Global Film Emperor

Chapter 304 "Finding You" 3
"Have you seen this child? He's wearing a gray cotton-padded jacket. Thank you. Could I have a flyer? If you see this child, please call the number on it. There's a cash reward. Thank you."

Now, Wang Jian has fixed two banners to two wooden boards, connecting the boards with nylon ropes, and hung them on his shoulders, adding a "armor" to his chest and back.

The blue Ultraman Tiga backpack was filled with photos of Shuangxi, printed in the size of business cards. Wang Jian has already given out two boxes of them.

In the dead of night, there were hardly any pedestrians on the streets of this fifth-tier city. Moreover, snowflakes began to fall from the sky, landing on Wang Jian's head and gradually melting into water.

It wasn't just the body that felt cold, but also the heart. Wang Jian fully explained this state of mind. Standing by the train station, he still handed out cards to passengers braving the wind and snow, even though they would just take the card and throw it into the trash can right in front of him.

By the middle of the night, there was no one left on the roadside, and Wang Jian felt obviously tired. He was sleepy. After all, he was not an iron man. He hadn't eaten a single grain of rice since noon, and now he was so tired that even walking was difficult.

He walked towards home, intending to grab a bite to eat, take a nap for a couple of hours, and then go back to the station entrance to wait around four or five o'clock.

He removed the two wooden planks from his body, quickly heated up a mouthful of mushy noodles, and lay down on the bed where he and his son slept together. He fell asleep with tears in his eyes; perhaps, tears would become his only theme from now on.

"what!"

He had been asleep for a short while when he was startled awake by a dream. In the dream, Shuangxi told him to hurry up and find him, which made him jump off the bed. He glanced at the clock; it was 3:30. He had only slept for a little over half an hour.

He was indeed somewhat superstitious, so he dared not delay any longer. He took the plank and schoolbag and left home. Normally, at this time, he should have been lighting a fire to heat up food for Shuangxi. Looking at the cold bed that had become after he left, he finally couldn't hold back his gradually collapsing emotions and burst into tears in the wind and snow.

It has been forty days since Shuangxi went missing.
He quit his sanitation job and went back to his hometown. He sold his old house and handed over his few acres of poor land to the village. Because the countryside was remote, he only made a little over 40,000 yuan. But because of the simple and honest folk, he received several thousand yuan in assistance from his relatives and managed to raise 50,000 yuan.

He saved the money carefully, but dared not touch a single penny. He thought that if someone found Shuangxi, he would use the 50,000 yuan to thank them.

Meanwhile, a kind-hearted person contacted Wang Jian and offered to help him free of charge by posting Shuangxi's information online and leaving Wang Jian's phone number.

just
"Hello? Are you Wang Jian? The one who posted about his lost son on the 'Baby Come Home' website?"

"It's me, and you are..."

"Don't ask who I am. I know where your son is. Just transfer 50,000 yuan to me and I'll tell you where he is right now."

"Tell me your location first, and I'll go look for him. If I find my son, I'll transfer the money to you. Is that okay? Otherwise, what if I give you the money and you don't tell me where my son is?"

“I’m afraid you won’t pay me after you find your son. Give me the money first, or I can take you to find your son. Otherwise, you can forget about finding out where your son is.”

Wang Jian was hesitant. Reason told him that this person was a swindler, but he couldn't help but think positively. What if this person really knew where Shuangxi was? What if he just didn't trust him and wanted money first?

In the end, reason prevailed over naive fantasy. Gritting his teeth, he suppressed his last bit of hope and refused the other party's request for money first.

"Idiot, beep beep beep."

Putting away his green-screened phone, Wang Jian felt increasingly guilty. Ever since he posted the information online, he had been receiving a constant stream of these fraudulent calls, at least two or three times a day. Wang Jian couldn't understand why so many unscrupulous people would try to take advantage of their group.

Nevertheless, he was still saddened, because every parent who has lost a child will have hope for every phone call, even if they know it is a scam call.

Rejecting a "clue" in this way is like abandoning one's own child again. The torment of that is unimaginable to people outside this group. They live every day in inner turmoil and self-blame, constantly questioning themselves.

What if it's true?
He handed the card to another passerby, and the old cell phone rang again. Wang Jian took out his phone, glanced at the number, and quickly answered the call.

"Hello? Xiao Zhao, it's me. What happened?"

Xiao Zhao was the kind-hearted person who helped Wang Jian post the message. He also helped many families of abducted children search for their children, and even successfully found two abducted children. He is quite well-known among the families of abducted children in He Nan. What's even more touching is that he always does these things for free, offering assistance to various families in his spare time. He contacted Wang Jian after seeing a television program, using his experience to help Wang Jian avoid many detours and being scammed multiple times.

"Brother Wang, I saw a message. Someone just posted some photos of several begging children in Zhengzhou on a blog. I think one of the children looks a lot like Shuangxi. Don't rush over there yet. Come to my house first and take a look. If it is him, then leave immediately, otherwise you'll have made a wasted trip."

"Okay, then I'll go over there."

After hanging up the phone, Wang Jian quickly boarded the bus next to him. Some people saw that he was disabled and wanted to give him their seats, but he waved them off and refused, only looking into the distance with great anxiety in his eyes.

His biggest fear was that Shuangxi would become a begging child. Those people in the begging organization were heartless beasts! Cutting out tongues, breaking legs, crippling children and forcing them to beg on the streets—these inhumane methods terrified Wang Jian so much that he had nightmares for several days after learning about such a group.

He would rather Shuangxi had been sold to someone else's family. That way, the chances of finding Shuangxi would be almost zero, but at least he could live a healthy life.

Wang Jian was so anxious that sweat beaded on his forehead. After the bus had traveled three stops, he hurried along his disabled leg toward the residential building where Xiao Zhao lived. The building was very old and could hardly be called a residential community. There were no lights in the six-story building, so even in broad daylight, it was pitch black inside. The building was covered with small posters for locksmiths and drain cleaning services.

I climbed up to the third floor and gently knocked on the door. Soon, the door opened. Unlike the hallway, the room was well-lit and cozy. The decor was quite beautiful for 2007.

"Brother Wang, let me get you your slippers."

"No need, no need, I'll just stand at the door. I'll be leaving soon, I'll just stand there."

Wang Jian still remembered Shuangxi's expression and actions at kindergarten that day, which were exactly the same as his own now. Looking at this warm home, Wang Jian, just like Shuangxi, pursed his lips and quickly waved his hand in refusal.

Only now did he realize that Shuangxi was very much like him, at least she had learned the inferiority complex to the fullest extent. Back in kindergarten, although it was decorated in a warm and cozy way, at least there were some workers covered in cement dust sending their children to school, which made him feel less uncomfortable.

Shuangxi was different. He was the only child who dressed so poorly to go to school. Children don't compare themselves to adults, but only to their peers, so Shuangxi felt inferior at that time.

But it wasn't until Shuangxi was abducted that he understood what Shuangxi was thinking at the time. And after understanding, what remained in his heart, besides regret, was a deep sense of indebtedness to Shuangxi.

Unfortunately, there's no way to fix it now. But looking at these slippers, Wang Jian feels that the socks with holes in them are increasingly constricting his big toe.

"Brother Wang, you're doing this again. It's not like it's the first time you've come. Why won't you come in? I haven't printed the photos yet. You have to come inside and check the computer. Come in and see if this child is Shuangxi."

This was the most important thing. After being reminded by Xiao Zhao, Wang Jian stopped thinking about it, took off his shoes to reveal his dirty toes, and followed Xiao Zhao into his bedroom. Looking at the thing called a computer, he finally saw the child in the photo.

His hair was a bit long, covering the upper half of his face, revealing only his mouth and chin. He looked to be about four years old, similar in build to Shuangxi. Most importantly, the child was wearing a dusty gray cotton-padded jacket.
The moment Wang Jian saw this photo, he broke down, because the child's leg was obviously broken, and he could only crawl on the ground with a bowl in his hand, lying on the roadside, looking extremely pitiful.

"I'm going to Zhengzhou to find my son. He..."

"Brother Wang, are you sure it's Shuangxi? Do you need me to go with you? You don't know anyone there."

Xiao Zhao's heart also sank. Looking at Wang Jian, who was gradually breaking down, his face was full of sympathy. If this was really Shuangxi, then Shuangxi was now a disabled person like his father.

"I'm not sure! No, I'm going to Zhengzhou right now. You shouldn't go. You still have to go to work. We can't let it interfere with your work. He's so young, how could they be so cruel as to break a child's leg!"

He tearfully refused Xiao Zhao's offer to go to Zhengzhou with him. Xiao Zhao kept reminding him that if he encountered a child, he should never claim the child on the spot, but should keep a close eye on the child and call the police, otherwise he might face retaliation from the begging organization.

Finally, Xiao Zhao drove Wang Jian to the train station and bought him a ticket for the 10:50 train to Zhengzhou. Standing at the connection between the two carriages, Wang Jian leaned against the window, gazing at the scenery rushing past outside. Occasionally, he would reach out to wipe away the tears that had slid down his face and sniffle.

"."

(End of this chapter)