Chapter 192: Where Did the Tramp Go?

Chapter 192: Chapter 192: Where Did the Tramp Go?

"Hey? Wuan, what are you doing? Where are you going so late..."

The words were barely out of her mouth before Ji Huan had vanished from sight.

Widow Xie was worried she might do something rash and was about to give chase.

Hu Liang slammed a fist into his palm. "I’ve figured it out, too!"

While the others were still confused, Ji Mingfang had already called out to Ji Liansong and turned to head toward Ji Huan’s house.

Clearly, he had grasped the connection a step ahead of Hu Liang.

"Dabao must have run home! That’s why the kidnappers were chasing him near Ji Huan’s house!"

Hu Liang offered a quick explanation before leading the group after them.

Before they even arrived, they could hear Ji Huan calling for Dabao from a distance, her voice hoarse and frantic with each cry.

The crowd joined the search, and soon, calls echoed from all directions.

But even after turning the entire area upside down, they found nothing.

"Wan, look!"

The light was dim, and they hadn’t had time to prepare lanterns or torches, but Hu Dacheng’s sharp eyes spotted something. He pointed to a patch of grass by the road and called out to Ji Huan in excitement.

By the time Ji Huan ran over, he had already bent down and picked the object up.

Ji Huan could only make out its silhouette before she snatched it and clutched it tightly.

It was the stuffed toy! The stuffed lion she had made for Dabao with her own hands!

Dabao carried this toy with him everywhere. Now the toy was here, but he was gone.

Ji Huan fought to suppress the negative emotions churning inside her, forcing her mind to think fast.

’The toy was dropped here. There’s a high probability this is where Dabao disappeared.’

They were on the path behind her back gate. A few more steps to the side was the low-roofed shack where the vagrant lived.

’The vagrant!’

Ji Huan hurried to the shack and ripped away the straw mat covering the entrance—the inside was completely empty. Where was the vagrant?!

Hu Liang was also stunned. "Wasn’t that beggar unable to use his arms and legs...? That liar!"

Widow Xie was furious. "I knew there was something wrong with him! So he was up to no good all along!"

Aunt Wang and Sixth Sister-in-law Feng, who knew the vagrant had been staying behind Ji Huan’s house, were just as astonished as everyone else.

"Good heavens! So it was all an act. And after Wuan was so kind, even bringing him food every day."

"You don’t think he was in cahoots with those two kidnappers who ran off?"

With every word they spoke, Ji Huan’s heart sank a little deeper.

She looked at Ji Mingfang, but before she could speak, he shook his head.

He had never seen this beggar before. And those two kidnappers had indeed fled on their own. As for whether the beggar left the village after them, he had no idea.

At the time, he had been in a hurry to find Ji Huan and warn her...

Ji Huan’s heart sank to rock bottom.

If the vagrant had really abducted Dabao and successfully left Dafeng Village, finding him now would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

There was no widespread surveillance network in this era, so reporting it to the authorities would be useless. Otherwise, the original owner of this body wouldn’t have lost contact with her own younger brother for so many years.

Ji Huan pounded her throbbing temples.

’If only there were surveillance monitors and cameras. If only I could call the police.’

’If only I’d been ruthless enough to drive the vagrant away back then; if only I hadn’t been delayed and had come back sooner... If only.’

Seeing her like this, Widow Xie was startled and quickly grabbed her hand.

"Wuan, don’t be like this. Try to look on the bright side. Maybe that beggar didn’t get Dabao either. Maybe Dabao just found a place to hide! He’s fond of you and Dahuang. Maybe by tomorrow morning..."

Ji Huan’s head snapped up.

’That’s right, how could I have forgotten about Dahuang?’

’A dog’s sense of smell is the sharpest, and Dahuang is the closest to Dabao. Maybe he can find some clues!’

Without a moment’s hesitation, Ji Huan ran into the backyard to the "dog villa" and urgently held the stuffed lion under Dahuang’s nose.

"Dahuang, smell this. Get a good sniff. Do you remember Dabao’s scent? He’s gone. Can you help me find him, please?"

The stuffed lion was not only covered in dirt, but both she and Hu Dacheng had also touched it. Besides, not every dog possesses a keen sense of smell.

But for Ji Huan, Dahuang was now the only straw she could grasp at.

Her panic and her pleading, hopeful gaze seemed to affect Dahuang.

Dahuang leaned closer to the toy, sniffed it repeatedly, and after a sneeze, slowly rose from his resting position.

Outside the gate, Hu Liang was handing out simple, hastily made torches.

Dacheng was the one who had lost track of Dabao, and Ji Huan’s current state was worrying. He planned to take some people and search the area one more time.

There was no way anyone was sleeping tonight anyway.

How could they? Their consciences wouldn’t allow it.

They had only managed to prepare about a dozen torches.

At first, quite a few villagers had helped, but when they couldn’t find him and darkness fell, most had gradually gone home to eat.

Those who remained were the ones on better terms with them.

Just as the last torch was handed out, Ji Huan emerged, with Dahuang darting out alongside her.

Hu Liang was about to speak, but Ji Huan made a gesture for him to be quiet. She then took a torch from his hand and followed Dahuang down the small path.

Dahuang kept his head low, sniffing here and there, walking in fits and starts.

Just as Hu Liang was about to stop Ji Huan from this seemingly futile effort, Dahuang suddenly picked up his pace and bolted toward the path leading to the back mountain.

Without a word, Ji Huan raised her torch and gave chase.

The others, not knowing what was happening, all followed suit.

The night was pitch-black, so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. Even with the light from the torches, the mountain path was difficult to travel.

Ji Liansong wanted to go with the group, but for some reason, he didn’t move.

"Dad, you go with them. Many hands make light work. I... I’ll stay behind and watch the house for Ji Huan."

Seeing his hesitation, Ji Mingfang urged him, "I’m really fine. You should go."

"Then... then wait here for me. I’ll come get you when I get back down the mountain."

Ji Mingfang nodded.

Ever since the family had split, his family members had always spoken to him with such caution, terrified of inadvertently wounding his pride.

But the more they acted like this, the worse Ji Mingfang felt.

Watching the figures hurrying along the mountain path, Ji Mingfang pounded his leg, his face clouded with despair.

On the winding mountain path, the torches flickered, looking at first glance like a fiery dragon weaving its way through the darkness.

Dahuang led the way at the very front, with Hu Liang and Ji Huan trailing behind him.

Behind the two of them were Widow Xie, Shi Yong, Aunt Gao, Aunt Wang, and the others.

Worried that shouting might distract Dahuang, Ji Huan gestured for everyone to stay quiet.

Hu Liang eyed Dahuang, who was walking and sniffing a few steps ahead. Still skeptical, he whispered to Ji Huan, "Will he... really be able to do it?"

’Finding someone just by smell? It just feels a little far-fetched.’

’How much of a scent can a person leave just by walking down a path? Even if there was one, it should have dissipated by now.’

Ji Huan shook her head.

She only knew that some dogs were born with a powerful sense of smell, able to detect many types of odors with an ability hundreds, even thousands of times stronger than a human’s.

These types of dogs were often trained to be police or military dogs. They excelled at tracking prey, locating dangerous objects from a distance, and finding hidden targets, performing perfectly in search and rescue operations as well.

Dahuang was a mutt and hadn’t undergone any systematic training, so Ji Huan wasn’t sure if he could do it. She was just clinging to a final sliver of hope.

But Dahuang’s next actions turned that sliver of hope into something more.