“Kidnapped?” Gu Fuzhu gasped, her eyes wide with shock. She looked around the car in a frantic panic. “Where is my cousin?”
“She’s in the back,” Xu Ying said weakly, her voice thin with exhaustion. “She’ll probably be back later.” After struggling for what felt like an entire night, her stomach rumbled with hunger, but her primary concern was her family. Huo Chen drove at maximum speed, leaving the driver and Gu Fuzhu in the back feeling disoriented and dizzy from the relentless motion.
The car screeched to a halt directly in front of Xujia Village.
Xu’s father and mother were sound asleep at home. Suddenly, they heard their daughter’s cry, and both woke with a start.
“Did you hear my daughter’s voice?” Xu’s father whispered, rubbing his eyes.
“I heard it! It can’t really be our daughter, can it?” Xu’s mother exclaimed, bolting upright.
“Ouch, what are you doing just standing there? Get up quickly! It’s so late. Something must have happened to my daughter for her to come back at this hour!” Xu’s mother frantically pulled on her coat and rushed out. Xu’s father, equally worried, didn’t even stop for his coat, racing ahead of Xu’s mother to yank open the door.
When he clearly saw the people standing outside, Father Xu’s face darkened instantly. “What’s going on? What happened?”
Xu’s mother ran over, her eyes widening in disbelief. The sight of Huo Chen holding her daughter in his arms, in what appeared to be an ambiguous embrace, made her explode. “Huo Chen, are you bullying my daughter?! Put her down quickly!”
Huo Chen’s expression was stern. “Which is her room? Let’s put her in there first.”
At this, Xu’s father quickly led him to his daughter’s room. As Huo Chen entered, a faint, sweet fragrance wafted towards him, softening his rigid expression slightly. Xu Ying had already fallen asleep. Huo Chen carefully laid her down, covered her with a quilt, and then left the room, proceeding to recount the entire harrowing ordeal.
When Xu’s mother heard that her daughter had been kidnapped, her heart clenched with fear. She looked at Huo Chen, her voice trembling with anxiety. “Did anything happen to my daughter? Did those people bully her?” Xu’s father, equally distraught, mirrored her worry.
Gu Fuzhu, sitting nervously in the main room, also looked panicked. She quickly checked herself over, breathing a sigh of relief when she found no obvious injuries.
“Xu Ying is fine. We arrived in time,” Huo Chen reassured them. “Those people are probably at the Public Security Bureau now. Don’t be afraid. The Public Security Bureau will definitely interrogate them and arrest the instigators.”
Xu’s mother let out a shaky sigh, her gaze softening with profound gratitude as she looked at Huo Chen. This young man had saved her daughter countless times.
“Comrade, where is my cousin? Where is she?” Gu Fuzhu asked, her voice filled with apprehension.
“She’s with my friend and will probably be back later.” Huo Chen’s face, normally so stern, held a particularly intimidating lack of expression, and Gu Fuzhu flinched slightly at his intensity. Hearing that her cousin was unharmed, she quickly nodded and huddled aside, curling her neck in fear.
“Girl, I’m so sorry for causing trouble for you and your sister,” Xu’s father said, looking at Gu Fuzhu with sincere regret.
Gu Fuzhu quickly shook her head. She had heard about Xu Ying—a brave and kind-hearted girl. This time, she could only say that those kidnappers were utterly despicable. “It’s alright,” she insisted. “It’s just the Wu family being too arrogant.” The mention of the Wu family filled Gu Fuzhu’s face with anger, and she felt a deep sorrow for the girls they had harmed. She resolved to tell her father everything when she returned, ensuring those villains were severely punished.
“Girl, are you hungry? Wait a moment. Auntie will go to the kitchen and boil some eggs for you,” Xu’s mother offered with a warm smile, feeling much better knowing her daughter was safe.
Seeing how late it was, Gu Fuzhu quickly declined. “Auntie, please don’t trouble yourself.” Then, she looked at Huo Chen pleadingly. “Comrade, can you send me back? It’s too late now, and I’m afraid my parents will be worried.”
Huo Chen glanced coldly at the driver. The driver immediately understood, hastily patting his chest. “I’ll take this girl back.” He needed to return quickly to face the factory director’s criticism. He had been gone all day, and the director must be furious. The driver, the car master, found himself in an inexplicable predicament.
Gu Fuzhu followed the driver back to the county town. Gu Fuying had arrived even earlier, having been found by Wu Qingsong and directly sent home.
At this very moment, Gu Fuying was enduring a harsh scolding at home.
Gu’s father and mother stood before her, their faces contorted with anger. “You’re a girl, and you don’t know how to come back on time! Where is your cousin? You’re leading your cousin astray with your foolishness!” Gu Fuying had no chance to explain. Mother Gu was particularly furious that her daughter had been brought home by a man. Any parent would likely be outraged to see their daughter out all night with a man.
“Who was that man just now? Is he your date?”
“Mom, don’t talk nonsense!” Gu Fuying’s cheeks burned crimson.
As someone who had experienced courtship herself, Mother Gu still understood what her daughter’s blush implied. She must be interested in the man. And what about the man who had brought her daughter back so late? Was he dating her daughter?
“Where is that man? Who is in his family?” Mother Gu demanded, her face cold.
But Uncle Gu interjected, “Second sister-in-law, don’t worry. The child is older and has her own ideas. Let her tell you slowly.”
Gu Fuying quickly nodded. Her third uncle was right. “I didn’t have a date with him. He saved me, and that’s how I came back.”
“What?! What’s going on? What’s wrong with you today?” The anger on Father Gu’s face instantly dissolved into worry. Even Uncle Gu and Aunt Gu’s expressions changed. Now Fuying was back, and their daughter was still out there.
Mother Gu, now filled with alarm, rushed towards her daughter, pulling her around to check for injuries. “What’s going on? Are you hurt? Who bullied you? Where is your cousin? Where is she?!”
As soon as Gu Fuying mentioned the incident, her face contorted with grievance, her lips trembled, and tears streamed down her cheeks. “Mom and Dad, you almost didn’t see me today! My cousin, Yingying, and I were walking on the road when we were suddenly knocked unconscious and kidnapped!”
Father Gu’s heart skipped a beat. Mother Gu’s eyes instantly reddened, and she looked at her daughter with a mixture of fear and trepidation.
“Where’s your cousin?” Aunt Gu couldn’t help but ask.
“Fortunately, Wu Qingsong and the others showed up in time, otherwise my innocence would have been ruined!” Gu Fuying burst into fresh tears. She wiped her eyes and continued, “My cousin is fine; she was rescued from the very beginning!”
Aunt Gu let out a sigh of relief. Father Gu glanced at his wife and winked. Mother Gu understood what he meant and quickly led the girl back into the house. There were some things a father couldn’t conveniently say, but a mother could speak freely, and perhaps even offer counsel to her daughter.
“Third brother, third sister-in-law, I’ll take Fuying back to the house to sleep first. You two can chat slowly.”
Aunt Gu still wanted to ask about her own daughter, but thinking of what had happened to Gu Fuying, and with her husband’s subtle hint, she knew he didn’t want her to press further. Aunt Gu could only keep her mouth shut, though worry gnawed at her. If her daughter was fine and had been rescued long ago, then where was she?
“There’s someone knocking on the door!” Aunt Gu exclaimed, her excitement palpable. She quickly stood up and rushed to open the door. The moment she saw her daughter standing there, Aunt Gu’s eyes welled up. She reached out, touching her daughter’s hair, her face a mixture of relief and reproach. “Why are you just coming back now? Do you know your father and I were worried to death?!”