"Sigh, it's been so long and still no sign of her. I'm afraid it'll be difficult to find the child. Could she have been abducted by human traffickers?" speculated a fellow villager from the nearby village.
"It's a possibility, but let's hope not. If the child has indeed been abducted by human traffickers, it would be truly tragic."
As the words fell, the fellow villager didn't speak further, and another one beside him took over.
"When Old Zhang left our hotown, he originally planned to leave his wife at ho to take care of the child while also looking after his elderly mother. However, after discussing it, the couple decided to earn a little more money, so they left the child at ho for the grandmother to look after. They never expected sothing like this to happen."
Leaving the child with the parents going out to work – this situation was common in the countryside, not just in Old Zhang's family but in most families present. However, such tragedies hadn't occurred to them.
"Sigh, the child has been missing for so many days; it's probably difficult to find her," Fifth Sister sighed, expressing regret.
"Yeah, but Old Zhang and his wife haven't given up. According to Old Zhang, even if he has to search the ends of the earth, he will find his daughter," explained the fellow villager who spoke earlier.
The determination of Old Zhang to find his daughter was unquestionable to his fellow workers, but they doubted the likelihood of his success.
At this mont, Fifth Sister's mobile phone suddenly rang.
The other workers didn't pay much attention; the conversation continued. Fifth Sister, however, left the dining table and answered the phone on the side.
"Mom, what's up?" Fifth Sister asked.
"Little Zhang's daughter has been found!" ca the voice of an old lady from the other end of the line.
"What!" Fifth Sister's face instantly turned shocked, hastily asking, "Where was she found?"
"I heard the body was discovered by a fisherman. Little Zhang's daughter was forcibly stuffed into a sack and thrown into the river to drown. I can't believe soone could be so heartless, not sparing even a little child," the old lady responded.
"Is it... is it true?" Fifth Sister asked, her voice trembling.
"Of course, it's true. The police ca to our village today, and after Little Zhang confird, it indeed was his missing daughter. Little Zhang's mother and wife couldn't handle the shock; his mother fainted on the spot. Now, Little Zhang's wife has regained consciousness, but his mother is still in the hospital undergoing treatnt," the old lady said.
"Did they find the perpetrator?" Fifth Sister's voice trembled as she asked.
"Not yet. It's been so many days since the person died; where do they find the perpetrator? I called you specifically to remind you to be careful at the construction site alone. Okay, that's it; I'll call your brother now."
The old lady hung up, but the shock on Fifth Sister's face did not disappear with the end of the call. Her astonished expression seed frozen on her face.
"Fifth Sister, what's wrong? Why are you standing there alone?" a fellow worker asked, looking puzzled.
The voice of this person brought Fifth Sister back to reality. Hesitation flashed in her eyes, followed by a face of shock, and she returned to the dining table.
"My mom just called . She said... she said they found Little Zhang's daughter," Fifth Sister said.
As soon as these words were heard, all the workers beca alert. Those eating stopped using their chopsticks, and those drinking put down their cups, their eyes all focused on Fifth Sister.
"Found her? That's good news! Where was she found? How did they find her?" a worker asked, surprised.
"They found the person, but it's not good news because Little Zhang's daughter is already dead. They only found her body," Fifth Sister said.
At this, the reactions of the workers were much more intense than before.
"What! Dead! How did she die?"
"According to my mom, she was forcibly stuffed into a sack and thrown into the river to drown. The body was found by a fisherman today."
The group of people looked at each other, each showing a face of disbelief.
In their minds, when Little Zhang's daughter went missing, it was likely she had been abducted by human traffickers. However, they never imagined that she would be cruelly murdered.
"Little Zhang's daughter is only seven or eight years old. Who could be so heartless to harm such a little child? Did Little Zhang offend soone outside?" one worker said.
"The fact that the perpetrator could be so ruthless to his daughter indicates there must be so grievances between them. Otherwise, who would inexplicably kill a child? As for what kind of person Little Zhang offended, I don't know," another worker said.
"Trouble doesn't befall just anyone; it's even more true for family mbers, let alone a child. Even if Little Zhang had so deep enmity, they should have gone directly after him. Why take it out on a child? In my opinion, this murderer must be a psychopath."
Fifth Sister's shock dissipated sowhat. After hearing these words from her coworkers, she thought for a mont and then uncertainly said, "Do you think... could it be soone higher up..." Fifth Sister's words left the coworkers montarily confused.
"What do you an by 'higher up'?" a coworker lowered his voice and asked.
"You know, Old Zhang's higher-up! The boss!" Fifth Sister glanced around, also lowering her voice as she spoke.
Seeing that a few people still didn't catch on, Fifth Sister lowered her voice further and reminded, "Money, money!"
With this reminder, one coworker in the group finally understood.
"Are you saying... the boss?"
As soon as he said this, Fifth Sister's expression instantly changed, and she quickly made a hushing gesture to him.
He covered his mouth imdiately, refraining from continuing. However, what he just said was crystal clear to the other workers present. In that mont, everyone understood the implication of Fifth Sister's earlier words.
Fifth Sister gestured to the group to co closer. After scanning the surroundings again, she spoke in a low voice, "Could it be that Old Zhang asked him for money, angered him, and that's why he did this?"
"Maybe there's a possibility. I heard our boss has so connections with the underworld, and his social influence is quite significant. It's plausible that he might be involved in this!" said one surprised coworker.
"But why would he do sothing like this? What's in it for him? If this gets exposed, he'd surely face severe consequences. It doesn't make sense for him to take such a huge risk!" another coworker seed unconvinced.
"What's so unlikely about it? Do you think he has been thriving for so many years for nothing? Leaving aside whether this case can be traced back to him, even if it is, do you think he would necessarily be executed?" the first worker retorted.
"I also think so. As for the boss's motive... could it be that he wants to warn us in this way?" Fifth Sister thought for a mont and then asked the group.
Upon this question, the expressions of the workers varied – so were skeptical, so were surprised, and so were fearful.
It was getting late, but tonight these workers seed oblivious to the passing ti. They huddled together, discussing in hushed tones. Unnoticed in an inconspicuous corner, a small girl stood with an icy gaze fixed on Fifth Sister and her group.
Fifth Sister's group remained oblivious to the little girl, not sensing her presence. They continued their low-key discussion, occasionally glancing around to ensure they weren't being overheard.
As the discussion deepened, the shock within the group intensified.
Through their conversation, they began to suspect the boss's involvent in the cri. It wasn't just because of the boss's background but also because he had, in the past, made veiled threats against Old Zhang in front of everyone.
At that ti, the boss's words were cryptic, and not everyone understood. Even those who did didn't pay much attention, dismissing it as an angry outburst. However, now, in retrospect, the aning of those words had changed.
"I think we shouldn't discuss this matter anymore. It could harm not only ourselves but also our families." a worker said with so guilt.
Another worker nodded, agreeing with this sentint.
"I think so too. Even if this is his doing, if he can kill others, he can kill us. I don't want anything to happen to my son. I'd rather forfeit my wages!"
However, not all the workers present shared the sa sentint.
"What are you two afraid of? Leaving aside whether he did it or not, even if he did, do you really think he can kill all of us? Isn't there any justice?"
"I actually think we should report it now. Whether he did it or not, let the police investigate. We can wait for the results."
"I said it earlier, didn't I? He has power and influence. Can you be sure that reporting to the police will work? Can you be sure they'll find evidence against him? If he doesn't fall, we'll be the unlucky ones!"
This remark silenced the workers present.
After hesitating for a mont, Fifth Sister broke the silence.
"We can try to make a big fuss about this, increase the impact. By doing that, even if he has connections, it will be hard for him to escape. To make it big, we need to unite all the workers. If successful, not only can we send him to jail, but we can also reclaim our wages!"
This statent from Fifth Sister instantly sparked enthusiasm in the eyes of the other workers present!
Regardless of the different opinions earlier, the prospect of reclaiming their wages was highly attractive to the workers. Even the worker who had initially said he wouldn't take the money seed intrigued now.
"Think about it, everyone. If we decide to do this, we must act soon!" Fifth Sister added in a hushed tone.
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