The Great Era of Siheyuan

When I came out of Chen Xueru's house, it was already getting dark outside, and people were going home after get off work. The road was full of bicycles, with the occasional car passing by, and more often the No. 11 bus. The road was packed with people, and at a glance, there were nothing but heads.

Li Wenqiang took a look and returned to Chen Xueru's home.

Chen Xueru, who was already exhausted, heard the noise and looked at Li Wenqiang who had returned, and shouted angrily.

"Didn't you leave? Why are you back?"

"There are too many people. I'll have dinner before I leave. Go cook for me later! I want to try the Second Aunt's cooking, too!"

Li Wenqiang lay on the sofa like a master and spoke to Chen Xueru who was lying powerless upstairs.

"Bah, go ahead and treat me like that! If you want to eat, go get it yourself. I don't have the energy to cook anymore! I'm going to sleep first, so do whatever you want!"

Chen Xueru rolled her eyes at him, went straight back to her room, and fell asleep.

"Hey, you don't listen? I'll punish you next time!"

Although Li Wenqiang said this, he still walked to the kitchen and prepared to cook a meal.

It's rush hour now, and most people walk home. The rush hour won't end until at least after seven o'clock, and he doesn't want to squeeze with those people.

As night fell, as Li Wenqiang was picking flowers like a little bee, a tense atmosphere filled the Nanluoguxiang courtyard. Qin Huairu paced back and forth in the courtyard, her worries growing stronger.

"Auntie, did you find the stick?"

Qin Huairu asked anxiously.

"Huai Ru, don't worry. Bang Geng may have gone out to play and forgotten the time. He will be back soon! Your uncle and Yu Shui have also helped you look for him. You will have news when they come back!"

The aunt also frowned and comforted Qin Huairu in a low voice.

"No, Auntie. Usually, Bang Geng would have come home by lunchtime. But he didn't come home at noon today. I thought he forgot the time. I didn't see him in the afternoon either. I looked for him but couldn't find him. His grandmother came here once yesterday. I'm worried that she took him away!"

Qin Huairu said anxiously.

"It's no use for you to be anxious now, just wait until your uncle and the others come back!"

The aunt sighed and pulled Qin Huairu to persuade her. She knew that Banggeng might have been taken away by Jia Zhang, but she was Banggeng's grandmother, so it was no big deal even if she was taken away. Qin Huairu seemed to be making a fuss!

What she didn't know was that Jia Zhang was already preparing to run away with Old Man Wu.

Just then, the old man, Yu Shui and others came back, looking tired and helpless, obviously they got nothing.

"How's it going? Did you find the stick?"

Qin Huairu went forward eagerly.

The uncle shook his head and said heavily.

"We searched everywhere nearby, but couldn't find any trace of the stick terrier."

Qin Huairu's tears instantly burst out.

"What should I do? If Banggeng is really taken away by his grandmother, how will I live?"

"Huai Ru, don't worry, maybe things are not that bad."

The rain whispered soothingly.

"Maybe Banggeng just went to a friend's house to play and forgot the time!"

"Impossible, Bang Geng would never be like this. He must have been taken away by his grandmother."

Qin Huairu shouted excitedly.

"Huai Ru, calm down first. Bang Geng might have been taken away by his grandmother. He will be back soon after having dinner!"

An old lady came up and took Qin Huairu's hand.

"We'll think of other solutions later."

Just when everyone was at a loss, the second and third uncles also came over after hearing the noise.

"What happened? The stick is missing?"

The second uncle frowned and asked, why are there so many things happening in this yard, one after another all day long, as if there is no end.

Qin Huairu choked up and recounted what had happened.

"Sister Qin, don't worry, Bang Geng will be fine."

Qin Huairu's crying face made Sha Zhu, who was leaning on a crutch beside her, feel very distressed.

The third uncle thought for a moment and said.

"How about we call the police?"

"Call the police?"

Qin Huairu was a little hesitant.

"If I call the police, will that be bad?"

"I can't worry about that now. What matters most is finding the stick."

The second uncle said.

So, everyone decided to go to the police station together to report the crime.

At this time, Li Wenqiang was humming a little tune in Chen Xueru's house and busy in the kitchen. After a while, a simple meal was ready.

Li Wenqiang brought the food to the living room, and thinking of Chen Xueru, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

He got up and went upstairs, gently pushing open the door of Chen Xueru's room. Chen Xueru was lying on the bed, sleeping soundly. Li Wenqiang tiptoed to the bedside, looking at Chen Xueru's beautiful face, and an inexplicable impulse surged in his heart.

He gently stretched out his hand and wanted to touch Chen Xueru's face. Just when his hand was about to touch Chen Xueru's face, Chen Xueru suddenly opened her eyes.

"What do you want to do again?"

Chen Xueru looked at Li Wenqiang warily.

"Hey, it's nothing, I just wanted to wake you up for dinner!"

Li Wenqiang smiled without feeling embarrassed at all.

"Go out and don't disturb my sleep."

Chen Xueru mumbled a few words and then prepared to go to bed.

"It's up to you. I've already prepared the food on the table. If you're hungry, come down and heat it up."

Li Wenqiang shrugged helplessly, left the room and started eating by himself.

At the police station, Qin Huairu and others were anxiously explaining the situation to the police. They didn't know where Banggeng was, so they could only tell their guesses.

"I understand what you mean, but you are calling the police based on a mere guess. What if your son ran out to play? Even if his grandmother took him away, that's your family matter. Don't call the police if there's nothing wrong. We're busy too, okay?"

In the police station, a policeman looked at them unkindly. Yesterday, a captain who was involved in selling opium appeared in the station, and the entire station was investigated by the city bureau. Now is a time of panic, who has time to deal with a missing person case whose truth is unknown.

"Then what should we do?"

Qin Huairu asked anxiously.

"You guys go back and look for her now. If you still can't find her after a few days, come and report her to the police! If everyone is like you, running to the police as soon as the child is missing, do we still have any work to do? Go back and look for her yourself, don't make a fuss over trivial matters all day long!"

The police officer said unhappily, waving his hand to drive them out.

Qin Huairu and the others reluctantly left the police station and returned to the compound with heavy hearts. Not knowing what to do, they could only pray silently that Banggeng really forgot about time because he was too playful.

Li Wenqiang had also finished his dinner by this time and was riding his tricycle slowly towards the courtyard.