Today was a day off, so Jiang Yueyao didn’t have to go to kindergarten.
After lunch, Sheng Yan cleared the dishes into the kitchen and washed them clean before changing into a different set of clothes.
“Yaoyao, let’s go to the supermarket this afternoon.”
The little girl happily agreed. “Okay! Mommy, can you buy me a chocolate bar?”
“Of course.”
There was no reason for Sheng Yan to refuse such a small request.
Perhaps because it was a day off, the supermarket was quite crowded.
Sheng Yan pushed the shopping cart while Jiang Yueyao sat inside it, watching as her mother took items from the shelves and placed them into the cart.
Toilet paper was a necessity. Jiang Hongyan definitely wouldn’t be able to buy it in the era he was living in, so Sheng Yan placed a large pack into the cart without hesitation.
She also needed to buy toothbrushes and toothpaste. She picked up four or five boxes in a row, enough to last him for quite some time.
“Mommy, don’t we already have toothpaste at home? Why are we buying so much?”
“I’m worried I might be too busy with work to go shopping, so I’m stocking up.”
“Oh.”
Besides the things he would need for daily life, Sheng Yan also bought several more glass dishes and plastic tableware for him to pawn in exchange for money.
She didn’t forget the chocolate Jiang Yueyao wanted either, putting several boxes into the cart.
The little girl beamed with delight at the sight of all the treats.
By the time they reached the self checkout area, the shopping cart was piled full. Sheng Yan lifted her daughter out.
“Yaoyao, hop down for a moment. Mommy needs to scan everything and pay.”
“Okay.”
Sheng Yan scanned each item one by one while Jiang Yueyao stood beside her, packing the scanned items into plastic bags.
After paying with her phone, Sheng Yan took her daughter and left the supermarket.
While they stood by the roadside waiting for a ride, Jiang Yueyao’s attention remained fixed on a little beggar sitting not far away.
She tugged gently on Sheng Yan’s hand.
“Mommy, look over there. That big brother looks so pitiful.”
Following the direction of her finger, Sheng Yan saw a thin little boy sitting by the roadside. His clothes were ragged, his hair was long and messy, and he looked severely undernourished.
“Mommy, he looks so pitiful. We have lots of food. Can we give him something to eat?”
Sheng Yan didn’t answer immediately. It wasn’t because she was cold hearted, but because giving him food wouldn’t truly help him.
It would only solve this meal. There would still be no next one.
The child might have been abducted and forced to beg, and whoever controlled him could very well be hiding nearby, watching his every move.
Sheng Yan was unemployed at the moment, her self media accounts had not yet started making money, and she still had a daughter to care for. She couldn’t put herself and her child at risk for the sake of helping someone else.
At the same time, she didn’t want to ignore her daughter’s kindness, so she decided to call the police.
Bending down, she spoke softly to her daughter.
“Yaoyao, we can’t help him just by giving him food. Mommy’s going to call the police right now so the police officers can help him instead.”
Jiang Yueyao looked puzzled.
“Can the police officers really help him?”
“Of course! They’ll help him find his family.”
Even if they couldn’t, they could contact a welfare home and help the boy escape his current situation.
They might even uncover a child trafficking ring.
“Then hurry and call, Mommy.”
Once the call connected, Sheng Yan explained the situation, and the person on the other end assured her that officers would be dispatched immediately.
After hanging up, Jiang Yueyao quickly asked, “Will the police officers really come?”
“They will. They’ll be here very soon.”
Relieved, Jiang Yueyao looked toward the little boy again.
Before long, a police car pulled up and stopped in front of him.
Jiang Yueyao smiled happily.
“Mommy, look! They really came! That was so fast!”
The moment the little boy saw the police car, however, panic filled his face. He scrambled to his feet and tried to run away.
“Iron beast! Iron beast! Help!”
Several police officers quickly approached him.
“Don’t be afraid, little friend. We’re not bad people.”
The little boy looked at them suspiciously.
“I’m not your friend!”
“Alright, not friends,” one of the officers replied as he crouched down, speaking as gently as possible. “Don’t be scared. We’re here to help you. Do you remember where your home is?”
“Qingsong County, Xiaohe Village.”
After answering, he remained extremely wary and looked at them with deep suspicion.
“Can you really help me?”
“Trust us, we’re police officers. We can help you find your parents.”
“You… are you yamen officers?”
The police officers: “???”
Jiang Yueyao had also heard what he said. Looking up at her mother, she asked,
“Mommy, I think that big brother has a toothache. He wants to see a dentist.”
Sheng Yan also thought he had said “dentist,” but she didn’t think much of it. A child living on the streets might well have dental problems, and he was still very young, so it was understandable if he didn’t know much.
“What’s your name?”
“Chen Nian.”
That was the last thing Sheng Yan heard before she got into the car with her daughter.