Many years later, people in Nanshao County still talk about the Spring Festival of 1974 with great relish.
This day started out no different than any other year.
Wang Ying and Xu Shuang didn't have anyone to greet, except Chen Dong's family, who lived next to them. Chen Dong didn't care and told them on New Year's Eve that Xu Shuang and Wang Ying didn't need to go so early, as he had no New Year's money to give to his apprentices.
"When you bring your child here earlier next year, I will take care of the child."
Xu Shuang was also unequivocal and argued with her master: "Not next year, but the year after."
The child won't even be one year old next year. How can he ask his wife to get up early in the morning and take the child to ask for New Year's money? Impossible.
Chen Dong rolled his eyes at his apprentice. How come this guy couldn't understand what was being said
But it's not surprising. Xu Shuang has become much more humane over the years.
This kid used to have good skills, but he had a really bad temper.
Now he no longer chokes people easily like before. It’s all thanks to Wang Ying’s training.
Wang Ying: "Master, you don't have to get up early tomorrow, right? The restaurant is closed, we'll set off some firecrackers tomorrow morning and you can come over to eat dumplings."
Chen Dong waved his hand: "No, bring me two lids for the dumplings later. I won't come tomorrow morning."
After a pause, Chen Dong said, "You don't have to come to the backyard tomorrow morning. I can prepare a meal for you at noon."
After Chen Dong left, Wang Ying asked Xu Shuang: "What happened to Master? Why don't you come tomorrow?"
Just now, she saw that Chen Dong didn't want to say anything, so she didn't ask.
Xu Shuang washed the pots and bowls, put away the leftovers at home and locked them in the cupboard. She was busy with her hands and replied, "You will know early tomorrow morning. There will be many people coming to Master's side to pay New Year's greetings. Especially the leaders of your sugar factory will probably come too... Master will not be too happy to see them."
Chen Dong donated all his family properties. Several of the leaders of the sugar factory were former workers, and their relationship has been rather awkward over the years.
The former young master of the sugar factory has now become an ordinary cook in a restaurant, and the former worker has become a leader that everyone fawns over.
Chen Dong was open-minded. Nothing in this world was perfect. Those leaders were friendly to Chen Dong, but they couldn't help but grasp the right balance. Whether it was a little contempt in their words or cautiousness, Chen Dong felt uncomfortable.
It just so happened that every New Year's Day, the leaders of the sugar factory would visit the widows and orphans in the factory, and would also come to visit him, the former owner who had selflessly donated the factory, to give him some rice and flour gifts, sit down and talk for a few words, and before leaving, they would touch the photo that Chen Dong took with the leaders.
Xu Shuang: "Not only the sugar factory, but also the hotel leaders and Master's other social contacts."
During the two years when the situation was most serious, Chen Dong's people were cut off, but after the situation improved a little, these people started moving around again.
Wang Ying gestured: "Got it, then let's not go back tomorrow, let's eat the dumplings and go for a walk?"
There are no relatives, but there are friends. During the Chinese New Year, people visit relatives and friends, put some red envelopes of melon seeds and peanuts in their pockets, go out to buy a roasted sweet potato, and eat while walking. The shops on the street are closed, but the control is not strict during the Chinese New Year. Some people will sell snacks, and people will walk around the park with snacks in their pockets. Or some factories will show open-air movies for three consecutive days.
Xu Shuang nodded. He also felt that he and Wang Ying were not suitable for each other.
The leaders of both the sugar factory and the state-owned restaurant are here. It would be troublesome if they met again.
It’s better to go out and have some fun.
After making the plan, Wang Ying and Xu Shuang got up early the next morning. After setting off firecrackers, they began to make and eat dumplings. After eating the dumplings, they walked around the houses in the compound.
The Ma family has many children. Long before Wang Ying and Xu Shuang put the dumplings into the pot, except for the youngest one, the other five children had already come over and shouted Happy New Year.
Wang Ying gave each of them two pieces of candy and a handful of melon seeds.
It's always like this these days, some people give lucky money, but for neighbors, giving candy and melon seeds is already quite nice. Buying them costs several cents.
The Ma family's children left happily with food in their pockets.
Crack a melon seed and it smells delicious. It was fried by Grandpa Chen in the backyard. It has five spices and is very fragrant.
Then the Liu family came. The two children of the Liu family shyly said "Happy New Year". Wang Ying wrapped a small red paper bag for each of them.
If we talk about different treatment, there is indeed some, mainly because Aunt Liu helped her a lot in the past, so it cannot be generalized.
Two cents per child, two pieces of candy, and a handful of melon seeds.
After a busy morning, the two packed up their things. There were not many relatives from the Liu family, but there was one from the Ma family, Master Ma from next door.
But Ma Yongjun still resented his master for not teaching him the craft, and insisted on stopping his family from going.
So when he saw Wang Ying leaving, he asked her a few questions.
Wang Ying said amiably, "There's nothing to do at home, let's go out for a walk."
Aunt Liu: "By the way, Wang Ying, is your factory showing any movies this year? What are they showing?"
Wang Ying nodded: "Our factory plays it in the family compound, and they say it's The Flower Girl."
This is a North Korean movie. Nowadays, the movies are just a few movies played over and over again. Wang Ying has watched "The Flower Girl" twice. However, this movie is still new to the people in the compound, and several children were immediately excited.
"Okay, let's go grab a seat after lunch so we can watch it tonight."
Even in the dead of winter, it's exciting to watch a movie.
The child couldn't wait and immediately shouted: "Let's go and grab a seat now! Mark the spot first, and we can grab it right away after lunch!"
Having said that, he ran away.
Wang Ying and Xu Shuang also went out together. They planned to walk around for a while and go to the park to play. I heard that some people were playing with spinning tops in the park.
The two walked towards the park, Xu Shuang holding Wang Ying's hand in her arm. Today was the first day of the new year, and no one would stare at whether they were being particularly intimate.
The two men walked to the sugar factory and saw someone secretly selling candied haws.
It is common to have some snacks during the Chinese New Year, and some people take advantage of this period to make money.
Seeing that there were quite a few people buying, Wang Ying also felt greedy. Xu Shuang never let her eat too much candied haws. It was impossible to expect her to make them at home, as there were yam beans on the grass bundles!
Xu Shuang knew what she was like when she saw her like this, and prepared to go buy two yam beans. He finally realized what sugar control was, and he couldn't be cruel enough.
After Wang Ying became pregnant, her face became paler and paler, and she looked younger. Looking at such a white and fluffy person, he couldn't even say no.
"Two yam beans."
Wang Ying was eating the yam beans happily, and after walking a few steps she saw Zhang Na.
Zhang Na was extremely annoyed. There were seven or eight children around her. The children were not much different in age, and their noise made Zhang Na feel dazed.
"Sister Ying! Sister Ying!"
Wang Ying came over cheerfully: "Happy New Year, Xiaona, what are you doing?"
Zhang Na looked like she was begging for help: "These are my relatives' children. My mother asked me to bring them out to buy food."
Although their family is a one-child family, the relatives on both sides are very large, and there is a large crowd when they come.
She had a round face and was still a child in the eyes of adults. So, all the children were given to her and asked to take them out to play.
Zhang Na wanted to talk to Wang Ying, so she simply gave some money to the kids: "There's a candied haws seller over there, hurry up, go buy some."
The children cheered and ran over in a row.
Zhang Na breathed a sigh of relief, her ears were finally saved.
Wang Ying chatted with her with a smile. After all, it was the New Year, so everyone was the same.
Zhang Na: "My family is very lively. I heard that my cousin is getting divorced. The man is a piece of shit. He is living off my cousin and cheating on her. I am so angry. My dad said he would beat him up when he got out. My mom told me not to listen and kicked me out. How can there be such a bad man..."
Wang Ying: …
"Is your cousin called Zhang Yun?"
Zhang Na was surprised and asked, "Sister Ying, how did you know?"
Wang Ying also thought it was a coincidence. Who would have thought that Zhang Yun and Zhang Na were related.
"Our two families are neighbors and live in the same compound."
Zhang Na was kicked out by the adults and was not allowed to listen. When she heard Wang Ying say this, she suddenly became excited and came over to ask for details.
Wang Ying waved her hand: "Forget it, let's talk about it in a few days when we get to work."
This is not the only problem with Xu Lei. Once the kidnapper is caught, Zhang Na will find out even if she doesn't want to hear it.
Suddenly, Zhang Na tugged at Wang Ying's sleeve and said, "Sister Ying, do you think that person is Jiang Lin?"
"Really? What is she doing? Why does she look so nervous?"
Jiang Lin also saw them from across a candied haws stall.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Lin did not ignore them as usual, but trotted over.
"Wang Ying, Zhang Na, have you seen a little boy with a melon-shaped haircut? He is about four years old. He is wearing a green coat and a fur hat on his head."
Wang Ying and Xu Shuang looked at each other and their hearts sank.
"No."
Jiang Lin seemed to be on the verge of collapse, tears welling up in her eyes.
The missing child was a child from her uncle's family. He said he came out to buy firecrackers, but turned around and disappeared. She just went to ask about him, and the firecracker seller said he didn't see him.
Wang Ying held Jiang Lin back: "Don't leave yet, tell me more, we'll look for it together."
"Zhang Na, go and bring your relative's children here first, and don't let them run around." Wang Ying became anxious too. They said the police had already started to close in, so why were these people still not arrested
Little did they know that the police on the other side were also getting anxious.
As soon as Scarface's group dispersed, they targeted them, with an average of three to five people targeting one person, and they caught them soon.
But two people were still missed.
The policeman who was following them came back very upset: "It was a woman. She changed her clothes in the middle of the night. She disappeared when we didn't keep an eye on her. The other man was with her. They pretended to be a couple."
The old policeman slammed the table and said, "Go find it quickly!"
If you miss one, it will be difficult to catch it later.
At this moment, a young couple was walking along the edge of the sugar factory. They were holding a child each. They looked no different from an ordinary family out for fun.
"Damn it, why hasn't Lao Dao come over yet? He is such a useless jerk!"
"We can't carry the child with us. He's fat and uncomfortable to carry. How about we go back to the shabby house and rest for a while?"
The one who made the suggestion was a female trafficker inside. The little boy she was holding wore a fur hat and was obviously from a wealthy family. He was well fed, so the baby was very heavy and she was panting heavily after walking a few steps.
The man said fiercely: "No! We won't go back to that place. What will we do if these two brats wake up and make trouble? Besides, I feel that there is something wrong with that place. I always feel that it has been too quiet recently..."
Woman trafficker: "What should we do then?"
The man gritted his teeth and said, "Let's look around first. If we can't leave the city, we'll hide in the sugar factory. If things don't look good, we'll just leave the people behind and run."
The woman trafficker: "Alright, let's go now."
The two of them walked along the wall. This year was Chinese New Year, and many people were visiting relatives and friends. They were not the only ones holding children, so it was hard to tell anything.
…
On the other side, Wang Ying and Xu Shuang discussed it briefly and then said to Jiang Lin, "How about this? Go find your uncle now and ask someone to call the police. At the same time, go find the factory security department and tell them about the missing child. Tell them clearly what your brother was wearing today. Ask everyone in the factory to help find him."
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the bus stations were closed and few people left the city. Most importantly, people definitely didn't go far.
"There is strength in numbers. We are here to help. By the way, those who are holding children should pay more attention to see if the children are asleep. I heard that human traffickers like to feed children medicine before taking them away."
"If anyone finds out, they should contact the police or security department instead of confronting them head-on."
Jiang Lin had been panicking for a long time, but when he heard what Wang Ying said, he immediately nodded rapidly, having forgotten all the previous disagreements.
"I'll go right away!"
Zhang Na was also frightened and quickly sent all the children home: "Don't talk to anyone on the way, hold hands, don't leave anyone behind, and don't come out after you go back."
She was helping Jiang Lin find the children and had no time to send them back.
The children were also very scared and went back quickly.
Wang Ying took Xu Shuang's hand and decided not to go to the park. She just stood at the gate and stared at the people passing by.
Xu Shuang protected Wang Ying behind him and said, "Why don't you go back first and I'll look for her."
Wang Ying shook her head: "It's okay, I'm not moving around, I'm just staring at this place."
It would be stressful to let her go back, so it would be better for her to wait for news here.
Soon, the sugar factory was mobilized.
The police also heard that the child was missing and quickly gathered their forces over.
The place where the factory was going to show movies was also vacated, and every household first settled their children and participated. After all, this human trafficker is so hateful, who doesn't have a child? Kidnapping people on the first day of the Chinese New Year is really a moral corruption!
"Beat him up first if you catch him!"
"I'm so angry! New Year's Day is such a good day. You did something like this today. Aren't you afraid of retribution?"
"Bad smoke!"
Jiang Lin's uncle had gone to visit a widow and orphan, but now he rushed back, and Zhang Na's family also came out to help.
After checking, it was found that one of the two missing children belonged to Jiang Lin and the other to a sugar factory employee. The family almost fainted from crying when they couldn't find their child, but fortunately, everyone in the factory came out to help look for them.
Wang Ying sighed in her heart that the working people these days are still simple and honest. People in the streets and alleys were on alert, and they were just about to catch someone.
But the two didn't hide for long.
They originally thought that hiding in the sugar factory was the safest place. It was a big factory and it was New Year's Day, so it would not be easy for investigators to find them inside.
Who knew that it would fail soon? Everyone in the factory was mobilized, and some people thought that the child might have hidden away because he was playing, so a small team came to check one by one.
Hearing the noise outside, the man took out a knife and stabbed each of the two children in the leg.
Woman trafficker: "!!! What are you doing?!"
Man: "He didn't die, he just stabbed her in the leg. If we run away, they'll have to wait a while to save the child. Stop talking, and get going!"
The woman trafficker stumbled out following the man.
The two children were also awakened by the prick and started crying loudly.
The crying attracted people, and immediately some of them cheered with joy.
"Here it is! Here it is!"
"Oh my God! Why is there such a big pool of blood?"
"Hurry, hurry, send him to the hospital!"
"No, why don't we send him to the infirmary first!"
"Fuck it, I'm going to kill the human traffickers!"
…
The crowd immediately became nervous and carried the child to the infirmary.
Wang Ying was also nervous at the door: "I'll go take a look."
He is truly a complete villain, and he wants to hurt people when he leaves!
Xu Shuang sent Wang Ying to the infirmary. Jiang Lin, who arrived first, was already crying inside. The families of the two children were also crying outside.
Wang Ying saw Jiang Lin crying so hard that she pushed him away and said, "I'll do it."
Wang Ying treated the injuries in an orderly manner. Neither of the two children were injured in vital parts, both were stabbed in the thighs. It was not known whether it was fortunate or unfortunate. The blood flow was scary, but it was not a big problem.
Wang Ying hurriedly took care of the two children, and secretly poured two bowls of spiritual spring water for the two children.
By the time Wang Ying had dealt with the matter, news came from the other side.
"The man's been caught! He's been caught!"
"It's going on!"
The two families who lost their children ran over directly.
"Kill them!"