48 Hours a Day

Chapter 609 You Are Too Young

“Thank you, sheriff, for helping us out. Although I still have doubts about the twenty-dollar compensation, we are reasonable people. We know how hard it is to maintain order in a town.” Wendy said to the sheriff when Bacchus and his gang left.

The latter was amused by Wendy’s adult-like words and smiled. “I’m glad that you understand and are willing to give me your full cooperation. Madam, your father… he is not as reasonable as you…”

Afterward, he seemed to realize that he had said something that he wasn’t supposed to say. A frustrated look quickly formed across the sheriff’s face.

“Wait, you know about my father and me? How is that possible?” Wendy’s eyes widened.

“Your father and I are friends. He loves you very much. He has shown me your pictures a couple of times.” The sheriff had no choice but to tell her everything.

“But I never heard my father mention you.”

“Well, perhaps each of us has a past we don’t want to mention…”

“And what is that past?” Wendy asked.

“I’m afraid our past is meant to be kept secret. No one else can know about it,” replied the adamant sheriff.

“Please, my father is missing now. It may be related to the past you talked about.”

“Your father disappeared?! When?” The sheriff was stunned.

“I don’t know the exact time. Fifteen days ago, he mentioned that he needed to leave home to discuss business with someone. My mother and I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, and we thought nothing of it. Usually, he would be back in a few days. However, it has been fifteen days, and he is still not home.”

“So, you are here to look for your father? Hold on, does your mother know that you are in Glen Town?” the sheriff questioned as he threw a glance at Zhang Heng. “Mr. Zhang was hired by me to help me find my father. He is also responsible for my safety along the way,” Wendy introduced. “Ahh… he is an excellent gunman, may I say.” “Really? No matter how good the gunman is, they don’t usually end well. However, I do know that those who don’t carry guns live longer,” the sheriff snorted.

“I have different opinions. If I had a gun with me, what just happened wouldn’t have happened.”

The sheriff smiled and did not refute. There were some things a young man could not possibly understand. He said sincerely, “You should go home. Your father will take care of his affairs. You just need to wait at home.” “But unfortunately, I am not the kind of person who is willing to sit at home and wait for something bad to happen. I will blame myself forever if I didn’t do something,” Wendy said with stubborn insistence. “If the storm comes, I will walk into the storm. So whether you want to help me or not, I will keep looking for my father!”

“But you are only twelve years old.” “Twelve is old enough, sheriff.” The sheriff was dumbfounded, managing to only reply after a long while. “Why don’t I do this for you. I still have important business to attend to, and I really can’t get away now. Give me a week. After that, I will look for your father.”

“Thank you for your kindness, but it dragged on for too long. I am afraid I can’t wait for another week. I should do this myself.” Wendy replied politely but firmly refused.

“With all due respect, Wendy, you are too young to understand this world. The world is a dark place. Some people are not who they appear to be. You can’t just grab someone with and venture out on the road!”

“Mr. Zhang is a good man. I don’t need to live until your age to know that. As for you, Mr. Sheriff, you appeared suddenly and claimed to know my father. My father has never mentioned you to me. Why should I believe what you told me?” Wendy paused, “Who knows… maybe my father’s disappearance is related to you.”

“You are quite smart.” Even though his honesty was being put on trial, the old cowboy was not angry. Instead, he laughed. “Matthew has a good daughter. Okay, it looks like I can’t stop you. Madam, let me send you off at least tomorrow. You just offended Bacchus. He and his former Ranger friends still have a lot of power in the vicinity.”

“Thank you, sheriff. After I find my father, I will tell him you saved me tonight.”

After the incident, Wendy couldn’t ask about her father’s whereabouts in the bar anymore. After bidding farewell to the sheriff, she ordered two apple pies and went back to the hotel with Zhang Heng.

“You should listen to him.” Zhang Heng said, “Now it seems your father’s disappearance may not be as simple as it seems. I think he is hiding something from you, and he doesn’t want you to know about it.”

“In that case, you won’t get your reward.”

“I can go and complete other bounties to make money,” Zhang Heng rebuked her calmly. “Also, remember what I said before?”

“You dared that man not to leave the county seat forever?”

“It’s not that. Earlier, I told you not to get into trouble. You promised me, and I let you go to the bar to investigate your father’s disappearance.” “I didn’t cause any trouble. He touched me first,” Wendy emphasized.

“Is that why you turned around and planned to stab him to death?”

“My father told me that if I’m the shortest and weakest person in the room, I have to make sure that I act the toughest, so no one dares mess with me. They need to know that there are consequences…”

“Then the man pinned you to the table, and he almost cut off your palm.” Zhang Heng stopped and looked into Wendy’s eyes, “Hey, kid, listen, I can’t guarantee that I will be right there to save you whenever you are in danger. You could have come to me for help.”

Wendy went silent for a moment before continuing, “The people in town don’t like our family. My father is often away, and my mother doesn’t know how to read. I am used to solving everything by myself.”

“But didn’t you pay me to let me solve these problems for you? You have to assure me that you won’t be so reckless when you reencounter such troubles. Otherwise, I will be forced to send you home.”

“There is an agreement between us. You promised that you’d help me find my father,” Wendy protested.

“Yes, but the agreement also says that you must listen to my orders. It means that when I ask you to stop, you must stop. And when I think we can’t go any further, we have to head home.”

“This is too cunning. You are shameless.”

“It’s okay if you think this way. Now, repeat after me. Sir, I have made a mistake, and I will opt for other ways to solve the problem in the future.”

“You’d better say it quickly, or I’ll leave you to the sheriff. He seems to be interested in sending you home.”

“Sir, I have made a mistake, and I will opt for other ways to solve the problem in the future.” Wendy turned her neck and whispered reluctantly.

“Very good. I’m glad we have reached a consensus again. Take your apple pie back to the room to eat. We have to get up early tomorrow morning and continue our journey.” Zhang Heng said, “Also, I will pay that twenty dollars for you. Could you write it down somewhere? You must remember to pay me back when this is over.”