Seeing that Ye Bingyu's expression hadn't changed, Zhong Yuhu continued, "I heard the child went missing during the dead of winter, which was also the worst year of the famine.
During my private inquiries, a few families mentioned that Zhang Baosheng and his wife didn't care for the child. As soon as they returned to the village, they tossed the child to Zhang Baosheng's paternal grandparents to raise. Some even joked that they might have deliberately lost the child.
After all, every household was short on grain back then. Such suspicions could very well be true."
When Ye Bingyu remained silent, Zhong Yuhu repeated the information he had gathered about Zhang Baosheng and his wife after their return to the village.
Ye Bingyu's expression grew increasingly grim. After sending Zhong Yuhu away, he personally made a trip south. He found the doctor and nurse who had assisted with his daughter-in-law's delivery to get more details.
