Bride Swap Backfire: My Cousin's Rebirth Made Us a Power Couple-Chapter 27 - 24: Verification

The old lady’s story was too incredible. Deep down, Chen Lin and Mrs. Li didn’t believe a word of it.

But the old lady, looking like she’d just been fished out of the water, was so terrifying they didn’t dare hesitate.

Besides, the old lady had even shooed the old man out, telling him to hurry up the mountain to find people, so Chen Lin dared not take her words lightly.

The couple left the courtyard. When they saw his father heading to the kitchen to light a torch, they stopped dawdling and hurried off to find the mischievous kids Shou’an had been playing with.

After walking for a while, their pace slowed. Mrs. Li looked at Chen Lin’s dark, brooding back and asked quietly in the pitch-black night, "Dear..."

Chen Lin didn’t even stop walking, just answered impatiently, "What is it?"

"Our family’s old lady... can she really... commune with spirits?"

Chen Lin scoffed. "Heh. What’s real is real, and what’s fake is fake. We’ll know if she can really commune with spirits after tonight."

"That’s true."

For the rest of the way, the couple didn’t say another word.

Soon, they arrived at the home of "Blackie," which was closest to the Chen family’s third branch. It was obvious Blackie wasn’t back either.

Next, they went to "Skinny Monkey’s" house, but he wasn’t there either.

After that, they ran to several more homes but still found no one. A chill ran down their spines, and the bad feeling grew stronger and stronger.

Accompanying the couple on their search were Mr. Qu and his wife, whose legs were about to give out.

Shusheng was born after his father’s death. His mother remarried after giving birth to him, leaving the old couple with their only descendant as a keepsake.

Normally, the old couple doted on him like the apple of their eye. But the boy was just too mischievous, always climbing trees to snatch bird eggs or wading into the river to catch crabs.

At first, the old couple stuck to their grandson like glue. But they had to tend to their crops, cut grass for the pigs, sheep, and poultry at home, and handle a mountain of chores. As the boy grew older and years passed without any major disasters, they gradually let him be.

But now, having searched nearly the entire village without finding their grandson, the old couple was starting to panic.

Then they heard someone say they’d seen several children heading up the mountain in the mid-afternoon, but no one had seen them come down. The old couple collapsed to the ground.

Their grandson was usually unruly, but because of the wild beasts on the mountain, they had warned him time and again to play only on the outskirts. Since he wasn’t back by this hour, he must have gone deeper in.

The deep mountains and dense forests were full of ferocious beasts. At this time of year, the black bears were out foraging to prepare for winter. Even the adults were daunted by Xiaoao Mountain.

"Find him! Quick, go find the village chief!"

"Lin, you’re young and have strong legs! Run quickly and tell the village chief! Ask him to call all the men of the village, young and old, to help search the mountain..."

Mr. Qu started to cry, leaning on his old wife for support to stay on his feet.

"My child, my poor, ill-fated child! Without you, how will us old folks live on?"

The old man’s wails sounded so loud and piercing in the night. It just so happened that this was near the Chen family’s main branch, where a crowd had gathered to watch the excitement.

No one had noticed the situation at first, but as the faint sounds drifted over, they couldn’t be ignored.

Chen Song’s hearing was particularly sharp. He sensed something was wrong immediately, quickly ended his conversation, and stood up to head outside.

The people from the Zhao Village gathered behind Chen Song also hurried out after him.

They had just been listening to the details of Wo Laicai’s interrogation and were still buzzing with excitement. But when they heard that several children might have entered the deep mountains, their boiling blood suddenly ran cold.

"A few little brats, not even weaned yet, daring to go into the deep mountains! They must have a death wish!"

"This isn’t the time for that! Quick, go inform the village chief! And get torches ready! Bang the gongs to summon all the men from every household. We’re heading up the mountain now!"

Just as they were speaking, the chief of the Zhao Village arrived.

The old gentleman was over seventy this year, but his body was truly sturdy. Though his hair was completely white, his frame was still strong. With a look of urgency on his face, he raised a torch to gather the crowd and immediately led the way toward Xiaoao Mountain.

The villagers followed close behind, each trying to outrun the other.

Even if they usually had their disagreements, when a child’s life was at stake, all those squabbles had to be set aside.

Chen Song made a quick trip home to tell his wife and son, who also wore anxious expressions, "I’m going. You two stay here and watch the house."

Chen De’an said, "Dad, let me go with you. One more person means more help."

Xu Su Ying pushed him back. "You haven’t fully recovered from your illness yet. It’s freezing outside. If your high fever comes back, I won’t have time to take care of you. You stay home and keep your sister company. Your dad and I will go."

"Honey..."

"What ’honey’? A life is on the line! This is no time to dawdle. Hurry up and grab the torches. We need to get up the mountain."

Seeing her mother’s mind was made up, Chen Wanqing didn’t try to persuade her further. Instead, she rushed into the house, grabbed a thick padded jacket for her mom, and also got some medicine for bruises and sprains, as well as some that could quickly stop bleeding.

"Dad, you take these. They might come in handy."

"Look at my memory, I didn’t even think of that. Thanks to my daughter. My girl is always so thoughtful."

"Enough idle chat. Finding them is what matters."

Xu Su Ying and Chen Song quickly left. Before going, they specifically instructed Chen De’an to lock the courtyard gate, not to open it for any strangers, to watch over his sister, and to listen carefully to the sounds outside.

Her nagging, as if she were instructing a small child, was rather exasperating.

"Sis, should I bring my book and read in your room?"

Chen Wanqing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "You don’t have to do that. Just stay and read in your own room. I’ll call you if I need anything."

"No can do. Mom told me to keep a close eye on you."

"Still have the mood to joke? Get back to your book."

The brother and sister went back to their own tasks, but their hearts were twisted with anxiety.

Chen Wanqing couldn’t focus on making her incense, lifting her head from time to time to glance at the window.

But the weather was bitingly cold and the window was shut, so she couldn’t see anything. She could only hear the fierce wind howling outside and the distant sound of dogs barking, carried through the night.

’I wonder if Mom and Dad’s trip will go smoothly.’ 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

’I hope no one gets hurt.’

As for Chen Song and Xu Su Ying, the focus of Chen Wanqing’s worries, their expressions were anything but pleasant at that moment.

It wasn’t just them; the rest of the people from the Zhao Village also had grave looks on their faces.

A moment ago, they had run right into a group of rowdy kids coming down the mountain, and their hearts had filled with joy.

But before they could call off the search, Mrs. Qu leaned trembling against a tree.

"My Shusheng isn’t here! Was my Shusheng not with you?"

Her words caused an uproar.

Shusheng had, of course, been playing with this group of rascals. But now they had returned, and Shusheng was nowhere to be seen. In an instant, not only were the parents of the other kids terrified of being implicated, but even the hearts of the other villagers who had joined the search were clenched into a tight knot.

In the dead of night, in the deep, old forest, a six- or seven-year-old child had vanished into thin air...

Just thinking about the fierce beasts lurking in the dark, or poisonous snakes and traps, or even bandits on the prowl, was enough to make everyone’s heart pound and break out in a cold sweat.

And so, the little hellions who had just returned to their parents’ arms were promptly given another round of beatings and interrogated: Where was Shusheng? Who was the last person to see him? Which way did he go?

The scene was a cacophony of wailing and crying.

After finally getting a clue, the Zhao elder dared not delay any longer. He immediately found a sturdy boy to lead the way, sent the rest of the women and children back, and led only the able-bodied young men armed with torches and sharp tools deeper into the mountain.