The entire Gao Mantang family descended from the carriage.
The elderly couple was extremely anxious, nearly taking a tumble just before entering the main gate…
Yun Sanman and Gao Fengjuan also rushed into the house.
“Grandpa, Grandma, Third Uncle and Third Aunt are here!” Yun Jinshan announced as he entered.
Old Man Yun sighed heavily upon hearing this, “What good can they do by coming, alas…”
Although their youngest daughter was not old, she had already become the backbone of the family.
If she were to be eaten by a black bear or a wolf, Old Man Yun would have died on the spot.
With his daughter gone, what was the point of this old man living? He might as well die, unable to even protect his own daughter…
A moment later, the Gao Mantang family entered the main hall.
Seeing Old Man Yun and Madam Gu with their faces etched with worry, while others wept or sighed, they knew that Little Sweet Treasure had not been found.
“Oh dear, in-laws, what exactly happened? How could two well children go missing?” Gao Mantang asked.
“Dad!” Gao Fengjuan tugged at Gao Mantang’s sleeve and shot him a look.
Didn’t you see that everyone in the Old Yun family was beside themselves with grief…
It’s best not to mention this matter now. That little girl is so clever, she definitely won’t die.
“Why are you pulling me? Why aren’t you quickly going with Sanman to search the mountains?” Gao Mantang nudged her.
“Oh, Dad, what are you fussing about? The officials have already sent constables to search, and not even a ghost has been seen. Am I supposed to go into the mountains to feed the wolves…”
This fellow, what is he so startled about? If they lost one, they can have another.
The eldest and second daughters-in-law are still young. With a little effort, having a few more girls would be as easy as pie, right?
“You hurry up and get out, don’t make a fuss!” Yun Sanman frowned and directly hauled Gao Fengjuan out.
Old Man Yun sat cross-legged on the heated brick bed, continuously smoking, saying nothing, making no sound…
After he and Madam Gu drank the herbal soup, their bodies felt a little more relaxed, but they were still dizzy and disoriented.
There were no blood pressure monitors in this era, so it was easy to guess that the elderly couple’s blood pressure would be sky-high.
“In-laws, say something! What do we do now?” Gao Mantang stomped his foot.
“Search, we can only search the mountains…” Old Man Yun pondered for a long time before finally uttering a sentence.
Prefect Chen, who was standing nearby, shook his head, “That Tuofeng Mountain is densely forested, and it has been raining heavily these past two days. All the footprints and such in the mountains have been washed away by the water!”
“I’ve been thinking, perhaps Little Sweet Treasure and Young Master Xiao were washed away to somewhere else…”
After hearing Prefect Chen’s words, Madam Gu blinked, “Then, according to the Prefect’s opinion, we don’t need to search Tuofeng Mountain anymore?”
“It’s not that we won’t search, but we need to expand the search area. Otherwise, wandering aimlessly in the mountains is useless!” Prefect Chen sighed.
He was contemplating whether to inform Prefect Qin about this matter…
His authority was limited. If Prefect Qin reported it to the imperial court and dispatched a large number of soldiers into the mountains, the effect would be different.
The county yamen only had a few constables, and each one was lazier than the last, like pigs.
Even if they went into the mountains, they wouldn’t search properly.
Prefect Chen was afraid that the Marquis of Pingyang would find out about this matter…
His eldest nephew was swept away by the floodwaters within the jurisdiction of Heyang County. Even if it wasn’t Prefect Chen’s fault, he would still be held responsible.
That was no ordinary child; he was a prince of the current dynasty.
Furthermore, he was the legitimate prince, his mother was the Empress, and his father was the supreme ruler of the Great Liang Kingdom.
If he were to be lost under his watch, how would that account be settled?
His official hat would definitely be lost…
Madam Gu suddenly thought of Xue Ling and quickly looked at Yun Daman, “Daman, did you bring Xue Ling with you when you went into the mountains?”
Xue Ling had a sensitive nose and should be able to find their youngest daughter quickly.
Yun Daman yawned. He was so sleepy he was practically dazed. But as soon as he closed his eyes, all he saw was the image of his sister being swept away by the mountain torrent…
He couldn’t sleep even if he wanted to.
“Mother, I brought Xue Ling. It was raining so heavily in the mountains, and the ground was so wet. It seems even Xue Ling couldn’t smell anything!”
Yun Daman was heartbroken. Seeing his parents looking so exhausted, as if they had aged seven or eight years overnight, he felt immense heartache.
“Dad, Mother, you both rest for a bit. I’ll ask Huaihua to make some noodles. Everyone hasn’t eaten yet. Let’s have something to eat first, and then we can think of a plan…”
People are iron, food is steel. If they continue like this, the whole family will fall ill.
Madam Gu nodded, “Alright. Let those constables come in. Xi’er, go and boil some water to make tea! Daman, do we still have two crucian carp at home? Ask Huaihua to stew some crucian carp soup for Guihua. She just gave birth, and crucian carp soup can help with lactation…”
Even if the sky were to fall, life must go on.
They couldn’t just be so dejected.
Yun Sanman was a little surprised when he heard that his eldest sister-in-law had given birth again, “Dad, Mother, when did eldest sister-in-law give birth? Was it a boy or a girl?”
“It was a boy!” Madam Gu murmured.
Their family was too strange. All the daughters-in-law gave birth to boys, never girls…
This had clearly become the rule of childbirth in the Old Yun family.
Prefect Chen was also surprised. He fumbled in his sleeve, “I came in a hurry and didn’t bring anything. Please accept this bit of silver and buy some food for the child!”
Old Man Yun looked at the silver ingots in his hand and repeatedly shook his head, “Prefect, what are you doing? It’s already too much trouble for you to run around for us. Please take your silver back, we can’t accept it…”
At this moment, money had little meaning to them.
The Yun family prepared lunch. Yun Daman called all the villagers over. There was no lavish feast, just home-style dishes.
Jin Huaihua made a large pot of noodles. When they were almost cooked, she threw in a handful of harala hai. Once served, they were ready to eat…
Pickled cucumbers, pickled radishes, preserved mustard greens, and the like were all plentiful.
These small pickled vegetables were very appetizing, and the Yun family couldn’t do without them for a single meal.
Granny Jin had been crying from morning till night, and Ru Yue and Ru Hua also shed tears along with her.
Commander Kong and the others were skilled in martial arts, capable of leaping over eaves and chasing enemies for a thousand miles. Why hadn’t they found their young master yet?
Had they themselves gotten lost?
“Granny Jin, my grandma asked you to come over and eat noodles…” Yun Jinhe walked over and said.
He and Yun Jinshan had taken three days off from the academy. The imperial examination was scheduled for autumn, and it was rumored that the chief examiner this time was from the capital, and the questions were very rigorous, and the grading was also very strict.
Therefore, Yun Jinhe had little confidence in this examination.
If his little aunt were here, it would be great. When he wrote an article poorly, his little aunt could immediately spot the problem, which was better than what the teacher taught…
Granny Jin wiped away her tears, “I’m not eating. Ru Yue, Ru Hua, you two go and eat a bit!”
“Not eating, not hungry!” the two maids replied listlessly.
Just then, a figure appeared outside the Yun family’s gate, craning their neck to look into the courtyard…