Chapter 55: The System is in a Rush; Can You Hurry Up, Human Trafficker?

Jiang Zhuguo sighed, raised his hand, and patted Jiang Dalin's shoulder. "Don't worry, the third boy already sensed something was wrong and chased after them!"

Jiang Dalin felt his legs turn somewhat weak, his footsteps unsteady as he tried to walk through the door to find a place to sit.

Yet, the moment he lifted his foot, he collapsed heavily onto his knees with a thud.

"Uncle, Third Brother has gone after them! Th-that means nothing will go wrong!" Panicking terribly, Jiang Dalin didn't even know what he was saying, just blurting it out instinctively. "Th-then you must keep a close eye on the kids at your place too. And Xiaxia—she has an unfamiliar face, people in the village don't know her well and wouldn't pay her much attention. You must watch her, watch her closely—"

Jiang Zhuguo helped him up, his voice growing a few shades deeper. "Xiaxia was taken too!"

Jiang Dalin turned his head sluggishly, only then noticing the pale, desolate expressions on the faces of the entire Jiang family. The breath of panic that had left him suddenly rushed back. "Uncle, don't worry, Third Brother will definitely bring both kids back! I-I'm going to the broadcasting station right now to tell everyone to be on high alert and ask if anyone saw anything!"

Just as Jiang Dalin was about to leave, Jiang Zhuguo stopped him. "No need to rush. Don't broadcast this just yet. Second boy and I will go ask door-to-door and feel out the situation! There's no guarantee there aren't accomplices left behind here. If we startle them and the traffickers take off with the kids, they'll be that much harder to track!"

Traffickers were easy enough to catch, but the difficult part was that they would rapidly transfer the children in their possession to someone else.

By the time you managed to catch the kidnapper, the child would long since have vanished without a trace—that was the hardest part of all.

Jiang Dalin nodded repeatedly. "Th-then I'll go back and tell my old woman first, letting you—"

"You guys just focus on searching where you should; leave the rest to me and the second boy!"

Jiang Dalin nodded repeatedly, turned around, and stumbled his way back.

Jiang Zhuguo glanced back at Jiang Hua.

By now, Jiang Hua had recovered her wits. She looked at him and said, "It's fine, I'll wait at home for news! Go on!"

Looking at his wife's reddened eyes, Jiang Zhuguo knew she had already come to view Xiaxia as their eldest son's daughter. With Xiaxia abducted, she must have been reminded of past events, making her heart ache terribly.

Yet, matters in the village could not be ignored. No matter how capable Dalin was, with his own child lost, he was completely out of wits right now, leaving only him to step up.

After hastily giving a few instructions, Jiang Zhuguo took his second son and immediately stepped out the door.

Outside the County Town

Following the marks left behind by Xia Ming, Jiang Jing tracked them all the way out of the village. When he reached the woods outside, however, the markings stopped.

Just as he began to worry that something might have gone wrong, his ears twitched. Hearing a rustling noise, his figure leaped up nimbly into the treetops.

As soon as he was up in the tree, he spotted Xia Ming, who was concealing his figure. Jiang Jing immediately lowered his voice. "What's the situation?"

Pointing toward the river not far ahead, Xia Ming shook his head in a low voice. "Unclear. The trafficker is very vigilant; he keeps stopping after walking for just a bit! Xiaxia seems... a little impatient."

As soon as the words fell, the two of them saw Jiang Xiaxia jump straight out of the wicker basket, pointing a carrying pole at the mole-faced man. "Are we going or not?"

So annoying. Now there was truly no time to head back!

Growing somewhat irritable, Jiang Xiaxia's gaze toward the mole-faced man gradually turned icy.

Seeing the mole-faced man watch as Jiang Xiaxia slowly clenched her fists, and recalling the information his companion had gathered—suspecting that the little girl had practiced martial arts just like that soldier—the man took a step back.

"Xiaxia, Uncle has walked for so long, and I'm a bit tired! I want to rest for a while!"

As the mole-faced man spoke, he deliberately thumped his arms and legs, putting on an expression of extreme soreness.

"No, let's go!" Jiang Xiaxia tossed the carrying pole aside directly and turned to leave.

Xia Ming, waiting up in the tree, grew somewhat anxious, his body shifting slightly.

If Xiaxia left now, and the trafficker refused to turn back, what would happen to Xia Lin? Would he be transferred away in just this brief moment?

Sensing this, Jiang Jing immediately held him back. "Wait!"

No sooner had the word left his lips than the mole-faced man below hurriedly blocked her path.

Only, his movement was a bit too forceful, and he accidentally kicked over the other wicker basket.

A soundly sleeping toddler rolled out from inside. Seeming to have bumped his head, the little one whimpered twice but did not wake up.

Pointing at Tiedan, Jiang Xiaxia opened her mouth, but before she could question the mole-faced man, he spoke up first.

"Uncle was worried you'd be bored alone in the county town, so I specially brought your little playmate along! To keep you company! Don't worry, once our family leaves, Uncle will have someone send him right back!"

Glancing sideways at the mole-faced man, Jiang Xiaxia nodded, sat back down inside the wicker basket, patted the edge, and said in a very loud voice, "Hurry up!"

The mole-faced man let out a breath of relief, hastily putting the tumbling boy back inside while muttering to himself: This little girl isn't as shrewd as they claimed; she's way too easy to fool!

Sitting inside the wicker basket, Jiang Xiaxia rubbed her chin and sighed. Why were these traffickers so foolish that they actually thought she would believe that?

If she hadn't sensed that Uncle had also arrived and hadn't come out to rescue her yet, she would have gone home long ago!

Thinking this, Jiang Xiaxia couldn't help but touch the gold lock around her neck and let out another worried sigh. Grandpa was right; she really needed to learn to control her own strength properly.

If she hadn't failed to control herself last night and injured Uncle's colleague, Uncle wouldn't owe this favor.

Since Uncle owed this person, Grandma owed it too.

It was her mistake, so she would fix it! She couldn't let Grandma owe anyone.

That was why, the moment she noticed Xia Ming's breathing change upon seeing this item, she had changed her mind and come along.

Who could have known that this basket contained Tiedan!

Recalling how much Grandpa valued Uncle Dalin, Jiang Xiaxia peered over the edge of the basket at Tiedan, who was sleeping soundly across the way, and scratched her tuft of yellowish hair. If she rescued Tiedan and brought him back, Uncle Dalin would offer a reward, but Grandpa and Grandma certainly wouldn't accept it.

Therefore, everything today was happening simply because she hadn't controlled her strength yesterday, resulting in her doing free labor today and failing to obey Grandma's instruction to come home on time for dinner. Such a huge loss!

While Jiang Xiaxia looked at her own hands with distress, the mole-faced man, making sure no one had followed them, shouldered his carrying poles and sped up his departure.

Entering the county town, he took winding turns through various alleys before knocking rhythmically on a door, then shouldered his poles and stepped inside.

About five minutes later, the mole-faced man returned to the spot and knocked again, though this time the rhythm of his knocks differed from the previous one.

The moment the mole-faced man stepped inside, Jiang Xiaxia leaped straight out of the wicker basket. Her sudden bound startled a woman heading toward them, who instinctively covered her face and made to retreat indoors.

Yet Jiang Xiaxia didn't even look at her, reaching her hand straight toward the mole-faced man. "Where's the candy?"

The mole-faced man shot a glance at the somewhat flustered woman beside them. "What candy? Your mother is right here!"

With that, he even gave the woman in front of him a gentle push. "Lanzi, I've brought Xiaxia back! Take a look! Aren't you happy?"

The woman called Lanzi was stunned at first. After sizing Jiang Xiaxia up as if confirming her identity, her eyes instantly reddened, and she rushed toward Jiang Xiaxia, crying out, "My Xiaxia! Mother has finally found you!"