Reborn in the 80s, Get Rich by Eating Melons

Chapter 88: Chapter 88: Call the Police

...

A large portion of dumplings were quickly consumed, and Tong Yao had already eaten her fill. Noticing that Si Xiaohui hadn’t returned yet, she casually asked, "Mom, Xiaohui went to Lijuan’s place, right?"

Lin Fengying replied while clearing up the dishes, "Lijuan hasn’t returned from her tailoring apprenticeship, so she’s probably at Xiulan’s place. They’ve grown up together since childhood. They’re very close, so there’s no need to worry."

Tong Yao felt apprehensive, "Xiaohui went to Xiulan’s place?"

Si Xiaohui had left in a huff. If she went to Ma Xiulan’s place, what if she let slip what she had said to Ma Xiulan?

Ma Xiulan is a shrewd woman who might have run away by now.

"I suppose so!" Lin Fengying noticed the odd expression on Tong Yao’s face and looked confused. "What’s wrong?"

Tong Yao exchanged a glance with Si Chen, who apparently had thought of the same possibility. Si Chen sternly stood up, "I’m going to call Xiaohui back for dinner."

With that said, he strode towards the door.

"I’ll call her!"

Lin Fengying tried to stop Si Chen, but Tong Yao held her back, "We’ll handle it, you continue clearing up."

Tong Yao caught up with Si Chen at a slow jog. Both of them had a bad feeling. Without saying a word, they quickly proceeded to Ma Xiulan’s house. As they arrived, Ma Xiulan’s mother was intending to leave the house but paused upon seeing them.

"Xiaochen, what brings you here?"

Though everyone lived in the same village, this was Si Chen’s first visit. Thus, Ma Xiulan’s mother couldn’t help but show surprise.

Si Chen unemotionally asked, "Did Xiaohui come here?"

"Didn’t Xiaohui go shopping at the market with Xiulan?" Ma Xiulan’s mother looked confused, "You didn’t know?"

Si Xiaohui is not a toddler; being an adult she should have informed her family about her whereabouts!

Si Chen frowned, "How long ago did they leave?"

Ma’s mother said, "Almost twenty minutes ago!"

Damn it.

Si Xiaohui was probably tricked by Ma Xiulan.

Tong Yao and Si Chen turned around and left in sync, leaving Ma’s mother staring questioningly at their retreating figures. After all, Si Xiaohui just went shopping, why were they so panicked? She’s a grown woman, not a child who can’t find her way home.

Si Chen walked quickly, and Tong Yao had to jog to keep up, "We should report to the police quickly! Xiaohui must have been deceived by Ma Xiulan."

Si Chen continued walking without stopping, and his eyebrows knitted together, "We should keep this from the family for now, to avoid causing Mom any unnecessary worry."

"I understand." Tong Yao didn’t feel in the mood for chat. She hoped they genuinely went shopping. Otherwise, things would become very complicated.

Although she didn’t like Si Xiaohui, Si Xiaohui wasn’t a bad person. She was spoilt by the family and felt threatened when a new rival appeared for parental attention. This led to her constant targeting of Tong Yao. Furthermore, the things the former owner of the body did hardly made her likeable, leading to the bad relationship between the sisters-in-law. However, it wasn’t entirely anyone’s fault.

When Lin Fengying saw that only Si Chen and Tong Yao had returned, she was puzzled, "Isn’t Xiaohui at Xiulan’s place?"

"Xiaohui went shopping with Xiulan." Tong Yao casually replied as if nothing had happened.

As long as she was found, Lin Fengying let out a sigh of relief. As she turned her head, she saw Si Chen pushing his bicycle, "Are you going back to the city now?" _{𝔫𝔬𝖛𝖕𝔲𝖇.𝖈𝖔𝖒}

Si Chen spoke indifferently, "There’s an emergency at the hospital."

She initially wanted her elder son to wait for her younger son to return from the restroom and engage in familial small talk before leaving. However, seeing Si Chen’s current mindset, Lin Fengying refrained from urging them to stay.

She walked up to Tong Yao and pulled her hand, apologizing, "Yaoyao, Xiaohui’s immature. We didn’t mean to make things difficult for you. Once she returns, I’ll talk to her sternly and tell her to listen to you in the city."

Lin Fengying had watched Tong Yao’s changes closely and felt relieved. Her elder son’s wife from the city seemed to be settling into the family well now, which already exceeded her expectations.

Fortunately, she had asked Tong Yao to marry her elder son. Otherwise, there have been constant fights at home.

"Okay," Tong Yao calmly pulled her hand back, "We’re leaving now, take care."

"Okay, be careful on the road."

Lin Fengying reluctantly saw them off to the gate, and watched them until they rode out of sight. She then returned to the kitchen to clean.

....

On their way out of the village, a dog at the entrance kept barking until they cycled far enough away for the sound to become inaudible.

The town was closer compared to the city, so Si Chen took Tong Yao to report the matter to the police station in town. He briefly narrated the incident, and Tong Yao added a few important points.

"They went south, it seemed like they were starting from Lutun Town, planning to follow the mountain road to Hai City..."

Si Chen glanced at Tong Yao with a complex expression but didn’t question her in front of the police.

The officer attending to them wore a grave expression, and immediately reported the situation to the police headquarters in Li City.

If what Si Chen and Tong Yao said was true, this could be a significant case of human trafficking. The small bureau in the town, lacking manpower, would not be able to handle such a major case without assistance from the head office.

Upon receiving the news, the police headquarters took immediate notice, deploying personnel for a thorough investigation into the matter. They listed this as a major case.

After spending nearly an hour at the police station and leaving their contact information and addresses, they left the station. As they were leaving, Si Chen pursed his lips and asked.

"How did you know?"

"Huh?" Tong Yao feigned ignorance to hide the truth and averted Si Chen’s gaze, trying to gloss over the issue.

Unfortunately, this time Si Chen didn’t intend to let her get away with it. His gaze was sharp and piercing, "How do you know where they started from and where they’re heading?"

Of course, she knew.

As they were leaving the village, a dog at the entrance was barking madly at them. To others, it may have seemed as if the dog wanted to bite them, but in reality, it was trying to convey a message: strangers had entered the village and kidnapped someone.

The dog had also relayed part of the strangers’ conversation. They were planning to make a hasty departure as their cover was blown. The initial plan had been to bring along some of the girls from Liushui Town, but the situation had changed, and they had only managed to take Si Xiaohui.

But she couldn’t tell Si Chen about all this. They had known each other for less than a month, and she didn’t fully trust Si Chen yet.

Tong Yao’s eyes turned slyly as she searched for a plausible response, but finding none, she merely shrugged, "Don’t worry about how I know. It’s enough that my information is useful. Although Xiaohui and I don’t get along, I wouldn’t hurt her."

After saying this, she continued uncertainly, "Surely you’re not blaming me for Xiaohui being tricked, are you?"

After all, it was because Xiaohui despised her that she had gone to Ma Xiulan.