"How hateful! Boys are especially sought after now. They are caught and sold to rich families as laborers, or to families without heirs to carry on the family line."
"Brother, don't even mention the children. It's almost the end of the year, and people are even stealing dogs from the village! Let alone the children..."
He Tiantian was terrified. Child trafficking has existed since ancient times. How could she have such a low level of safety awareness, leaving her two children alone at home?
She was so worried that she walked much faster than she had come.
Finally, they arrived at Changfeng Village. From afar, they saw Zhao Wanzi standing at the entrance of the dilapidated temple, rubbing her eyes and crying, but Zhao Denglong was nowhere to be seen.
He Tiantian inwardly cried out in alarm. She jogged over, "Wanzi, why are you crying? Where's your sister?"
Zhao Wanzi finally stopped rubbing her eyes and sobbed intermittently, "Waaah... Sister, sister..."
"Say it!" He Tiantian was extremely anxious, her mind already replaying the scene of Zhao Denglong being snatched away by the boy.
"Waaah... Mother, Zhao Ergou stole our fish, and my sister chased after him, waaah..." Zhao Wanzi cried so hard she could barely breathe.
Zhao Ergou is so fierce; he even brought several children to beat her and her older sister.
He Tiantian breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, she hadn't been snatched away by human traffickers.
She took a deep breath and caught her breath before asking, "Which direction did your older sister go?"
Zhao Wanzi immediately pointed to a small grove of trees nearby. She had short legs and got lost after only a few steps. Alone and scared, she could only return home and wait.
"Come on, you go with your mother to take a look." He Tiantian took Zhao Wanzi's hand and left. She originally wanted to leave Wanzi at home and go by herself, but then she thought of how those kids always tricked children as young as Wanzi.
If she goes back to find the eldest brother and then loses the second brother, that would be a real headache.
He Tiantian was preoccupied with finding Zhao Denglong as quickly as possible, so she walked very fast, practically dragging Zhao Wanzi along with her.
Fortunately, not long after entering the grove, He Tiantian heard Zhao Denglong arguing loudly.
"Zhao Ergou! You've gone too far!"
"Haha, so what if I'm bullying people? Come and bite me if you dare!" Zhao Ergou said smugly, holding two fish.
He was a full head taller than Zhao Denglong and was fourteen years old this year. He was usually like a little tyrant in the village, often leading a few kids to bully the weak.
He Tiantian climbed over a small hill and finally saw Zhao Denglong at the bottom of the hill.
Zhao Denglong was provoked by Zhao Ergou's words, which angered her so much that she stepped forward to bite him.
"Lantern!" He Tiantian shouted from behind.
Zhao Denglong's eyes and little face were red, clearly from crying. He Tiantian pulled Zhao Denglong behind her, looking down at Zhao Ergou and the other kids.
Zhao Ergou was initially a little scared, but then he remembered that his mother often cursed Lantern Girl at home as a whore, and that no one in the village liked her, etc.
So his earlier fear disappeared, and he instead met He Tiantian's gaze with a very firm expression.
"Take good care of Zhao Denglong, he has no manners!" Zhao Ergou said with disdain.
This was the first time in her life that He Tiantian had been verbally provoked by a child so much younger than herself, and she thought to herself, "This is outrageous!" A surge of anger rushed to the top of her head.
"You're the one with no manners! Give me back my fish!" He Tiantian said aggressively, snatching the two fish from Zhao Ergou's hands.
"You..." Zhao Ergou clearly hadn't expected anyone to be even more eloquent than him in a verbal fight. And the other person was a woman about the same age as his mother.
"What do you mean, you ill-mannered dog! If you bully Lantern again, I'll make you regret it!" He Tiantian retorted fiercely, giving Zhao Ergou no chance to fight back.
It's not that she, as an adult, is arguing with a child; it's just that bratty kids are so annoying!
"Wow! You actually insulted me? Wow... I'm going back to tell my mother." This was the first time Zhao Ergou had ever suffered such a setback. He couldn't bear the injustice and ran back crying to get help.
The other children, who were about six or seven years old, scattered and ran away in fear when they saw Zhao Ergou run away.
Zhao Denglong and Zhao Wanzi had long forgotten their previous grievances, and they looked at He Tiantian with surprise.
Wow, if Mother had unleashed such powerful fighting abilities earlier, she wouldn't have needed to put up with Grandma's attitude for so many years!
He Tiantian led the two children back, admonishing them as they walked, "If Zhao Ergou bullies you again, be sure to yell back at him! Understand?"
A lackey like Zhao Ergou is just bluffing. If he really ran into someone tough, he'd be scared out of his wits!
"I understand, Mother."
“Mother, I’ve remembered it.”
Zhao Denglong and Zhao Wanzi nodded in unison.
As night fell, the men in Changfeng Village gradually returned from work.
Liu Shi, holding Zhao Er Gou's hand, had been anxiously waiting at the village entrance for some time. She had a falling out with her husband, Zhao San, some time ago, and they hadn't made up yet.
However, Madam Liu was also a woman of flexibility and resilience. She wanted to see if Zhao San, that man, could finally act like a real man after his son was being bullied.
If Zhao San doesn't care about this matter, it means that he and He Shi are really having an affair.
Liu scoffed inwardly, her mind swirling with all sorts of chaotic thoughts.
"Mother, Father is back!" Zhao Ergou shouted, his nose running from the cold, pointing at Zhao San's figure ahead.
Zhao San naturally heard the sound, but he still walked over slowly, chatting and laughing with his fellow villagers.
Zhao Ergou couldn't wait any longer. He quickly ran up, grabbed Zhao San's hand, and said angrily, "Father, Zhao Denglong bullied me today, and her mother too, and even cursed at me!"
As Zhao Ergou spoke, he sniffed hard again, sucking back the snot that had just flowed out.
"Useless coward, you can't even handle a little girl and you still have the nerve to complain?" Zhao San impatiently pushed his son aside.
“Father…” Zhao Ergou’s aggrieved tears immediately fell.
"You damned bastard! Your son has been bullied to the point of being bullied, and you still dare to curse him?" Madam Liu stormed up and pointed at Zhao San, cursing him.
During the time when they finish work, almost all the men in the village pass through this road.
Liu never knew how to save face for her husband in front of others. "I must have been blind to marry you. You're siding with outsiders!"
Zhao San was humiliated by the insults. He looked up from the crowd and saw Widow Zhang standing not far away.
Widow Zhang glanced at Zhao San with her affectionate eyes, then turned and left.
This was the secret code the two had always used, and Zhao San was immediately itching with desire, a nameless heat rising from his body.
"You bitch, get out of my way!" Zhao San waved his hand and pushed Liu Shi to the ground.
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