Panic
The three brothers exchanged glances and shivered simultaneously. This was in the mountains!
Zhou Sirlang handed the bamboo rat to Zhou Liulang and said, "Run back home immediately. If you encounter Manbao on the way, please bring her back here." If not, go home and bring all the brothers to search for her.
Zhou Sirlang and Zhou Wulang said, "We will split up to search. She can't run fast with her short legs, so if you find her, bring her back here."
Zhou Wulang and Zhou Liulang both agreed and ran off in different directions.
Zhou Sirlang looked around and noticed the extinguished fire in the bamboo grove. His eyes widened in shock. There hadn't been anything there before.
So, has someone been here?
What about Manbao…
Zhou Sirlang's legs weakened, and he immediately thought of Pahua Zi.
Without bothering to search in the mountains, he ran towards the mountain road, calling out for Manbao as he went. Meanwhile, Zhou Wulang had also started shouting in the mountains.
After searching for a long time without finding anyone, they both became anxious and frustrated. Finally, Zhou Wulang stopped and, with a heavy heart, shouted to the sky, "Manbao—"
Exhausted and heartbroken, Manbao, who was crouching on the ground, faintly heard the call and immediately jumped up, asking, "Keke, do you hear someone calling me?"
Keke remained silent for a moment before replying, "Yes, it's to the west of the host."
Manbao spun in place and asked, "Where is the west?"
Keke pointed her in the right direction.
Manbao ran in that direction, dragging the bamboo rat tied to a rope as she went. After running for a while, she was too tired to continue and shouted to the sky, "I'm here—"
"Manbao—"
"I'm here—"
When Zhou Wulang finally found her, Manbao was covered in mud and tears. She had been digging with Keke, and when she looked up, she realized her brothers were gone. She didn't even have time to clean her hands and face. Upon seeing her in this state, Zhou Wulang felt a profound sense of pity.
He ran to her, hugged her, and cried and laughed, asking, "Where did you go?" "We were so worried looking for you."
Manbao burst into tears and angrily said, "I've been under the tree the whole time. It's you who disappeared."
Feeling guilty, Zhou Wulang apologized and hugged her, saying, "It's our fault. Don't cry." When we get back, you can scold us.
Manbao cried and handed him the bamboo rat, asking, "Where are the fourth and sixth brothers?"
Zhou Wulang was surprised to see the bamboo rat and, upon hearing her question, shivered, realizing, "Oh no, Lao Liu will definitely tell our parents when he gets home."
Without further questioning, Zhou Wulang picked up Manbao and the bamboo rat and ran back down the mountain, calling out for the fourth brother as he went. Unfortunately, they did not hear any response from Zhou Sirlang when they returned to the big tree.
Feeling helpless, Zhou Wulang paced anxiously and then said, "Let's leave a message for the fourth brother and then go home."
He found a half-burnt stick in the bamboo grove and wrote a message on a large leaf. Manbao watched in amazement, realizing she could have left a message for them earlier. She knew how to write, and her brothers were literate.
As she wiped away her tears, she blamed herself, "Keke, I'm so foolish."
Keke remained silent.
Zhou Wulang, feeling anxious, finished writing the message and placed the leaf under the tree. He also stacked some stones next to it to ensure that the fourth brother would see it. Then, he picked up Manbao and ran home.
They had to intercept Lao Liu before he got home, or else...
With this in mind, Zhou Wulang ran as fast as he could.
Meanwhile, Zhou Liulang was also running home as fast as he could, but he remembered the fourth brother's words to look for Manbao on the way.
So, he ran and called out Manbao's name, occasionally stopping to search in the lush areas, afraid of missing her.
This delay cost him some time, and he was surprised to find Zhou Wulang catching up to him.
Zhou Wulang was out of breath and couldn't speak, but from a distance, Manbao saw Zhou Liulang running ahead. She immediately shouted, "Liulang, Liulang—"
Zhou Liulang, who was running ahead, heard her and stopped, turning around to see Manbao waving at him from behind Zhou Wulang.
His eyes lit up, and he turned back to run towards them. When the three siblings finally met, Zhou Wulang sat down, gasping for breath and unable to speak.
Zhou Liulang quickly assisted him and checked if Manbao was injured, anxiously asking, "Where did you go? We thought you were lost." "You scared us."
While comforting Zhou Wulang, Manbao took out a piece of mint candy for him to eat.
After eating the candy, Zhou Wulang, feeling parched, noticed an increase in his saliva production, which made him feel a bit better. He waved his hand and said, "I found her in the mountains." She came to find us.
The two brothers felt as if they had narrowly escaped a disaster and sat down to catch their breath.
Zhou Liulang had also run frantically and looked a bit pale. He reached out to Manbao, saying, "I want some candy too."
Feeling guilty, Manbao thought it was all her fault for not thinking of leaving a message. So, she quickly took out another piece of candy from her pocket and gave it to him.
After catching his breath, Zhou Wulang complained to Zhou Liulang, "You ran too fast. I told you to look on both sides." What if Manbao was on the side of the road?
"I checked both sides." The mountains are dangerous. I had to run back quickly to inform the family. What if Manbao had been taken by a wolf?
The brothers sighed, and Zhou Wulang asked, "What about the fourth brother?"
Zhou Liulang waved his hand dismissively and said, "He's still searching in the mountains, but I left a message for him."
He added, "I'm afraid that if you go back and tell our parents, we'll definitely get scolded."
Zhou Liulang was relieved that they had finally reached the village entrance, but it had been a close call.
He then noticed that Zhou Wulang was holding a rope, and at the end of the rope was a plump bamboo rat. He widened his eyes and asked, "Where did this bamboo rat come from?"
Zhou Wulang looked at Manbao, realizing that they still didn't know where the bamboo rat had come from.