In the mountains, Ye Zhoushan followed the man steadily forward. The man didn’t venture deep into the mountains. After entering the foothills, he skirted along the outer edges, heading south the entire time. After walking for over an hour, they stopped in a very secluded valley overgrown with weeds and rarely visited by people.

After pausing for a moment, they continued along a narrow path covered with thorns, pushing deeper inside. About half an hour later, a dilapidated thatched hut came into view. It looked like a temporary shelter used by hunters in the past.

As soon as the man appeared, an elderly man with brisk strides came out to greet him. The old man peered behind the man, scanning the area. Ye Zhoushan was terrified, his heart pounding wildly as he curled up tightly, not daring to move.

After nearly two minutes, the old man finally withdrew his gaze. He looked at the man, his expression displeased. “You’re two hours late.”

The man, who had been fierce in front of Ye Zhoushan, now spoke respectfully. “The city is under strict control, and the kid tried to escape midway. That’s why we’re late.”

The old man’s eyes were gloomy. He stared coldly at the man for a moment but didn’t reprimand him. “Get some rest,” he said.

The two of them took Fang Shucheng into the rundown thatched hut. Ye Zhoushan didn’t dare move and continued lying low where he was. Not long after, the old man came out again and walked a short distance forward. He was getting dangerously close to where Ye Zhoushan was hiding, frightening him so much he hardly dared to breathe.

A full three minutes passed before the old man turned and went back inside. Ye Zhoushan held his breath, moved cautiously and quietly, and quickly retreated. He didn’t dare to breathe until he was a mile away. Patting his daughter in his arms, he saw the little one staring at him with wide, dark eyes, completely unaware of any danger.

Ye Zhoushan felt a pang of frustration. The little rascal must be laughing at me, he thought. He covered his daughter’s big eyes with his hand and gave her a light smack on the bottom to vent his annoyance.

Little Fuman: “???”

Ye Zhoushan didn’t dare linger any longer and hurried back to the city. Although it seemed the group wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon, he had to prepare for any possibility and report to the police as quickly as possible.

When he returned to the city, it was under strict control everywhere. Before he could even speak, he was shooed away. Aside from necessary guard posts, there were no extra personnel available. Left with no other choice, he headed back to the hospital.

As soon as he arrived, he was scolded by Ge Xiu, who berated him for carrying his newborn daughter around everywhere and questioned his ability to be a father. Ye Zhoushan rubbed his nose, not daring to argue, and even less daring to mention that he had taken his daughter into the mountains again—and tailed a group of human traffickers.

“Auntie, please don’t be angry. I won’t do it again. Um, has my wife woken up yet?”

Ge Xiu’s angry expression instantly fell. “No, she hasn’t. I told you to stay at the hospital and talk to your wife, but you just wandered off. Really!”

Ye Zhoushan’s heart sank. “She will wake up. The mother of my child will definitely wake up.”

He walked over and placed Little Fuman beside the bed, gently touching Lan Qingshuang’s face. “Darling, you’ve slept long enough. It’s time to wake up. Aren’t you hungry?”

[Mommy’s awake, Mommy’s awake! Hold the baby, the baby is good.]

Little Fuman wriggled her little neck, leaning toward Lan Qingshuang.

Lan Qingshuang’s hand, which was resting on the small swaddling cloth, twitched.

Ye Zhoushan and Ge Xiu’s hearts leaped with hope.

Trying to contain her excitement, Ge Xiu said softly, “I’ll go get the doctor.”

“Okay, okay, thank you, Auntie.” Ye Zhoushan was also excited, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on Lan Qingshuang’s face.

Zhuang Junliang arrived quickly. He was pleasantly surprised to see Lan Qingshuang regaining consciousness. After carefully checking her pulse, pupils, and heart rate, he smiled and said, “It won’t be long now. Just wait a little longer.”

Everyone waited patiently for Lan Qingshuang to open her eyes.

Little Fuman wasn’t idle either.

[Mommy, wake up! Scold Daddy! He didn’t feed Fuman. Fuman is hungry. Mommy, hold me!]

[Daddy is bad. He took Fuman out, and Grandma Ge scolded him.]

[Fuman is good, doesn’t cry. Finds medicine, so amazing.]

Ye Zhoushan listened, his lips twitching uncontrollably. You little troublemaker, tattling on me before your mother is even fully awake.

However, Ye Zhoushan also felt a pang of guilt—these were indeed things he had done.

“Ye Zhoushan, you’re really something.”

The voice was weak, yet gritted with anger, making everyone jolt to attention.

Ye Zhoushan hurried over and called out cautiously, “Darling, you’re awake?”

Lan Qingshuang slowly opened her eyes, met Ye Zhoushan’s unshaven, scruffy face, and disdainfully rolled her eyes. She tried to move her hand to hold their daughter but lacked the strength.

“Fuman.”

“Fuman is right here. She’s fine, don’t worry.” Ye Zhoushan quickly brought their daughter closer to Lan Qingshuang.

Seeing the little one’s grinning mouth, Lan Qingshuang smiled gently. “My poor baby has suffered.”

[Mommy, mommy, mommy…]

The little one kept wriggling her neck toward Lan Qingshuang. Though tiny, she was surprisingly strong.

Ye Zhoushan didn’t dare let go.

Zhuang Junliang examined Lan Qingshuang again and confirmed that she was recovering well. She could be moved to a general ward for rest.

Ye Zhoushan repeatedly thanked him as he saw the doctor out.

When he turned back, Lan Qingshuang had fallen asleep again. Her body was still very weak and needed sleep to recover.

Ge Xiu kept chanting “Amitabha,” her anxious heart finally at ease.

Ye Zhoushan, thinking about the traffickers, knew he had to go out. He left his wife and child in Ge Xiu’s care and went to find Qi Quanxu.

At the police station, only a young female logistics staff member was present. She said everyone else had gone out to search for someone.

“Can you contact them?” Ye Zhoushan asked.

The girl shook her head apologetically. “No, I can’t reach them.”

“Do you know which direction they went?”

The girl pressed her lips together and remained silent. Clearly, internal information couldn’t be disclosed casually.

Ye Zhoushan didn’t dare reveal anything about the traffickers either, for fear of leaking information.

The two stared at each other in a standoff for a minute before Ye Zhoushan turned and left.

The city was no longer under the strict control it had been when he first arrived. Everyone must have been mobilized for the search.

He ran a short distance toward the woods outside the city but found no traces of a large team passing through. It was clear the police had been given false information.

Ye Zhoushan grew anxious. What if the traffickers had intentionally spread false information to divert attention?

After a moment’s thought, he went to find Sanjie.

Sanjie had been active in the county for many years and had his own connections and methods. He was also a warm-hearted and righteous person.

“Really?” Sanjie frowned upon hearing Ye Zhoushan’s account, seeking confirmation.

He knew about the missing children in the county. Because of the lockdown, he had told his people to lay low temporarily to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

Ye Zhoushan nodded. “I saw it with my own eyes. Although I only saw two people, I’m certain there are others involved. There might even be informants in the county, perhaps even moles. Otherwise, the entire police force wouldn’t have been lured away.”

“I didn’t dare act recklessly. In this county, you’re the only one I trust, Sanjie. That’s why I came to you.”

Sanjie really wanted to thank him—this was a serious mess. “It’s tricky. Like you said, if there are insiders and moles, it’ll be hard to identify and capture them.”

Ye Zhoushan said, “Sanjie, to be honest, I’m no hero. I’m just an ordinary guy who wants a simple life with my wife and child. If it weren’t for having crossed paths with that child and feeling a bit of a connection, I wouldn’t want to take this risk.”

“I’m not interested in catching insiders or moles. I just want to save the child. The rest is up to the police.”

Sanjie looked even more troubled. “If we don’t catch those people, they might come after us for revenge.” Human traffickers were ruthless, devoid of conscience and boundaries.

Ye Zhoushan understood. “That’s why I’m wondering if there’s a way to save the child without exposing ourselves.”

Sanjie frowned in deep thought, his mind racing but unable to come up with a solution for the moment.