bookrandom Chapter 226 The daylily is getting cold!
Chapter 226 The daylily is getting cold!
"Sister, you're joking. You're a pampered young lady from the Wang family. How could I, a country girl, possibly trade places with you? I'm afraid your father wouldn't trade you for even a few of me."
Wang Jiaojiao thought Lin Xiaotang spoke very nicely, making her feel happy and warm inside, and she felt very important again.
So she patted her chest and said proudly, "You're right, I really am my father's favorite."
The soldiers waiting nearby were getting impatient and urged, "Miss Wang, it's getting late. Why don't you catch up another time? Let me take you back to the Wang family now."
"OK then."
It was really time to go home, and Wang Jiaojiao suddenly felt a little reluctant to part with Lin Xiaotang, Jiang Yue, and Mei'er.
Today, these women have shared life and death, and this sudden friendship has filled her heart with joy.
Wang Jiaojiao was escorted home by the soldiers, looking back every few steps. Jiang Yue and Mei'er's homes were in the vicinity of Dushui County. They greeted Lin Xiaotang and were then escorted home by the soldiers.
Lin Xiaotang was left alone, and she went out with the soldiers to search for her fourth uncle and Xiao Jiu.
Qinghe Town.
Lin Qingchuan and Liu waited from noon until evening, but their daughter did not return. Not only did their daughter not return, but their fourth brother and Xiao Jiu also did not return.
Liu paced back and forth in the courtyard, supporting her pregnant belly, her face filled with anxiety.
"Dad, could it be that Tang'er and Qianchuan have run into some trouble? It's been a whole day, why haven't they come back yet?"
Lin Qingchuan wasn't sure either, because everyone who went to the county to supply the restaurant had never come back this late before.
Liu Cai'er, worried that her sister might have a miscarriage due to worry, comforted her, "Feng'er, don't worry. Xiao Tang is always clever, even more so than you and me. Didn't they say they were looking for a shop to rent when they left? Maybe they looked at a lot of things and were delayed. Besides, we know the manager and staff at the restaurant well. If they really run into trouble, she will definitely find someone to help. If all else fails, there's always the county government."
Liu sighed and said, "I hope so. I hope that Tang'er and the others were delayed because they were looking after the shop, and that they didn't encounter any trouble."
Fortunately, Qianchuan went with her. At least there was an adult there, so she could feel a little more at ease. After all, Xiaotang and Xiaojiu were just children.
Liu was, after all, a woman who hadn't been out much, and was easily appeased by her sister's few words. However, Lin Qingchuan had been traveling back and forth between the town and the county during this period, and had seen a lot of the world, making him much more shrewd.
He felt a vague unease, sensing that things were not so simple. Knowing his daughter's personality, she wouldn't waste time on a shop if she couldn't find a suitable one.
As agreed, they were supposed to bring back raw pig trotters to braise today, but they haven't returned by this hour. They must have run into trouble!
A bad thought suddenly popped into his head: Could they have encountered bandits on the road?
But there are no mountains on the road from Dushui County back to Qinghe Town, so how could there be bandits?
He frowned and immediately said, "I won't wait any longer, Fengniang. You and your sister take Yu'er and wait at home. I'll drive the carriage all the way there and see what's going on."
Madam Liu immediately nodded in agreement, "Alright, go and look for them quickly. If they are on their way back, that would be great. If you really can't find them, go and report to the authorities immediately. We must not let anything happen to Tang'er and the others."
Lin Qingchuan said, "Yes, Fengniang, don't worry, I will definitely bring them back."
Xiaoyu, standing to the side, exclaimed, "Dad, I want to go find my sister too! Can you take me with you?"
"No, it's already dark. I'm going to find your sister, Fourth Uncle, and Jiu'er. You'll just cause trouble if you go. Be a good girl and wait for us to come back with your mother and aunt. We'll buy you candy tomorrow."
Liu Cai'er quickly grabbed Yu'er's hand and coaxed her to the side.
Liu, supporting her pregnant belly, saw her husband off at the door. Watching the carriage turn the corner and disappear from sight, her heart remained heavy. She paced back and forth in the courtyard.
Liu Cai'er tried to persuade her sister to no avail, so she could only stay in the yard and worry with her.
Lin Qingchuan drove the carriage at breakneck speed, heading towards Dushui County.
……
Shen Qianchuan and Xiao Jiu searched everywhere for Lin Xiaotang, leaving no empty house in the county unchecked. They searched until almost midnight, but still found no trace of Lin Xiaotang. Their eyes were bloodshot, their anger grew stronger, and their hearts became heavier.
One of the soldiers suddenly said, "It's so late. There's no point in us searching aimlessly like this anymore. Why don't we go back first and continue the search tomorrow?"
"Yes, my daughter is not even a month old yet. My wife is very weak, and the baby doesn't sleep at night. I have to help my wife soothe the baby when I get back. I'll look for someone else tomorrow."
Should we look again tomorrow?
The daylily buds are getting cold!
Shen Qianchuan immediately objected, saying excitedly, "Officer, my niece is only seven years old. All the young ladies have been found, but these few are still missing. The longer we wait to find them, the longer they will be in danger. Let's hold on a little longer; we might find them soon."
One of the constables grumbled, "Those three criminals are stubbornly refusing to talk. The clerk ordered them to be tortured, but so much time has passed and they still haven't opened their mouths. They might not even be in our Dushui County anymore. We're just wasting our time searching for them like headless flies. We should interrogate them properly and get them to confess so we can find out their whereabouts."
Xiao Jiu, who had been silent with a dark expression, suddenly said angrily, "Although the clerk and the others are using torture to extract confessions from the prisoners, we can't put all our hopes on them. They've been dragging their feet, so Xiao Tang and the others must be in great danger right now. We can't let our guard down for a moment until we find them."
The officers had given up the search, but the clerk wouldn't let them call it a day, and the two of them, one big and one small, insisted on continuing, so they had no choice but to stay with them.
One of the officers sighed and said, "Everyone, cheer up and hold on a little longer. Whether we find the people first or the prisoners reveal the whereabouts of those ladies, we have to find them as soon as possible."
They had just emerged from an alleyway with an empty house and entered the main street when they saw several officials carrying torches approaching them from afar.
"Wait, wait a minute!"
The officers carrying torches became excited upon seeing them and began shouting from a distance.
Xiao Jiu was puzzled for a moment, then her eyes lit up and she immediately became excited.
He rushed over and asked, "Officer, have those three prisoners confessed and revealed the whereabouts of Xiaotang and the others?"
Xiao Jiu rubbed her hands excitedly, feeling both nervous and scared. She was worried about Xiao Tang's whereabouts, but also afraid of hearing bad news.
The constables told him with a smile, "The prisoner has confessed, but we haven't had time to go out and look for him yet. He's come back on his own. You should go to the county office and take him home."
After saying that, he immediately waved and ordered the troops to retreat.
Upon hearing that Lin Xiaotang had already returned to the county government office, Xiao Jiu called out to Shen Qianchuan and they ran wildly towards the county government office.
When they found Lin Xiaotang and saw her sitting in the county government office, drinking a cup of tea in large gulps, they were finally relieved.
"Thank goodness, Xiaotang, you're finally back. It's all my fault. You were kidnapped by bad guys, and you almost..."