Chapter 778: The Child Is Missing

Qin Juan also said, "What’s going on?"

Lin Chuxia found the voice somewhat familiar, stood up, "I’ll go take a look."

Living in the same residential complex, all being the families of the same organization, you see each other all the time.

When something big or small happens to anyone, even if you can’t help, you should at least say something.

In Qin Yang’s current position, she can’t afford to stand out in everything, nor can she shy away from everything.

Lin Chuxia asked Qin Juan to watch the kids and stepped out herself.

A crowd had already gathered at the intersection nearby.

As Lin Chuxia stepped out, Sister-in-law Fu next door also happened to leave her house.

Seeing Lin Chuxia, Sister-in-law Fu greeted her first, "What’s happening here? It’s so noisy, did some couple get into a fight?"

Lin Chuxia shook her head.

Couples fighting was common in the residential complex, but no couple would fight out on the street.

The two of them walked over together, hearing a woman’s cries even before they reached the crowd.

"I truly have no idea, ever since the kid came to the city a few years ago, she’s grown wild. Every day after school, she doesn’t come home on time. I ask her where she’s been, and she doesn’t say. What can I do?"

Through the crowd, Lin Chuxia saw Sister-in-law Feng crying with a snotty nose and teary eyes.

Opposite her, Feng Dajun looked at her with a stern face.

"Yesterday, I was waiting for her to come for dinner. I waited and waited until it got dark, and she still hadn’t returned. Sister-in-law Wang and the others were waiting for me. I couldn’t possibly make them wait because of that dead girl, could I? You also said to maintain good relations with the neighbors, and that’s what I was doing, fostering good neighborly relations. By the time I got back, it was late, and you were already in bed. I thought that dead girl had also gone to bed. Who would have thought she didn’t come back all night?"

Before Sister-in-law Feng could finish, Sister-in-law Wang and some others in the crowd decided to intervene.

"Da Jun’s wife, you can’t say that. Didn’t you get envious seeing us hanging out every day and wanted to join us for playing cards?"

"Exactly, we never told you to neglect your house and child responsibilities. Even if you didn’t come, we’d still have enough people."

Sister-in-law Feng dared not speak further, covering her mouth and crying.

Sister-in-law Fu was already inquiring with a familiar sister-in-law nearby about what was going on.

The sister-in-law responded and began to explain eagerly to Sister-in-law Fu.

It turned out that Sister-in-law Feng had been getting along well with people in the complex lately, often playing cards with Sister-in-law Wang and a few others.

Playing cards occasionally wasn’t a big deal.

Last night, Feng Dajun had a social event outside and didn’t dine at home.

Feng Jingjing, their child, also didn’t return home on time after school.

Perhaps Sister-in-law Feng was eager to play cards, so she didn’t wait for her daughter and quickly ate dinner before heading out.

By the time she returned from playing cards, it was already late, and she went straight to bed upon getting home.

It wasn’t until they woke up for breakfast this morning that the couple realized Feng Jingjing hadn’t come back all night.

"Could she have stayed over at a classmate’s house? The child is missing; you need to find her quickly. It’s fine if she’s at a classmate’s house, but what if she’s been abducted by human traffickers?" Sister-in-law Fu hurriedly said.

"Who wouldn’t think so? This couple is looking for the child, asking Sister-in-law Feng who Feng Jingjing usually hangs out with, but Sister-in-law Feng can’t say. They’ve searched the whole complex without finding her, and now Feng Dajun is arguing with Sister-in-law Feng again."

.........

In the crowd, Feng Dajun was already anxious because of the missing child. Now, Sister-in-law Feng’s ignorance and her attempts to evade responsibility only worsened his mood.

His position at work wasn’t very high but not very low either, and he had always been mindful of his image.

After missing a promotion opportunity last time, he had been trying hard to maintain a good image among the public, especially since he wasn’t able to outperform Qin Yang in competition.

Now that the issue had erupted onto the street, surrounded by onlookers pointing and discussing, Feng Dajun couldn’t hold back anymore.

"And you still feel aggrieved. What is it you actually do at home all day? You can’t even take care of a child properly. You don’t have to worry about household matters at all. What else can you do? I’ve told you countless times to pay more attention to the child. How did you respond? Now, you don’t even know if the child returned last night."

Sister-in-law Feng just kept wiping her tears, "I want to take care of her, but that dead girl won’t let me. Since moving to the city, she’s grown wings, knowing that it might have been better to leave her back in the old home..."

Feng Dajun glared at her fiercely, "What does it have to do with the city or the old home? Besides, who insisted on bringing the child to the city?"

Seeing the two about to quarrel again, some kind-hearted sisters-in-law quickly intervened.

"Enough with the arguing, it’s more important to focus on finding the child. Since she’s not in the residential complex, search at her classmates’ homes, and if that doesn’t work, check with her school."

"Ah, Sister-in-law Li, you forgot that it’s the weekend. The school is closed."

"Even if there’s no one there, there must be some teachers on duty. You can’t just wait around. If worse comes to worst, report it to the police."

"Yes, better report it to the police. The officers can help look for her. What if she’s fallen into the hands of traffickers?"

"We can’t report it to the police."

"We can’t report it to the police."

Both Feng Dajun and Sister-in-law Feng spoke simultaneously.

Sister-in-law Feng glanced guiltily at Feng Dajun, then silently lowered her head.

Reporting to the police would blow the matter up. Feng Dajun wasn’t wrong, they came to the city because it was her idea.

Moreover, it was under the pretense of their child that they came.

Sister-in-law Feng couldn’t bear her mother-in-law’s sarcastic remarks and bullying, knowing that Feng Dajun cared deeply for his daughter. She fabricated her mother-in-law’s dislike and mistreatment of their daughter to justify moving to the city.

Now, failing to look after the child and losing her, alerting the police would get Feng Dajun’s superiors involved. Should it affect Feng Dajun’s prospects, he’d be the first to send her back to the countryside.

Feng Dajun had similar thoughts. The child just didn’t return for one night; possibly she went to a classmate’s place. He felt it unnecessary to involve the police.

Noticing that everyone was looking over, Feng Dajun explained, "We’ll first check with her teacher and classmates. If we really can’t find her, then we’ll report to the police. There are time constraints for reporting missing persons to the police, and it hasn’t reached the reporting time yet. Alerting the police prematurely would just waste their resources."

Upon hearing this, the disapproving stares from the sisters-in-law shifted.

"Engineer Feng really thought this through."

"Indeed, as a leader, he knows a lot and considers public resources."

"Then hurry and go. If you need manpower, we’ll help."

The crowd chimed in, while Sister-in-law Fu asked Lin Chuxia if she had time to help search.

At that moment, Little Ningning, who had arrived unnoticed, tugged at Lin Chuxia’s sleeve.

Meeting those clear, big eyes, Lin Chuxia patted his little head.