Chapter 319: 305 Two children mysteriously go missing
One autumn rain brings one autumn chill.
The sky was dark and overcast, as if a layer of ice hung over it. The hurried raindrops fell rapidly, like hailstones, crashing down.
At the gate of the military district kindergarten, the children who were about to step out quickly retreated their feet.
"It’s raining~"
"It’s so cold!"
"My mom will come pick me up!"
"My dad will come too!"
The children were not afraid of the weather at all. In groups of threes and twos, they gathered and chirped away happily.
Lin Dongni held Meng Shuyan’s hand as she pursed her lips and glanced at the sky. She had forgotten to bring an umbrella to school today. She hadn’t thought it would rain; otherwise, she definitely would have brought one.
In such cold and rainy weather, would her mom, dad, or grandma come to pick her up?
Sangsang Aunty would definitely come to pick up Yanyan.
The new kindergarten teacher, surnamed Dong, was a young woman who had just graduated not long ago. Teacher Dong really liked these two kids—one was well-behaved and quiet, and the other handsome and adorable. Both were also exceptionally smart.
"Nini, Yanyan, it’s raining. Let the teacher take you home, okay?" Teacher Dong lived at the school, and seeing the two children standing there alone while all the other kids had left made her maternal instincts overflow. Her heart ached for them.
Lin Dongni shook her head, "Thank you, Teacher Dong, but we can’t leave."
The little girl spoke seriously, like a little adult. Teacher Dong couldn’t help but ask, "Why? Don’t you want to go home?"
"If we leave, and our family comes and doesn’t see us, they’ll get worried."
Teacher Dong laughed, "Alright then, come in and wait. It’s raining outside; wait here at the gatehouse."
The two kids obediently followed her into the gatehouse. After giving them some instructions, Teacher Dong went off to tend to her tasks. She knew Meng Shuyan’s mom would come, so she wasn’t too worried. After all, Meng Shuyan’s mom had never missed picking him up. Today, she was likely delayed because of the rain.
Not long after, the rain gradually eased, turning into a light and misty drizzle.
Meng Shuyan stood by the door, poking his little head out and extending his tiny hand, pouting, "It seems like the rain stopped. Why hasn’t Mom come yet?"
Nini also joined him at the door to look. The gatekeeper, an elderly guard, found the kids adorable and smiled at them, "Children, are you cold? Grandpa will pour some water for you to drink."
He carried a kettle and went to boil water.
"Thank you, Grandpa!"
"Thank you, Grandpa."
"Nini," Meng Shuyan asked, tilting his head in boredom, "is your mom going to have a baby brother?"
"Mm-hmm." Nini nodded lightly.
"Do you like having a baby brother?"
"I do." Nini asked, "Do you like baby brothers?"
Meng Shuyan was stumped by the question and blinked his big eyes, "I don’t have a baby brother."
"Your mom will have one someday."
Meng Shuyan lowered his head, thought seriously for a moment, and asked in confusion, "But my mom hasn’t said she’s having a baby brother... Also, how does a baby brother come about?"
"I don’t know either." Nini furrowed her delicate brows and replied crisply, "Maybe... they just suddenly appear. Someday, your mom will suddenly have one. My grandma says when a mom and dad sleep on the same bed, they get one."
"Oh." Meng Shuyan sort of understood and sort of didn’t. His mom and dad didn’t seem to sleep on the same bed.
Nini added, "The belly will get big."
Meng Shuyan asked, "Then why hasn’t your mom’s belly gotten big yet?"
"It gets big day by day."
"Oh." Meng Shuyan nodded again, half understanding. "I’ll ask Mom later. But I don’t want a brother; I want a sister."
Around the school, there were shrubs and grass, with fields and a road in the distance.
"Nini~" Amid the swaying shadows of the trees, the shrubs rustled, and a woman’s light and airy voice called out.
Lin Dongni blinked her clear eyes curiously and stepped out to take a look.
Meng Shuyan also trotted out with his tiny legs, his brows furrowed in puzzlement—there wasn’t just one person there.
"Nini—Yanyan—"
The two kids stood quietly in the open space.
In the distance, there was a woman wearing white cloth shoes and a flowing white dress, holding a bright red umbrella...
"Water..."
A cloth bag rose silently behind them. After a moment, the bag went still. The rain had stopped, the wind had calmed, and there was no one else on the road. Lin Dongni’s hair clip lay fallen on the ground.
**
Rumble, rumble—the thunder roared like galloping hooves, rolling closer.
The rain had stopped earlier, but now it began again unexpectedly. Tian Sangsang opened her umbrella and walked through the torrential downpour. In the distance, there were others holding umbrellas. The men from the military were done with their tasks and returning home. She glanced around but didn’t see Jiang Jinghuai.
"Oh no!" Suddenly, she heard a cry of pain.
It seemed someone had slipped in the rain.
Through the gray and foggy view, Tian Sangsang saw a figure and felt a jolt of alarm. She quickly walked over.
"Oh, this awful weather. Huihui..." You Huixixi’s mother-in-law called out, nearly in a panic, holding an umbrella in one hand while carefully trying to support her with the other, "How are you? Is your stomach hurting?"
You Huixixi’s face was scrunched up as she gasped in pain.
"Huihui!" Tian Sangsang crouched down, finding it hard to manage the umbrella. "Huihui, can you still walk?"
"I can’t. My stomach hurts."
"Then we need to get you to the medical center!" Tian Sangsang handed her umbrella to Huihui’s mother-in-law. "Auntie, please hold the umbrella for us. I’ll carry her over."
Seeing Tian Sangsang’s steady demeanor, Huihui’s mother-in-law immediately felt a sense of relief and nodded repeatedly.
Tian Sangsang carried You Huixixi through the rain. One woman carrying another, her arms were already sore and heavy; it hurt. But looking at You Huixixi, who was still pregnant, her hair wet on both sides, her face pale as a sheet, Tian Sangsang forgot about her own pain.
Huihui’s mother-in-law held the umbrella for them, and the two women walked quickly.
"Mom!" They happened to meet Political Commissioner Lin on the road. Seeing the scene, he quickly ran over, "Huihui—what’s wrong?"
"Don’t ask! Huihui accidentally slipped! If it wasn’t for Captain Jiang’s wife carrying her, she wouldn’t have been able to walk!" Huihui’s mother-in-law explained, "We’re rushing to the medical center!"
"Sister-in-law, thank you so much!" Political Commissioner Lin didn’t have time to say much more. Worriedly, he took Huihui from her arms, and the group walked quickly away into the rain.
Tian Sangsang followed behind, holding the umbrella, but someone called out to her: "Sangsang."
He held a black umbrella and asked nonchalantly, "What happened to Huihui?"
"She slipped." Standing in the rain, Tian Sangsang suddenly exclaimed, "I was just going to pick up Yanyan when I ran into Huihui. That ended up delaying things. You should head home first; I’ll go pick up Yanyan."
"Yanyan hasn’t come back yet?" Jiang Jinghuai’s deep gaze flickered with concern as he spoke in a serious tone, "I’ll go. The rain is so heavy. You head home and wait for us."
How could Tian Sangsang head home? She replied softly, "Let’s go together then."