Chapter 128: Hong Hong

Chapter 128: Hong Hong

Once he said that, even Zhou Rong, who was normally very collected, said awkwardly, “Mr. Yi... is still so humorous.”

Jiang Cheng put his hands on his waist. “I don’t understand it. Why would Village Head Qian hand over such an important and under-table task to an outsider? Isn’t he afraid of betrayal?” His words awakened the minds of many.

Previously, everyone’s focus was on Zhao Xiangmei’s identity. However, Yi Zhiping’s statement made people wonder about the relationship between Village Head Qian and Zhao Xiangmei. The room became silent. Indeed, kidnapping was a serious crime. How could they trust an outsider to conduct this task?

Lee Lu suffered the pain from her ankle and said, “Could it be... that Zhao Xiangmei’s husband was from Little Ravine Village? Then, she could be considered half a local.”

“That’s a possibility.” Zhou Rong considered it. None of them were newbies. They sensed that this mission was more difficult than normal. One day and one night had passed. They had not advanced the plot in a meaningful way, but they lost a teammate. This wouldn’t do...

Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes as he looked out the window. “The sun is not fully set yet. I think we should split into two teams. One team will stay here to wait for the food, and the other team will enter the village and take a look around.”

“Won’t that be too dangerous?” Jiang Zhongyi asked timidly. His worry was not unfounded. The village was ultimately in the mountains. The sky might darken suddenly. If they failed to return before nightfall, accidents might happen.

Bei Qian nodded. “Then, we’ll have to trouble Mr. Yi.” He looked at Jiang Cheng with great concern. “You don’t need to worry about this place. I’ll stay back to tussle with the villagers.”

Jiang Cheng tutted as he gave Bei Qian a once-over. This pretentious old man was on the same level as Zhen Jianren. They were equally shameless.

“Elder Bei has to be careful too,” Jiang Cheng responded with concern too.

After that, it was time to decide the team. Lee Lu had a sprained ankle, so she had to stay. Yu Man didn’t want to walk around, so she stated directly that she would stay behind. Including Bei Qian, three of them wanted to stay behind.

“I’ll go out to take a look,” Zhou Rong nodded at Jiang Cheng and announced. To everyone’s surprise, Chen Xiaomeng also chose to explore the village. Therefore, each group had three members. Only Jiang Zhongyi hadn’t made a choice.

Normally, there should be more people going out to look for clues than those staying behind. Even though Jiang Zhongyi also wanted to stay, he pouted and said with a bitter expression, “I... I will go with you...” It was clear that he was unwilling.

Then, things became a lot simpler. Jiang Cheng successfully used the bun to lure the girl out. They chose a shadowy spot to sit down.

“What is your name?” Chen Xiaomeng asked.

“Hong Hong.” The girl munched on the bun. She ate so fast that she finished half of it in seconds and almost choked on it. When they sat closer, the group discovered the girl was overly thin, and her skin was sallow.

“Is that your house?”

“Yes.” The girl nodded. She licked the bits of bun from her fingers. Her house was the one with a vegetable patch in the yard.

“Who else lives there?” Zhou Rong interrupted.

The girl licked her lips. After their brief interaction, the girl became more courageous around the travellers. She glanced at Jiang Cheng who was biting on another half of a steamed bun. She reached out her hand. “Give me your bun, and I’ll tell you.”

After Jiang Cheng gave her the half, the girl’s eyes glowed with happiness. She salivated tremendously. However, she resisted the urge to bite into the bun as something came into her mind. She carefully placed half of the bun into her skirt pocket.

“There’s no one else.” The girl lowered her head. “Hong Hong is the only one left.” She stared at her feet. She looked so pitiful. Her eyes brimmed with sadness. When she thought her acting had fooled them, she felt a pull on the back of her neck, and her feet left the ground.

Jiang Cheng lifted the girl into the air like he was holding a kitten.

Then, he snatched half the bun back from the girl and shoved it back into his own clothes.

“Then, you have had more than enough to eat.” Jiang Cheng huffed, “Why should I give you more? I’m not your dad.”