Chapter 90
In the warehouse.
It was unclear what method Taotie used, but the kidnapper had completely passed out. However, to be safe, Jian Yunlan still searched him for any weapons and tossed them away before tying him up.
Jian Yunlan took the small genius watch from Huo Yan’s hand and called the police.
…In theory, Jian Yunlan should have waited at the scene since he was one of the involved parties.
But Jian Yunlan didn’t want to.
He still had to set up his stall to sell roast duck tomorrow!
The roast duck for today wasn’t ready yet, and if he didn’t return to prepare, it would be too late.
So, Jian Yunlan had Taotie leap with him to a nearby tree, watching from afar as the police cars arrived. After the officers took the unconscious Huo Yan away, he planned to leave.
“Human, where are you staying now?” Little Taotie adjusted his sleeves and looked at Jian Yunlan, who was small in stature but somehow gave off a celestial air.
Taotie was about to get up, but Jian Yunlan quickly pulled him back.
“Wait.” The little boy smiled and pointed to the ducks in the backyard. “These are my ducks, Lord Taotie. Can you help me take them along?”
This was the main reason he had come here in the first place. He couldn’t forget it.
Taotie: “…”
Alright, Jian Yunlan was still the roast duck fanatic Jian Yunlan.
Little Taotie sighed, flicked his sleeves, and with a flash of white light, all the ducks were transported into Jian Yunlan’s spiritual field.
Inside the spiritual field, Niu Tou stared blankly at the sudden arrival of the ducks. “Thank… thank you, nature’s gift?”
He thought, this must be a gift from Mr. Jian.
Mr. Jian must have his reasons for doing things this way! Once Niu Tou realized this, he immediately began diligently slaughtering the ducks, plucking their feathers, and gutting them…
After all, Niu Tou had been raising free-range chickens for years.
Chickens and ducks weren’t so different!
Elsewhere, in the abandoned duck farm warehouse.
To confirm that there were no accomplices, Officer Xiao Li searched the area for hours. Just as he was about to leave,
Xiao Li suddenly rubbed his eyes.
“Is this just my imagination?” he muttered. “There were a whole bunch of ducks here just now, where did they go?”
Oh well.
Shaking his head, Xiao Li turned back to his work.
This kidnapping case involved none other than the young master of the Huo family, Huo Yan. Thankfully, there were no casualties.
They still had work to do tonight.
*
An hour later, in the apartment rented by Ye Qingquan.
“Lanlan… so you’re saying, you met a good friend at the market today, and then went to the neighboring farm to buy ducks with him?” Ye Qingquan paused, struggling to continue. “Is this the reason you went missing?”
The little boy nodded seriously. “Yes, Daddy. I saw you chatting with the rib stall owner, so I didn’t want to interrupt you. I went to the nearby duck farm with my good friend Taotie and bought lots and lots of ducks! Now I can make delicious roast duck again!” The little boy said proudly.
Ye Qingquan listened, half-believing, unsure whether to believe it or not.
His eyes were red, clearly from crying.
Earlier that day at the market, after chatting for a while, he suddenly realized Lanlan had disappeared.
At that moment, Ye Qingquan was frantic, feeling like the sky had fallen.
He searched the market thoroughly but couldn’t find Lanlan anywhere, and to make matters worse, the market’s surveillance cameras just happened to be broken that day, so even if he wanted to check the footage, he couldn’t.
If something happened to Lanlan…
Guilt nearly drowned Ye Qingquan.
Though Lanlan was a child prodigy, he was still only three and a half years old, and so adorable. It was truly dangerous for him to be alone outside.
In that brief yet agonizing hour, Ye Qingquan thought about many things.
He thought about his life. His parents had passed away early, and he had only managed to attend university thanks to hard work and the help of kind people. Ye Qingquan had never experienced the warmth of a family growing up, but later, Huo Ye gave him a bit of love and care, so he had happily stayed by Huo Ye’s side for six years.
But later, he realized he was just a toy for the wealthy.
On the day Lanlan was born, Ye Qingquan felt a special sense of warmth, as if his heart was wrapped up and anchored, bringing meaning to his dull life. That day, Ye Qingquan swore to do everything he could to make Lanlan happy and let him grow up carefree.
But… an accident happened.
Because of one moment of carelessness, Lanlan got lost. In that moment, Ye Qingquan thought, if something happened to Lanlan, he wouldn’t want to live anymore.
Thankfully, just as Ye Qingquan was dialing the police, Lanlan returned!
And he didn’t return alone.
Ye Qingquan stared blankly at the little boy who appeared out of nowhere:
“You say your name is… Tao, Taotao?”
The little boy’s entire appearance didn’t resemble an ordinary person.
Whether it was the long silver hair, the slightly intimidating golden eyes, the aura that didn’t match his cute exterior, the bone shoulder armor on his Warring States robe, or…
Since entering, he hadn’t stopped talking.
Taotie stuffed the couch cover into his mouth and blinked his dark golden eyes. “Chew chew chew.”
“Taotie,” Lanlan corrected clearly, “Daddy, his name is Taotie, and he’s my best—best friend!”
Little Taotie proudly puffed out his chest.
He said he’s my best friend!
But in the next moment, Little Taotie’s expression dimmed slightly.
He said he’s just my best friend…
Little Taotie’s gaze flickered between pride and dejection, making him appear a bit schizophrenic.
Ye Qingquan: “…”
Lanlan’s friend was indeed very special.
Wow, within ten minutes of entering the apartment, it had already been turned into a mess.
Ye Qingquan managed to force a smile.
The parenting books said that to foster children’s compassion and friendship, parents should support whatever friends their children choose… support…
But he just couldn’t support this!
Ye Qingquan covered his eyes and decided not to look anymore.
“So, that’s roughly the story,” the little boy said. “Daddy, tomorrow Taotie will come with me to set up the stall and sell roast duck, okay?”
Ye Qingquan, still in a daze, nodded absentmindedly.
Lanlan, already in high spirits, was dragging the silver-haired boy toward the yard. As usual, there were over twenty roast ducks lined up in the yard, and the process of scalding the ducks with hot water to peel the skin and brushing them with crispy skin glaze was underway. The only difference was that now, there were two figures doing it instead of one.
The silver-haired boy seemed rebellious, but to Ye Qingquan’s surprise, he obediently followed Lanlan’s instructions—whatever Lanlan asked, he did.
Ye Qingquan watched for a while, then sighed and went outside to help.
Ah, children have their own blessings.
Let him be…
*
The next day.
The kidnapping of the Huo family’s young master had shocked the whole city yesterday, but fortunately, no one was hurt. News outlets reported early and reminded parents with children to keep a close watch on them.
Most of the discussions about the case remained within the elite circles, and ordinary people in Beijing continued with their daily lives.
For example, the street that Jian Yunlan passed by every day on his way to set up his stall.
Led by Aunt Wang and her son and daughter-in-law, the entire street had woken up early.
The reason… was obvious.
They were all preparing to snatch up some of Xiao Lan’s delicious roast duck!
Yesterday, Aunt Wang had cooked half a roast duck she had left over, and the smell drove the entire street crazy. Some even almost bid a million for a single slice! Many people were so hungry from the cravings that they couldn’t sleep and tossed and turned all night. As soon as the sun came up, they woke up with dark circles under their eyes:
“I couldn’t sleep last night, I kept thinking about the smell of that roast duck, I wonder what it feels like to have it in my mouth…”
“Me too, I was so dumb, really.”
“Sigh, my wife even more,” Uncle Liu from the breakfast shop grumbled, with panda eyes, “My wife woke me up in the middle of the night, drooling, asking me why I didn’t buy a roast duck when Xiao Lan passed by a few days ago!”
For those who hadn’t tasted the roast duck before, today was their chance to make up for it.
And this street had a special advantage—
That is, whenever Xiao Lan set up his stall, he would pass through this street.
They were confident they could buy all of Xiao Lan’s roast ducks before he even set up, helping him achieve the speed of setting up and closing the stall.
If Jian Yunlan knew about their thought process, he might just blurt out, “What kind of grudge is this?”
Not only had most of the people on the street gotten up early, even Grandpa Li, who usually didn’t get along with Aunt Wang, had gotten up early and looked ready for action.
When others passed by, they teased him:
“Oh, Grandpa Li, don’t you always look down on Xiao Lan’s roast duck? Why are you getting ready too?”
Grandpa Li immediately puffed out his cheeks and glared:
“I, I woke up early to exercise, what does it have to do with that little brat’s roast duck?”
…But anyone with eyes could see that Grandpa Li had prepared a small stool and mosquito repellent, looking like he was ready to queue up for a long time.
It was better to see through it and not say anything. After all, Grandpa Li was quite old, so let him save some face.
Yesterday, when Grandpa Li tried to lift Aunt Wang’s iron gate, he was the first one to be hit by the delicious smell of roast duck.
Those who were standing further away couldn’t resist, so how could Grandpa Li, who was right in front of it, resist?
Of course, it wasn’t just Aunt Wang, Grandpa Li, and the others who had prepared early.
Old customers like Xu Shishi and Wu Weiguo had also been waiting at the entrance of Zhu Yuan from early in the morning.
And of course, there was Mu Mingqiu.
Mu Mingqiu exuded the air of a young master, his fiery red hair flamboyant. He had set up a beach chair across from Zhu Yuan, lounging as if he were on vacation. Strangely, beside him were various trendy children’s toys, colorful dolls, and even a baby bottle.
“Today, I’m going to perform well in front of Lanlan,” Mu Mingqiu smirked, showing a silly grin, “I’ll show off my charm as a stepfather!”
Not far away, in the shade of a tree.
Old Madam Huo, with an air of dignity, held an umbrella and nodded slightly:
“I’m curious to see who can make such roast duck.”
*
Meanwhile, in Ye Qingquan’s apartment.
Ye Qingquan sneezed, feeling a bit cold, and instinctively pulled the little boy in front of him closer.
He rubbed his arms, looking around. It was clearly a sunny morning, but for some reason, Ye Qingquan felt a chill.
It seemed like there were many eyes watching… as if they were about to fight him for the boy…
So Jian Yunlan going offer the marinated broth again?