allonlinenovel Chapter 77 Encountering Kidnappers
Chapter 77 Encountering Kidnappers
There's nothing we can do, farmers are simple-minded and stubborn!
When they passed by Zhang's butcher shop, they took out sixty coins to order pig's trotters. Zhang was very hospitable and even put the bones that had been removed for them separately, saying that he wanted to give them to them.
After thanking him, Shen Qingchuan dared not delay any longer and drove the mule cart with the two children away from Qinghe Town to Pingding County.
Xue Ruifeng, who had been excited all the way, showed a noticeable hint of unease as he left Qinghe Town.
"Uncle Qingchuan, are there any bad guys on this road? I'm afraid... afraid they'll recognize me."
Those people tied him up, didn't give him food, beat him and threatened him, saying that if his father didn't bring money, they would kill him.
He was terrified and ran away before his father could get the money to save him. What if those people got angry and tried to kill him?
Shen Qingchuan's mood inevitably became heavy.
"Sigh, nobody can say for sure about this!"
Those kidnappers had seen Xue Ruifeng before, and it was broad daylight; if they bumped into him, they would definitely recognize him.
Now, all he can do is pray that the place those people took him to isn't on this road.
"Nobody can say for sure?"
Xue Ruifeng was even more frightened now. He had been so excited about going home, but now that he was really going back, the road ahead was fraught with danger. What was he going to do?
"Uncle Qingchuan, I'm scared..."
Shen Xiaotang thought for a moment and immediately said, "Don't be afraid, I have a way!"
Upon hearing this, Xue Ruifeng was overjoyed and excitedly asked, "Xiao Tang, do you have any ideas? Tell me quickly!"
She looked Xue Ruifeng up and down, who was a bit chubby, and couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"They've arrested the young master of the Xue family, so they'll definitely be keeping a close eye on the boy. If I dress you up as a little girl, won't that fool them and let them get away with it?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingchuan immediately agreed, "Tang'er, your idea is good, let's do it this way."
Although Xue Ruifeng found it hard to accept being dressed up as a little girl, he had no choice but to agree in order to go home.
Xue Ruifeng was wearing his mother's old clothes. Shen Xiaotang gritted her teeth, tore off a strip of cloth from the collar, messed up Xue Ruifeng's hair, and braided it into two pigtails.
The little boy instantly transformed into a country girl!
She felt something was missing, so she grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground and smeared it on his fair, round face. To make him less noticeable, she also smeared some dirt on herself.
"Okay, you're done!"
Shen Xiaotang looked at Xue Ruifeng, whose gender was indistinguishable, and was very satisfied. She couldn't help but burst into laughter.
That way, those people definitely won't notice.
Shen Qingchuan looked at the chubby girl in front of him and nodded repeatedly.
"To be honest, if you don't say anything, you really can't tell that this is a boy in disguise."
Xue Ruifeng blushed with embarrassment and huddled in the corner, looking like a wronged little wife, which made the scene even more realistic.
"It would be better if we didn't encounter any kidnappers on the road. If we did, or if anyone asked, we'll all call her Fatty. If she can't speak, we'll say she's mute. We absolutely can't give ourselves away."
Shen Qingchuan and Xue Ruifeng nodded in unison.
The three of them continued on their way.
After walking for about an hour, they could see the words "Pingding County" written on the city gate in the distance. It was written in traditional Chinese characters, and Shen Xiaotang could only make out about 70% of it.
"Father, is this Pingding County?"
Shen Qingchuan: ...
He can't read either!
"I think so. We followed the directions given by Manager Su and Steward Yao, so we should be on the right track."
Shen Xiaotang then realized that she had gone too far in pretending to be illiterate. Her father was illiterate, even less so than her, since she had at least learned modern simplified Chinese characters.
Xue Ruifeng was already six or seven years old. He had started his formal education at the age of three and had attended a private school for several years. When he peeked out, he immediately recognized the characters on the city gate.
"It's Pingding County, that's right, I'm finally back."
Not far ahead, two burly men sat by the roadside, arms crossed, talking about something.
Shen Xiaotang immediately became alert. She hadn't encountered many people along the way, so why were there two burly men sitting outside the city gate? Why couldn't they talk about it in the county town instead of sitting by the roadside?
Are they perhaps stationed outside the city gates on purpose?
"Fatty, don't talk, there are people ahead."
Xue Ruifeng stared intently, and as if he had been pecked in the eye by a bird, he was instantly terrified, his face turned pale, his whole body trembled, and his eyes were filled with fear.
"Yes, yes, it's them, it's them!"
Shen Qingchuan and his daughter Shen Xiaotang were immediately taken aback!
Unexpectedly, these people were still determined to extort money, and they even went so far as to stake out the place.
Xue Ruifeng whispered, "Xiao Tang, what should we do? I'm scared."
We've already disguised ourselves, what are we afraid of? The more afraid we are, the easier it is to be exposed!
“We don’t have any tokens. If we rashly ask your parents to come out and pick you up, they probably won’t believe me and your father. We’re already here, so why not take a chance? Calm down, stay calm, and don’t show any fear. It’ll be alright, trust me.”
Xue Ruifeng nodded, shrinking into the carriage, his heart pounding in his chest.
Shen Qingchuan walked forward with a blank face, leading the mule, as stiff as a wooden statue.
Shen Xiaotang sighed helplessly. Neither of them, big nor small, knew how to pretend, and the kidnappers were all ruthless and vicious people with sharp eyes.
Her eyes lit up, and she immediately had an idea.
"Father, we've finally arrived in the county town. I wonder if the doctors here can cure my sister's muteness."
Shen Qingchuan paused for a moment, then immediately realized that his daughter was saying this on purpose to mislead the two kidnappers on the roadside.
He sighed, looking sorrowful, and said, "Alas, your sister's muteness is something she was born with, and it's not so easy to cure. Our family is poor and has no money. Even if the doctor has a prescription, we don't have the money to buy the medicine."
As the father and daughter talked, the mule cart soon arrived in front of the kidnappers.
When the two kidnappers saw someone approaching, one of them immediately gave the other a meaningful look.
The two men quickly got up and immediately blocked their mule cart.
"Hey, don't move! What are you doing in the county town? Is the child in the car yours?"
The kidnapper, who had a full beard, asked questions while peering into the carriage.
Shen Qingchuan's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately said, "My two daughters are in the carriage. We're going to the county to find a doctor to treat my eldest daughter's muteness."
Xue Ruifeng, who was in the carriage, was so frightened that he immediately lowered his head and closed his eyes. His hands trembled uncontrollably, and his heart almost jumped out of his throat.
Taking advantage of the fact that the two kidnappers blocking the way were not paying attention, Shen Xiaotang quickly grabbed Xue Ruifeng's hand and held it tightly, signaling him not to be afraid.
"Looking at mute?"
"Mute?"
Another kidnapper, with a scar on his face and a murderous glint in his eyes, suddenly slapped the bearded man on the forehead.
"Nonsense, if someone has deafness, what else would they be if not mute?"
Scarface glanced coldly at the mule cart, then at Shen Qingchuan, before walking around the cart and looking inside.
The two children, one dressed in rags, the other not dressed in rags but also full of poverty!
Upon closer inspection of the carriage, there was only a wooden basin and nothing else. There were two girls, one tall and plump, and the other thin and small, with different appearances.
However, since the young Xue family boy he was looking for wasn't inside, he didn't care what the two girls looked like!
"Alright, this is none of your business. Get out of here."