Chapter 187 I'll Come Back to Find You
Lu Qingqing grabbed a handful of roasted soybeans from her bag and gave them to an old woman, then asked about the family's situation.
The old lady started rattling off a string of words:
Mu Daye was a bodyguard who often traveled far from home, rarely returning home throughout the year. However, since bringing his silly wife home in the spring, he had stopped traveling far from home.
They usually go away for three to five days and then come back.
When I went out, only my mother and my mentally challenged wife were at home.
The simple-minded wife usually doesn't go out, and when her mother goes out, she locks her in the house.
He would only take her out for a stroll when Mu Daye returned, and that was always in the evening when it was dark and there weren't many people around.
If it were someone else, seeing the foolish widow and her mother alone at home, they might have taken advantage of them.
But no one dared to mess with Mu Daye.
In the past, when he was away on a mission, someone took advantage of his absence to bully his mother and broke one of her arms.
When Mu Daye returned, he took advantage of the dark night to drag the man out of his house with a sack over his head and gave him a good beating.
Two arms and one leg were broken.
Even after reporting it to the authorities, there was no evidence. Mu Daye didn't say a word the whole time, and the man's face wasn't even seen.
Even if everyone knows that Mu Daye did it, it's useless!
In recent years, he has made a lot of money by escorting goods, but he has also risked his life. He has many scars on his body, and there is one on his face, which makes him look even more intimidating.
The old lady talked to Lu Qingqing for a while before remembering to ask:
"Hey, why are you asking about his family? I saw Mu Daye was away on a mission yesterday, he wasn't home."
“Oh, didn’t they have a daughter? I heard from the midwife that she had a minor health problem at birth, and the man didn’t want her. I have a friend who’s thinking of adopting a child, so I came to ask.”
The old woman looked a little dazed: "Adopt a girl? And a sick one at that?"
The expression on her face was practically saying: "Is your sister crazy?"
Lu Qingqing chuckled twice: "Hehe, it's mainly because that girl was born at a good time. My sister's family just wanted to find a companion for their child."
The old woman then looked completely at her.
I see, it's about borrowing luck! She understands these kinds of things!
"Oh dear, that might not work. The child didn't survive. Mu Daye called a doctor, and I stopped him to ask. The doctor said there's no need to waste money; the child was poisoned in the womb..."
Lu Qingqing listened to the old lady talk for a while longer.
Judging from what I heard, that family didn't just abandon the child; they had even called a doctor for him.
But it's also strange.
Mu Daye wasn't short of money, so why didn't he wait until the child was completely dead to tidy up and bury him properly, but instead just threw him into a mass grave?
Is he really good to his silly wife?
He's not short of money, so why would he marry a foolish wife?
Why does he only take his wife out in the evening when there are fewer people around?
Lu Qingqing thanked the old lady, then asked others for directions to Mu Daye's house, and went there with Qiaoxiu.
In the vegetable garden in front of Mu Daye's house, an old woman was hunched over, hoeing and cleaning up the rotten amaranth.
This must be Mu Daye's mother.
An ordinary old woman from the countryside.
The house is a brick and tile house, taller and better than other houses, just as the old lady said.
"Qiaoxiu, wait here, I'll go ask her."
Qiaoxiu stood obediently at the base of the wall.
Lu Qingqing went to the old lady's side.
"Auntie, I'm passing through here on my way to catch a carriage. It's getting dark. Could I stay at your house for the night?"
"Go to another house, it's not convenient at my house," the old lady refused decisively.
"Okay, ma'am, may I come to your house for something to eat? I'll pay you."
The old lady still refused: "It's inconvenient at my home."
It would indeed be inconvenient for a man, but she was just a teenage girl, yet the old woman's eyes revealed a sense of wariness.
The old ladies in the village wouldn't do that; most of them would take them in, or ask how much money they would pay.
Could it be that there's really something wrong with her mentally challenged wife?
Could it be that Mu Daye abducted them?
Is it possible that the people in question aren't stupid, but rather that the mother and son said those things to the villagers in order to keep them at home?
Or, drive people crazy!
Suddenly, the word "human trafficking" filled Lu Qingqing's mind.
"Then I'll go ask at another place."
Lu Qingqing glanced at the courtyard gate and saw a large black dog inside through the crack in the wooden door.
Hey, you even keep such a big dog!
"Qiaoxiu, you keep an eye on that old lady. If she goes inside, go talk to her and stop her until I come out."
"Sister, what are you going to do?" Qiaoxiu asked, her eyes wide.
"I'm going to sneak in!"
Lu Qingqing hid under the wall, took out a piece of mung bean cake, smeared it with sleeping pills, and threw it in.
Qiaoxiu turned pale with fright.
"Don't be afraid. If someone tries to harm you, shout loudly or throw a rock at them. Remember, if you're tough, others will back down."
Lu Qingqing handed Qiaoxiu a stone, and while the old lady was bending over, she slipped inside the door.
The big black dog was already lying on the ground, fast asleep.
Lu Qingqing didn't dare to delay and went straight to find someone.
Then she saw a locked door.
There was a "ding-dong" sound coming from inside the house.
The window was open, and through it, Lu Qingqing saw the profile of a slender and beautiful woman.
They were cleanly dressed and completely free, not like someone who was imprisoned.
She sat upright on the stool, holding a rattle drum in her hand, shaking it with a "ding-dong" sound.
If it weren't for her unusual condition, she would have been a beautiful classical lady in a painting.
That tranquil and elegant temperament is something that women in the village cannot possess.
Hearing the noise, the woman turned her head.
His eyes were lifeless, his pupils unfocused, like a soulless puppet.
However, it is indeed beautiful.
Very young.
Her skin was very fair and delicate, and her chin was thin and pointed, which gave her an even more pitiful and fragile appearance.
Looking at the large kang (heated brick bed) behind her, there were several new quilts folded up.
There were no scenes of abduction or abuse.
Did she misunderstand?
"Did...someone hit you?" Lu Qingqing asked.
The woman spoke blankly, "Yes."
"Your man hit you? Why didn't you run away?"
The window isn't high; you could easily climb out.
"We can't run...we can't get out..."
After observing her eyes, Lu Qingqing confirmed that she was indeed stupid!
But it's probably true that the words came out unconsciously!
But her hands were fair and delicate, and there were no marks on the exposed parts of her body. Could it be...?
*Abuse?
Lu Qingqing wanted to ask more, but then she heard Qiaoxiu crying loudly outside!
There are men's voices outside!
"I will come back to find you again!" Lu Qingqing said to the woman.
Then he ran to the doghouse, sprinkled some powder on the dog's head, and climbed onto the wall by stepping on the woodpile in the corner of the yard.
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