Stepping out from the driver's seat was a young man in a brown and green military uniform, who hurried over to the group and covertly sized them up. Particularly Lan Tian's ragged haircut and ill-fitting clothes. First, he saluted the group, then with a beaming smile on his face, he said, "Fellow villager, where are you heading?"
"We're sending the kid to the town, comrade. And what about you?"
The village chief, well-traveled and knowledgeable, already had a suspicion but kept a straight face all the while casting a glance at the car. The mobilization of two three-wheelers and a horde of people indicated something significant; the little girl might just be the child of some leader!
