Chapter 222

Shu Ying was always worried that Lü Jie would go even further towards Shi Tou, but now she understood that solving a problem meant eliminating the underlying risks, not just dealing with the victims.

If we pretend we know nothing, it's tantamount to condoning Lü Jie's actions, which would only push a child into an even deeper abyss.

She has two children and is also a mother; she cannot stand idly by.

Yang Suxian's arrogant demeanor instantly vanished, and she almost lost her balance upon hearing Shu Ying's words.

"What nonsense are you spouting? You're a pretty girl, and you're quite good at talking nonsense. Do you think I would mistreat my own grandson?"

If this gets out, not only will her reputation as a grandmother be ruined, but her son's career prospects might also be affected.

It's unacceptable for a father to be so negligent as to not even know that his child is being abused.

“Boss, you must be an educated person. You know my son’s character. How could we possibly mistreat our own child? Shitou has always been a mischievous child. He was a habitual liar when he was in the countryside. He might have just run off to play somewhere. I don’t think everyone needs to worry so much. He’ll come back on his own tonight. Let’s all go home.”

She raised her hand, intending to shove the people away, but none of the people standing in front of her moved.

Yang Suxian became anxious, "What do you mean by this? Just for a little kid, you're making things so difficult for this old woman!"

Shu Ying looked displeased. Yang Suxian was new here today and probably didn't know much about Shi Tou's situation. She said slowly, "Auntie, why don't you ask your daughter-in-law about the situation first?"

Yang Suxian sneered, finding it impossible.

Although Lü Jie was a widow and had heard a lot of gossip, what could a four or five-year-old child possibly do, no matter how much she disliked him?

Just as she turned her head to confront Lü Jie, she saw her pale face.

Yang Suxian's face instantly turned ugly. The words "guilty conscience" were practically written all over her face, making it hard to ignore her even if one wanted to.

"You troublemaker, where did you take my grandson? Didn't you just say he was playing over there on the playground? What a misfortune for our family! If anything happens to my grandson, I'll haunt you even as a ghost."

Lu Jie waved her hands frantically, her words somewhat incoherent.

"I didn't do it, I really didn't do it, I don't know anything about it."

She waved her hands repeatedly, but when she met the surprised looks of the crowd, even her explanations seemed weak.

Yang Suxian understood immediately upon seeing this.

Stone hasn't come back yet, which most likely means she did something.

She rolled up one sleeve, took three steps forward, raised her arm as if to hit someone, and said, "You wretched woman, I entrusted my grandson to you so that you would take good care of him. You heartless wretch, where exactly have you hidden my grandson? He is still a member of the Xiao family, how dare you treat him like this? If the child can't find his mother, I'll risk my life, and you won't get away with it either."

Yang Suxian had worked in the fields when she was young. Women who had done farm work had great strength. When Yang Suxian slapped Lü Jie, Lü Jie's head buzzed. She staggered back two steps and when she looked up, she saw stars and doubled images of the people in front of her.

Yang Suxian had no intention of letting her off the hook. Shu Ying stepped forward and grabbed her arm. "Auntie, now is not the time to hit people. Shitou has been missing for many days. The most important thing is to find the child. The child is so young. If he encounters any danger, he will not be able to solve the problem on his own."

Liu Jing crossed her arms, thinking that it had been three or four days since she last saw Shi Tou. The child was only a few years old and did not have the ability to distinguish right from wrong. Although the possibility of encountering human traffickers in the compound was not high, she was worried that there were people colluding with each other inside and outside.

“Lu Jie, you’re a woman too. Even if you don’t have children now, you’ll have children in the future, right? Just think of it as accumulating good karma for your future children. You can’t just throw the stone away quietly. How are you going to explain this to his father when he comes back?”

Lu Jie covered her swollen face with one hand, her eyes filled with tears, and explained in a trembling voice, "I really didn't do anything. I don't know where that brat ran off to. I didn't abuse him. He just disappeared inexplicably the day before yesterday. You guys think it's strange, but I think it's strange too."

It's all this brat's fault. He usually seems so timid, but this little guy has quite the head for it. He just walked away so easily.

Now that she can't be found, everyone suspects her.

“I went out to look for him late at night and searched for half the night. I couldn’t find him even in the middle of the night. I didn’t sleep well when I came back from outside. I clearly didn’t do anything. I think that child has a problem with me. After all, he’s not my own child. No matter what I do, it’s wrong.”

Tears streamed down her face. The fear and anxiety of the past few days had kept her from getting a good night's sleep. There must be some reason why a perfectly healthy child could just disappear into thin air.

But she couldn't very well say that it was because she was too harsh that the stone couldn't stand it and ran away, could she?

If such words were actually spoken, it would be tantamount to shooting oneself in the foot.

Although Lü Jie was in a daze, she wasn't that stupid.

Sister Wang spoke sternly, her usually good temper showing a hint of anger. "If children can just disappear here for no reason, then there's no peaceful place in the world. If Shi Tou lost himself, why didn't you ask us for help to find him sooner?"

Lu Jie's words were full of loopholes, and with a little thought, it was clear that they were not true.

Shu Ying narrowed her eyes and continued to pressure her, "Shi Tou is the child of a revolutionary soldier. If he can't be found, it won't just be a matter of time. If you don't tell the truth, you might go to jail. Think carefully about how you can protect yourself."

Lu Jie suddenly raised her head. She didn't want to go to jail. In her bitter struggle, Lu Jie's strong shoulders slumped.

“I really didn’t lie. Stone got lost on his own. The reason I didn’t make a fuss was because I was afraid people would suspect that I killed him.”

After she finished speaking, she immediately raised her hand, held up three fingers and swore to the sky, "I really didn't do anything to Shi Tou. This child is quite naughty. Usually, I would only scold him occasionally. But who knew that this child would have such a temper? He didn't do his homework right away after he came back from school. I only said a few harsh words to him, and he secretly ran out. I regret it so much that I'm turning green with envy."