Chapter 121 A Chance of Passage (10,000 Updates Completed)

The children were finally found in the warehouse of Manyuan Courtyard. Xin Suzhao personally brought ten officers and soldiers, and no one dared to stop them from coming and going.

When he split the copper lock on the woodshed, Chen Heng saw several children lying on the firewood pile, including Niuniu and Xiaohu. The two children were very excited when they saw that it was the big brother who set off fireworks for them.

"Big brother, I knew you would come to save us." Niuniu was obviously scared and started sobbing immediately when she saw an acquaintance.

Chen Heng was a little embarrassed. He really didn't know how to coax the children, so he had to pull up Niuniu and Xiaohu with his hands and ask the latter whether the children nearby were all from the camp.

"All, all." Wang Xiaohu nodded seriously, and he asked Chen Heng for credit: "I have always told Niuniu, big brother, you will definitely come to save us."

"It is also the mark you left." Chen Heng patted the child's head as if encouraging, and advised: "But if you encounter such a thing again in the future, you still have to come back to us, okay? Don't do such dangerous things alone again."

That is, this time they met human traffickers. What if they met robbers? How much strength can a child like you have to fight them?

Wang Xiaohu didn't know if he understood it or not, he just smiled and turned around to tell Niuniu a joke.

Now that all the lost children have been found, Chen Heng can finally put down his worries that have been hanging for half the night. He and Xin Suzhao looked at each other, and took the accompanying officers and soldiers to protect the children in the middle, and walked out of Manchunyuan.

The guests they met on the road looked a little strange when they saw their neat appearance. Maybe they didn't expect that such a combination of scholars, officers and soldiers, and children could also go to a brothel?

When leaving, Xin Suzhao wanted to make a scene and take the opportunity to arrest several leaders of Manchunyuan and put them in jail. But Chen Heng persuaded him to stop. The case in front of him obviously involved a wide range of people. How to investigate? How far should he investigate? After all, the government office has the final say.

As long as the traffickers are in hand, a place like Manchunyuan will eventually be ruined.

At present, there is no need for the two of them to interfere. The most important thing is to send the children home first and put the traffickers in jail.

Xin Suzhao thought about it for a while and agreed with Chen Heng's idea. The two parted directly at the archway at the entrance of the alley. Xin Suzhao led the prisoners straight to the government office jail, and Chen Heng sent the children back to their families first.

Outside the camp, the family members who had been waiting anxiously for a long time, when they saw their children, they could no longer control their emotions. They rushed out of the porridge shop, hugged the children, and started crying on the spot.

Such a happy scene of family reunion would make anyone happy.

However, as the planner of the fireworks tonight, Chen Heng should apologize for what happened. Fortunately, the refugees did not make things difficult for him, and only blamed himself for not taking good care of the children.

After sending the refugees back to their tents one by one, only the students who came were left outside the porridge shop. Everyone was frightened all night, and they were afraid that their efforts during this period would go to waste. Now that they saw Chen Heng find the children safely, they couldn't help but come up to congratulate him one by one.

"You should be more careful these days." Chen Heng told several leading classmates, "If you can go out at night, go out. If you encounter bad guys, don't act rashly, just come back and call for help."

"We have to buy a few gongs." Du Yunjing thought about it and added for Chen Heng, "When something happens, just hit the gong, and our nearby people will rush over immediately, which is faster."

"This method is good."

"I will buy it tomorrow, and you can rest assured, just leave it to me."

"Okay, okay, everyone has worked hard, so that's all for tonight. Everyone go to bed first, and there are still a lot of things waiting for us tomorrow."

As the crowd gradually dispersed, only Qian Dayou and Jiang Yuanbai were left by Chen Heng's side.

The two men came up and pointed their mouths at the distance, "What about that girl? Was she kidnapped too?"

Chen Heng took the opportunity to look into the distance and saw a figure sitting alone under the shed, with a burning brazier in front of her. The girl lowered her head, still wearing her own cloak, and looked a little sad.

How could I forget about her.

Chen Heng slapped his forehead and nodded, "Yes, she was also kidnapped. I'll go ask, but I don't know if she is from Yangzhou. By the way, is there any food? Find me some, I'm so hungry after tossing around all night."

Chen Heng didn't even have time to eat dinner tonight. He originally wanted to wait for Xin Suzhao to rest and eat and chat with his friends, but he ran into this matter and was busy until now.

"Really, I'll go find your second uncle."

"My second uncle hasn't left yet?" Chen Heng was a little surprised. He didn't expect Chen Huaijin to still stay here.

"He said he was worried about you." Jiang Yuanbai said this, and Chen Heng couldn't help but feel a little moved. Qian Dayou added: "He specifically told us to wake him up when you come back."

Chen Heng was stunned, and suddenly felt that there was not much left of that touch. He waved his hand and said, "No need to wake him up, just grab some food."

Seeing his friend turn around and leave, Chen Heng also straightened his clothes and walked towards the figure outside the fire in the distance. The ground in winter was a bit dry and hard, and it was easy to make a rustling sound when stepped on. The noise that Chen Heng deliberately stepped on was naturally heard by the other party.

This girl is really interesting. Her eyes are not shy and stare at Chen Heng fiercely.

The look she cast was more curious than sizing.

It was like a villain who suddenly broke into a new world, both cautious and excited.

Chen Heng found a place not too far away, pulled a wooden stool over, and sat down beside the fire.

"Have you eaten?" Chen Heng asked.

He was the host, so he had to speak first.

He was a little tired today, and he didn't want to pay attention to any red tape, so he sat straight on the stool and nodded as a greeting.

The girl also imitated Chen Heng and began to nod, and replied: "No."

No, you didn't eat, why are you nodding. Chen Heng was confused and wanted to laugh, but he didn't care too much, "Do you want to eat together?"

"Okay." The girl answered very calmly.

Chen Heng probably didn't expect the other party to be so straightforward and agreed so straightforwardly.

But since he was the one who took the initiative to invite, he wouldn't say much.

After a few simple and implicit words, he turned the topic to the girl's life.

"Girl, what's your name?"

"My last name is Zhen."

"What's your name?"

"I...I don't think...I don't have a name..." The girl's voice softened. She was not sad, but trying to recall, as if she was trying to fish out a bright moon from a small pool of water.

Chen Heng was speechless for a moment and decided to try another way. "It's okay, the name doesn't matter."

Miss Zhen continued to nod, but the amplitude was a little larger.

"Then do you know where your home is?"

"I don't know."

"Do you know the names of your family members?"

This time, the girl started to shake her head.

Chen Heng asked a few more questions, but Miss Zhen still didn't know anything.

It was really difficult, and Chen Heng was also a little distressed. He was thoughtful and had gradually sorted out the other party's life through questions.

He was kidnapped since he was a child and was kept in custody. In the past ten years, the most people he saw were kidnappers and children.

Chen Heng was very angry when he heard it, and felt that those human traffickers deserved to die.

He could see the clues. The girl in front of him was always confused in her words and deeds. She couldn't be called stupid, but innocent would be more appropriate. She became like this, which was inseparable from her isolation from the world for more than ten years.

At this time, Qian Dayou and Jiang Yuanbai brought the dishes over. When Miss Zhen saw this thing, she stood up subconsciously and squatted aside while Chen Heng was stunned.

"Miss, what are you doing?" Jiang Yuanbai was so scared that he couldn't hold the dishes in his hand steadily.

Miss Zhen blinked, the firelight illuminated her ignorant eyes, and her black hair that had not yet dried fluttered beside her cheeks. She whispered: "The seat is for you."

How could this be true? Qian Dayou frowned when he heard it. Although there was no such thing as ladies first in ancient times. But men must have the virtue of humility. If this were to be spread out, three grown men would let a girl squat aside, and the face of scholars would be lost.

Chen Heng knew that this problem must fall on those human traffickers. He was afraid that it would be difficult to explain, so he quickly changed the subject and said, "Miss Zhen, just sit down. They have already eaten and are not hungry."

"Oh." After hearing Chen Heng say this, she sat back to her previous seat.

Qian Dayou and Jiang Yuanbai breathed a sigh of relief. They were also a little scared. After putting down the dishes, they hurriedly turned around and went out to find a table.

While eating, Chen Heng noticed a detail. Miss Zhen's posture of eating was very gentle. Although she knew little about worldly affairs, her every move was natural and unobtrusive, which was really confusing.

People couldn't help but wonder what kind of family the other party came from.

The evening breeze was quiet. Although there was a brazier on the side, Miss Zhen's clothes were not dry after all. Chen Heng noticed that the other party shivered, so he took Xue Ke's blanket and motioned Miss Zhen to cover her legs.

Miss Zhen didn't say much. Only when she ate something delicious, her eyes would narrow, like a cat that had eaten fish.

"Brother Heng, what's going on with her?" Jiang Yuanbai couldn't suppress his curiosity and whispered in Chen Heng's ear.

Chen Heng's eyes moved slightly, indicating that it was not appropriate to discuss the matter at the moment.

Qian Dayou was frightened by what happened just now, and he pulled Jiang Yuanbai to hide far away without saying anything, and dared only to stand by and watch.

Brother Heng was young, so it was okay to have a meal together, but they had to avoid suspicion at their ages. If there were any more twists and turns, how could a clean man go out to meet people in the future.

"If you like it, eat more." Chen Heng saw Miss Zhen holding a dish all the time, so he pushed it over.

There were not many dishes in the evening, and Gu's cooking skills were the same over and over again, but they were fresh and delicious.

The rising firelight illuminated half of their bodies. Under the vast stars and moon, the two sat face to face, and everything around them was silent, with only the occasional crackling of firewood.

"Delicious." Miss Zhen began to nod again, and she showed a happy expression.

I don't know if it's because of the delicious food in front of me or the bright moon in the sky.

Chen Heng smiled softly. He has begun to understand the way this girl speaks.

After more than ten years of seclusion, she is not bound by the current etiquette and customs. Although she is a little ignorant about worldly affairs, she feels relaxed and comfortable when getting along with her.

It's like going out to eat with friends in the previous life. There is no need to pay attention to the rules of eating, and you can completely throw the red tape behind your mind.

"Is it delicious?"

"Delicious."

Such a few words are enough.

"What are you laughing at?" Miss Zhen asked suddenly.

This is the first question she asked tonight.

Chen Heng thought about it and answered: "Because it's delicious."

"Xiaohu said, were you the one who set off the fireworks for everyone?"

This Miss Zhen seems to have more and more problems.

Chen Heng originally wanted to explain the twists and turns, for example, he just came up with an idea, and it was the government office that really made the decision, etc. But I also feel that such effort is somewhat unnecessary.

Once in a while, just let go and think deeply. He thought so in his mind.

After coming to this world, Chen Heng didn't know if he had changed the world yet, but the world must have changed him silently.

"That's right." Chen Heng replied and then asked, "Do you like fireworks very much?"

This was the second time Chen Heng heard the other party mention this matter tonight, and he was also a little curious about the reason.

Miss Zhen turned her head, she was really thinking seriously.

Finally, a rare trace of panic appeared on her face, "Looking at the fireworks, I feel very familiar."

What kind of experience can make a person familiar with fireworks?

Chen Heng didn't know. He lowered his head to pick up the vegetables and just gave an example softly, "There will be one tomorrow, there will be one on New Year's Eve, and there will be one on New Year's Eve. When the Lantern Festival comes, the fireworks in Yangzhou will be even more..."

Chen Heng suddenly stopped talking. He didn't know what he said wrong.

Miss Zhen in front of her, holding a bowl in one hand and chopsticks in the other, was stunned.

Tears fell naturally from her cheeks, and she seemed surprised by this.

The little mouth was slightly open, and the eyes were full of panic and confusion.

It's not so much that she's crying, it's that her body is sad.

"Let's eat." Chen Heng thought for a moment and skipped the topic.

"Okay." Miss Zhen nodded.

Tonight, she slept alone in the shed.

Chen Heng only came a few times in the middle of the night to bring her some dry firewood.

At dawn the next day, government officials came to the camp to investigate what happened yesterday.

Some students gathered around and asked indignantly about the punishment for this matter. When there were more people, the attitude of the officials couldn't help but soften, and Du Yunjing was the leader.

After several times of strict instructions from the prefect, the students were finally able to calm down.

Chen Heng hid aside and did not interfere with this matter. He was discussing the placement of Miss Zhen with Jiang Yuanbai, Xue Biao and others.

"It's better to send her to a nursing home." Chen Heng shook his head, "At her age, don't tell her whether it's suitable or not before she goes in. The people inside don't know what they will do to her!"

He had half a sentence that he didn't say.

This Miss Zhen is really a bit too voluptuous and pretty. It was dark last night and he couldn't see clearly. Early in the morning today, when Miss Zhen was sitting in the greenhouse, Chen Heng realized the seriousness of the problem when the strange looks from passersby came to her.

"That's true." Xue Biao nodded in agreement. He explained to Jiang Yuanbai and Qian Da, "Don't think that it is a good place. There are many homeless people there, and the younger ones are easier to fool. I’m afraid that some middle-aged widowers will cause some shady things among them.”

"There is such a thing?!" Jiang Yuanbai was very surprised when he heard this. He was still at an age when the world was beautiful, and he had not yet seen the evil in people's hearts.

"What should we do? We can't just leave her here." Qian Dayou couldn't help shaking his head, "How about one of you take her home first and take care of her temporarily?"

Crazy? Chen Heng and the other three couldn't help but shake their heads. Let's not talk about their reputation. Do they still want the reputation of this girl?

This won't work, and that won't work either.

What should Miss Zhen do?

The four of them faced each other with sad expressions on their faces.

Chen Heng looked around and suddenly saw someone packing a suitcase in the distance. He had an idea, "How about sending her to the academy first? Let her be taken care of by the mountain chief's wives?"

"This method is good, this method is good." Qian Dayou immediately clapped his hands in agreement.

The old, weak, women and children who entered the city today are the third group. The first two groups have to settle in the city for a year. Only today's group of people will go to the counties below to live temporarily after the Chinese New Year. The government government can't find so many empty houses, so they will be placed in major academies in Yangzhou.

At that time, the academy will be filled with women and children, and the mountain chief's wife will be in charge of the overall situation. No matter how you think about it, it's better than being in a camp outside the city.

"We are also actively inquiring about the other party's family, trying to find the whereabouts of the girl's family before the New Year, and after the New Year, let the government send her back to reunite with her family."

"Isn't Miss Zhen ignorant of all questions?"

"Aren't there still human traffickers here? Give them some punishment and interrogate them carefully."

"Then who's going to tell her?"

After everyone finished talking about things in a few words, they had trouble with the last thing. Several people looked at each other, and finally focused on Chen Heng.

"Brother Heng, it's best for you to go."

"You can save people, but you have to send Buddha to the West."

"Okay, okay." Chen Heng waved his hand and left his companions.

He came directly to Miss Zhen, briefly explained his purpose of coming, and patiently explained the current situation outside the city.

"Don't worry if you go to the academy. Our mountain chief's wife is a very talkative old lady. If you have any difficulties, just tell her." Chen Heng took out some broken silver from his body, "If you are missing something If you have something, just go and tell Uncle Wang, the concierge, he is also a warm-hearted person and will definitely be willing to help you."

"The only thing is, remember not to go out casually. There are a lot of things going on in the city now, and no one knows what monsters and monsters are hidden inside when people come and go."

Miss Zhen nodded, not quite understanding, and stood up, following Chen Heng closely, and remained silent until she got on the carriage to the city.

Only when the carriage was going far away, she boldly pushed aside the curtain and said to the people outside the carriage, "Is this how scholars say thank you?"

She saw too many people raising their hands to bow today, and she seemed to want to raise her fist to salute, but she had to hold the curtain with one hand, which was a bit difficult for a while.

Under the bright sun, the wind blew her robes, and Chen Heng shook his head and laughed, "We usually say: We met by chance, please take care."

After a night of encounter and separation, she poked her head out of the carriage and asked reluctantly, "You haven't told me your name yet?"

"Chen Heng."

I've made up for yesterday's 5,000 words for you. I finished writing it at two in the morning, but it takes another hour to revise it each time. I couldn't stand it anymore and went to bed. Now I'm secretly revising it for you at noon.

It doesn't count today's update.

I keep my word!