A domineering country girl flirts with her son, and Commander Huo can't resist.

Chapter 10 Night Raid on the Back Mountain

Then, as the conversation progressed, He Hua learned that Qiao An had to support two children on her own, so he took her to the director's office and recommended her to work in the canteen for 10 yuan a month.

Actually, money is a small matter.

Working in the cafeteria means that if fish or meat appears in my home, no one will suspect anything.

After completing the formalities, it was already noon. He Hua took her to the cafeteria to familiarize herself with the situation.

The Jinshui Town Police Station has only 15 staff members, and the canteen is very small, only about 20 square meters.

"From now on, you can help Sister Qin cook and wash lunch boxes every day. Our job is definitely easier than your farming."

Joanne agreed repeatedly.

Lunch was eaten in the cafeteria. The main dish was flatbread, and the side dishes were simple, one meat and two vegetable dishes.

This taste is really not good.

Joan forced herself to eat it.

He Hua was a kind-hearted person, and he pulled Qiao An back to his office to talk, and they talked until four o'clock in the afternoon.

After leaving the police station, she found a secluded spot, took out the supplies she had wrapped in bed sheets from her spatial storage, and dragged them to the Jinshui Town bus terminal.

When she returned to Lianchi Village, she had no intention of taking a tractor. There were too many people on it, and if she wasn't careful, someone would steal the things from under her bedsheets again.

Several horse-drawn carriages and oxcarts were parked outside the bus terminal, all waiting to pick up passengers.

Qiao An offered 2 yuan to charter a horse-drawn carriage back to Lianchi Village.

She sat cross-legged in the car, with two bundles piled up like small mountains beside her.

The horse-drawn carriage was slower than the tractor, and by the time they were nearing Lianchi Village, Li Qiusheng's tractor had already overtaken her.

The people in the carriage were incredibly envious when they saw Qiao An leisurely leaning against her bundle and lying on the carriage.

"How much did she buy?"

"Hey! Look at that bundle, its shape looks like an iron pot!"

"An iron wok! My goodness! An iron wok costs more than ten yuan these days, she's really spending money like that!"

"It's good to be rich, you can buy whatever you want."

As soon as Joan opened her eyes, she saw the people on the tractor.

There was envy, jealousy, and anger...

Wang Shuyun gasped for breath, trying to control herself from looking at the two large bundles behind Qiao An; if she looked any longer, she might vomit.

The driver took Joanne home.

Qiao An carried two large bundles into the courtyard. "A Ning! Huo Chen! Come out and help!"

He called out twice, but no one responded.

Qiao An put the bundle on the kang (a heated brick bed) and searched the main room and side rooms, but couldn't find anyone.

Where are the children?

Did they run away while I was away from home?

Without thinking twice, Qiao An quickly locked the front door and ran towards her in-laws' house.

It was dinnertime, and Qiao An barged into the yard without even knocking.

"Huo Chen! Huo Ning!"

He shouted twice, but no one answered.

"Second brother's wife, what's gotten into you again?" Liu Huying lifted her eyelids, saw Qiao An, and immediately felt a surge of anger.

"Did Huo Chen and Huo Ning come by today?"

Joan didn't have time to argue with them. As the sun set and the sky gradually darkened, she watched as the sun began to set.

It's too dangerous for two four-year-olds to be outside.

Shen Xiufang scoffed, "We all went to work during the day, who knows if those two brats even came?"

My father-in-law, Huo Shoutian, is also here today.

When he got home yesterday, he heard that Qiao An had not only taken the money but also wanted to move out of the house. Without saying a word, he started cursing Liu Huying and the others.

She blamed them for letting Joan and the two children go without her consent.

Seeing Qiao An's anxious expression, Huo Shoutian cleared his throat.

"Second son's wife, look at this, you've only been out for a day and you've already lost your child."

"I'm not trying to be mean, but you're a woman who can't even take care of a child properly. Only the Huo family wouldn't look down on you."

With that, Huo Shoutian put down his chopsticks. "How about this, we won't eat either, and we'll go with you to look for the child. Once we find him, you can bring the child and move back home. After all, we're all family."

Just now, Wang Shuyun came back and repeated what they said: Qiao An bought a cartload of things, all of which were paid for with Huo Jiyun's money.

No... Huo Jiyun's money is Huo Shoutian's money.

So after these things go out for a stroll, they must return to the Huo family's courtyard.

I thought that Joan would be panicked and desperate after losing her child, so she would definitely agree.

But Huo Shoutian never expected that Qiao An wouldn't even look at him properly.

"Pah! Having your family is the worst luck I've ever had!"

Joan glanced at the pitiful plates of radishes and potatoes on the table.

"Go ahead and eat your own bread and vegetables! You want to embezzle my man's money? No way, you old sly fox!"

After she finished speaking, she turned and left.

Huo Shoutian's chopsticks froze in mid-air. "What did she just say to me?"

"An old fox?"

"You're spewing filth! Who the hell did you learn that from? Are you asking for trouble, second brother's family?!"

Joan walked along the ridge, still cursing under her breath.

What are you thinking about?

Using the excuse of finding her child, they tricked her into coming back, still thinking Qiao An was the same fool she used to be.

As Qiao An walked and asked, she finally found out about Huo Chen and Huo Ning in the fields east of the village.

Someone saw the two of them carrying chicken cakes and clothes towards the back of the mountain in the afternoon.

Upon hearing this news, Qiao An felt no joy; instead, her heart clenched with anxiety.

Wild animals roam the back mountain, and villagers always go in groups during the day.

The two children actually dared to run up the mountain, and it was getting dark.

Qiao An disregarded everything else and plunged headlong into the back mountain.

A slight chill began to rise from the mountains in early autumn.

"Huoning!"

"Huo Chen!"

Where are you?

"Say something if you hear it!"

Joan trudged through the grass, each step a struggle.

She didn't know how long she had walked, but Qiao An's voice was almost hoarse from shouting.

The forest was so deep and the grass so dense that you couldn't even see the sky when you looked up.

When the wind blows, the leaves rustle.

As soon as it got dark, she took out a flashlight and a machete from her spatial storage.

The beam of the flashlight swayed through the woods as Qiao Anshen trudged forward, his steps unsteady.

"Huo Ning! Huo Chen!"

"Come out quickly!"

"It's me! It's Mom!"

The sound was swallowed by the wind, leaving only rapid breathing and the crisp sound of dry branches breaking underfoot.

"Brother, can you hear that? It sounds like Mom."

Huo Ning stopped and tugged at Huo Chen's arm.

"Oh no! It must be that bad woman chasing after us!"

"Ah Ning, let's run! I asked Uncle Xiao today, and he said that once we cross this mountain, we'll reach the provincial capital. There's a big train there, and if we take it, we can go to the Northwest to find Dad."

"Brother, I'm scared~" Huo Ning looked at the dark forest around him, his voice trembling with fear.

"Don't be afraid, your brother will protect you."

"Once we get to the Northwest and find Dad, that wicked woman won't be able to hurt us anymore!"

"Run!"

Huo Chen dragged his sister into the woods, but Huo Ning hesitated.

It turns out that Mom really wasn't good to them, but she's changed these past two days.

Mom gave them malted milk powder, chicken cakes, and would hold them while they slept.

Sensing Huo Ning's emotions, Huo Chen turned around and said, "Ning, don't be fooled by her."

"Why was she so nice to us yesterday, but went to town today?"

"I heard Erzhuang and the others say that this is how they sell children: they give the kids treats first, then find buyers and sell them off!"

Huo Ning clenched her small fists, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Mom...Mom won't sell us."

"A-Ning..."

Huo Chen stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.

He pulled Huo Ning behind him and then looked warily at the bushes not far away.