Chapter 380 Danger is Coming
"It's strange this year too. The yamen runners are keeping a close eye on the streets, and several of the fat sheep I had my eyes on have slipped away."
"Don't be impatient, be patient and look for your target. Yanguan Town is rich, and catching a little fat sheep will be enough for us to chew for a year."
Two men, one fat and one thin, were whispering in the crowd.
These two guys are kidnappers, and the little fat sheep they are talking about are the children from Yanguan Town.
Their goal is very clear, either kidnap those who seem to have a good family background and whose parents have money to redeem them, or kidnap those who are good-looking and sell the boys to brothels as prostitutes or the girls to brothels as skinny girls.
Yanguan Town has a prosperous business and is richer than other towns. A grand lantern festival is held every year during the Lantern Festival, so the two men set their sights on Yanguan Town.
The two men wandered around all night but failed to succeed.
"Where did that Yao Zhifu come from? He not only eliminated the bandits, but also greatly affected our business."
The thin man gnashed his teeth in hatred as he looked at the yamen runners passing by, and scolded Prefect Yao.
Prefect Yao looked through the case files over the years and found that kidnapping cases occurred in every county and town on the Lantern Festival. Some children disappeared forever and were never found again.
Therefore, Prefect Yao issued an order to the entire Ningcheng a few days ago, saying that on the Lantern Festival, in addition to preventing fire and theft, it is more important to prevent kidnapping.
Lord Liu must strictly follow the order of Prefect Yao and send all the officials down.
Especially in important towns like Yanguan Town where there are many people attending the Lantern Festival, most of the officials were sent to patrol overnight.
"I say, gentlemen, what are you looking at?"
Mrs. Luo and Chunwang were pushed next to the two kidnappers. When she heard the curses from them, she immediately realized that they were professional human traffickers.
Mrs. Luo's eyes rolled and she went up to join in the conversation.
"What does it have to do with you, an old woman? Be careful or I'll kill you." The two kidnappers had ulterior motives and were interrupted in their search for the target by Old Woman Luo, so they threatened with vicious looks on their faces.
"I heard everything you said just now. You just want to kidnap the children, right? Let me tell you a trick. Look at those children. Their family is the richest here. They have shops, land and money."
Mrs. Luo suppressed her fear and pointed at Maner, Xiaolong and others who were surrounding the rope of the circus troupe.
The two beggars looked at Maner and the others with sharp eyes.
These kids are really well dressed.
Especially the little girl squeezed in the front and the little boy behind her, wearing brand new red coats, they were as cute as the Fuwa in the New Year pictures.
A child of this quality does not need to be sold to a brothel. He can be taken directly to Shengjing and sold to princes and nobles with special preferences. The couple will make a fortune on this trip.
The fat man and the thin man looked at each other, and they knew what was going on.
When Mrs. Luo saw the expressions of the two men, one fat and one thin, she knew that she had persuaded the fat man. In such a cold day, she felt as warmed as if she had drunk a bowl of hot soup, and every part of her body relaxed.
Widow Tong asked her daughter-in-law and granddaughter to work in the pigpen, but not her son. She also did not ask her son to do it when they slaughtered pigs before the New Year.
Ever since Chunni went to work in the pigsty, she has become more and more undisciplined.
A few days ago, it snowed and was windy at night. She had the habit of getting up at night, so she asked Cao to stay by her bed and empty the urinal at any time. Chunni felt sorry for Cao and even said some nonsense like Duoer's mother could get a divorce even if she was bullied.
Now that Cao and Tong Pan'di work together every day, Mrs. Luo is worried that Cao will be led astray by Tong Pan'di.
And Man'er, at a young age, was full of evil intentions. She secretly taught Chunni to read. How could a girl like her be so unworthy? She was so angry that she took away the paper and pen that Man'er had given to Chunni and gave them to Chunwang. In Luo Po's eyes, it was a rebellious act for a girl to learn to read. Tong Guafu and Gu Taohua became erratic and disobedient because of learning to read. She was afraid that Chunni would become wild after learning to read and she would not be able to exchange her for a betrothal gift.
Mrs. Luo felt that the reason why her son Chunwang had not made any progress in studying was because of the private school he attended.
The people of Widow Tong's family have brought such a great influence to her son's family. Just now, her grandson went to get the lantern and mocked her in public. So, with the help of the kidnapper, Widow Tong's family will be destroyed.
The child is lost, let's see how long she can be proud.
Mrs. Luo had already happily described the scene in which Tong Huaqiong burst into tears and the entire Gu family fell into chaos.
"The families of those children are watching the lanterns elsewhere. Hurry and capture them while the adults are away."
After instigating, Mrs. Luo wanted to take Chunwang back with her. She wanted to make sure that she would be on her way back when the Gu family's cubs were kidnapped.
Unexpectedly, the fat man stopped Luo Pozi and Chunwang.
The thin man looked around, glanced, and together with the fat man, pushed Luo Pozi and Chunwang to a secluded, dark place where they could not see others.
"This lamb is quite fat." The thin man raised his arm and pinched Chunwang's cheek, then put the knife in his sleeve against Chunwang's chubby face.
This little fat sheep has good appearance, although his appearance and clothing cannot compare with the children pointed out by the old woman. He is not qualified to be a prostitute, and it would be more appropriate to castrate him and send him to the palace.
You can earn at least several dozen taels of silver.
Chunwang was so frightened that he couldn't move, and the candied haws and lantern in his hands rolled to the ground.
"Since you came and knocked on the door on your own initiative, can you still let him go?" The fat man laughed and stuffed a piece of rag into Chunwang's mouth, then tied him up.
Mrs. Luo was bewildered. She didn't expect that she had taken the initiative to provide clues about Maner and others, but spared her own grandson.
If it is confirmed that Tong Huaqiong has nothing to do with them, Mrs. Luo would suspect that these two people are Tong Huaqiong's agents, setting a trap for her.
"No, gentlemen, my family is poor..." Mrs. Luo struggled hard to break free from Chunwang and wanted to shout for help, but when she saw the thin man waving the knife in front of her grandson, she was so scared that she choked on the cry.
This old woman is of no value. Even if she is sold to a wealthy family as a maid, they won't want her, and it would be a waste of food.
The thin man struck Mrs. Luo on the neck with one palm, and Mrs. Luo fell to the ground.
The fat man stuffed a piece of rag into Mrs. Luo's mouth, tied it up, and threw it onto the unmelted snow pile on the side of the road.
Chunwang couldn't make a sound, his body was shaking like a sieve in fear, and tears rolled down his cheeks.
The thin cripple threw Chunwang to the fat cripple and turned to walk towards the circus.
He was afraid that the children would be taken away by their families.
The fat cripple carried Chunwang to the corner and stuffed him into the carriage.
"Mother Jiang, someone is here." Fat Crook said to a middle-aged woman in the carriage.
"Wow, this little sheep is so fat." Mother Jiang pinched Chunwang's chubby face and expressed her satisfaction.
She waited in the carriage all night, her hands and feet were numb from the cold, and she thought her trip was in vain and that she had finally found a way out.
"Mother Jiang, there are several good-looking fat sheep there. I guarantee you will be satisfied later."
After the fat man finished speaking, he closed the curtain of the carriage and walked happily towards the circus stand.
In front of the circus stall, four children, Man'er, Xiaolong, Yaozu and Duo'er, gathered together to watch the circus, fascinated by it.
There was no sense of danger approaching.