“Go away and stop disturbing us! It’s annoying!” Miao Cui Lan snapped and told her and Xiao Xue, “Look after Jin Er and bring him out to play. I’m just worried that your uncle and auntie won’t be back tonight. I’m not even sure if Jin Er will cry tonight or not!”
“Mother, please spare us! If Jin Er cries for auntie tonight, we don’t have any way to handle that!” Lu Xiao Shu begged, “Father and you can’t visit the Tong Family, but I can go! I can just go and ask around. If there are any changes, I’ll come home and report them to you! You don’t have to worry about it!”
How could Miao Cui Lan let her? Seeing them argue, Lu Zhong interrupted, “It’s getting late now. Nothing can be done tonight! We should just wait until morning, and we’ll discuss it then. If things don’t work out, you and I will visit them and ask for news outside the house. It seems like the Tong Family is still holding a grudge against us, so we won’t be stepping foot into their house!”
Miao Cui Lan was annoyed to hear that, but she sighed and let it go.
That night, the entire family’s mood was disturbed.
Jin Er had never been separated from his mother before. Long before night, he had already started crying for his mother. Xiao Xue hastily brought him out to play, barely distracting him for the moment.
However, when the sky turned dark, they had run out of options. Every family member took turns to care for him as they were getting tired. After trying everything, they could not satisfy the child. Eventually, he fell asleep from the exhaustion of crying. Tears streaked his face as he slept.
Miao Cui Lan carefully placed him on the bed and wiped his little face clean. She murmured, “Darn this kid! Back when Xiao Shu was little, she would always be cheerful whenever she met anyone. She never cried this much!”
Coincidentally, Lu Xiao Shu was bringing some hot water in. Her lips twitched silently as she thought: Mother, I’m different from him! We are different on the inside!
On the following day, Miao Cui Lan could not wait to have breakfast. She absentmindedly whipped up some food, gave Nanny Xu instructions for house chores, and rushed off with Lu Zhong to the Tong Family’s house.
Lu Xiao Shu was curious, so she secretly tagged along.
When the Tongs heard the couple was coming. Instead of making things complicated, Mistress Tong ordered the servants to invite them in. However, Miao Chu He had already left for the exchange when they arrived, when Miao Cui Lan heard that, color drained from her face, and she was dumbstruck for a moment.
Her legs turned into jelly as she could not hold herself up anymore. Her eyes stared blankly, and her lips kept trembling without any words coming out of her mouth!
Master Tong did not leave his study. Meanwhile, Mistress Tong was ashamed at what had happened. Tong Yu Er was even more remorseful because she knew very well how much he meant to his sister, but he took a gamble on his life for her family’s troubles.
“Cui Lan— I,” Tong Yu Er blushed. Her words hung in the air as she did not know how to finish her sentence.
Last night when she faced her husband, she already felt remorseful. After a night of crying, she had to face her sister-in-law. The shame grew heavier for her.
“It’s alright, Yu Er,” Miao Cui Lan might have had a huge shock, but she was still an understanding person. She forced a smile at Tong Yu Er, “Chu He will be fine! Haha! You married him, so he’s a son-in-law to the Tong Family. It’s only natural for him not to turn a blind eye when it comes to your family.”
“Cui Lan!” Tong Yu Er sobbed, looking at Miao Cui Lan as she was rendered speechless.
“Yes, yes! He will come home safely! He must!” Mistress Tong secretly let out a breath of relief while cursing Master Tong for his stubbornness.
Even though her daughter was in the wrong back then, this had proven that her daughter had chosen the perfect husband. The conflict happened so many years ago, but why did the Master not let it go?
Miao Cui Lan was not in the mood to be talkative. Naturally, at that moment, she would not want to leave. They waited anxiously as time passed slowly, hoping that Miao Chu He and Tong Yi would come home safely.
On a side note, when Lu Xiao Shu followed Miao Cui Lan and Lu Zhong, she went to a different path. When she looked ahead, she coincidentally saw her uncle walking not far away.
Lu Xiao Shu wanted to hide, but her heart skipped a beat as she gave it a thought. Eventually, she followed Miao Chu He.
In fact, she had thought of the possibility of this happening. She was determined to go to the Tong Family’s home to take a look because that was her uncle they were talking about!
The Tong Family’s only heir is Tong Yi. As for the kidnapping, the kidnappers would definitely warn them not to report it to the authorities. It would be weird if Master and Mistress Tong dared to breathe a word of it to the officers! Since that was the case, they would need someone dependable to send the ransom. Perhaps, the task would be given to her uncle, and unexpectedly, she bumped into him on the way!
Miao Chu He held a pile of silvers in his arms as he hurried to arrive on time at the meeting place. Besides, Lu Xiao Shu was agile and stealthy, so it would be impossible for him to realize he was being followed.
In the beginning, Lu Xiao Shu followed closely. The further they walked, the more secluded it became, so she slowed down and kept a distance from Miao Chu He.
In her past life, she had some knowledge of this. She knew very well that every kidnapper did things very carefully. They would ask to meet at a place not too far away and they would definitely send someone to keep a lookout. If the person secretly brought company, they would have more time to think of a plan.
Because of that, it was good enough knowing what direction her uncle was heading.
When it was noon, Miao Chu He arrived at a slope with rubbled terrain where there were no birds. According to what the letter had said, he headed towards the tall maple tree in the southeast direction.
The clouds were light and high above. There was complete silence around him and the only sound he heard was the occasional wind, rustling the leaves, branches, and grass.
Miao Chu He panted as he clenched his sweaty fist. Looking up at the old maple tree, his heart nervously beat faster.
The exchange location was under the old maple tree. He did not know what he would see later, and had even less idea about what would happen next!
The meet-up time was coming soon. He did not know whether he was tired or nervous. He felt as if his heart was beating as quick as a drum roll, so fast that he was losing his breath.
However, he could hear nothing around him other than his haggard breathing. Carefully gazing at the big maple tree, he saw no one and heard nothing. Miao Chu He’s guts told him something was wrong.
He had just taken a difficult journey halfway up the mountain, yet no one was there to meet him. Miao Chu He was momentarily stunned!
There was nothing under the old maple tree! No wait! As he walked closer to the tree, a letter was placed on the roots of the tree, weighed down by a stone.
He sighed and chuckled bitterly. Without knowing if it was disappointment or relief, he went over and picked the letter up. He found another address scrawled in it together with instructions on how to get there.
Miao Chu He struggled to catch his breath, but what could he do? He had no choice but to keep that letter with him. After a short break, he continued his journey in a hurry.
Meanwhile, Lu Xiao Shu was not surprised by it. A sly backup plan was always necessary, especially if they were kidnappers. She had never expected to see anyone under the huge maple tree! So, she continued following him.
It was a difficult journey over the mountain and through the forests. After walking for a very long time, Miao Chu He climbed up the mountain range called the Yang Jue Ao. At the land up front, he saw three stones arranged in a triangle, so he stood there and waited.
Just as he started to get impatient, he looked up and finally saw a burly man emerge with his face covered up except for his eyes.
That pair of eyes was cold and menacing. Miao Chu He was shocked by his sudden appearance. He composed himself and pursed his lips at the man without a word.
The two stared at each other wordlessly. Then, the man’s eyes grew dark, and he spoke with dissatisfaction, “You’re not Master Tong. Who are you?”
“The old man has trouble walking this terrain. I’m the Tong Family’s son-in-law, it makes no difference that I’m here. Where’s my little brother?” Miao Chu He asked.
The man looked up and down at him. He was skinny, weak, cultured and was wearing a hanfu. His face was all sweaty and he was panting profusely. It was obvious that he was exhausted, and he probably did not have much stamina left. In any case, he was someone that they could handle easily. The man scoffed at him and did not argue further. He asked in a deep voice, “Where’s the money?”
“I brought it. I want to see my brother first.” Miao Chu He was very nervous at first, but once he saw the man, he calmed down instead.
The man huffed, “Don’t worry! We keep our promises. As long as you brought enough silvers and aren’t up to something else, we’ll let him go!” He walked towards the path in front after adding, “Follow me!”
Miao Chu He had no choice other than to follow him.
It was another journey with many twists and turns. They took a turn around the mountain peak. Passing through the area that looked like there were no paths as it was filled with weeds and shrubs as tall as a person, a wide clearing appeared in front of them. At that empty clearing, they can see a high and steep cliff. There was a dark cave entrance on the cliff, and at that moment, there were two men with the same outfit as the one who led Miao Chu He there.
Miao Chu He was slightly alarmed. Subconsciously, he gripped the silvers in his arms more tightly.
“Where’s Yi Er? Where is he?” Miao Chu He exclaimed.
“Who is he to you?” One of the men at the cave questioned in a raspy voice.
“I’m his brother-in-law.” Miao Chu He said.
Thus, the man gave a signal to the other guy at the cave. He turned around and entered the cave. Soon, Miao Chu He heard a boy’s scream that seemed to be filled with pain. What followed the scream was a loud sob, “Brother, save me! Save me!”
After that, all he heard was some muffled cries, as if the boy’s mouth was covered again. It was most likely that the man who entered the cave instructed him to yell out for his brother-in-law.
“Yi Er!” Miao Chu He shouted loudly as he got agitated.
The man at the cave entrance huffed at him coldly, “Now you know where he is? Where’s the money? Give us the money and you can bring him out by yourself.”
However, Miao Chu He was slightly hesitant. He had not seen Yi Er with his own eyes yet, so he was not convinced.
