Chapter 281: Chapter 281
It wasn’t that easy to be set free. Li Xianglu was led away blindfolded, and after several twists and turns, they stopped in front of a bus station. Then the man in the front row wearing a mask took a large dark green canvas bag from the trunk and handed it to Li Xianglu, not saying a word before leaving.
Li Xianglu felt the weight of the bag—so heavy. Could it be another bomb? While thinking this, she started to open and rummage through the bag, finding boxes of pastries, tea leaves, two bottles of Moutai, two wooden boxes. Li Xianglu sniffed and a strong scent of ginseng wafted out. There was a parcel wrapped in oil paper that felt soft to the touch. She sniffed it—it must be some kind of herb.
As Li Xianglu was zipping up the bag, a shaky public bus arrived. Li Xianglu glanced at the wooden bus sign, an unknown place, and the last stop was a school.
Li Xianglu boarded the bus, spending five cents—this was the starting point, and the entire ride cost five cents. She found a seat towards the back. Li Xianglu felt in the side pocket of her bag and found her watch, checking the time. It was already five in the afternoon, which meant she had been missing for eight hours.
Li Xianglu felt a sense of urgency. The bus stopped and started along the way, and after an hour, it finally arrived at the last stop, the north gate of their school.
Li Xianglu picked up the pace with her bag in hand, but then she heard someone shouting her name loudly. Turning her head, she saw Lu Anna and Iro running towards her from the outside.
Lu Anna looked Li Xianglu up and down to make sure she was okay before asking, "Where have you been? Don’t you know everyone has been frantically searching for you?"
Li Xianglu gently shook her head while pulling Lu Anna, then whispered, "It’s alright, let’s talk when we get back. There was a little accident."
Lu Anna blinked and turned to Iro, "Iro, go ahead and inform the security department that she’s back, and then let the boys’ dormitory know."
Iro didn’t quite understand what had happened. She had just arrived when Anna pulled her along to search for someone, but as soon as they reached the entrance, they saw Li Xianglu coming off the bus.
Back at the dormitory, Lu Anna took Li Xianglu to see the dormitory manager because the disappearance had been for too long. At noon, Qin Xi reluctantly had to call Mr. Li and the Lu Family since both families were looking for her.
After calling and reporting her safe return, Mr. Li said over the phone, "I’m sending a car over, come home right away."
Li Xianglu agreed, saying she would leave as soon as Qin Xi arrived.
Coincidentally, Qin Xi received a clue that morning that someone had seen Li Xianglu in Xiangshan. He was about to search when he called the school first, only to be told that she had already returned. So he quickly informed everyone and rushed back.
During this time, the security department came by to inquire about the incident of Li Xianglu’s disappearance.
After some thought, Li Xianglu didn’t tell the entire truth. She claimed she went to a relative’s house and forgot to inform the dormitory, but seeing that they didn’t believe her, she opened the gift bag. The security staff looked at each other, seemingly overthinking the situation.
In fact, it was in the morning when Qin Xi heard that Li Xianglu had gone out to meet relatives and then disappeared, Qin Xi immediately asked the security department about the relative. Hearing it was Li Xianglu’s father, Li Erfu, he called Guanzhong County and had He Chongguang’s son go take a look. In half an hour, the son returned, saying Li Erfu was busy at his noodle shop and hadn’t left home at all.
Qin Xi panicked; it seemed Li Xianglu must have been taken away. He started searching with others. Once it was confirmed that she wasn’t at school, he began looking outside, going door to door with Li Xianglu’s photo, asking around the neighborhood. A child said he saw the woman in the photo being carried onto a black motorcycle. Qin Xi became more anxious and called Li Huai Ren and the Lu Family to help with the search.
Seeing Li Xianglu, Qin Xi looked somewhat drained and almost stumbled by accident.
In everyone’s eyes, including Li Xianglu’s, Qin Xi had always been the type to remain unflustered even when Mt. Tai is collapsing, but today, he was unusually flustered. For a moment, everyone in the dormitory watched, holding their breath.
Li Xianglu hurriedly stepped forward and embraced Qin Xi, whispering softly, "I’m alright, I’m alright."
The two embraced as if no one else was around, and it took a long time before they let go. Li Xianglu’s face was slightly red, but Qin Xi remained composed, thanking everyone around them.
Li Xianglu then mentioned that her grandfather wanted them to return home. Qin Xi nodded, "Alright, then let’s go now."
Li Xianglu picked up the bag, and Qin Xi glanced at it before silently taking it from her. The two of them left, heading directly to the north gate, where Su Yan had also sent a car to pick them up in the past.
After getting in the car, Qin Xi opened the bag to look inside. When he saw the pastries, wine, and herbs, he paused and looked at Li Xianglu.
Li Xianglu shook her head lightly, then carefully unwrapped the oil paper parcel to reveal high-quality saffron—a hundred grams worth tens of thousands of yuan in the future world, and there was such a large pack, probably at least half a kilo.
There was also a wooden box that smelled of ginseng. After protecting the parcel of saffron, Li Xianglu also opened the wooden box. It was intact with a thick root—ginseng thicker than a man’s thumb, quality stuff indeed.
Qin Xi’s expression grew more complex, but now was not the time to talk. The car took half an hour to reach the courtyard. Li Xianglu got out first, while Qin Xi stayed behind to greet the driver before following with the bag.
Clearly waiting, Mr. Li was sitting in the courtyard. Hearing the knock, he got up to open the door himself. Seeing that his granddaughter was unharmed, he finally relaxed, let her in, and then closed the door behind them.
Once in the courtyard, Li Xianglu realized that it wasn’t just Tian Tian and Lin Dongxue present, but also two tall men wearing blue trousers, white short-sleeved shirts, with crew cuts, and a stern gaze.
The two men also sized up Li Xianglu. Mr. Li addressed the four of them, "I want to speak with my granddaughter first. If you have questions, you can ask them later."
After saying that, the three of them went inside, leaving the four men looking at each other, standing in the yard.
Inside the house, Mr. Li couldn’t wait to ask, "Xiangxiang, they didn’t do anything to you, did they?"
Li Xianglu shook her head and quickly said, "No, they just drugged me. I had a bowl of noodles, and then they sent me to Sanfu Street station, then I took the bus back."
What? Both were a bit surprised and looked over. Then Mr. Li’s expression changed, and he slowly asked, "What did he say to you?"
Li Xianglu recounted everything that happened. When Li Huai Ren heard that the appearance of the woman resembled Su Yan by sixty to seventy percent, he suddenly stood up.