Years: Return to the Leisurely Fishing Village

Chapter 160 Almost Kidnapped
Tan Shaoyang returned to the town covered in dust and happened to see Liu Xiang being harassed by a little girl. The little girl was thin and frail, and kept yelling for her mother. She also wanted to drag Liu Xiang to send her off.

It is indeed easy to make people feel soft-hearted by putting on that pitiful look, and Liu Xiang was really soft-hearted. She did not doubt him and not only bought her buns, but also planned to send her back.

It was obvious that he had no doubts at all. If he hadn't happened to want to meet someone, he would have been deceived.

The moment Tan Shaoyang appeared, he stopped them and said to the little girl with a fierce look,

"Little sister, if you have a problem that you can't solve, ask the police. If you can't find your way home, ask the police to take you home."

"I'm free now, so I'll take you to the police station to report to them!"

"This sister is kind and beautiful, how could you be so cruel as to deceive her?"

The little girl looked at him with sunken eyes and a pair of sad eyes, then shook her head, "I won't go to the police."

"I didn't lie to my sister. I just wanted her to take me home."

As he said this, he wanted to pull Liu Xiang, but was stopped by Tan Shaoyang, "Don't think this sister is easy to bully and try to coax her. I'm here, so don't even think about achieving your goal."

"She's stupid, but I'm smart. It's not easy for you to trick me."

"If you keep pulling this strings, the people behind you won't get any benefits."

The trafficking of women and children gradually came to light, especially in their area, which had a vast sea area and made it easy to transport them out.

This gives some unconventional people an opportunity to take advantage of this opportunity to make money and take action against some vulnerable groups.

Especially after tasting the sweetness, they will never stop.

After all, why bother when you can just work hard to make money?

When the girl saw that she couldn't take advantage, Tan Shaoyang acted very smartly. She glanced behind her, saw a hand gesture, and took the opportunity to slip away. Although he was small, he ran very fast.

Liu Xiang was completely confused by the scene. She looked at Tan Shaoyang with a puzzled expression and said, "How did you scare her away? Can't you just send her home? I'm not busy now, so it doesn't matter if I send her home!"

Seeing her ignorant look, Tan Shaoyang raised his hand and pinched his brows, saying helplessly, "My aunt, can you be a little more vigilant?"

"Didn't you notice anything wrong with this kid?"

"He is skinny and looks extremely miserable. He looks like he wants you to feel sorry for him. He pretends to be weak to trick you."

"There have been cases of child trafficking in the village, but you don't hang around the streets often, so you don't know much."

"Don't be soft-hearted and feel sorry for others. If you follow this little girl today, you will soon be imprisoned by the people behind her, and then you will be tied up and taken away from the ship."

"You were transported to a remote mountain area and sold to someone as a daughter-in-law. You didn't even have a chance to escape back."

"Don't think I'm exaggerating. This is a real thing. Several children from the neighboring village were abducted and haven't been found yet. The chances of finding them are extremely slim."

When Liu Xiang heard his words, she was so frightened that her face turned pale. She subconsciously took two steps back and got goose bumps all over her body.

"Don't exaggerate here. How could I be kidnapped on the street? I'm a big person, you can't just drag me away if you want."

Tan Shaoyang sneered, "You overestimate yourself. With your light weight, I can easily carry you away by myself."

"If they were two grown men, you wouldn't have a chance to escape."

As they were talking, Liu's mother came running over and grabbed Tan Shaoyang's arm. She had been blocking the way for many days and finally found someone. The moment she saw Tan Shaoyang, she was a little confused.

She guessed countless people, but never thought of Tan Shaoyang.

Tan Shaoyang reacted quickly, calling someone immediately, and then explained the reason for his presence. Without the funds recovered in the short term, he could not buy a house, and it was impossible for him to stand in front of her with an open mind.

He doesn't like to brag, and he has to keep a low profile on things he can't guarantee.

After hearing the whole story, Liu's mother broke out in a cold sweat and was so frightened that her hand, which was holding Liu Xiang's, was shaking.

He swallowed hard twice, looked at Tan Shaoyang gratefully and said, "Third brother, thanks to your vigilance, you lent a hand when you saw that it was an acquaintance, otherwise this silly child would have been in trouble."

The same thought as before was still there, and she treated him as a great benefactor.

"The story of the abducted children in the neighboring village has been covered up. It really happened. We still need to be vigilant!"

"I didn't tell Liu Xiang because I was afraid of scaring her. Who knew she would be targeted by someone?"

After saying that, he looked at Liu Xiang and reminded her nervously,

"Xiang, don't rush back home after work, but you must wait for me. Those people are hard to guard against. If anything bad happens to you, we as parents will have no chance to live."

"These people are too crazy to do such a heartless thing."

Liu Xiang's eyes widened, and she looked around in fear, everyone she saw was suspicious, "Why is there no movement when something like this happens?"

Mother Liu sighed, "The other party hid too deeply, and we have never been able to find him. If he were to be exposed, it would easily cause unrest, so he was hidden."

"Your father has his own ways and knows some things, but he doesn't dare to spread them around. Now that you know about it, you have to be careful in the future."

"If he really was taken away, I really don't know where to find him in such a big world!"

"Come home with me quickly. I don't feel safe anywhere outside."

After saying that, he looked at Tan Shaoyang and said, "Old Third, why don't you go home and have a drink with your uncle?"

Tan Shaoyang shook his head and refused, "Aunt, look at how miserable I am, I won't go."

"That plate is almost ready to be removed, we can go to the tower fence and bother you later."

"It is indeed better to have someone accompany you when you go home. We can't take it lightly during this critical period." While speaking, he looked at Liu Xiang implicitly, and did not feel relieved until the other party nodded in agreement.

After Liu Xiang took her daughter away, she kept nagging her, fearing that she would not take it seriously.

While Liu Xiang agreed, she turned her head to look back. It was not until Tan Shaoyang waved at her that she reluctantly looked away and answered casually.

"Mom, I get it. No matter who asks me for help, I will not be soft-hearted." She still wants to marry Tan Shaoyang, but she doesn't want anything to happen to herself. If something happens, what if someone else gets the benefit?

Seeing that she was not perfunctory, Liu's mother nodded with satisfaction, "It's OK as long as you pay attention to it. You are our only child."

"Thank goodness you met the Third Brother, otherwise it would be troublesome. Then invite your cousin to come over for dinner. We should be polite and be grateful."

Liu Xiang nodded randomly, not knowing where Tan Shaoyang was going. He looked so miserable and even spent all his money some time ago.

Although she doubted whether she could save enough money, she would not resist any decision he made and was willing to trust him wholeheartedly.

I just felt that he was a little too tired, and I felt bad for him. This incident sounded a warning bell, and the whole family took it very seriously. Every time Liu Xiang went home, there was someone to escort her, either her father or her mother, so that no one was left alone.

Liu Xiang would not resist, because her parents were doing it for her own good. Besides, she was afraid of being targeted if she was alone. After all, those people could take advantage of the innocent and weak, so what else could they not do?
Liu Xiang was lucky enough to avoid it, but Zhang Yibei, who was covering for his sister, was not so lucky.

Zhang Yihui married into a wealthy family. If it weren't for her aunt and uncle's abilities, she would not have been able to marry into the town. But even though she got married, her mother-in-law didn't like her and always looked down on her because she was from the village.

Recently she found out that she was pregnant. She felt back pain whenever she worked. She was afraid of an accident, so she told her mother. Finally, she asked Zhang Yibei to cover for a few days and she could go back to work after she recovered.

It’s your own daughter, so you should feel sorry for her.

Knowing that she is disliked by her mother-in-law but she is powerless to do anything about it, she would definitely not refuse if she could help share some of the burden.

Zhang Yibei is very smart and learned quickly. After just a few days of replacement, he became proficient in the job.

That evening, she happened to be going home after work. When she was about to leave town on her bike, she realized something was wrong.

She always felt that there were two people following her. She turned her head inadvertently to take a look and found that they were very strong. Most importantly, they gave her an ominous feeling.

After what happened to Chen Wang, she became more alert. She looked around, watching her escape route.

Then the sound of iron hammering was heard.

Zhang Yibei suddenly had an idea and decided not to ride forward any further, but to go straight to the blacksmith's shop.

This blacksmith shop is some distance away from the street, but it is just right for him as it won't disturb others.

After Zhang Yibei entered, she looked around, not caring about the rubble everywhere. Even though the place was so messy that there was nowhere to step, she didn't dare to leave.

If you suddenly intrude into someone else's territory, you must say hello. But when you look up, you see a very burly man busying around with his bare chest.

He had a towel draped over his shoulders, and he used it to wipe his sweat from time to time. He had a calm face and didn't look like someone who was easy to talk to.

There are many tools in front, including farm tools, knives and even hammers, all of which have been tempered by fire and hammered through thousands of times.

Zhang Yibei's heart was pounding, but he mustered up the courage to greet him, "Master Blacksmith, sorry to bother you, can I stay here for a while?"

The person in front of her was shouting but she didn't hear any response. Zhang Yibei raised her voice again and the other person stopped what he was doing and looked at her.

She is a very young girl and she doesn’t look like she is here to buy tools.

"What's matter?"

Zhang Yibei glanced outside and saw that the two people had not left yet. He said with a bit of trepidation, "I want to stay here with you for a while. I feel like those two people outside are up to something bad."

Chen Tao took a glance and nodded casually, "Stay if you want!"

After saying that, he continued to work. The hammer in his hand was almost finished. Looking at the shape, one could guess what the object was.

Zhang Yibella pulled a chair and sat beside him, watching him throw it into the fire to roast, then take it out and beat it. It was obvious that practice makes perfect, with one hand holding it and the other hand beating it, it was not difficult at all.

Zhang Yibei thought the other party would leave, but he turned out to be very patient and still stayed outside without any sign of leaving.

Even when it was getting dark, she could still see a squatting figure when she went out, and it was obvious that he was coming towards her.

Zhang Yibei didn't dare to walk at all. Although she was riding a bicycle, if the two burly men ran after her, they might catch up with her.

Zhang Yibei shrank back and sat on the chair, feeling very depressed.

Chen Tao had stopped forging iron, cooked a pot of rice, and started stir-frying vegetables. Soon the fragrant aroma spread out.

Then he went to take a shower. When he came out refreshed, he saw Zhang Yibei still sitting on the chair. "It's getting dark. If you don't go home, you won't be able to see the road clearly."

Zhang Yibei looked up at him, tears welling up in her eyes, and her tone of voice was slightly tearful, as if she was about to cry.

"I don't dare go back."

"Can you give me a ride into town?"

Chen Tao frowned, "I have no idea who the people outside are, and I don't intend to get involved in your mess."

"I'm hungry, if you don't mind, come and eat something with me."

He said without paying any attention to her and just started eating with the bowl in his hand.

Zhang Yibei was also hungry. After all, he had been busy all afternoon and was followed on his way home. He was scared to death and was starving.

My stomach rumbled at the smell of the delicious food.

I was used to eating with Zhang Yifei and the others, and I didn't know what politeness meant. I just said thank you and scooped half a bowl of rice to eat with them.

At most, I'll eat it today and bring him some seafood when I go back. I won't dare to take any meat with me, so I'll just eat it with vegetables. I'll be satisfied as long as I can fill my stomach.

The dim light shone, and Chen Tao used the hazy light to illuminate the person in front of him. She was a pretty girl, and her dress was also vibrant.

With two small braids, she is eating quietly and looks very well behaved.

It’s no wonder that such a pretty girl is blocked by people.

"Why is the other party chasing you?"

Zhang Yibei shook his head. "I don't know. I felt someone was chasing me when I was going home. I didn't dare to go back because I was afraid that I would be caught up on the way."

Zhang Tao glanced at her and said, "You dare to come in here. Aren't you afraid that I'm a bad person? I'm a bachelor, and it's possible for me to take a pretty girl like you home as my wife."

"After all, you have such small arms and legs, you can't run away no matter what you want to do."

As Zhang Yibei listened, he almost dropped the bowl in his hand. He was so frightened that his face turned pale. He wanted to faint, let alone eat.

Seeing how frightened she was, Chen Tao didn't dare to scare her anymore. "Okay, be more careful next time and don't go anywhere recklessly."

"Eat quickly. I'll take you to town after you're full."

When the two came out again, the people guarding outside had disappeared. Apparently they knew it was impossible to block them again, so they chose to leave.

Zhang Yibei returned to her aunt's house and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the familiar place. "Thank you, what's your name? I ate your meal, I will bring you seafood tomorrow."

Chen Tao left his name and declined the other party's offer to bring him seafood. After all, he didn't need the food.

Zhang Yibei had just explained the whole cause and effect to his aunt and the others when the village chief and his wife came over in a hurry.

(End of this chapter)