There were no customers at Fusheng Firecracker Shop at the moment. Only the owner was sullenly sorting the goods on the shelves. When he heard someone come in, he said impatiently without even turning his head, "Everything is on the shelf. Pick your own."
Xu Dao tapped the countertop with his index finger knuckle and said coldly, "We're not here to buy anything. We're here to ask about your son's disappearance."
As soon as these words came out, it was like the fuse of a firecracker being lit. The boss instantly flew into a rage and strode over to start chasing people away: "Get out, get out, you are here to scam me again. You people can't even cheat me out of this kind of money. Do you have any conscience?"
He pushed Xu Dao hard. Xu Dao was pushed back by his boss unexpectedly. But when he tried to resist, he found that this NPC was surprisingly strong.
Seeing that she was really about to be kicked out, Bai Xing immediately said, "Uncle, please calm down. We don't want money. We are here to help you find your son."
Bai Xing's childish voice was like a basin of water, dousing the firecrackers and instantly calming the boss. He looked at Bai Xing in surprise, as if he had just realized there was a child there. As he looked at Bai Xing, he remembered his own child, and sadness flashed in his eyes. He suddenly felt dejected. He sat down on a chair and sighed in despair, "Ask them."
He was also trying his best to save the situation, but his child had been missing for so many years. Although he had been posting notices to find the child, he had not received any useful information in all these years. There were only countless scammers who came to him after hearing the news. After so many years, the old woman had become heartbroken and had left this world long ago, but he was still unwilling to give up the glimmer of hope in his heart, which was his last motivation to live.
"May I ask when and how your child disappeared?" Bai Xing continued to speak in her baby voice. To be honest, it was a bit... embarrassing, but the boss would only not be furious with a child like her and would be more patient.
"He, it was about ten years ago, on a very ordinary afternoon, he and..." The boss suddenly became furious again. He tried to suppress his anger and said through gritted teeth, "He and the two brothers from the candy store across the street went to the City God Temple to play. Later, they didn't come back until it was completely dark. Only the younger brother of that family came back! It must be them who kidnapped my son!"
Bai Xing quickly tried to calm the boss down: "Don't worry, what was your child wearing the day he was lost?"
"It was a blue jacket with a little duck sewn on it by the old woman herself." The boss recalled the past, lowered his head and buried his face in his hands, and an indistinct wail came from his throat. He seemed to have aged ten years in an instant.
Seeing that she could not get any more information out of him, Bai Xing once again promised the boss that she would find the truth behind what was lost that year and left, standing at the door of the candy store with Xu Dao.
There were many bottles and jars in the store, emitting a sweet aroma. Bai Xing and the other person walked in. A fat boss heard the sound and came out from the inner room. When he saw them, he smiled and asked them what they wanted to buy.
Bai Xing asked again what she had just said. The smile on the fat boss's face froze. He sighed and asked them to sit down.
From the fat boss, Bai Xing heard another perspective: that day, the three children went out to play together and played hide-and-seek in the City God Temple. The temple was not very big, and they had often come here to play before.
As the day grew darker, they agreed to play one last game of hide-and-seek before going home. He hid in a newly discovered, very secluded corner and carefully concealed himself. He felt that he would never be discovered hiding there.
His brother was soon caught by Gu Xingyi. He vaguely heard them shouting at him to stop hiding, as they had discovered his little trick. He smiled secretly with joy and hid himself more tightly, waiting to see when they would find him.
It was getting dark, and everything was very quiet. He could vaguely hear a few muffled sounds, like humming, but when he listened carefully, they disappeared. He thought he had misheard, and he was a little scared. He wanted to go out, but suddenly there were footsteps nearby, as if someone was looking for something. So he shrank back and didn't dare to move. After a long time, finally, it was completely dark, and there was no sound around, so he ran out and trotted back home.
The sky was starless, and dark clouds weighed heavily on his heart. He felt like something terrible had happened, and a sense of unspoken panic gripped him. The house was brightly lit, and he rushed inside to look around. His brother wasn't home, but Uncle Gu across the street was there. Seeing him return, he hurried forward, grabbed his arm, and shouted, "Where has Gu Xingyi been? Why hasn't he come back yet?" He realized something, and his mouth opened, but no words came out. Fear filled his mind.
That night, the entire ancient city was turned upside down. The adults' torches illuminated every corner of the City God Temple. From dusk to dawn, everyone's eyes were bloodshot. They looked at Boss Gu and his parents with sympathy, wanting to comfort them but not knowing what to say. They sighed silently, patted their shoulders, and left.
The fat boss' voice was choked with sobs, and his shoulders were shaking. He fell into endless self-blame: "It's all my fault, it's all my fault. If it weren't for me, maybe they wouldn't have been lost."
Xu Dao opened his mouth, wanting to say something to comfort her, but he didn't know what to say, so he simply closed his mouth. Listening to this story, he also felt a sense of anger in his heart.
Bai Xing patted the fat boss's hand and comforted him, "Don't blame you. You're not at fault. No one is. The one who's at fault is the bad guy who kidnapped the child. You're also a victim. We shouldn't let victims endure endless accusations and abuse. The real culprit is the criminal. We should find him and make him face the consequences of his actions."
"I can't promise you that I will be able to find your brother and Gu Xingyi, but we will definitely help you find out the truth of what happened back then." Bai Xing looked into the fat boss's eyes and said firmly.
The fat boss looked at the determination in her eyes, and a light seemed to light up in his heart. He had been trapped in his own muddle-headed life, and finally someone broke a hole in his heart. Although it was painful, the light shone in.
"Okay, okay," he smiled, tears streaming uncontrollably. He sobbed and took out a small bag of candy from the cabinet and handed it to Bai Xing and the others. "This is my brother's favorite candy. I practiced for many years and finally made one that tastes exactly the same. If you really find him, please help me give this to him."
"Okay! Definitely!"
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