it'll stay in that yard for long! As for how the host will tell their family, that's your own business; this system can't help you!]
The system's mechanical voice was utterly devoid of emotion.
"Lanlan, what are you thinking about?"
Qin Yanzheng also got out of the car and noticed that Song Lan was clearly distracted, which made him suspicious.
"I'm wondering where my second sister could be."
Coming to her senses, Song Lan gave a casual response.
At the same time, her inner voice resonated.
My second sister is in an empty, dilapidated courtyard in that alley ahead, but how can I tell Qin Yanzheng? Also, if I tell him, and he asks me how I know, how should I explain that?
And... what if that kidnapper takes advantage of the dead of night to take my second sister away from the county town? Wouldn't things get even worse...?
Qin Yanzheng was surprised, but his handsome face showed no unusual expression.
[It's really strange. Why do kidnappers always seem to choose that particular courtyard as their hideout? I rescued Zhai Qiu and the others before, and found them in the cellar of that courtyard. Now, my second sister is being held captive in the same cellar. Could it be that the kidnappers my second sister is facing this time are the same ones Zhai Qiu and the others encountered before?]
Song Lan was thinking to herself when Qin Yanzheng suddenly asked, "Where in the county town did you save the person before?"
Upon hearing this, Song Lan was taken aback: "Huh?" What does this person mean?
“The kidnappers are a group. You rescued two girls and three children from their hideout in the county town. Although the police arrested all the kidnappers and many of their accomplices, some inevitably escaped.”
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