The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

Chapter 381 The child is lost
"Duo'er, look at that person, the fire is shooting so high."

Man'er held Duo'er tightly, pointing excitedly at the people on the stage.

This was even more spectacular than the variety show I saw in the prefectural city before the New Year.

"The fire is shooting so high! It's amazing!" Although Duo'er lived in Heilongtan Town, this was the first time she had been taken to a lantern festival by adults like this. She was even more excited than Man'er when she saw the fire-breathing acrobatics.

"I want to go back and tell my mother."

Another burst of flame shot into the air, and Duo'er clapped her hands happily.

Xiaolong and Yaozu clung tightly to Man'er, standing on tiptoe, keeping in mind Tong Huaqiong's instructions: Man'er and Duo'er were girls, and as the men of the family, they had a duty to protect them.

Especially in crowded places like this, you need to be wary of paparazzi.

"Xiaolong, look, they've started walking the tightrope over there."

Yaozu pointed to the air.

Suddenly, a thin steel wire appeared in mid-air above the stage. The acrobat, light as a swallow, leaped lightly onto the wire.

He walked on the tightrope while breathing fire.

"it is good!"

"it is good!"

Cheers erupted from the crowd.

The crowd was captivated, their eyes immediately shifting from the lanterns to the acrobats in mid-air.

Tong Huaqiong and Grandma Huang stood in the crowd, and she was also deeply shocked.

In her later years, she only saw acrobats on the Spring Festival Gala through a screen; the true immersion and awe she felt through the screen was something she could never experience.

If it weren't for her status as a widow with children and grandchildren, Tong Huaqiong would have wanted to squeeze to the front to watch and cheer loudly for the actors, just like at a concert in later generations.

Tong Huaqiong's peripheral vision swept over the four children: Man'er, Xiaolong, Yaozu, and Duo'er.

The four children jumped and danced with joy.

Tong Huaqiong was initially worried about safety with so many people around, and wanted Su Chengmin to bring the four children to her side. But seeing how happy the children were, she couldn't bear to do it.

At the same time, I thought about how many adults and so many eyes were watching the four children, and how they couldn't be lost.

Another cheer erupted, and a plume of smoke rose from the fire in the tightrope walker's mouth.

Tong Huaqiong looked up to admire the performance on the tightrope.

Looking down again, I realized that the four children were gone.

"Laifu, Laifu!" Tong Huaqiong called out.

Su Chengmin was right next to Gu Taohua, bragging that he could also walk a tightrope. Hearing Tong Huaqiong call out, he quickly turned around.

“Man’er and Xiaolong are gone.” Tong Huaqiong pointed ahead.

Su Chengmin's mind went blank; he absolutely could not lose Xiaolong.

Su Chengmin dashed into the crowd.

Upon hearing this, Gu Jingzhe rushed over and squeezed forward with Su Chengmin.

Grandma Huang's heart skipped a beat in fright. She comforted Tong Huaqiong, saying, "Manager Tong, don't worry. They were just there a moment ago. They must have been pushed inside by someone. They're small, so we can't see them from the outside."

These words did not comfort Tong Huaqiong. A sense of anxiety rose in her heart, and she moved forward without responding to Old Mrs. Huang.

None of these four children can be lost.

Tong Huaqiong prayed in her heart, hoping that, as Grandma Huang had said, Man'er and the others had simply been squeezed into a corner.

She hoped that Su Chengmin and Gu Jingzhe could bring all the children out.

However, Tong Huaqiong was soon disappointed.

Su Chengmin and Gu Jingzhe searched the crowd but couldn't find the four children.

“Let’s split up and search.” Tong Huaqiong made a quick decision and said to Gu Jingzhe and Su Chengmin, “Taohua and I will search in the crowd, and you two will search in the quiet alleys.”

Gu Jingzhe and Su Chengmin went into a dark alley nearby. Tong Huaqiong and Gu Taohua blended into the crowd.

Lu Zhaozhao wanted to join the search, but Tong Huaqiong stopped her. She was a pampered young woman from the prefectural city, and also a target for kidnappers.

While sending her maid to search, Old Madam Huang called out loudly for her son to come and discuss the matter.

When Master Huang, Lu Zhaoyang, and Huang Jingshan learned that the Gu family's children had gone missing, they were terrified.

Master Huang was extremely annoyed. The reason why Manager Tong came to admire the lanterns tonight was all for Lu Zhaoyang and Huang Jingshan.

Now that the Tong family's child is missing, if they can't find him, they can forget about having a peaceful marriage.

Lu Zhaoyang remained calm, grabbed a patrolling constable in the crowd, and described the situation.

Upon hearing that a child had gone missing, the constable gathered all the constables on the street. Some constables took control of the circus troupe, while others went off to search for the child.

This year, Magistrate Liu issued a strict order to ensure the safety of those enjoying the lanterns.

They patrolled all night, thinking nothing had happened and they could go back to collect their reward, but just as the event was about to end, their child went missing.

And four of them were lost.

It's obviously a kidnapping.

The constables were all eager to arrest the kidnapper and bring him to justice.

Tong Huaqiong and Gu Taohua searched through the crowd but didn't see many children. When they arrived at the meeting place, they found that Gu Jingzhe and Su Chengmin hadn't returned, and Tong Huaqiong had a bad feeling.

Unwilling to give up, Tong Huaqiong returned to the spot where Man'er and the other children had been standing, squatted down, and carefully searched for something.

Suddenly she picked up the velvet flower that Man'er was wearing on the ground.

Tong Huaqiong took the velvet flower in her hand and guessed that the four children had probably been won by the flower sellers.

Man'er is always clever; she deliberately dropped this flower.

Holding flowers, Tong Huaqiong squeezed through the crowd and heard the officials telling everyone not to move around. Lu Zhaoyang and Master Huang came up to her and told her that the officials of the entire Yanguan Town had guarded all the intersections and were searching each place.

"Uncle Fatty, where are you taking us in the carriage? To the prefectural city? That would be wonderful! It would be great if you could take us to the prefectural city. I've begged my father several times, but he wouldn't take me."

The two men, one fat and one thin, carried the four children into the carriage together.

Man'er hugged Duo'er, who was crying from fright, her face innocent and her eyes full of longing.

They were as happy as pigeons escaping their cages.

Inside the carriage, the two men, one fat and one thin, and Jiang's mother exchanged glances.

This girl is so naive, almost to the point of being silly.

I thought they were good people.

It’s good to be simple.

The old woman was right; you could tell from their clothes that these four children came from a wealthy family.

Especially older girls and boys who are fair-skinned and pretty can fetch a good price at first glance.

It was precisely because the four children had delicate skin that they did not tie their hands or gag their mouths, for fear of disfiguring them and making them unsellable for a good price.

However, the older, extremely handsome boy didn't seem as innocent as the little girl. He stared at her with wide eyes the whole time, struggling fiercely without saying a word, but he bit the skinny boy's hand.

The skinny man's hand was bitten and bleeding. He saw Xiaolong glaring at him fiercely and, enraged, reached out to hit Xiaolong.

Man'er stood in front of Xiaolong and said obediently, "Uncle, please don't hit him. My brother is mute, and he's scared, but he listens to me the most."

After saying that, he squeezed Xiaolong's hand and said, "Uncle will take us to the prefectural city to play, you have to be a good boy/girl."

Xiao Long, who was labeled as mute, turned ashen with anger.

When the three men heard that Xiaolong was mute, they felt it was a pity, otherwise a boy of such good looks would be sought after by male prostitutes in Shengjing.

However, being mute has its advantages; at least he won't shout for help.

The four children they've abducted are a mix of innocent and naive girls, a girl who's too timid to speak, and a slightly younger boy who's sobbing as he pulls out candy from his pocket and sucks on it, his hands covered in syrup—he doesn't seem very bright either.