Chapter 713: Chapter 611: It’s Sister Jiang Ning!
On the mountain, Aunt Tian had already cried herself into a tearful mess.
Ever since she discovered Shi Xiaohua was missing, the tears streamed down her face without stopping.
“Xiao Hua! Xiao Hua, where are you!”
She cried and shouted in all directions, hoping to get some response from Shi Xiaohua.
However, in the lush and damp forest, there were no responses other than the repeated calls of “Shi Xiaohua.”
Aunt Tian anxiously walked in another direction and, caught off guard, tripped over the dead branches in the shadows.
The villagers who were gathering mushrooms with her quickly stepped forward to help her up.
“Aunt Tian, don’t worry just yet. There are so many of us looking for Xiao Hua, she will surely be fine!”
“Yes, yes! Xiao Hua is such a well-behaved child. She might already be on her way back.”
Everyone chimed in to comfort her.
A few people dispersed not far away, loudly calling out Shi Xiaohua’s name.
Everyone was actively and diligently helping in the search.
Aunt Tian knew everyone meant well and that they were comforting her. But at that moment, she couldn’t think about anything else; she just wanted to find her granddaughter.
In the forest, tall trees flourished, blocking the sunlight above.
The dim light made it appear as if it were a completely different time of day from outside the forest.
Although it was somewhat dark outside, it was still relatively visible.
But in the forest, darkness intensified, and flashlights were needed for illumination.
If Shi Xiaohua hadn’t gone missing, everyone would have already returned to the village by now.
Aunt Tian’s vision was blurred with tears as she looked at the darkening surroundings, feeling as if it were a gaping mouth swallowing her granddaughter into darkness.
“It’s all my fault! All my fault! I shouldn’t have brought her here!” Aunt Tian cried out in despair, breaking down completely.
Those who came to the mountain to gather mushrooms were either people like Aunt Tian, taking care of their grandchildren at home, or older children.
Nobody expected something to happen, so apart from baskets and phones, they didn’t bring anything else.
With the temperature dropping and the darkness deepening in the forest, although everyone was worried about Shi Xiaohua, they had to prioritize their own safety first.
Especially those who had brought children into the mountain.
While comforting Aunt Tian, they said, “We can’t stay here any longer; otherwise, we might also end up unable to get out of the mountain.”
Even adults could get lost in the mountains.
“You go ahead, I’m not leaving,” Aunt Tian wiped her tears and stood up. “I will continue searching.”
Upon hearing this, everyone hesitated, unsure whether they should leave Aunt Tian alone.
Just then, Shi Lele, who was two years older than Shi Xiaohua, had sharp eyes and noticed someone appearing on the mountain path. Raising a finger, he exclaimed happily, “Grandma, someone is coming!”
Everyone’s attention was instantly drawn over.
“Who is it? Is it Cuihua?” an old lady asked hopefully.
Cuihua was the youngest among the mushroom gatherers.
When they discovered Shi Xiaohua was missing and had called out numerous times without a response, Cuihua tried to use her phone to contact the outside world, only to find there was no signal and couldn’t make a call.
Helpless, Cuihua decided to leave first, to go to an area with signal to make a call. On one hand, to seek rescue from the village, and on the other, to see if Shi Xiaohua had gone back by herself.
In order to run faster, she didn’t take her basket.
Shi Lele stared with wide eyes at the distant, somewhat blurry figure, trying hard to recognize it.
Until the figure gradually became clearer, he said, “It doesn’t seem like Aunt Cuihua.”
As the figure came closer and Shi Lele saw the fair and beautiful face, he shouted excitedly, “It’s Sister Jiang Ning!”