Chapter 35 – Old Stories

After hearing the scolding, Xia Daohua had no choice but to sincerely and repeatedly apologize to Jiang-shi—only to receive three loud forehead flicks from her good brother, Xia Fifth Boy.

Fifth Boy didn’t go easy on her—he flicked her so hard her forehead turned red.

Jiang-shi immediately grew teary-eyed with heartache. She scolded Fifth Boy, and that was the end of the matter.

However, just as the whole family sat down, happily holding their bowls and sipping wonton soup, Jiang-shi couldn’t help herself and began nagging Xia Daohua again.

While enjoying the flavorful wontons, Xia Daohua was subjected to a full ear of horrifying stories—true tragedies about children being abducted, families broken, and lives ruined. It made her stomach feel a bit queasy.

Especially since each story Jiang-shi told had real names, real people—they were genuine events that had happened nearby.

Jiang-shi started with a tale about a wealthy man named Master Cui from town.

In Beiguan Town, there had once been a massive silk shop owned by a man surnamed Cui—everyone called him Master Cui.

Master Cui had always struggled to have children.

He had one wife and two concubines, and despite years of effort, all he got was one precious daughter.

The girl was beautiful, delicate, lively, and clever. The entire Cui family cherished her like the apple of their eye.

When she was around six, she was abducted.

Madam Cui was so devastated that she fell seriously ill—and never recovered.

Master Cui lost his beloved daughter, then his beloved wife. He paid off his two concubines and spent his days drowning in alcohol. He stopped running his business, stopped collecting rent.

Within a few years, his health deteriorated, and the family fortune was nearly depleted.

Cui family relatives wanted to assign younger kin to care for Master Cui, but those who came had ulterior motives. Under the guise of caring for him, they schemed to seize his property.

Master Cui sank deeper into despair. One day, after being mistreated by a nephew, he snapped—he smashed all the wine jars in his room, sold off what was left of the family estate at a bargain price…

Then he packed a small bag with a few silver notes and vanished quietly.

No one has seen Master Cui since.

After hearing this, Xia Daohua couldn’t help but shiver.

If no one ever saw him again, did he truly just “leave”?

Perhaps Jiang-shi’s story sparked something in everyone, because the family began sharing more tragedies caused by child traffickers.

Even the elderly Madam Zhou told one:

“Back behind the county yamen, on Second Street, there was a tailor named Master Xu. He had twin boys.

Everyone envied him.

But one day, while the boys were playing on the street, one of them disappeared in the blink of an eye—snatched by traffickers.

Master Xu closed his shop, carried a bundle, and went off to search for his son.

Over ten years have passed, and he’s traveled nearly all of Great Chu, still without any leads. He’s half-mad now.

But even so, he comes back every New Year and opens his old shop for three days.

His son was abducted during the New Year.

Those three days, he doesn’t take any orders—he just hopes, maybe, his son will find his way home.”

…

Everyone fell silent.

Xia Daohua, of course, wasn’t truly a child—and more importantly, she had a trump card. So she wasn’t worried about being abducted.

If some unlucky trafficker really did try something with her, she had more than enough ways to make them suffer in silence.

But the other Xia family children were clearly shaken—faces pale, eyes wide.

Nearby customers who’d been listening in also joined the discussion with indignant anger. Even the wonton stall’s boss lady couldn’t help chiming in.

While her hands flew as she wrapped wontons, she said:

“I’ve heard all those stories. But I know another one—maybe none of you have heard it.

There used to be a guy named Old Luo who sold red bean cakes down this street, near my stall.

His wife was a real beauty—bright, smiling eyes, a dimple on one cheek… she had such a sweet face.

They had three children.

The incident happened just two years ago, I think. By then, their eldest son was married, the second was nearly grown. Their little girl was only seven.

It was during the lantern festival that their daughter was snatched.

Right while they were busy with their stall, someone took her from right beside it.

A regular customer saw it and shouted, chasing after the kidnapper.

That man even lost a shoe while running—still didn’t catch up.

The trafficker had obviously been watching them for days. He knew the timing and location. Otherwise, how could they disappear so fast?”

The boss lady paused briefly, then continued:

“Old Luo’s beautiful wife cried herself blind from the grief. Old Luo became like a different man. He never came back to sell red bean cakes.

Their family… never made red bean cakes again.

This past winter, Old Luo and his wife returned to their rural hometown.

Their eldest son still lives here in Beiguan Town, just behind Fuyuan Street.

You know that area with the leaning, rundown houses? He rented a courtyard there. Lives with his wife, kids, and mother-in-law.

He’s got kids of his own now—one’s a four-year-old girl, the other’s a two-year-old boy.

That woman of his doesn’t leave the house. Doesn’t even step outside the courtyard gate. All day long, she just watches those two kids like a hawk.

If she could, I swear she’d tie them to her body with rope!

She’s terrified that if she even blinks, they’ll vanish too.”

The wonton stall fell completely silent. Every customer looked pale.

After hearing so many raw, real tragedies, even the delicious wontons in their bowls suddenly lost their flavor.

Realizing from the stiff faces that she’d chosen the wrong topic, the boss lady gave an awkward chuckle—and shut her mouth.

The customers, their faces grim, hurriedly finished their wontons in a few quick bites, paid, and left one after another.

What was supposed to be a festive outing to admire lanterns and enjoy the holiday had turned sour.

First the fire, then the thief hunt, then runaway horses… and now these stories of rampant human trafficking. It was hard not to feel disturbed.

Seeing the others leaving, and the Xia family children sitting with pale faces and lingering fear, Xia Daohua decided to lighten the mood.

She casually brought up a new topic:

“By the way… where did my eldest uncle’s family go?”

(End of Chapter)