Chapter 1215 The Missing Child

"I feel like this kid is a little familiar to me."

"I couldn't bear to see her standing there."

"And it's such a cold day."

"The child's face turned pale from the cold."

"I walked over and asked her why she hadn't gone home yet?"

"The child seemed to be frightened by me and ran away immediately."

"I thought she went home, but I didn't expect..."

Brother Jin paused.

Then, he spoke slowly, "I didn't expect the kid to run into the woods."

"what?!"

Su Xun was shocked, and the feeling of uneasiness in his heart became stronger.

"Escaped into the woods?"

"Evening?"

"What about her?"

"are you back?"

"Did you look for it?"

"she-"

Looking at Brother Jin's heavy face, the three words "Is there something wrong?" were stuck in Su Xun's throat.

Can't go out or down.

Su Xun felt so uncomfortable that he felt nauseous.

Brother Jin said with some difficulty, "She's gone."

"Like her sister."

"Gone."

"We mobilized the entire village to search the nearby mountains and forests."

“And called the police.”

Looking at Su Xun's ugly face, Brother Jin smiled bitterly and explained, "We have tried our best."

"Still haven't found anyone."

"That child disappeared without a trace, just like her sister."

“No trace was left.”

"You guys just give up like that?"

He looked around and it was still the same scene he saw at the beginning.

Bright red lanterns, vermilion couplets, blessing characters, and exquisitely shaped paper-cuts, everyone's faces were filled with happy smiles, creating a joyous New Year atmosphere.

But what about the child?

Who still remembers the missing child?
"Just one night?"

He couldn't believe it.

A living child disappeared, why did everyone act as if nothing had happened?
It’s as if the missing child never existed?
Facing Su Xun's accusatory gaze, Brother Jin coughed lightly a few times.

He loosened his grip on the little boy's collar and said, "Go back."

The little boy glanced at Su Xun and ran away.

Brother Jin then looked at Su Xun with a bitter smile on his face, "When this child's sister disappeared, we and the police searched for three months and found nothing."

"And now the child is missing, too."

"We searched all night and found nothing."

"They all thought that the child had fallen off the cliff like her sister."

"Then we won't waste time."

"We plan to set up a table and burn incense for the two children on the cliff after the Chinese New Year."

“I pray that they have a safe journey.”

Brother Jin’s words left Su Xun silent.

He was thinking, would the child go to find the monster alone?
Seeing Su Xun's gloomy face, Brother Jin patted Su Xun on the shoulder and said, "I didn't expect you to come."

"The kid will be happy."

"This is life."

Brother Jin suddenly muttered something softly.

"What do you mean?"

Su Xun asked back subconsciously.

"what?"

Brother Jin didn't expect that the young man had such good hearing. He was just talking to himself, but the other party heard it all.

Su Xun frowned and looked at Brother Jin.

He didn't like what Brother Jin said just now.

It was as if the child's death was a matter of course.

How can it be?

No one's death is taken for granted.

"That's not what I think." Brother Jin waved his hand and said hesitantly, "Some people think that the child committed suicide out of fear of punishment."

“Some people also think that the child is retribution.”

"She killed her sister, and eventually she followed in her sister's footsteps and lost her life."

……

"She didn't kill her sister."

Su Xun said seriously.

Others didn't know, but he knew that the child's sister was eaten by a monster.

It was clearly the monster's fault, so why should an innocent child have to bear the consequences?
Brother Jin was stunned, "Oh, oh."

He didn't argue with the young man.

The child is dead, no matter whether she killed her sister or not, she has already paid the price with her life.

Then the facts are not that important.

……

Su Xun suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.

That child... tried so hard to explain that she didn't kill her sister, and tried so hard to find the monster that ate her sister.
She tried her best but got nothing in return.

No one believed her.

Everyone was speculating maliciously about the child.

The child received no kindness at all until the end.

He took a deep breath.

Then, exhale slowly.

It was as if he wanted to vomit out all the frustration and sadness in his heart.

He turned to look at Xiao Xiao, his expression seemed to be both smiling and crying, "Master Xiao."

"Let's go take a look."

Then, Xiao Xiao looked at Brother Jin with a gentle expression, "Thank you for telling us, we have something else to do, so we'll leave first."

"Okay okay."

Brother Jin nodded. Although he was a little curious about the name Su Xun called him, he knew that now was not the time to ask. "Go and do what you want."

"Brother Su."

His gaze fell back on Su Xun, his mouth opened and closed, as if he wanted to say something but stopped.

Su Xun's expression made his mood, which was originally just a little regretful about the accident involving the child, also reveal a bit of sadness.

Still a child.

……

"Brother Jin."

Su Xun suppressed the gaffe on his face.

The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, his expression calm, "Thank you for telling us this."

"Then let's take our leave now."

"Hey...ok."

Looking at the backs of the two young men gradually walking away, Brother Jin sighed deeply.

He shook his head and turned to walk towards his home.

……

"Master Xiao, go this way."

Following his memory, Su Xun took Xiao Xiao to the place where the little girl had seen Niu Niu before.

The mountains and forests are cold and desolate in winter.

Without the chirping of birds and insects, it seems especially quiet.

"Click~"

Su Xun’s body stiffened.

Looking down, he saw a branch broken by his step.

The originally slight sound seemed to be amplified countless times in this atmosphere. At that moment, he felt his heartbeat quicken.

He looked up and around, trying to identify the direction to go.

Due to the requirements of his job, he has become accustomed to recognizing and remembering roads, and has also developed a sense of direction.

As long as he has walked a route once, he can basically remember it and will not get lost.

"Master Xiao, the place where the child saw the monster last time is right in front."

It clearly happened just the day before yesterday, so the child is no longer here?

He felt a little regretful. If he had known this would happen, he should have taken the child with him.

"it's not your fault."

Xiao Xiao saw Su Xun's self-blame.

Su Xun opened his mouth.

He wanted to say something, but he was a little bored.

After all, it's too late to say anything now.

　ps: Thank you for the tip from Jiubo Bukenyin (*︶*)! (Sorry, I thank you late because the tip reminder from the bookstore is in the comments and the author missed it (；Д｀)～)
　　
　
(End of this chapter)