Chapter 224: Apology and Repentance
Chapter 224: Chapter 224: Apology and Repentance
Zhao Nuanyang pounded frantically on the door, hoping his sister was alright.
Hearing the urgent knocking, Old Sir Qian called out loudly, "Who is it?"
Old Madam Qian and Old Sir Qian were too old to go out and search, but they were so worried about Zhao Nuanyue and Little Red Carp that they couldn’t sleep a wink. So, they waited in the main hall of the Dragon King Temple.
"Grandpa Qian, it’s me! I’m Nuanyang! I found Little Red Carp!" Zhao Nuanyang shouted. "And I also found Zhao Xiaohai, who went missing from the village with her!"
Hearing this, Old Sir Qian quickened his pace, almost jogging to the door. When he opened it and saw the crowd outside, especially Little Red Carp, tears streamed down his old face.
"As long as she’s found, as long as she’s found," Old Sir Qian said, his voice choked with emotion. "Little Red Carp, let Grandpa hold you!"
Little Red Carp held out her arms and let Old Sir Qian hold her.
"Nuanyang, who are these people...?" Old Sir Qian asked. "Come in, quickly! Oh, and Nuanyang, hurry to the back mountain and tell everyone that Little Red Carp and Xiao Hai have been found!"
Zhao Nuanyang was relieved his sister was safe. "Gentlemen, please rest here for a moment," he said hurriedly. "I need to go call everyone back, and then I can cooperate with you."
Yang Qinghai smiled. "No need. We’ll park the ox-cart and go to the back mountain with you."
"Thank you so much, Yang Qinghai," Zhao Nuanyang said, deeply grateful. He then led the men toward the back mountain.
Little Red Carp and Zhao Xiaohai hadn’t eaten anything on the way back and were famished.
Old Madam Qian and Old Sir Qian started making food for the two children. Little Red Carp and Zhao Xiaohai gobbled it down, savoring every bite.
Zhao Nuanyang quickened his pace and soon reached the back mountain. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he shouted, "It’s Nuanyang! Little Red Carp has been found! Zhao Xiaohai has been found too! Sister, can you hear me?"
The people on the back mountain heard Zhao Nuanyang’s voice and were overcome with joy and relief. Now that the children were found, they could finally rest easy.
"They’re found! They’re found!" everyone shouted in unison, relaying the message to those on the mountainside and in the distance that they could come back.
Widow Qian and Zhao Nuanyue were in the deepest part of the mountains and were the last to get the news.
When Zhao Nuanyue heard the shouts, her face streamed with tears. "As long as she’s found, as long as she’s found," she sobbed. "Little Red Carp is finally found."
Widow Qian, worried that only Little Red Carp had been found, cried out frantically, "Is my Xiao Hai found too?"
"They found both of them! Nuanyang found them!" A moment later, the news that brought tears to Widow Qian’s eyes came from behind them.
Widow Qian had been running on pure willpower while searching for her son. Upon hearing the news, she finally let out a breath of relief, collapsed to the ground, and began to wail. Wiping at her tears, she said, "As long as Xiao Hai comes back, I’ll live an honest life from now on. I’m done with all that shameful business."
Seeing that Widow Qian had exhausted all her strength searching for her son, Zhao Nuanyue couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.
’She’s a pitiful woman, too.’
Zhao Nuanyue went over to help Widow Qian up. "Sister-in-law Qian, get up quickly," she said softly. "The ground is cold."
Widow Qian wiped her tears and stood up with Zhao Nuanyue’s help. "Thank you, Zhao Nuanyue," she said, her voice choked with sobs. "Actually... before, I used to join in with others badmouthing you young people. I know I was wrong now, and I want to apologize. I’m sorry. As for my sordid business with Wang Dadan, I’m sure the whole village knows. I know I’m a bad woman. I got together with him at first just to make life easier. Later, even though he couldn’t help me anymore, I still couldn’t refuse him when he came looking for me. Now that he’s dead, I swear I’ll turn over a new leaf. I’ll raise Xiao Hai properly until he’s grown."
Zhao Nuanyue was somewhat surprised to hear Widow Qian’s words. For a woman to admit her mistakes so directly proved she was truly repentant.
"It’s all in the past now," Zhao Nuanyue said softly. "People have to look forward. We don’t have to be perfect saints, but as long as we can live with a clear conscience, that’s enough."
"You’re right. I was wrong before, and I’ll never be a bad person again," Widow Qian said. "Good people are rewarded, and bad people come to a bad end. Wang Dadan is an example, Li Shan is an example, and so are Liu Lanhua and Li Siming. None of them will meet a good end."
Zhao Nuanyue strongly agreed with Widow Qian, because Li Siming, Liu Lanhua, Zheng Delin, and the rest of the human trafficking ring in the county seat had already been brought to justice.
"Yes," Zhao Nuanyue agreed. "Bad people always pay a price and get punished. Let’s not dwell on it. We should head back soon."
And so, Zhao Nuanyue and Widow Qian supported each other as they descended the mountain with the militia.
When Zhao Nuanyang saw his sister, he rushed over, grabbed her hands, and looked her up and down. "Sister... Sister..."
’As long as his sister was safe, nothing else mattered!’
"Nuanyang, how did you find Little Red Carp?" Zhao Nuanyue asked. "Tell me quickly, I’ve been worried sick."
Seeing his sister’s anxiety and the villagers gathering around, Zhao Nuanyang explained, "It was Li Siming and Liu Lanhua who kidnapped Zhao Xiaohai and Little Red Carp. I chased after them all the way to the county seat. They were actually in cahoots with Zheng Delin, running a human trafficking business. Xu Jinda and his men have already arrested them. Yang Qinghai brought us back, but he also needs to get a statement about the situation."
The villagers were aghast at this revelation.
So Li Siming and Liu Lanhua were involved too.
Miao Dahai, Li Guihua, and others had already come over. The village chief stepped forward and said, "Yang Qinghai, hello. I am Miao Dahai, the village chief. There was also a murder in our village today. We were so focused on finding the children that we haven’t had a chance to report it to the county yet!"
"What?" Yang Qinghai was taken aback. He thought he was just here to get a statement, not stumble upon a major case. He immediately became alert. "What exactly happened? Miao Dahai, you need to tell me everything, in detail."
Seeing that it was the middle of the night, Miao Dahai said to the villagers, "A few of the village staff, along with Zhao Nuanyue and Qian Cuicui, will stay. The rest of you, go home and get some rest!"
Even though the villagers wanted to see what was happening, it was the middle of the night, dark and cold. Besides, there had been a murder, which made them a little scared. Hearing Miao Dahai’s instructions, they all headed home.
Miao Dahai then invited Yang Qinghai and his men into the village office and began to recount the day’s events.
Even though Zhao Nuanyue desperately wanted to go back and see Little Red Carp, she was delayed. She had to wait until after the police had finished their questioning before she could leave.
Zhao Nuanyue saw there was still hot water available, so she got up and poured some for everyone so they could catch their breath. To make today’s "show" more convincing, she had given it her all.