Zhao Liye also turned to look at Ling Yuan. The smile on his face faded slightly, and a trace of gloom flashed through his eyes.
Ling Yuan was perceptive. He glanced at Zhao Liye.
“Alright.” Ling Yuan’s expression remained indifferent, but he agreed.
Yu Huan was a little surprised by his answer, but her smile grew even brighter.
“Then come over after work. I’ll head home first.”
With a cheerful smile, Yu Huan turned and walked away.
Zhao Liye kept his eyes on Yu Huan’s retreating figure, but his mouth was busy asking, “Ling Yuan, you don’t actually like her, do you?”
“If you don’t like her, why give her false hope?”
Ling Yuan continued working without pausing, as though he hadn’t heard a word Zhao Liye had said.
Seeing Ling Yuan’s reaction, Zhao Liye didn’t take it to heart. He simply walked toward his own plot of land.
Yu Huan walked home with a radiant smile, holding a freshly picked bunch of wildflowers in her hand. Her steps were light and cheerful.
As she passed a small slope, she suddenly heard someone shouting for help.
Without giving it much thought, she immediately ran in that direction.
Halfway there, a cloud of white mist drifted past her.
She sensed that something was wrong, but before she could react, she lost consciousness.
After work, Yu Huan’s parents returned home and found that she wasn’t there.
Assuming she had gone into the mountains to hunt again, they didn’t think much of it.
Her mother went into the kitchen to prepare dinner, while her father sat in the courtyard to rest.
When he saw three educated youths approaching the courtyard gate, he was somewhat surprised.
With a friendly smile, Yu Huan’s father looked at them and asked in a calm tone, “What brings you here?”
Song Yujie had heard that his older brother was going to the village chief’s house, and that Zhao Liye was coming along too, so he had decided to tag along.
Hearing the village chief’s question, he quickly spoke before Zhao Liye could respond.
“Village Chief, it’s like this. We made arrangements with Comrade Yu to come over and exchange for a few watermelons to beat the heat.”
Yu Huan’s father looked confused.
“When did you arrange that? Huanhuan isn’t home right now, and she didn’t mention anything to me.”
Ling Yuan suddenly spoke up.
“Around four o’clock this afternoon.”
Zhao Liye also sensed that something wasn’t quite right.
“She came to the wasteland for a while, and we agreed to come to your house after work. Do you know where she’s gone?”
“Whenever Huanhuan isn’t home, she usually goes into the mountains.”
“But since she promised you, she would definitely be waiting at home. She wouldn’t just wander off.”
“Something must have happened.”
The more Yu Huan’s father spoke, the more uneasy he became.
His reason told him to trust his daughter. After all, he had only witnessed her extraordinary abilities the previous night.
But his emotions were difficult to control. Huanhuan was only sixteen years old, still so young and inexperienced. What if something really had happened to her?
Seeing the growing panic on the village chief’s face, Zhao Liye quickly tried to reassure him.
“Village Chief, please don’t panic. Let’s ask the villagers first and see whether anyone has seen Yu Huan. Perhaps something really did delay her.”
After all, Yu Huan’s father was the village chief. His panic lasted only a moment before he quickly regained his composure.
He hurried off to find the villagers who had been working in the fields near the wasteland that day, apart from the educated youths.
Ling Yuan and Zhao Liye followed closely behind him.
Song Yujie had initially wanted to go with them, but Ling Yuan asked him to stay at the Yu family home and keep Yu Huan’s mother calm. After all, she still didn’t know that something might have happened to her daughter.
Yu Huan’s father asked several families in succession, but none of them had seen her.
However, once the villagers learned that Yu Huan might be missing, more and more people gathered behind him.
They discussed searching the nearby mountains. Perhaps she had gone into the mountains and simply hadn’t had time to return.
When they reached Widow Niu’s house, they discovered that her married daughter had returned to visit her maternal home that day and hadn’t left yet.
Yu Huan’s father asked Widow Niu whether she had seen Yu Huan.
Widow Niu shook her head and said she hadn’t.
However, Niu Lanhua, who was standing behind her, had a strange look in her eyes. She appeared uneasy, her expression troubled, as though she wanted to say something but couldn’t bring herself to speak.
Ling Yuan immediately noticed her unusual behavior.
He fixed his gaze on her, then gestured to Yu Huan’s father to ask the woman standing behind Widow Niu.
Yu Huan’s father looked past Widow Niu and immediately noticed Niu Lanhua’s strange expression.
“Lanhua, did you see my Huanhuan?”
“If you did, tell me right away!” Yu Huan’s father urged anxiously.
“Uncle Village Chief, I… I think I saw Yu Huan walking toward the village entrance with a man this afternoon.”
Niu Lanhua spoke hesitantly in a quiet voice.
Although her voice was soft, it was loud enough for those standing nearby to hear.
In particular, several sharp-eared older women immediately started gossiping.
“No way! Does that mean she went out with that man and still hasn’t come back?”
“Why would Yu Huan go off alone with a man? I never would have guessed!”
“Yu Huan hardly ever goes out. She’s always so quiet and proper. I never thought she’d do something that could ruin her reputation.”
“Are you saying Niu Lanhua is lying?”
“Yu Huan and Niu Lanhua don’t have any grudges between them. Why would she make something like that up?”
“Oh, come on! We don’t know what really happened yet. You can’t just jump to conclusions. Maybe someone simply needed Yu Huan’s help, and she hasn’t had a chance to return.”
“What business could a man possibly have with a young girl that required him to meet her alone? It’s already getting dark, and she still hasn’t returned.”
“If you ask me, she shamelessly ran off with a man!” Zhang Caifeng blurted out.
The moment those words left her mouth, the crowd fell silent.
Although most people had secretly been thinking the same thing, no one had dared to say it aloud.
Zhang Caifeng was as outspoken and reckless as ever.
Yu Huan’s father had already been suspicious of Niu Lanhua’s story.
How could his Huanhuan possibly go off alone with a man? Even if she had some reason to leave the village, she certainly wouldn’t stay away until this late.
Hearing everyone gossiping about his daughter only made his anger grow.
Now, hearing such a malicious accusation, he was so furious with Zhang Caifeng that he nearly fainted.
Ling Yuan immediately stepped forward and supported him.
His sharp gaze turned toward Niu Lanhua.
“How old was the man you saw? Was he from this village? Approximately what time did they leave? Were they walking or riding a bicycle?”
Niu Lanhua was intimidated by Ling Yuan’s imposing presence. Her body trembled slightly, but she still managed to compose herself.
“He was… a young man in his early twenties. I didn’t recognize him. They left at around… five o’clock. She rode away on the man’s bicycle.”
Ling Yuan didn’t ask anything further.
His instincts told him that something was wrong with this woman. He didn’t believe her story, no matter how convincing she made it sound.
Zhao Liye suddenly asked, “Were you alone at the time? Did anyone else see them?”
Niu Lanhua’s eyes flickered rapidly a few times.
“I was the only one there… Nobody else saw them.”
After hearing her answer, Yu Huan’s father still had no idea who the man could be.
His daughter rarely went out and usually stayed in the village. Apart from the two times she had visited the black market, he had no idea when she could have met a man like that.
Ling Yuan finally spoke.
“Village Chief, we should report this to the police.”
Yu Huan’s father was startled.
“Report it to the police?”
“We can’t report it to the police!” Niu Lanhua suddenly exclaimed.
Everyone turned to look at her in confusion.
Niu Lanhua quickly tried to explain, looking somewhat embarrassed.
“Yu Huan is a young unmarried girl. If we report this to the police, won’t everyone find out? Wouldn’t that ruin her reputation?”
After hearing her reasoning, the villagers thought she had a point.
“Village Chief, Lanhua is right. We really shouldn’t report it to the police. Why don’t we all search the nearby areas first? Perhaps she’s still somewhere nearby.”
“That’s right, that’s right! Maybe it’s all just a misunderstanding.”
Everyone said these things aloud, but what they truly thought in their hearts was another matter.
Zhao Liye stepped forward.
“Village Chief, I’ll go to the county town and find the police right now.”
Niu Lanhua tried to stop him again.
“It’s already dark. Even if the police come now, what good will it do?”
Zhao Liye questioned her coldly.
“You’ve tried to stop us several times now. Do you know something you’re not telling us?”
“Don’t make baseless accusations! I’ve already told you everything I know. I’m only thinking about Yu Huan’s reputation!”
Niu Lanhua’s expression stiffened slightly, and her voice suddenly grew louder.
Yu Huan’s father interrupted their argument and spoke sternly.
“That’s enough! Stop arguing. I’ll report this to the police later.”
“My daughter would never run off with some man. If anyone spreads such malicious rumors, don’t blame me for turning against them!”
The village chief’s imposing presence was fully unleashed as he swept his gaze across the crowd, paying particular attention to Zhang Caifeng.
Zhang Caifeng shuddered under his intimidating stare.
Good grief! That look in his eyes is terrifying!