In that case, looking at the time, Li Gui should have reached home by now.
"Xia He! Keep an eye on this group of people! I'm going to make a phone call!" Qian'e brought Chi Ze with her and drove to the county city. There, she found a convenience store with a phone and made a call to Qiao Mei.
Qiao Mei picked up the phone on the first ring.
"Qiao Mei! It's me! Has Auntie reached home already? They said that Auntie ran away last night!" Qian'e said.
"I'll call and ask now!" Qiao Mei immediately hung up and made a call to the courtyard house.
Although Li Gui had been to Xu Lan's house twice, she was not familiar with this place and would not think of coming there at all. If she wanted to go home, she would definitely go back to the courtyard house.
Xu Kang and Feng Hua were cleaning the courtyard and did not hear the phone ring. Qiao Mei then called Qiao Qiang, who was in the backyard.
Some time ago, Xia Jun missed Qiao Qiang very much, but he did not know when Qiao Qiang would be at home. There was still no phone line in that area, so he asked Xia Mao to make an application in his name for the purpose of making it easier for him to contact his family members. Not long after, a phone line was installed in that area.
"Grandfather! Is my mother at home now?" Qiao Mei asked anxiously.
"No, she's been staying at the factory! We haven't seen her. Is there anything urgent?" Qiao Qiang said.
It was currently the rainy season and Qiao Qiang's old problem of rheumatism had recurred. He rested at home every day and did not ask about anything. He did not know anything about what happened at the factory at all.
"Alright, I understand. It's nothing. I'm just calling to check. I won't be home for a while so you must take care of yourself!" Qiao Mei hung up after saying that.
Qiao Qiang looked at the phone and thought that it was a little strange. Qiao Mei was a military spouse now, was she not? Why did she use Xu Lan's phone to call him?
Li Gui was unfamiliar with the capital and the Zhao Family Village was also very far from the factory. Other than these places, where else could Li Gui go? Qiao Mei wondered how she was now. Had she eaten? Had she drunk water? Had her health suffered after she worked so hard during this period of time?
Given that she was a woman walking around without a penny in her pocket, what if she ran into someone with ulterior motives?
Qiao Mei did not dare to continue thinking about it. She could not take it. She leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. No one knew what to do next.
"Is there any news?" Xia Wen asked as he rushed into the house with his luggage, looking weary from his travels.
Qiao Mei looked at Xia Wen and shook her head helplessly. "My mother has escaped, but her whereabouts are unknown. Qian'e and the others are probably looking for her now."
"I'll get Zou Ming to start searching the city," Xia Wen said with a frown.
"No! If you do that, the Xia family will be destroyed! We can't be so conspicuous! I'll think of another way… There must be another way…" Qiao Mei said nervously.
Xia Wen put down the things in his hand and did not even bother to wash up. He immediately drove out to look for his friends to ask them for help. Xia Mao also quietly asked around for information.
Qian'e and the others did not manage to find any news about Li Gui along the road. The roads in this village were very difficult to navigate and no one would be able to spot a woman walking alone at night at all.
At this moment, Zhao Fei had brought Li Gui to a remote clinic for treatment. The doctor looked very solemn and it seemed that Li Gui's condition was getting worse and worse. Her face was very pale. If Zhao Fei did not see that Li Gui was still panting, he would have thought that Li Gui had already died!
"Doctor! Say something!" Zhao Fei said anxiously.
"She has had a fever for too long. Coupled with the fact that she had been in a dirty environment, it has already affected her lungs. It's fortunate that you send her here in time. Her condition has not worsened and her life is not in danger. I'll bring down her fever first and then treat her after that," the doctor said.
"That's good… That's good… As long as she's alive…" Zhao Fei dropped to the ground. He had felt tense for one day and one night. Now that he had rescued her, he heaved a sigh of relief.
"How are you going to pay?" the doctor asked coldly.
"Can… can we put it on credit? I'll go back and ask my family to come and pay! Just one day! Can you give me one day's grace?" Zhao Fei begged.
The doctor looked at Zhao Fei suspiciously and said disdainfully, "I've seen many people like you! If everyone keeps asking for credit, how can I continue to operate this clinic? If you don't have money, then go elsewhere."
"Doctor! We don't have time! If you don't save her! Then she'll die! Please! I'll definitely pay you! Just give me one day!" Zhao Fei begged.