Chapter 165: Chapter 165: The Missing Li Chengze

Was there a phone call?

An Ning had just gotten out of bed when Lin Cuihua came over.

"Wear my cotton-padded shoes!"

Lin Cuihua had changed into a pair of lighter shoes, giving the cotton-padded ones she’d been wearing to An Ning.

"Mom, you’re the best."

An Ning put on Lin Cuihua’s cotton-padded shoes, a floral cotton-padded jacket, and a red headscarf. Looking every bit the part of a village girl, she ran out with big strides.

Fortunately, this path had been mostly swept, so An Ning’s cotton-padded shoes didn’t get too wet.

In the telephone office, An Ning looked at the number that had been left for her. It was an unfamiliar one.

She dialed the number back. The person on the other end seemed to be in a hurry; they picked up before the first ring had even finished.

"Hello, this is An Ning."

"Hello, An Ning. This is Li Chengze’s father. Has Li Chengze arrived yet? He said he would call me back, but he hasn’t."

"Li Chengze? He came to find me?"

An Ning’s question made Li Chengze’s family even more anxious.

Her ears were filled with the noisy sounds of crying and shouting from the other end.

"Quiet!"

Her steady shout, like an old bell in a remote mountain temple, sent a jolt through everyone.

"When did he leave? What did he bring with him? What mode of transportation was he taking? When was the last time you were in contact?"

An Ning asked the four questions in a calm, steady voice, which seemed to put the people on the other end at ease.

"He left at eight o’clock last night. He hitched a ride with the city’s transport team’s truck. He had two bags—a backpack and a leather suitcase. We haven’t been able to contact him since yesterday."

"What color is the backpack? What color are the clothes he was wearing? Describe the suitcase to me."

"Then, contact the transport team and ask them about their route through Sanhe Town and where they usually drop people off. Tell me everything. I will find him."

An Ning held the phone, not hanging up.

She had already begun to analyze the situation in her head. ’The most likely scenario is that Li Chengze got lost.’

’After such a heavy snowfall, the ground is just a vast expanse of white, and no one would be out walking. A local might be able to navigate by instinct, but Li Chengze would have a terrible time trying to find his way.’

’Li Chengze might have a bit of that superiority complex common among overseas returnees, but he’s not an arrogant person. He’s good-natured and has a solid moral compass.’

’He would never fail to contact his family when he knew they would be worried.’

’The only real possibility is that he’s lost.’

An Ning looked at the heavy snow outside the window. It had only been falling for a short while, but it had already gone from ankle-deep to just below her knees.

The snowfall was heavy, making the roads even harder to distinguish.

On the other end of the line, Li Chengze’s family gave An Ning the information she needed.

"Okay, I’ll get people to search for him. I’ll contact you the moment I have any news."

"Okay. Thank you, thank you so much."

An Ning had no time for pleasantries. She hung up and rushed out of the brigade headquarters.

She sprinted home and started shouting for people the moment she entered the courtyard.

"Little Bro, Big Bro, Dad, come out, quick!"

Before her voice had even faded, An Sancheng rushed out with a fire poker, An Guoqing with a stick for stirring rabbit feed, and An Guoping with a small broom.

"Daughter, what’s wrong?"

"Who dares to bully my little sister!"

"Sis—I’m here!"

An Ning was a little touched, but there was no time for that.

"Dad, it’s not a fight. It’s Li Chengze, the man who visited a while ago. He must have gotten lost somewhere around Sanhe Town. He was coming to find me to study mechanical design."

An Sancheng reacted quickly. Pulling on his cotton-padded shoes, he shouted, "I’ll go to your uncle’s house! Eldest, go get the villagers! Third, go find the brigade leader!"

The three men sprang into action immediately, while An Ning rushed into the house.

She grabbed her backpack, found the waterskin and glass bottle that Jiang Xia had given her when he brought her food, and filled them with hot water.

"Here, give them to me! What are you fussing with? Go get yourself ready!"

An Ning handed the task of filling the bottles to Lin Cuihua. She went into her room, took a cotton quilt, rolled it into a bedroll, and found a rope to tie it to her back.

’Warmth, and I need to replenish my energy.’

An Ning came out and went into the kitchen. She took her own canteen, filled it with water, and added some sugar and salt.

"Mom, where do we keep the sugar?"

"Right here."

Lin Cuihua pulled open a cabinet door, and An Ning took out the rock sugar and brown sugar from inside.

She then found a piece of cloth and used it to tie the two bags of sugar over her sweater. She put her cotton-padded jacket on over the sweater and got ready to leave.

An Ning shouldered a schoolbag stuffed with cloth strips, which padded several water bottles and hot water bags nestled in the middle.

She made the rope for the bedroll extra long and tied it directly on top of her schoolbag.

From a distance, An Ning looked like she was carrying a small mountain on her back.

Just as An Ning came out, Jiang Xia arrived with Da Huang in tow.

"Something happen?"

"Li Chengze was coming to see me. He arrived sometime after midnight, and I think he’s lost."

Hearing this, Jiang Xia’s brow furrowed tightly.

"I think I saw some tracks this morning, but I’m not sure if they were his."

"Where?"

"Not far from the road that leads from town down to the village."

"That sounds about right. Let’s go check."

The two of them walked out of the courtyard, with Da Huang following behind.

The moment they stepped out, they saw many people from the village had gathered.

"An Ning! Groups of four! Follow our road and search the surrounding area!"

Sun Dazhuang came running over, followed by the quickly organized villagers.

One man from every household had come out, braving the wind and snow to form small teams to help with the search.

"Thank you, everyone!"

An Ning bowed to them all in gratitude. The lovely villagers never hesitated when it came to important matters.

"Alright, let’s hurry up and start searching!"

The villagers set off.

The snow was coming down thick and fast, and you couldn’t see a person ten meters away.

"Li Chengze!"

"Li Chengze!"

Li Chengze’s name, now known to everyone, was shouted again and again, the calls scattered by the wind and snow into the boundless expanse.

By now, the snow was so deep that a single step would sink you past your knees.

They were literally leaving a deep pit with every step.

"An Ning, wait for me a second!"

Jiang Xia turned and ran back to his house.

An Ning was anxious, but she knew Jiang Xia wouldn’t do something for no reason, so she waited where she was.

Before long, Jiang Xia returned.

"Da Huang, come here!"

Da Huang deftly maneuvered so that a simple sled could be hitched to him.

"An Ning, you sit on this."

"I’ll use this!"

At Jiang Xia’s feet was a pair of simple, homemade skis.

"Okay!"

"Da Huang, go!"

An Ning used her spiritual power to lessen the weight Da Huang was pulling.

Sure enough, with just a slight effort from Da Huang, An Ning’s sled started to glide forward.

Jiang Xia watched with a hint of doubt, but his doubt was directed at his own weight.

’Am I really that heavy?’

He had no time to ponder the question. Pushing hard with both his poles, Jiang Xia glided forward and caught up to An Ning.

As he caught up, he casually tossed her a pair of shoes that had been hanging around his neck.

"I bought these leather shoes a while ago, but they were too small. You can borrow them for now."

"Just don’t you dare break them!"

An Ning caught a pair of men’s leather shoes. The size really was quite small. She glanced at Jiang Xia as he skied away.

’Did he buy these in the children’s section?’

’How on earth did he manage to buy the wrong size?’