When the night fell, the snow stopped, and under the glow of the hanging red lanterns, the courtyard looked crystal clear and beautiful.
The maids hurriedly opened the door, and a warm, comforting air rushed out. Madam Zhou walked in with a tired expression on her face, letting out a soft sigh.
“How is it? Are they causing more trouble?” Master Zhou quickly asked.
The maids removed Madam Zhou’s cloak and quickly left, closing the door behind them.
“There’s no trouble,” Madam Zhou said as she sat down. She took a sip of brewed tea while rubbing her forehead. As she spoke, the two of them entered the door, and it was so quiet, it was as if they didn’t exist. Yet, she felt an exhaustion she had never experienced before. “The small kitchen was prepared, and after the two of them cooked and ate, they just went to bed.”
Master Zhou also let out a sigh of relief.
In the afternoon, the Chen family sent someone over, saying they wanted to invite Cheng Jiao-niang to visit the old master again tomorrow.
She had just left today; what more was there to see tomorrow?
Clearly, the Chen family was asking if Cheng Jiao-niang would leave or not.
If Cheng Jiao-niang said she was leaving, the excuse would be that she was going to treat the Chen family’s old master, in which case the Zhou family couldn’t stop her.
Master Zhou was furious, blaming his son for causing all this trouble, which was pointless and only angered Cheng Jiao-niang and the Chen family.
Not knowing what to do, Cheng Jiao-niang actually told the Chen family that there was no need to visit tomorrow. When it was time to go, she would naturally go.
In the end, the reputation was saved.
Master Zhou let out a sigh of relief.
“It’s all because of Liu-lang,” Madam Zhou said, wiping away her tears with a handkerchief. “Didn’t you see how heavily he struck himself? In the freezing cold, it’s just a girl, what’s the big deal? She’s throwing a tantrum without caring about her dignity. If anything were to happen to Liu-lang, I would never forgive her…”
“What would happen to him? It’s nothing serious,” Master Zhou said indifferently, sipping his tea with a sense of ease and comfort. “As long as the household is peaceful, that’s all that matters.”
The household is peaceful.
Madam Zhou couldn’t help but think about the chaotic events of just this one day.
This matter should be over now, right? From now on, the household can be peaceful, right?
Why did she always feel so inexplicably uneasy?
At this moment, Cheng Jiao-niang and her maid both sat up almost simultaneously on the bed.
“Miss, we’ve forgotten about Jin Ge’er!” the maid said.
The lights in the room lit up, followed by the lights in the entire courtyard, and then the whole Zhou family became lively.
“What’s going on?” Madam Zhou, who had just lain down, hurriedly put on her clothes. “It’s already evening, do they have to go out now?”
“They say a servant is missing, and the maid wants to go out and look for him,” the maid said.
“A servant? How could a servant go missing?” Madam Zhou frowned and asked.
“This is just an excuse to leave and cause trouble!” Master Zhou said angrily. “I knew it, it’s never this peaceful. She’s just holding back, ready to cause a stir. Don’t let them go out!”
The maids were at a loss, and Zhou Liu-lang walked in briskly, wearing a cloak.
“Father, Mother, there’s no need to worry. Wherever they need to go, I will accompany them,” he said.
“Liu-lang, you’re still injured. How can you run around in the dead of winter like this?” Madam Zhou said urgently.
Zhou Liu-lang waved his hand dismissively and left.
There was no sign of the lady in the corridor, only the maid, properly dressed.
“How could I trouble Sixth Young Master?” she said in surprise. “Just have someone prepare a carriage to take me to the Chen family and ask there.”
Only the maid? Not the lady?
Zhou Liu-lang frowned as he looked inside the room, the lights dim.
“Miss has laid down now,” the maid said.
Was she really just looking for a servant?
This lady was used to pretending to be foolish; she couldn’t be trusted!
“Aren’t you in a hurry to find him? Hurry up,” Zhou Liu-lang said, leading the way out.
Though it was snowing during the day, the winter night in the capital was still as lively as usual, with crowds and noise in the streets.
Zhou Liu-lang drove the carriage straight to the Chen family’s house.
Since they were going to stay at the residence, Jin Ge’er was sent there first.
In the sudden turn of events, both the mistress and maid were forcefully brought to the Zhou family, and both the Chen family and the Zhou family were in a panic, completely forgetting about Jin Ge’er.
It’s unclear whether the Chen family had someone specifically sent to fetch him or at least inform the child, so he wouldn’t be left in confusion.
When the door was knocked in the middle of the night, the Chen family was startled and got up.
“We thought the Zhou family had taken him, so we didn’t go to check.”
After asking around, they finally found someone who knew, and the steward slapped his leg in regret and said,
“Ugh, the person was sent away by you, and the house was rented by you. How could we go and fetch him?”
Zhou Liu-lang, filled with anger, spat at the man’s face.
“Zhou Liu-lang, if it weren’t for your shamelessness, none of this would have happened!” A young man from the Chen family, already boiling with anger, immediately pointed and cursed, “In the capital, with all the kidnappers around, that servant is only twelve years old and it’s his first time in the city. He doesn’t know the roads or anyone here. What if he gets lost? How will you explain it to Lady Cheng?”
Immediately, four or five young men around him echoed their support.
Lady Cheng had been forcefully taken by the Zhou family, and though she was a blood relative, she couldn’t complain about it. It was truly pitiful and made people hate the Zhou family even more.
Zhou Liu-lang sneered coldly, showing no sign of fear, and it seemed like a fight was about to break out in the courtyard.
“Find the person first. If we can’t find him, then we’ll settle the score!” the maid shouted, stamping her foot.
The sound of horses’ hooves swept through the snow on the street.
As the sky began to brighten, the chaotic footsteps shattered the morning tranquility of the Zhou household.
The maid’s face was flushed red from the cold, her eyes also red-rimmed. She opened the door and stepped inside.
Inside the room, Cheng Jiao-niang was already dressed and seated, holding a book in her hands, but unlike usual, she wasn’t reading or writing.
“Miss…” The maid couldn’t help but choke up.
“Speak first, then cry,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
The maid forced herself to swallow her tears.
“…I asked around, and someone said they saw Jin Ge’er first standing at the door, then walking toward the alley…”
“…As I followed the route, someone saw him wiping his nose and asking where the Chen family was, but he couldn’t specify which Chen family, so it came to nothing…”
The maid spoke in a trembling voice and stopped at this point.
“So, he couldn’t find the Chen family, didn’t know the Zhou family, and forgot his own residence. He got lost and disappeared,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
The maid nodded and choked back a sob.
“Miss, don’t worry. We’ve already reported to the authorities, and they’re still searching. The city gates have been guarded, so he shouldn’t have left the city yet,” she said.
Cheng Jiao-niang didn’t say anything and stood up.
“Miss, are you going out too?” the maid looked up and asked.
“Yes, I’m going to look for him,” Cheng Jiao-niang said. “It’s my fault he got lost, I have to bring him back.”
When they heard that Cheng Jiao-niang was going out, Master Zhou became anxious again.
“Still trying to find an excuse to run off…” Master Zhou said. “It’s just a servant who got lost. If we find him, we find him. If not, then forget it. It’s no big deal!”
When Cheng Jiao-niang reached the gate of the courtyard, she looked at the steward blocking the way.
“You… won’t let me go?” she asked.
The steward was unnerved by the way she looked at him with a blank expression.
“No, no,” Madam Zhou and Master Zhou quickly walked over.
Madam Zhou grabbed her hand.
“Jiao Jiao,” she said with a worried expression, “It’s not that we’re not letting you go, but it’s cold again. They’ll handle the search. You should stay at home.”
“No,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied.
Why was this child being so stubborn in her words?
“How ridiculous,” Master Zhou said with a tone of elder authority, pointing at the steward, “Just go buy a few more servants for her, that’s all.”
Cheng Jiao-niang turned her head and looked at him.
This was the first time since coming to the capital that she looked her uncle directly in the eye.
Master Zhou also saw this child’s gaze for the first time.
Those eyes were, as they had been when she was little, shockingly ugly, especially when she couldn’t control rolling her eyes…
“It’s you…who won’t let me go?” Cheng Jiao-niang asked, staring at him.
Master Zhou froze for a moment, feeling a strange chill run down his spine.
