Chapter 100: Kidnapping the Child?

In the dead of night, the child hidden in the haystack blinked awake in a haze.

Seeing only darkness, he nearly cried out in fright.

He poked his head out and found that the moon was already hanging high overhead. Panicked, he muttered, “It’s over. Mother is going to beat me to death.”

He stretched out his numb legs, just about to crawl out, when he heard a series of footsteps drawing nearer.

He did not know what possessed him at the time; his mind seemed to seize up, and he ducked back inside.

But after hearing what the newcomers were saying, he no longer dared to emerge.

“Brother, these two are the sons of that Tang woman?”

“No mistake. Those brats have eyes exactly like hers,” came another, cold and sinister voice.

“Besides, I heard someone shouting their names on the mountain today. It’s definitely them.”

A rough voice said, “Damn it. These two little devils are hard to handle. If it weren’t for them, the two of us wouldn’t have had to feed mosquitoes on that mountain for days.”

“What do you know?” the sinister voice snapped. “That Tang woman is ruthless. This is a job that can cost lives. Better to be careful.”

The rough voice immediately flattered him. “Brother Lu, you’ve really thought of everything.”

“Quit talking and move,” the sinister voice urged.

Soon, the footsteps faded into the distance.

Only then did the child in the haystack let out a choking cough he could no longer hold back. But he did not care. He scrambled out at once and shouted at the top of his voice, “Open the door! Hurry, open the door!”

“Open it now! Kidnappers are here!”

In the quiet of the night, the child’s thin, shrill voice rang out sharply.

Inside the house, Wen Mubai’s eyes flew open at once. Those beautiful eyes were keen as an eagle’s. Hearing the pounding outside, he sprang up in one motion.

Then, catching the words “kidnappers,” he rushed to the door and flung it open. “Where are they?”

The little boy pointed in one direction. “T-there.”

The other households that had heard the commotion all had their men grab tools and follow Wen Mubai.

Tang Banxia was a step behind. Seeing the child outside the door, she frowned in surprise. Why was this child here?

But she had no time to think further before the boy blurted out, “Mo Shengning has been taken!”

“What?” Tang Banxia staggered. She did not even wait to steady herself before sprinting toward the Sun family’s home.

A Ning and A Su were close with the girl from the Sun family. The three children were inseparable, and in the end A Ning and A Su had simply moved in with the Suns.

She ran all the way there and banged on the door. “Where are A Ning and A Su?”

“They’re sleeping in the room,” Sun Mancang, the man of the house, answered in confusion.

“Which room?” Under the moonlight, Tang Banxia’s face was as pale as paper.

Sun Mancang was startled by her expression and pointed out the room. Tang Banxia rushed inside, and sure enough, A Ning and A Su were gone.

Sun Mancang, who had come in behind her, looked around in alarm. “Where are the children?”

Tang Banxia had no time to answer. She turned and ran to Hu Dashan’s house, pounding on the door and explaining everything.

Hu Dashan immediately blew the whistle he used for summoning workers.

He had been transferred to the grain depot, and the village had not yet chosen a new brigade leader, so the whistle was still in his hands.

Once the villagers had been gathered and the situation explained, the entire village was instantly enraged upon hearing that child traffickers had come to steal children from their own village. No one waited for orders. They organized themselves and began a thorough search.

Meanwhile, Wen Mubai pursued the direction the child had pointed out.

Less than half an hour later, he spotted the kidnappers. But when he made out the children in their arms, his brow furrowed deeply. He immediately understood that these were probably no ordinary child traffickers.

Realizing this, he did not alert them. Instead, he silently trailed behind.

He watched them climb the mountain, take several turns, descend from another side, then wander in circles again and again.

It was only thanks to Wen Mubai’s experience that he managed not to give himself away.

At last, the two men stopped in front of a house in Muzi Village.

They looked around carefully, left and right, then knocked and slipped inside with the children in their arms.

Wen Mubai was just about to move closer when he heard barking from inside. He instantly vaulted the wall and hid in the yard of a nearby house.

The barking put the kidnappers on alert. One of them poked his head out and scanned the surrounding area, checking every corner. Seeing no one, he withdrew back into the yard.

“Stupid dog. Bark again and I’ll stew you alive.”

Wen Mubai did not dare relax. He remained hidden.

Sure enough, after a short while, the man stuck his head out again. Only after confirming there was truly no one around did he retreat.

Wen Mubai stayed silent for another half hour before finally climbing back over the wall. He noted the location of the house.

Then he took a shortcut to find Gouzi and ask about Muzi Village.

Instead, he was met with the bald man’s merciless mockery. “Er Gou, are you getting weak? You have to come to me for even this little thing?”

Wen Mubai had no time for banter. “I’m asking whether those people are your targets. If not, then I’m going to move.”

Daring to snatch the children from his own family, these kidnappers’ lives were as good as over.

Mentioning the mission, Bald Gouzi dared not grin anymore. “Muzi Village?”

Wen Mubai gave him the location.

“Damn it!” Bald Gouzi cursed under his breath. “What bad luck. Er Gou, you really are my lucky star.”

“I was just worrying about not having a chance to startle the snake from the grass,” he said, practically wanting to rush up and hug Wen Mubai and kiss him twice in gratitude.

Ecstatic, he waved him off. “Go on, tear them apart if you have to. Just don’t let anyone die.”

Wen Mubai did not bother correcting his choice of words. Having gotten a definite answer, he rushed back to Muzi Village without delay.

By then, dawn was nearly breaking.

He did not waste time on detours. He went straight in by climbing the wall, then kicked Bald Gouzi unconscious with one blow.

Expressionless, he pulled out the iron bolt used to bar the door and crooked a finger at the group of men rushing toward him in challenge. “Come on. All of you, together.”

The men exchanged looks and swarmed him at once.

Wen Mubai wielded the iron rod and brought one down with every strike. In no time, bodies were strewn across the ground.

The bloodstained rod scraped against the earth, making a harsh, grating sound. Wen Mubai asked politely, “Where are the children?”

Everyone looked at him in terror and no one dared speak.

Wen Mubai’s eyes were dark with impatience. He lost what little patience remained, gave them each another blow to knock them out, and then searched every room one by one.

At last, he heard movement in the cellar beneath the kitchen. Going down, he found the two children.

By then, both had woken. Mo Shengsu was in tears, while Mo Shengning, though frightened, was at least old enough to understand and was trying to comfort his younger brother.

When Wen Mubai came down, what met his eyes were the children’s terrified faces. He gave a soft laugh. “Surprised?”

“Uncle?” the two children said at the same time.

Wen Mubai untied them, then led them out of the cellar. “Let’s go. Your aunt must be worried sick.”

The two children followed Wen Mubai across the yard full of prone bodies, looking at the slender figure ahead of them, rod in hand. Their eyes shone like stars.

This time, Wen Mubai took them along the main road. They had not gone far before they ran into the police, who had come to question people.

Wen Mubai said at once, “I found the children. The kidnappers are in Muzi Village, in the sixth house in the third alley to the left of the big pagoda tree.”

Hearing this, the police officer hesitated, unsure what to do. Wen Mubai did not press him. Instead, he said considerately, “You can have the person who reported it come over.”

Soon after, Tang Banxia was brought over. Seeing the two children safe and sound, she let out a long breath of relief and rushed forward to examine them repeatedly.

She checked their pulses, studied their faces, and finally concluded that aside from being frightened and having a few minor scrapes, they were otherwise unharmed.

Then she turned to Wen Mubai. “What happened?”

Wen Mubai said, “When I got there, it looked like they’d started fighting among themselves. So I waited until they’d nearly beaten each other senseless before going in to rescue the children. That’s why it took a bit longer.”

Tang Banxia looked suspicious. “That happened to be the timing?”

Wen Mubai’s expression remained gentle. “Yes. It seemed to be two separate groups, both wanting the children, and that’s what caused the infighting.”

At that, Tang Banxia’s heart skipped a beat. She was a smart woman and immediately thought of something.

“Let’s go back and talk.”