Where Did You Take the Mayor’s Granddaughter? (Melbourne Knight Extra Chapter 3/10)

Fang Chang'an was momentarily stunned by Shen Mo's reaction, but his instincts kicked in quickly, as they always did in such moments. He paid no mind to the two Gege Yan fish, destined never to make it to their side, and looked at Shen Mo with genuine concern and gentle reassurance. “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. I’m right here.”

Shen Mo’s eyes, darting nervously toward the two fish desperately swimming in their direction, betrayed her fear. Her limbs were stiff as she reached toward Fang Chang'an, clearly yearning for any presence that might offer her comfort and safety. Yet she stood rooted in place, her voice trembling and soft, almost childlike, as she whimpered, “Fang Chang'an…”

Fang Chang'an took a few steps toward her. With so many people around, he didn’t touch her, but held his hand out in the air in a gesture of comfort. “Don’t be afraid,” he repeated.

The young girl didn’t seem to hear his words. As soon as he approached, she grabbed his arm tightly, still whimpering in that childish, drawn-out tone.

“It’s alright, it’s alright,” Fang Chang'an assured her, amused by how genuinely frightened she was. He patted her arm lightly, stepped forward, and shielded her with his own body.

He watched as Fang Changming and Fang Dianzhou rushed forward, followed quickly by Chen Yu, Zhou Yifei, and Wang Chuanbiao, all reaching out to grab the Gege Yan fish by their dorsal fins.

Fang Changming was quicker, seizing one fish and lifting it out of the water. The others missed, and the remaining Gege Yan wriggled furiously onto the muddy bank.

Wu Di, who had seemed a bit afraid and wanted to retreat, found himself face-to-face with the two fish. He hesitated, glancing quickly at Shen Mo hiding behind Fang Chang'an, and, lowering his head, reached out to grab the dorsal fin of the second Gege Yan.

“Careful, careful!” came the chorus of warnings from the others. Wu Di hissed in pain; it seemed the fish had cut him as it struggled, but he didn’t let go. He tossed the fish into the basin Chen Yu brought over, then inspected his finger, where a thin line of blood had already appeared.

“It’s alright now,” Fang Chang'an said, patting Shen Mo’s arm once more, then withdrawing his own.

Everyone had been focused on the fish, so no one noticed what happened between Fang Chang'an and Shen Mo. Had they been watching, it would surely have sparked whispered speculation.

Seeing the two “biting” fish safely caught, Shen Mo finally relaxed. Fang Chang'an was still looking at her with concern, and she realized she’d acted a bit childish. Embarrassed, she offered him a sweet, bashful smile.

Fang Chang'an smiled back, understanding.

Wu Di was now the center of unprecedented concern from his classmates. With no real way to treat the wound, everyone expressed their worry verbally. Fortunately, the cut was small and would soon clot on its own.

Wu Di retreated to the shore to “nurse his wound.” Zhang Jing and Zhou Xiaoyan, startled by the incident, also returned to the bank to reconsider whether to go back in.

Shen Mo, however, wasn’t deterred by her fright. Spotting a small fish nearby, she bent eagerly to catch it, but missed. The water was murky, and she couldn’t see where the fish had gone, so she remained bent over, her bright eyes searching intently for her prey.

Wang Ke and Fang Yanran, drawn by the earlier commotion, came to the water’s edge for a closer look. Seeing Shen Mo already fishing again, Fang Chang'an turned to Wang Ke. “Aren’t you coming in?”

Wang Ke puffed her cheeks and turned away, gazing at the sun hanging askew in the sky, her lips pursed in silent protest.

Fang Chang'an chuckled. “Really not coming?”

Fang Yanran tugged at Wang Ke’s sleeve, whispering, “Sister, you should go. I’ll watch from here.”

Wang Ke glanced at Fang Chang'an, who urged her, “Don’t worry, I’ll help you. You won’t fall…uh, just don’t push me over again.”

She blushed, remembering how she’d shoved him to the ground that morning, and shot him an embarrassed, reproachful look. Then she asked Fang Yanran, “You’re not going?”

Fang Yanran shook her head. “I’m still little. Mom won’t let me go in the water.”

Shen Mo heard this from the water and called out, “Wang Ke, come on! It’s fun, and the water’s not cold.”

Wang Ke glanced at Fang Chang'an, then nodded to Shen Mo. “Alright.”

She found a dry patch of grass, took off her shoes and socks, and carefully stepped with her bare, pale feet toward the water. Fang Chang'an extended his hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, she grasped his wrist and slowly eased her feet into the river, gradually wading in.

At first, her brows furrowed anxiously, but then they relaxed, and like Shen Mo before her, her clear eyes sparkled with delight as she looked at Fang Chang'an.

He smiled at her, watched her move beside Shen Mo, then left them to organize the group to fish from the four corners.

Perhaps it was luck, or maybe the area was particularly rich with fish, but ten or so people spread across five or six meters of river, and almost every few minutes someone would catch a fish.

Shen Mo and Wang Ke managed to capture a stranded grass carp, quite large, nearly a foot long. They beamed with joy, lamenting only that they had no camera to record the moment.

Zhang Jing and her friends, watching from the shore, couldn’t resist and soon rejoined the fun. Only Fang Yanran remained faithfully on the bank, obeying her mother’s instructions.

Though it wasn’t the dry season, the river was only four or five meters wide. With the water splashing about, the area shrank further. Yet, the people in the water could never match the fish for agility, and their amateur efforts meant plenty of “escaped fish” and ongoing surprises.

Everyone was so absorbed in their play that they lost track of time.

Meanwhile, more than ten miles away in town, Shen Baoguo returned home to find only the housekeeper present. Hearing his arrival, she came out to greet him. Shen Baoguo sank into the sofa, rubbed his temples, and asked, his voice weary, “Is no one home?”

Housekeeper Liang replied, “Peng is still in the county and hasn’t returned. Mo Mo went to a classmate’s house to play. She said she’d be back in the afternoon—it should be about time.”

Shen Baoguo nodded. Liang, smelling alcohol on him and seeing his poor spirits, asked, “Would you like some tea?”

He nodded again, sighed, and closed his eyes to rest. After a while, Liang brought him tea, and he opened his eyes, thinking for a moment before moving to the phone and dialing his wife.

Peng Shuyu was returning from a county meeting, and the couple exchanged updates. Upon hearing that Shen Mo hadn’t returned, Liang Shuyu grew concerned.

“She went out with classmates, a dozen or so of them. Early this morning, Chengyan took her somewhere to pick up another classmate. She said she’d be back by three or four—now it’s past five. She should be home already.”

“Where did she go?”

“To Fang Chang'an’s house, I think.”

“Alright. I know. You take care on the road.”

“Don’t worry about me. Try to get in touch—it’s getting late.”

“I know.”

Shen Baoguo hung up, tapped his head, and thought for a moment before dialing Shen Chengyan’s number. It rang for quite a while before being answered. Shen Chengyan’s voice was a bit stiff as he said, “Hello, Dad.”

“Not looking for you,” Shen Baoguo replied in his own formal tone. “Do you know where Mo Mo went?”

“She went to a classmate’s house with her friends. Why, she’s not back yet?” Shen Chengyan sounded worried. “I’ll call Fang Chang'an right away.”

“No need,” Shen Baoguo replied, as if such things didn’t warrant bothering him. “Just tell me where Fang Chang'an’s house is.”

Shen Chengyan was annoyed by his father’s attitude and answered curtly, “Majia Gully, also called Majiazhuang.”

“Got it.” Shen Baoguo responded with the air of receiving a report. Shen Chengyan, even more irritated, hung up, but still worried about Shen Mo, so he found Fang Chang'an’s home number and called.

Shen Baoguo, meanwhile, pulled out a phone book, found the number, and dialed. On the second ring, Ma Zude answered, his voice tinged with nervousness and deference. “Hello, Shen—”

Already exhausted and irritable, Shen Baoguo, who had never liked Ma Zude, cut him off. “Do you have a Fang Chang'an in your village?”

“Yes, yes!” Ma Zude was startled that Shen Baoguo was asking about Fang Chang'an, but he responded quickly.

“Are your houses close?”

“Not far, not far at all. If you need anything, just let me know.”

“Alright, help me check. Call or ask at his house if you have to. Shen Mo went there and hasn’t come back. Find out if she’s left, when she left, and if she’s still there, hurry her back.”

“Yes, yes, don’t worry. I’ll go right now and call you as soon as I have news.”

Shen Baoguo hung up. Over in Majia Gully, Ma Zude heard the dial tone and breathed a sigh of relief, immediately calling Fang Changfeng’s house, but no one answered.

Ma Zude didn’t dare delay. He quickly hopped on his bicycle and sped toward the west side of the village. He didn’t know exactly where Fang Chang'an lived, only the general area. When he arrived at the crossroads in the village center, he spotted Fang Lusheng chatting at his doorway and called out from afar, “Fang Lusheng!”

Fang Lusheng, seeing Ma Zude approach, grinned and pulled out a cigarette. Ma Zude waved him off. “No, no. Where’s Fang Chang'an’s house?”

“What do you want with him?” Fang Lusheng was baffled.

“Never mind. Where? How do I get there?”

Seeing Ma Zude’s urgency, Fang Lusheng didn’t press further and pointed north from the crossroads. “Go straight down this road to the end. The northernmost house—that’s him, right across from Fang Changfeng’s.”

“Got it.” Ma Zude didn’t even pause, pedaling furiously northward.

Meanwhile, Fang Lujun and Cong Rong finished dealing with the last of the corn, stacking it on the mud wall in the yard. They also set wooden racks by the pigsty to dry the corn, washed up, rested, and started discussing their son’s classmates.

Last night, Fang Lujun had overheard his son calling someone and saying, “I miss you.” This morning, he’d seen him try to hug a girl, only to be pushed over. He suspected his son was up to something improper at school.

These days, early romances were viewed by parents as a scourge—especially at the start of middle school. Even the most open-minded parents thought it was too early.

Cong Rong had always trusted her son, but after lunch, she began to wonder as well. Three lovely girls had been exceptionally polite, staying behind to help after the meal.

After Fang Chang'an and his friends left in the afternoon, the couple discussed it at length. They concluded their son was hiding something, but disagreed about who the “target” might be.

Fang Lujun was convinced it was Wang Ke, since his son had tried to hug her that morning, and last night’s phone call was likely to her. Over lunch, he’d learned Wang Ke was the only one not from town; the others had come directly, but she’d traveled from home to town and then out here.

If there wasn’t something “going on,” why would she go so far to help with chores?

Cong Rong disagreed. She suspected Shen Mo, since she talked most with Fang Chang'an and was his desk mate. After lunch, she started to suspect Wang Yuwei, who had been especially attentive, chatting with her like someone meeting their boyfriend’s mother.

“If it’s not her, why is she so eager to make a good impression?” Cong Rong argued.

“Well, by your logic, didn’t Wang Ke help you wash the dishes?” Fang Lujun countered.

Neither could convince the other. They debated, then decided all three girls seemed suspicious and resolved to find out discreetly.

Just then, a motor tricycle rumbled outside. Fang Luyong was passing by the gate, and met Fang Changfeng and his wife. The families chatted for a while, naturally discussing Fang Chang'an’s classmates.

Because of the noise, neither household heard their phones ringing.

Liu Xiqin was amazed that Fang Chang'an had brought so many classmates, especially several beautiful girls. She teased, “I see several pretty girls. Is Chang'an bringing home his future wife already?”

Fang Lujun and Cong Rong shared the suspicion, but denied it in front of outsiders. Cong Rong replied, “Impossible, they’re so young. Just classmates. Chang'an is the class monitor, so they came to play. Nothing more.”

Fang Luyong, not having met the group, asked gossipily, “Are they really pretty? As pretty as Qiuqiu?”

Fang Changfeng snorted. “Let me put it this way: three or four of them are even prettier than Qiuqiu. Two could be movie stars when they grow up, and they seem close to Chang'an.”

“That’s good,” Fang Luyong said, grinning at his brother and sister-in-law. “Bringing home a wife would be nice. Graduate high school, get married, and you won’t have to worry about a thing.”

Just as they were speaking, Fang Changfeng spotted Ma Zude pedaling up, sweating and breathless. He thought Ma Zude was just passing by and called out loudly, “Hey, Secretary Ma, where are you rushing off to?”

Except for Fang Changfeng, the others barely knew Ma Zude. Fang Changfeng’s tone was familiar, a bit of a show for his own status.

To their surprise, Ma Zude waved them off, stopped in front of Fang Lujun’s house, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and, still catching his breath, asked Fang Lujun, “Where has your son Fang Chang'an taken the granddaughter of Mayor Shen?”