Chapter 864

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

Zhang Zhongtian patiently persuaded:

"The poor have their way of raising children, the rich have theirs. Before, everyone was poor, and didn't they still raise their children to adulthood? Jiaxin, you have to think about your future. In another twenty years, you and your husband will be too old to walk. Who will take care of you in your old age? This is a serious issue!"

Upon hearing this, Luo Jiaxin fell silent.

Old-age care was indeed a major problem.

Her daughter Li Yuncui, in her current wretched state, couldn't even take care of herself. Counting on Li Yuncui for old-age support was clearly unrealistic.

Seeing a slight easing in Luo Jiaxin's expression, Zhang Zhongtian struck while the iron was hot and continued persuading:

"Take the child back. Don't treat the child as an outsider. Just raise him as your own grandson. When he grows up, he will definitely acknowledge you. Then your old-age care will be settled."

Luo Jiaxin agreed with Zhang Zhongtian's reasoning, but her face was full of difficulty:

"But the child has already been given away. How can we take him back?"

Zhang Zhongtian said:

"If you're too embarrassed to ask, take me there. I'll help you get him back."

Li Zhenxing hurriedly urged:

"Hurry up and say it. Where was the child sent?"

Luo Jiaxin finally relented:

"Alright, I'll take you to that family right now."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhenxing's expression immediately eased, revealing a hint of a smile.

But at this moment, Luo Jiaxin suddenly changed the subject:

"However, I have a condition!"

"What condition? Speak!" Zhang Zhongtian asked.

Luo Jiaxin said:

"After the child is brought back, I want Li Zhenxing to stay in the rural area and raise the child."

Li Zhenxing was unwilling:

"If I stay in the rural area to raise the child, who will go out to earn money?"

Luo Jiaxin said:

"I'll go out to earn money!"

"You're a woman. How much can you earn?"

Luo Jiaxin said coldly:

"Don't worry about how much I can earn. From now on, I'll send you at least one thousand yuan every month! Do you agree or not? If you don't agree, then don't bring the child back!"

In the end, Li Zhenxing compromised:

"Fine, fine. I agree to you!"

That noon, Zhang Zhongtian drove, carrying Li Zhenxing and Luo Jiaxin, and made a trip to the County Town.

Under Luo Jiaxin's guidance, they found the family the child was given to.

This was a walk-up apartment in an old city district.

Luo Jiaxin knocked on the door.

She discovered the person who opened the door was actually a stranger.

"Hello, is Mei Yi home?"

Luo Jiaxin asked.

That person was baffled:

"You've got the wrong place. There's no Mei Yi here."

Luo Jiaxin was stunned, and hurriedly said:

"Impossible. The address Mei Yi gave me was this one. She said she and her husband live here. This is her house!"

That person said:

"Ask the landlord. I only moved in half a month ago."

Then he gave Luo Jiaxin a landlord's phone number and shut the door.

Luo Jiaxin called the landlord. The landlord said Mei Yi had moved out after terminating the lease.

As for where she went, he didn't know either.

The landlord gave Luo Jiaxin a phone number Mei Yi had left behind previously.

Luo Jiaxin dialed it and discovered it was already disconnected due to unpaid bills.

Seeing this, Li Zhenxing couldn't help but worry:

"That Mei Yi, could she be a human trafficker? This is clearly a house she rented, yet she claimed it was her own!"

Luo Jiaxin had no bottom in her heart, but still insisted verbally:

"Impossible. Mei Yi is a very good person. She and her husband haven't had children for many years, so that's why she was willing to adopt our child!"

Zhang Zhongtian asked:

"How did you get to know Mei Yi? Do you know her background?"

Luo Jiaxin said:

"I don't know her background. Yun Cui posted a few lines on Weibo about how hard the child was to raise, and that Mei Yi sent her a private message saying she was willing to adopt the child. She also said she was from this county, so we met in the county town. After chatting for a while, she seemed like a decent person, so we gave the child to her."

Li Zhenxing was instantly so angry he slapped his thigh:

"How could you be so casual? That's a living, breathing child! As I see it, that Mei Yi is eight or nine times out of ten a child trafficker!"

Zhang Zhongtian hurried to comfort him:

"Zhenxing, I know you're anxious, but don't panic. Panicking won't help. Why don't we call the police?"

But Luo Jiaxin said:

"No! We can't call the police!"

Zhang Zhongtian asked:

"Why not?"

Luo Jiaxin said:

"Me giving the child away like this counts as breaking the law, right? If we call the police, won't I have to serve time in prison?"

Li Zhenxing said furiously:

"If we don't call the police, then what do you say we do!"

Luo Jiaxin said:

"How about this: we go back, and we don't try to get the child back."

Li Zhenxing was so angry fire shot up three zhang high. He stopped paying attention to Luo Jiaxin, directly pulled out his mobile phone and dialed 110, the police emergency number.

Li Zhenxing also warned: "If you dare try to stop me from calling the police again, I will absolutely beat you to death!"

Luo Jiaxin stopped speaking.

After learning the situation, the police told them to go to the station to give a detailed account.

Zhang Zhongtian drove them to the station in his car and assisted them in registering the case.

After the police understood the whole story, they tried to help them look up Mei Yi's identity information.

They discovered Mei Yi was not a local at all.

And the rental contract she signed with the landlord — the ID number filled in on it was actually fake. The Weibo account that previously contacted Li Yuncui had also already been cancelled.

Now the phone number is shut off and cannot be reached, the ID number left on the rental contract is fake, and the Weibo account is also cancelled.

For the moment it will absolutely be very difficult to find Mei Yi.

At this point the police already highly suspected that Mei Yi was a child trafficker.

But they couldn't say it outright, afraid Luo Jiaxin and Li Zhenxing couldn't take the blow.

So they said:

"You go back first. We've already filed a case for you here. Next we'll do our utmost to investigate. When there are results we'll call to notify you at the first opportunity."

Returning to Shangou Village, it was already past five in the afternoon.

Li Zhenxing watched the sun about to set behind the western mountains, smoking a cigarette with a face full of dejection.

The whole person looked like he had aged ten-odd years, as if his spirit and vitality had been sucked away in an instant.

In his heart he knew his grandson probably couldn't be found again.

Luo Jiaxin had also realized the gravity of the matter by now, but things had come to this pass and she didn't know what to do either.

Zhang Zhongtian hurriedly comforted them, saying every good word he could.

Hoping they could let it go a little.

"Don't be too sad. Even if the child can't be found, it's actually no big deal. Just let your daughter have another one. Isn't she together with Zhou Zhihao? Once they're married, they'll probably have a baby soon enough."

But Li Zhenxing shook his head listlessly:

"Impossible. The doctor said my daughter's body can't take it; it's very hard for her to conceive again."

Zhang Zhongtian didn't know what to say for a moment.

He could only let out a sigh.

Right then, Zhang Zhongtian's mobile phone rang — it was his son Zhang Zhiqiang calling.

"Dad, I'm back! Where are you now?"

As soon as the call connected, he heard Zhang Zhiqiang say he was back.

Zhang Zhongtian couldn't help but be stunned:

"I'm at Li Zhenxing's home. Why did you suddenly come back at a time like this? It's not Spring Festival, not a holiday — what are you coming back for?"

Zhang Zhiqiang said:

"I have something very important to tell you. Hurry home!"

Zhang Zhongtian asked:

"What is it? Can't you just say it on the phone? Why make a special trip all the way back!"

Zhang Zhiqiang said:

"Hurry back. We'll talk when you get home!"