Chapter 8: Disappearance Incident
“Mengyao’s girl is also for your own good. Look how long it’s been, and your faces have all rounded.”
“Not only have my face rounded, but after some time, my body will also round!”
Regarding Mengyao Gu’s excessive use of meat in her cooking, although Gu Yu and Gu Qingheng had previously voiced their objections, after Gu Mengyao got used to it, it was still difficult to change in a short period.
Fortunately, for now… green vegetables are appearing with increasing frequency.
Gu Qingheng brought it up at this moment, just to vent his frustrations to Aunt Chunhua, hoping for some comfort… However, Aunt Chunhua clearly felt that Gu Qingheng, who was plump and round, was very good, so she didn’t blame Gu Mengyao. Instead, she felt that she was doing a good job.
Being able to raise her younger brother so fair and plump, the Gu family’s life was truly getting better and better.
“A’yu, I have something to tell you… Aunt Chunhua, you’re better!”
Just as Gu Qingheng was pouring out his woes to Aunt Chunhua, Gu Mengyao hurriedly walked in from the courtyard gate, speaking as she walked. Upon seeing Aunt Chunhua, she faltered midway and then changed her tone with pleasant surprise.
Since Aunt Chunhua fell ill, she had not visited the Gu family for a long time.
Now that she had come to visit, seeing her ruddy complexion, it was clear that her illness had been cured.
And when Aunt Chunhua saw Gu Mengyao, her face also showed a look of surprise, as if she hadn’t expected Gu Mengyao to have grown into such a delicate young girl in the short two years they hadn’t seen each other.
The clothes Gu Mengyao was wearing at this moment, although not of fine silks and colorful brocades, were also of good quality fine cotton cloth. Just looking at the fine and neat stitches on the clothes, it didn’t look like clothes made by people in the village, but rather ready-made clothes bought with silver.
Looking at the newly built house of the Gu family, and the furnishings inside, the Gu family’s living conditions were indeed good.
Seeing that the Gu Mengyao siblings were living so well, Aunt Chunhua was relieved. She thought that now, Old Yan should no longer worry about his friend’s children suffering.
“My illness has improved a lot, so I took the opportunity to come over today. Besides thanking you for the pears you sent, I also wanted to see you.”
“You should go out and stroll more often, so you don’t get too bored staying in the house all day. When I was injured while hunting on the mountain, A’yu would always accompany me for a walk at night!”
“Your marital relationship is quite good. Seeing your appearances, you really are well-matched, just like the golden boy and jade girl under the immortal.”
“Aunt Chunhua, your words…”
As they spoke, Gu Mengyao’s cheeks were flushed from the teasing, and her eyes were watery and very cute.
And Gu Yu also had a smile on his face while listening to this, but he wasn’t shy. Instead, he looked as if it was natural, making Gu Mengyao, who was standing beside him, even more shy.
Then, after Gu Mengyao’s lips curled up involuntarily, she chatted with Aunt Chunhua for a while longer before remembering what she hadn’t finished saying.
“Oh right, when I was chatting with Ye Die and the others today, I heard them say… a girl in the village has disappeared in town!”
“Disappeared?”
“Yes! Without any warning, she just went to town and didn’t return by evening. That’s when her family realized something was wrong. Afterward, they searched town several times but couldn’t find her at all.”
“This is impossible! The town guards are quite strict. For someone to disappear out of thin air, this kind of thing is too incredible.”
When Gu Mengyao mentioned that someone was missing in the village, Min Yan was the first to speak, his words full of surprise. He clearly didn’t expect someone to go missing in town.
Gu Yu, listening, thought that the missing woman was probably kidnapped and sold.
The reason Gu Yu speculated that the missing girl was kidnapped and sold was because she was not young anymore, and she managed to get lost in town… This was clearly an external force, either kidnapping or seeking revenge.
As for why he didn’t mention seeking revenge, it was because if such a thing had happened, Gu Mengyao would have mentioned it in advance.
Moreover, in rural families, where could there be such dire grudges that they would target their children?
However, the people Gu Yu had encountered since transmigrating were all ruthless, making one have to guard against them.
Thinking about it this way, seeking revenge was also possible…
“Mengyao, does the missing girl’s family have any grudges with others? Could it be seeking revenge?”
“No, that family is very honest and would never offend others on their own. Now that their only daughter is lost, their family doesn’t care about anything else. They stay in town day and night, searching everywhere for her, but there’s no news at all.”
Since she wasn’t sure, she had to ask. However, the result was similar to what Gu Yu had thought.
The girl was not kidnapped because of seeking revenge.
In that case, it was clearly human trafficking.
Speaking of human trafficking, it not only exists in modern times but was also prevalent in ancient times.
Women and children were the most vulnerable targets. Women were directly sold to brothels or whorehouses, and children were sold to childless families or to be kept as boy prostitutes. These were all profitable businesses that could earn a lot of silver for nothing.
It was a shame that those people could spend such ill-gotten gains with a clear conscience.
Gu Yu had always held a strong aversion to human trafficking. Even he, who disliked meddling in other people’s affairs, would intervene if he encountered such a situation to save those people from a hellish suffering.
Helping others also required self-assessment and not trying to fight a superior force.
Gu Yu, who was not short of money and had his space for self-protection, naturally had the capacity to help when he encountered disgusting things like human trafficking.
However, if he had just transmigrated, living in extreme poverty with nothing but a mouse that he couldn’t bear to leave behind, Gu Yu would have the will but not the ability… He wouldn’t even be able to help others; instead, he would need help.
But, would anyone help the Gu family?
Therefore, no matter what, he had to become stronger and not rely on others to lend a helping hand.
This way, when facing various difficulties and troubles, he wouldn’t fall into the worst-case scenario.
If he could solve things himself, why bother troubling others!
“Since it’s not seeking revenge, could it be encountering kidnappers? But it’s been many years since such things have happened in our town. Even if there were kidnappers before, they were all directly apprehended by the government. Why have they reappeared now?”
“Did that family report to the officials? A disappearance in town is no small matter!”
“They did, but the yamen just told the family to wait… However, I don’t think the magistrate even knows about this matter, because when they reported to the officials, the bailiffs didn’t take it seriously at all. They even said that the missing girl might have eloped with her lover, which is why she didn’t dare to tell her family.”
“These brats are truly rebelling!”
After Gu Yu asked a few questions and the attention of the others began to shift elsewhere, Aunt Chunhua was the first to react.
She frowned deeply, and as she spoke, her words were full of worry.
Min Yan then chimed in, first cursing them out, then expressing his concern about the follow-up of this disappearance incident… Even if the girl was abducted by kidnappers, it would be good if she could be rescued in time.
However, judging from Gu Mengyao’s description, the yamen bailiffs clearly did not take the matter seriously.
“It’s easier to deal with the King of Hell, but difficult to deal with minor devils.”
This was a truth that ordinary people knew, and when it was stated so plainly, the room instantly fell silent.
Although they were discussing someone else’s affairs now, if such a thing were to happen to them, this outcome would be unacceptable.
This made Gu Mengyao look at her dear younger brother with great worry as she spoke, wondering if she should ask Gu Qingheng to be more careful lately and not always run to the village.
What if kidnappers came to the village…
“Alright, don’t worry so much. The truth of the matter will eventually come out.”
“Yes, let’s not think too much about it. Let’s just see what the adults above will do. It’s getting late, so we two will head back. We’ll come again when we have time.”
Seeing the worried expressions on everyone’s faces, Gu Yu took the initiative to speak, asking everyone to put their minds at ease and await the future developments of the matter.
Having witnessed various cases reported on television in modern times, Gu Yu intuitively felt it unlikely that the kidnapped girl would return. However, he couldn’t let this matter dampen the spirits of his entire family.
So, speaking at this moment, he managed to bring everyone’s thoughts back. Finally, Min Yan let out a helpless laugh and then said his farewells.
“Uncle Yan, Aunt Chunhua, aren’t you staying for dinner? It’s hard to come visit, why leave so early!”
“No, no, we won’t disturb you. We just wanted to come and see you. We’ll have dinner together next time.”
“Alright, then come again next time!”
After sending off the Min Yan couple, Gu Mengyao went to the kitchen to prepare dinner, while Gu Yu and Gu Qingheng stayed in the house, waiting for dinner.
“Brother-in-law, do you think the missing woman can still come back?”
“What do you think?”
“I don’t think it’s possible. I’ve heard villagers talk about kidnapping children before. Usually, no one can escape from the kidnappers.”
“Since you know that, don’t go out to play for a while, and let your sister rest assured… When we were talking about the disappearance incident just now, Mengyao glanced at you several times.”
When they were alone, Gu Qingheng spoke with some curiosity, wanting to discuss the matter of the missing girl with his brother-in-law.
Through their time together, Gu Qingheng felt that he and Gu Yu had many common topics. At least Gu Yu wasn’t as stubborn as his sister, sticking to his own ideas about everything. Instead, he was as flexible in his thinking as himself.
Gu Qingheng, unlike ordinary children, was not optimistic about the missing woman’s situation. Based on the information he had, he deduced that she would not return.
Gu Yu didn’t say much about this. After listening to his younger brother-in-law, he nodded slightly, and then his words not only reminded Gu Qingheng not to go out casually from now on but also indirectly provided the answer.
He also thought it was impossible.