Han Ye rode his bicycle, searching everywhere through that abandoned compound of old courtyard homes.
It wasn't easy to ride a bicycle through the compound, with its overgrown weeds and crumbling walls.
In the end, he had to get off and push the bike as he walked around, searching.
Watching the sky gradually darken, Han Ye grew anxious.
The longer the delay, the worse it would be for Xiaxia, of course.
Han Ye's father was a police officer, so he naturally understood these things.
After searching all afternoon, Han Ye's voice was hoarse from calling out, and he still hadn't found Xiaxia.
He was drenched in sweat, his face somewhat pale—whether from exhaustion or fear, it was hard to tell.
He pushed his bicycle to the entrance of a run-down courtyard and picked his way through the rubble, calling out as he went: "Xia'er! Xiaxia! Qin Qiaoxia! Are you in here? Can you hear me?"
He called out while studying the dilapidated gate of the compound.
The yard was thick with weeds, and as the daylight faded, it grew darker and colder inside, looking rather eerie.
Han Ye thought to himself: Xiaxia usually seemed calm and composed, but she was still a girl, and her nerve was actually pretty small.
Maybe Xiaxia wouldn't have come here.
Maybe he'd been looking in the wrong direction.
Han Ye wondered whether he should switch places to keep searching, or whether he should hop on his bicycle and race as fast as he could to the public security bureau or the military district headquarters, to find Han Wenlin and Qin Yuanzheng to help look for her.
He was just one person, and he didn't know much about investigative work, so he wasn't very good at finding people.
More importantly, Qin Yuanzheng's unit had police dogs—maybe he could get the dogs involved.
Thinking this, he hurriedly turned to leave.
But just as he swung his leg over the bicycle and was about to ride away from the broken wall of the compound, he suddenly heard Xiaxia's voice!
Han Ye froze, rooted to the spot. He tested a call: "Xia'er? Qin Qiaoxia!"
He listened carefully. The voice was faint, but it really did sound like Xiaxia!
She was calling for him!
Han Ye quickly got off the bike, shoved it carelessly to the ground, and charged into the ruined compound, following the sound.
His years of training in the military hadn't been wasted—Han Ye was sharp. He jumped over a crumbling wall, called out to Xiaxia again, and this time her voice was louder.
Listening carefully to the sound and tracking the footprints on the ground, he soon pushed through the weeds and found the dry well.
He scrambled to the edge of the well. It was nearly dark now, and the well was pitch black, but he could still make out Xiaxia.
Xiaxia was crouched at the bottom of the well, filthy all over, her hair a tangle.
The moment he saw her down there, the weight lifted off Han Ye's chest.
But only for a moment—because as soon as he took in poor, pitiful Qin Qiaoxia crouching in that dry well, a wave of heartache and fury surged through him!
Who dared to bully their Xiaxia like this?!
They'd even thrown the girl into some godforsaken well in a place like this!
Han Ye's chest ached with anger.
With emotions churning like that, he couldn't speak for a moment.
Xiaxia looked up and saw it was him. Her eyes instantly lit up. Her voice was hoarse too, but you could hear the joy in it: "Brother Ye, you finally came! Get me out of here—I can't climb up."
She'd hidden down there earlier, listening as those people searched for her all over. She was terrified, so she crouched silently.
After they'd left, she stayed put for another twenty minutes, just to be safe.
Only when she was sure they weren't coming back did she start trying to climb out.
But the grooves in the well wall were covered in moss, and the walls were slick. She tried twice and fell back down both times.
Exhausted and unable to climb out, she watched the sky grow darker and darker, and she was scared out of her wits.
Thankfully, she'd heard Han Ye's voice.
When it came down to it, Brother Ye really was the one she could count on.
The moment Xiaxia saw Han Ye, the tears started falling.
She called up to him: "Brother Ye, I'm scared to climb out."
Han Ye let out a huge sigh of relief. He leaned over the mouth of the well and said: "Don't panic. I'm coming down to get you."
With that, he gauged the depth of the well and jumped in himself.
The well was too narrow, so once he was down there, he hoisted Xiaxia up onto his shoulders and pushed her out.
Then, bracing his foot on a notch in the wall and using his hands to grip the edge, he hoisted himself up and out of the well, which was over two meters deep.
As soon as he got out, he had Xiaxia stand up. He squeezed her arms, then her legs, and looked at her face: "Are you hurt?"
Xiaxia wiped her tears and shook her head: "No, I'm fine. I just fell twice trying to climb, so my knees sting a little."
By now, Han Ye was seething inside. He wished he could beat the people who'd tormented Xiaxia to a pulp.
But he held it in. He rolled up Xiaxia's pant legs to check. Both knees were skinned.
He said: "It's nothing. When we get back, I'll put some medicine on it."
With that, he hoisted Xiaxia onto his back and started walking out, his expression dark as he asked: "Did those people throw you down there?"
Xiaxia shook her head: "No, I jumped in myself. Li Taohua brought her friends to chase me, saying they wanted to teach me a lesson. I was afraid they'd catch me, so I jumped into the dry well to hide."
Han Ye scolded her angrily: "Why didn't you run toward the military compound?"
Xiaxia sounded a bit aggrieved: "There were six or seven of them, coming at me from all sides. The way home was blocked."
Han Ye gave a cold laugh: "Li Taohua, right? Who else? Do you know any of the others?"
Xiaxia named the ones she recognized, but couldn't describe the people she didn't know.
Han Ye ground his teeth and said: "Fine. Got it."
He'd give those people a real beating tomorrow, or his name wasn't Han!
He set Xiaxia on the back of the bicycle and said: "Hold on tight. Let's head home first."
Xiaxia sat obediently on the bike.
Han Ye swung his long leg over the old-style bicycle and glanced back at Xiaxia. She was looking at him too, and said: "Brother Ye, let's hurry. It's dark now, and this place is creepy."
It was, after all, an abandoned compound—crumbling walls, wild grass rustling, the whole thing giving off a eerie vibe.
If Han Ye hadn't come to rescue her, her heart couldn't have taken staying there much longer.
But Xiaxia was the steady type—when it came to her emotions, she didn't let much show.
By now she'd stopped crying, and she wasn't making a big show of gratitude toward Han Ye.
Han Ye, though, teased her: "What, you're not crying anymore? You only shed a couple of tears, and you've already managed to comfort yourself?"
Xiaxia: "..."
Xiaxia said quietly: "Brother Ye, let's go back. I'm starving."
Han Ye pushed off with his long leg and pedaled toward the military compound, saying: "You scared me half to death just now, you know that? Mother Qiao asked me to look after the two of you. If you'd really gotten lost, would I even have the face to show myself to our mom again?"
Xiaxia sighed at these words and said, "I miss Mom. Why isn't she back yet?"
Han Ye: "Another month or so, right? She'll be back when school starts."
Xiaxia had always loved clinging to Qiao Lanshu since she was little. Even though she was in elementary school now, she still loved sticking close to her mom.
Since the day she was born, this was the first time she'd been apart from Qiao Lanshu for this long.
If Qiao Lanshu were here right now, Xiaxia would definitely be holding onto her mom and crying for a long time.
Han Ye brought Xiaxia back to the military compound. Qin Qiao'an had almost finished steaming the rice.
He'd been waiting anxiously in their own yard, and had already run out to sit by the compound entrance to wait.
He'd originally wanted to go out and look for Xiaxia too, but he was afraid he'd miss Han Ye bringing her back.
So he didn't dare wander off.
Now that it was dark out, he finally saw Han Ye riding back on his bicycle. He jumped up excitedly: "Bro, Xiaxia, you're finally back!"
The moment Han Ye got home, he said darkly, "Qiao'an, tomorrow you're coming with me. We're getting revenge for Xiaxia. Those rotten bastards—daring to bully someone in our family. Watch me show them a thing or two."
Qin Qiao'an looked at him with his hair all disheveled and said angrily, "That Li Taohua? Her parents are both suspended from duty, and she still dares to act this arrogant! Tomorrow I'm going to throw her into that dry well too and let her stay in there for a night. Then we'll see if she still dares to be so cocky!"
Han Ye sneered: "Not just her—her accomplices too. Throw them all in. Damn it, a bunch of bastards."
East, west, north, south four streets—they hadn't asked around to find out who the boss was.
If they dared to bully his little sister, they were going to pay the price.
Xiaxia was covered in dirt. Qin Qiao'an quickly said to her, "Xiaxia, go take a bath first. I've boiled hot water—we'll eat once you're done."
Xiaxia nodded and obediently went off to bathe.
Han Ye then took out twenty yuan and told Qin Qiao'an to go to a nearby restaurant and buy roasted chicken and roast duck.
At the time, a roast duck cost around eight yuan and a roasted chicken around six.
For a little over ten yuan, he could bring both back.
Qin Qiao'an took the money, ran out quickly, and bought everything.
By the time Xiaxia came out of her bath, the three siblings were sitting at the dining table eating.
Qin Qiao'an gnawed on a chicken leg as he asked, "Big brother, should we tell Dad about this?"
It was already seven in the evening. Normally at this time, Qin Yuanzheng should have been home by now.
Han Ye shoveled rice into his mouth as he shook his head: "No need. Big brother can handle this. No need to tell your dad. He's busy enough as it is—he doesn't have time for it."
Qin Qiao'an nodded: "Yeah, I think so too. This is between us young people. No need to tell Dad. They're too old now, can't keep up. Revenge is for us."
Han Ye tore off a roast duck leg and put it in Xiaxia's bowl, telling her, "Eat some meat, why are you only eating greens? What's so good about those vegetable leaves?"
Then he put half a duck head into her bowl and said, "Eat some duck brain to nourish your head. Your brain is fried from reading all those books. You're like a little dullard."
Xiaxia: "..."
She gave Han Ye a speechless look. She wanted to snap back at him, but considering he saved her today, she decided to let it slide. Today she'd let him win.
Just then, the sound of a car reached the entrance. Qin Yuanzheng was home.
The moment Qin Yuanzheng entered the yard, he caught the aroma of roasted chicken and roast duck.
He hadn't eaten yet either, and said as soon as he got inside, "You guys went and bought roast duck?"
Han Ye nodded: "Uncle Qin, we left some food for you—it's in the pot."
Qin Yuanzheng set down his hat, took off his coat, and came over to glance at the table. Seeing not only roast duck but also roasted chicken today, he raised an eyebrow at Han Ye: "Where did you kids get this much money? This isn't cheap, is it?"
Han Ye: "Uncle Qin, I have money. Qiao'an wanted to eat, so I went and bought it."
Actually, he wanted to eat too, but he was afraid Qin Yuanzheng would interrogate him.
So he just said Qiao'an wanted it.
Qin Yuanzheng went to wash his hands, came back, took out the meal that had been left for him in the pot, and sat down next to Han Ye to eat.
Once Qin Yuanzheng arrived, the three younger ones didn't dare talk much. Xiaxia didn't talk much anyway.
The other two usually caused trouble and had mediocre grades, so they were afraid of saying the wrong thing and getting smacked by Qin Yuanzheng.
But then, Xiaxia, who had been quietly gnawing on her duck leg, suddenly spoke up. She said, "Dad, I went out this afternoon to buy stationery, and Li Taohua and the others chased me. I had nowhere to run, so I hid in a dry well in the abandoned courtyard nearby. Brother Ye found me and brought me back."
Han Ye: "..."
Qin Qiao'an widened his eyes and whispered to her, "Didn't we agree not to say anything?"
Xiaxia looked back at him innocently—she never agreed to that.
When Qin Yuanzheng heard this, he set down his chopsticks seriously, looked at Xiaxia, and asked with concern, "Did you get hurt?"
Xiaxia shook her head: "No."
Qin Yuanzheng let out a breath of relief: "Good, as long as you're not hurt."
Otherwise, he wouldn't know how to explain to his wife.
Qin Yuanzheng was silent for a moment, then turned to Han Ye: "You're thinking of going after those people for revenge, aren't you?"
Han Ye: "..."
Han Ye said a bit indignantly, "Why not? They dared to bully Xiaxia. What's wrong with me giving them a beating? They brought it on themselves."
Han Ye and Qin Qiao'an both expected Qin Yuanzheng to scold them and forbid them from going out to pick fights and cause trouble.
Instead, Qin Yuanzheng simply said, "Watch your limits. Give them a slight lesson is enough—don't actually hurt anyone badly."
Han Ye: "..."
Qin Qiao'an: "..."
Xiaxia: "..."
All three thought they'd heard wrong and stared at Qin Yuanzheng in surprise.
But Qin Yuanzheng acted as if nothing had happened and said, "What are you all staring at me for? Get back to eating."
Qin Qiao'an whispered to Xiaxia, "See, Mom and Dad love you most. When I got bullied before, Dad made me apologize and forbade me from getting revenge. But when you get bullied, he lets us go avenge you."
Xiaxia looked at him and said ruthlessly, "That's because you were the one who started it every single time. How is that the same?"
Qin Qiao'an: "..."
...
Han Ye had said he would get revenge for Xiaxia. The very next morning, he took Qin Qiao'an and rode out on his bicycle.
Xiaxia was left at home. Han Ye, as her older brother, was stricter with her than Qiao Lanshu ever was.
When he left, he locked the compound gate and told Xiaxia to stay home and not go out.
After everything that happened yesterday, Xiaxia didn't plan on going out anyway.
So she stayed quietly at home.
Han Ye and Qin Qiao'an circled the area a few times outside, but didn't see Li Taohua or her brother Li Jian.
