Chapter 788 - 406: Countermeasure

Chapter 788: Chapter 406: Countermeasure

He stood up, only then feeling her body go a bit weak. She composed herself and called to Aunt Liu, "Sister Liu, go to the fields over there and tell my Huai Zi and his father to come back. Just say we have visitors. I need to go to Zhao San’s house."

Aunt Liu quickly agreed. Forgetting the soybean seeds she was sorting, she hurried toward the uncultivated fields.

Soon, Zhang Dashuan and Zhang Huai rushed home. Before their seats were even warm, Zhao San also hurried over, covered in sweat. The moment he stepped inside, he asked, "Huai Zi, is what your mother said true? Who went to the market today?"

Zhang Huai was waiting for He to return to ask for details. He still didn’t know what had happened. Aunt Liu had only said they had visitors, but when he got back, there was no one there. When he asked her, she couldn’t explain clearly, only saying that this was the Lady’s instruction.

"Third Uncle Zhao, what did my mother say? My father and I just got back from the fields; we don’t know what’s happened," Huai Zi asked quizzically as he gestured for Zhao San to sit.

Only then did Zhao San realize that in his rush, he had run ahead and left He far behind. He caught his breath and repeated what He had told him to the Zhang father and son.

Zhang Dashuan shot to his feet, his hands clenched into fists. He shouted, "I don’t believe it! They’re just a few kids, studying at school. They haven’t caused any trouble. Why would anyone arrest them? Where were they taken?"

Though he was shouting, his eyes turned red.

Huai Zi quickly came over and pressed him back into his seat, saying in a low voice, "Dad, we don’t know what’s going on yet, let’s not panic. Wait for Mother to get home, and I’ll ask her. Then I’ll go to the Liu Family to ask around. We need to get the facts straight before we say anything." He turned to Zhao San. "Third Uncle, this whole thing is very strange. We need to stay calm. Let’s not shout about it until the whole village knows, making it sound like they really committed a crime and got arrested."

Zhao San nodded repeatedly. "Huai Zi," he said, "Your Third Uncle here is just a farmer. I don’t know much about the world. I’m afraid your father and I won’t have any ideas for this. You need to handle this carefully. Whether it’s asking around or making a trip to Huzhou Prefecture, if you need silver or anything, just say the word and we’ll all figure it out together."

Huai Zi waved his hand. "Third Uncle, like I said, we’re not at that stage yet. Let’s figure out what happened first."

Just as he was speaking, he caught sight of He entering the courtyard. He hurried to meet her, pulling her aside to ask in detail what Liu Xiaomei’s mother had told her.

Mei’s mother had only said a few sentences, so He couldn’t provide any more information. The mother and son murmured to each other as they entered the main hall. Zhang Huai was still completely in the dark, but he had a nagging feeling this might be related to the former Mr. Zhou.

Juhua was in her room, nursing the newly-awakened Banli and Cong. Hearing the commotion outside, she found it strange. ’Why is everyone back from the fields in the middle of the afternoon?’

After she finished nursing, she changed the two babies’ diapers and called out the window, "Pu Pao!"

Pu Pao was doing needlework under the eaves of the porch. Hearing the call, she quickly dropped what she was doing, entered the room, and helped Juhua carry the two little ones out.

When Zhang Dashuan saw Banli, he silently stood up and took him from Pu Pao’s arms. He held the baby to his chest but didn’t tease or play with him as he usually did.

He saw her grandson and granddaughter but didn’t smile or ask to hold them; she was busy wiping her tears.

Juhua glanced at the situation in the main hall and gave Pu Pao a meaningful look. Pu Pao left, and only then did Juhua turn back to ask Huai Zi what had happened.

Zhang Huai told her what He had said, adding that he was planning to go to the Liu Family right away. He hoped to find the villager who brought the message back so he could get more precise details.

Juhua frowned in thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I’m afraid there’s been a mistake. But it’s certain that Yangzi and the others were taken away by someone, otherwise this rumor wouldn’t have started..."

Before she could finish, He started to cry out loud.

Juhua said quickly, "Mother, please let me finish. I think there’s been a mistake. Being ’taken away’ is different from being ’arrested.’"

Zhao San asked hurriedly, "What do you mean?"

Juhua explained, "If Yangzi and the others had committed a crime, they would’ve been taken away by people from the government office. The messenger would have said directly that they were thrown in jail, not something so vague. The way it was phrased, it sounds like they were taken by someone else. But Yangzi and Little Shitou are students of Ding Xuezheng. Who would dare to take them away so casually? I think this might have something to do with the former Mr. Zhou..."

Huai Zi said, pleasantly surprised, "You think so too? I was just thinking the same thing. I was about to go to Xiatang Market to find out what that merchant actually said before deciding what to do next."

Zhang Dashuan and Zhao San asked in unison, "What about Mr. Zhou?"

Juhua shook her head at them, speaking only to Huai Zi. "First, go to Scholar Zhou at the village school. He was recommended by Mr. Zhou. In the past, it wouldn’t have been appropriate for us to ask about this, but now that Yangzi and the others are missing, you can ask him tactfully. If Mr. Zhou has another identity, he probably won’t hide it from you anymore and will tell you something of the truth. That’s the first thing. Second, you need to hurry to Xiatang Market. It would be best to find the restaurant where that merchant ate. Ask the Shopkeeper and Xiao Er in detail exactly what he said at the time so we can make our own judgment. If we still can’t figure it out after that, then we’ll have to make a trip to Huzhou Prefecture ourselves. That’s better than relying on hearsay and letting the rumors get distorted and lose the truth."