Chapter 181 Finding the Child is Important
Zhang Chunxue gestured towards Zhong Hongqing with her lip: "Otherwise, guess how this child found this place?"
Song Xingzhi's face turned green: "So, I was being followed by a child?"
He quickly realized: "Were his parents with him?"
A look of disgust crossed his face: "Why are you following me? To find out what's going on?"
"I guess so!" Zhang Chunxue shrugged. "Who knows what Li Hongjuan is up to?"
Song Xingzhi's expression grew even more disgusted.
He couldn't help but look at Zhong Hongqing again: "Then what should we do with this child?"
Zhang Chunxue looked at the torrential rain outside: "I was thinking of going to town to see if there was anyone who wanted to go back to the village when the rain got a little lighter, so I could help take him back... but the rain hasn't let up at all."
"Should I take it back?" Song Xingzhi said, reaching for the raincoat that had just been hung up.
He knew that Zhang Chunxue had delayed the education of her three sons, and consequently, she also disliked Zhong Hongqing.
Zhang Chunxue grabbed his arm, her face full of reproach: "It's raining so hard, if you go out again, you'll get soaked again?"
"What if they get sick?"
"Then I can only wait for Sister Chunxue to take care of me," Song Xingzhi said with a grin, pulling her hand back. "After all, Sister Chunxue took care of me, a little patient, before!"
That was not long after he arrived in Zhongjia Village. He didn't know if it was because he was not used to the local environment, but he had a high fever for many days.
In his hazy state, every time he opened his eyes, he saw Zhang Chunxue.
At that time, Zhang Chunxue always had Zhong Chengfa by her side, helping him fetch water, clean his body, and cook for him.
After Song Xingzhi recovered from his illness, he even went to Zhang Chunxue's house to thank her.
Zhang Chunxue simply smiled and said that she was pregnant and about to give birth, so she couldn't work. Therefore, the village chief gave her five catties of coarse grains and told her to come and find Gu Ta. So Song Xingzhi didn't need to thank her.
It was only then that Song Xingzhi noticed her prominently protruding belly, and a hint of sadness flashed in his eyes.
But now, the person he loved but couldn't have back then has finally become his wife, and Song Xingzhi couldn't be happier.
Zhang Chunxue also remembered this incident and couldn't help but pinch Song Xingzhi again.
While they were deeply in love, Li Hongjuan was on the verge of a breakdown from searching for Zhong Hongqing.
She never even considered that Zhong Hongqing had gone to Zhang Chunxue's house.
Although she had Zhong Hongqing with her when she followed Song Xingzhi last time, she never imagined that a three-year-old child would remember this!
So after searching the town several times without finding him, Li Hongjuan immediately asked someone who was going back to the village to pass a message to Zhong Chengfa, asking him to come to the town to look for him as well.
When Zhong Chengfa heard the news that his son was missing, he was completely devastated.
He didn't care about anything else at the moment, put on a raincoat and a bamboo hat, called Zhong Chengyi, and hurriedly went to town.
When Zhong Chengfa asked him to go to town, Zhong Chengyi was initially reluctant to go, but after hearing that Zhong Hongqing had gone missing, he hesitated for a moment and then went anyway.
It was already very late, and the sky had darkened. Coupled with the torrential rain, the two of them had brought flashlights with them.
As Zhong Chengyi hurried on his way, he complained, "My sister-in-law is really something. She took the child to town to buy something and managed to lose him... I'm speechless!"
"With such heavy rain, how far can Hongqing, a three-year-old child, walk? Could he have been kidnapped?"
Zhong Chengfa was already furious with Li Hongjuan, and upon hearing this, his face darkened even more.
Zhong Chengyi couldn't help but continue complaining: "Brother, when Mom told you to get a divorce, you should have just done it! That way we wouldn't have to separate from Mom..."
"It's you and my second brother, one of you absolutely refuses to get a divorce, and the other insists on getting one... I'm just being dragged down by you two!"
Zhong Chengfa was already furious, and hearing Zhong Chengyi's constant complaining only fueled his anger.
"Can't you just shut up?" He gripped the flashlight tightly in his hand. "Things are already like this, what's the point of complaining now!"
Zhong Chengyi scoffed, "Fine, fine! You're on your own from now on!"
The two arrived in town, and Zhong Chengfa found Li Hongjuan first.
Li Hongjuan is standing under the eaves of the supply and marketing cooperative, crying uncontrollably.
As soon as Zhong Chengfa saw her, his anger flared up immediately. He strode over and started yelling, "What can you do all day? All you do is eat and sleep! I asked you to bring the child to buy something, and you still managed to lose him!"
Upon hearing Zhong Chengfa's unsolicited scolding, Li Hongjuan cried even harder.
"You still have the nerve to cry!" Zhong Chengfa gritted his teeth. "How exactly did the child get lost?"
Li Hongjuan then recounted the whole process again, her voice trembling with sobs.
Zhong Chengyi grinned and said, "Where could Hongqing go all by himself in this heavy rain? Could he have really been kidnapped?"
Upon hearing this, Li Hongjuan cried even louder.
"Shut up!" Zhong Chengfa forcefully suppressed the urge to slap her twice. "Haibu, go find her! Ask from house to house!"
The three immediately split up and took action.
Indeed, someone saw Zhong Hongqing walking alone in the rain to one side.
This relieved the three of them.
At least the child walked out on his own, and wasn't taken away by someone from the supply and marketing cooperative.
The three of them continued searching in that direction, knocking on doors and asking nearby residents every now and then.
However, because of the heavy rain, there were hardly any people outside, so very few people saw Zhong Hongqing. Finally, when they reached a crossroads, the trail went completely cold.
Li Hongjuan then burst into tears again.
Zhong Chengfa finally couldn't hold back any longer and slapped him hard across the face: "Tell me, what use are you to me!"
The slap was extremely powerful, causing Li Hongjuan to fall directly to the ground, her oil-paper umbrella also falling to the ground.
Her clothes were quickly soaked, and her face became red and swollen.
Li Hongjuan stopped getting up and simply lay down on the ground, continuing to wail loudly.
Zhong Chengfa looked at her with disgust and raised his foot to kick her, but Zhong Chengyi quickly stopped him.
"Alright, brother, if you want to beat your wife, do it at home!" He frowned. "Or, why don't you think about where Hongqing is most likely to go now that he's here?"
Zhong Chengfa finally managed to calm himself down, and said somewhat irritably, "Where else could he go! We have no relatives or acquaintances in town!"
"He's only three years old and he's hardly ever been to town..."
Zhong Chengyi looked towards the left-hand road and asked, "Speaking of relatives... doesn't Mom live in town?"
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