Chapter 23: Cui Ju is Missing

Bai An nodded. She knew that her parents had already realized the importance of this matter.

Whether or not she learned anything in school wasn’t important. What mattered was that if others were doing something, she had to do it too. Doing things differently would be disadvantageous.

But Lu Jin’an shook his head. “At my age, it doesn’t matter whether I go or not. If Bai An wants to go, let her go.”

Lu Demin thought for a moment as well. Lu Jin’an was older, and there were no schools in the village for someone his age.

“But Jin’an, even if your sister goes to school, when she comes back, you’ll have to help her with her studies,” Lu Demin said, patting his arm.

Bai An glanced at Lu Jin’an and saw that he nodded. His eyes dropped, hiding his expression, making it hard to tell what he was thinking.

“Bai An.”

Suddenly, she heard Lu Jin’an call her name. Startled, she immediately lifted her head and responded, “Yes?”

Lu Demin, seeing her frightened reaction, smiled. “Still afraid of your brother?”

Wanqing also smiled.

Lu Jin’an’s brows furrowed, and he looked at Bai An. “Are you afraid of me?”

“No,” Bai An quickly shook her head. “I was just thinking about something, and when someone suddenly called me, I got scared.”

After hearing Bai An’s explanation, Lu Jin’an still didn’t relax his frown. His expression gave off a cold, distant aura.

“I’ll pick you up from school every afternoon.”

Bai An nodded and looked at him seriously, waiting for him to say something more. But after a long while, he didn’t speak again.

“That’s it.”

Lu Jin’an lifted his head again, looked straight into her eyes, and smiled slightly, his lips curling up. “Is there anything else you want me to say?”

“No.” Seeing his smile, Bai An couldn’t help but curl her hot palms into fists.

“Knock, knock, knock.” A series of urgent knocks came from the door.

“Bai An’s dad, are you home?” A clearly panicked voice came from outside.

Bai An recognized the voice, but she couldn’t quite place where she had heard it before.

When Lu Demin opened the gate to the yard, Bai An saw the familiar figures illuminated by the faint moonlight.

Wasn’t that Cui Ju’s parents, whom she had seen earlier that morning?

Bai An stood up and looked towards the door, meeting a gaze filled with a sense of aggression.

Lin Zhixia.

The boy, still growing, appeared slightly thin, leaning against the door with shadows dancing across his face as the light flickered.

He was staring at Bai An, his eyes filled with a mix of despair and struggle.

“Bai An,” Lu Demin said, looking serious as he waved her over, his expression unusually stern.

Everyone turned to speak to Bai An when she approached.

“Bai An, have you seen Cui Ju since you got back?”

“Wasn’t Cui Ju with you when you went out today?”

“What time did you get back?”

“Where was the last place you saw her?”

A string of questions bombarded Bai An, and when she pieced them together, a piece of information became clear.

Cui Ju is Missing

“Bai An, speak.” Lu Demin’s face was serious now as he turned to Bai An. “Answer their questions.”

Bai An took a deep breath, ready to speak, but then she noticed the large group of people standing at the door.

A crowd had gathered outside their door. Some were holding torches, some were holding sickles, and others were holding brooms.

Bai An finally understood the shadow she had seen on Lin Zhixia’s face earlier.

Lu Jin’an looked out at the scene, his face also turning serious. He reminded her, “Bai An, speak.”

“We went to a grass hut halfway up the mountain to play, and we came back when it was almost dark.” Bai An’s voice became softer and softer as she spoke.

Cui Ju’s mother cried out, “Where did you last see Cui Ju?”

“We split up at the village gate. Da Zhuang and I went together, and Cui Ju walked home alone,” Bai An answered.

Cui Ju’s mother became more agitated the more she listened, her emotions growing more intense and strange. She grabbed Bai An’s collar and shouted, “Why did Cui Ju walk alone? You and Da Zhuang went together. Was it on purpose? Was it?”

Seeing Cui Ju’s mother grabbing Bai An by the collar and shouting at her, Lu Jin’an’s face darkened. He immediately reached out to pull her away.

On the side, Lin Zhixia came over and pulled his mother away, trying to calm her down. “This isn’t Bai An’s fault. The most important thing right now is to find Cui Ju.”

Bai An, startled by Cui Ju’s mother’s sudden outburst, hid behind Lu Jin’an and explained, “It was because Cui Ju’s house and ours are in different directions. That’s why we split up.”

At this moment, Lu Demin’s expression also turned grim. He pulled Bai An and Lu Jin’an behind him and said in a low voice, “Don’t scare the child.”

Wanqing came over and hugged Bai An to comfort her.

Lu Jin’an stepped forward, standing next to his father to protect their mother and Bai An.

The village chief stepped forward and said, “They suggested searching your house. Are you willing?”

Search the house.

Bai An was startled and quickly grabbed the hem of Lu Jin’an’s clothes. When he looked at her, she shook her head.

Lu Jin’an understood what Bai An was afraid of.

“No,” he said firmly. “Why should they search our house?”

Lu Demin stood in front of the door, his usually refined expression now filled with anger. “Why should we be blamed just because Bai An went to play with Cui Ju, and now Cui Ju is missing? Is this our fault?”

“And if you’re going to search, have you searched Da Zhuang’s house?”

Behind the village chief stood Da Zhuang’s parents, and upon hearing this, they narrowed their eyes.

“Are you guilty? Did you hide Cui Ju?” Cui Ju’s mother shouted, trying to rush into the yard, but Lin Zhixia stopped her.

Seeing Cui Ju’s mother’s frantic state, the village chief’s face turned difficult, and he bent slightly as he explained, “Da Zhuang’s family has been in the village for decades, and everyone trusts them, so we didn’t search. But if your family has nothing to hide, there shouldn’t be an issue with searching.”

Hearing the village chief’s words, Bai An couldn’t help but look up at him. Was this really something a normal person would say?

Lu Demin’s face grew even darker as he listened. After a long time, he finally managed to say, “So just because we’re outsiders, we’re supposed to be suspected?”

“We have no reason to abduct Cui Hua.”

Cui Hua’s mother, on the verge of a breakdown, said, “Everyone knows that ever since you found Bai An, your life has been getting better. Maybe you’re trying to get another daughter to bring you more luck.”

What was this nonsense?

Lu Demin looked at Cui Ju’s mother’s twisted face. As someone who always treated others with respect, he also felt the urge to say something harsh. “Do we need another daughter now that we have Bai An? When you said that, you should have considered whether your daughter is worthy of being compared to our Bai An.”

Bai An and Wanqing were both surprised and looked at Lu Demin in shock. Lu Jin’an, on the other hand, gave his father an approving look.