Chapter Twenty: They Stole Everything from the House!

“There’s a pouch of silver fragments here; the craftsmanship of this brocade pouch is extraordinary, but it’s hard to tell which family it belongs to,” Mo Bai remarked.

Huang Xuqiu crouched on the floor at the foot of the bed, raising his voice, “Here, there’s a jade pendant!”

The others hurried closer and saw that a wooden panel at the foot of the bed had been pried open, revealing a small wooden box inside. It contained some silver fragments and copper coins. The pale, lustrous jade pendant in Huang Xuqiu’s hand must have come from there.

“Clearly, this isn’t theirs. Let me see... Ah, there’s a character ‘Wang’!” Xie Yanzhi leaned in curiously, still holding a half bowl of braised pork, his right cheek puffed out and lips greasy.

“Dad, do you want some?” he asked.

“Wang family, huh? Do you know them?” Xie Tingjun pushed Xie Yanzhi aside without looking at him and turned to Huang Xuqiu.

Huang Xuqiu’s expression grew strange as he grit his teeth and said, “There are people surnamed Wang in the village, but no one here would have such a precious item. There’s only one Wang family in the county — the Wang Mansion. Moreover, Master Wang suffers from a stubborn illness and peculiar habits; seventeen concubines have died under his roof.”

His gaze shifted to the pouch of silver fragments and the braised pork in Xie Yanzhi’s arms; the latter’s eyes widened as he edged behind Xie Tingjun.

“It must be a deal with the Wang family. Sister Yuan... Let’s head to the Wang Mansion to confront them!” Huang Xuqiu stuffed the jade pendant and pouch into his bosom and decisively stepped out of the room. Suddenly, his eyes met with a pair of helpless ones in the courtyard; the three others beside him were still unconscious.

“He’er,” Huang Xuqiu paused, then bent down, offering a gentle smile.

“He’er, come here.”

“Xuqiu brother...” He’er hesitated but took a step forward.

“What? There’s a little one too? Mo Bai, don’t let her get away!” Xie Yanzhi sauntered out slowly, catching sight of Jiang He, and suddenly raised his voice.

The next moment, Jiang He dropped the firewood on her back and darted toward the door.

“Save—”

The second syllable was stifled as Mo Bai covered her mouth and slit the back of her neck. Her flailing limbs immediately went limp.

“Big brother really has skill,” Huang Xuqiu said as he slowly stood, casting a light glance at the delighted Xie Yanzhi.

“Of course. Mo Bai is—”

Hearing the praise, Xie Yanzhi almost blurted out, but suddenly stopped midway, clutching the braised pork and retreating beside Xie Tingjun.

“Don’t lose her. He’er, we’ll take her with us.” Seeing Mo Bai preparing to drag the girl inside with Mo Fei, Huang Xuqiu spoke up to stop them.

“She’s just a girl. If you want to use her as leverage, it probably won’t work. Better to bring the old lady back instead,” Xie Tingjun said, glancing at Jiang He.

“That’s different. Jiang He is Aunt Jiang’s life. If it were Grandma Jiang, she’d be a nuisance,” Huang Xuqiu smiled. “Let’s return first and leave her under Aunt’s care. We’ll head to the county.”

—

The five stood at the doorway, their faces varied.

The bedroom was a mess, chairs and tables overturned, clearly the scene of a struggle. Cheng Hu lay slumped against the wall, blood dried on his forehead.

“Hu’er!” Huang Xuqiu hurriedly helped him up, checking for signs of breath and feeling relief.

“He’s just fainted.”

“Mother...” Cheng Hu opened his tightly shut eyes, panic evident as he instinctively grabbed the person before him, his voice hoarse and desperate.

“Don’t take Mother away!!”

“Hu’er, brother’s here. What happened just now?” Huang Xuqiu spoke softly, gently stroking his back.

“Brother Xuqiu, Mother was taken by two bad men! After you left, Mother took me back to the room, then two men dressed in black burst in and snatched her. I wanted to chase them, but they pushed me down, and I don’t remember anything after that.”

Cheng Hu clutched Huang Xuqiu’s clothes tightly, tears and mucus smeared together.

Huang Xuqiu’s face grew grave.

There was no clue at all.

Xie Tingjun’s voice sounded behind him.

“This matter must be connected to the Jiang family. Just as we left, the matchmaker’s mother had an accident. I think we should first visit the Wang Mansion; maybe we’ll find a lead.”

“I think my father is right.” Seeing Huang Xuqiu turn with a somber expression, Xie Yanzhi nodded repeatedly, slipping the empty bowl behind him and quietly setting it down.

“I saw something.”

A weak voice came from the next room.

A tall figure approached the door, and Xie Tingjun frowned.

“Aren’t you sick? Shouldn’t you be resting instead of meddling?”

“Oh, still alive? Lucky you,” Xie Yanzhi curled his lips. “But don’t spread nonsense for a scrap of pride. Hu’er didn’t even clearly see anything. What can a sick person like you see?”

Huang Xuqiu said nothing but covertly sized up the man before him.

Moreover, he had come out of Sister Yuan’s room. Huang Xuqiu’s heart tightened, a fleeting glint of hostility crossing his eyes.

Xie Changzhi ignored the two and looked at the only familiar face, Huang Xuqiu.

“I heard noises and got up. I only saw their backs, but I noticed a red character on the back of their necks.”

“You saw them, so why didn’t you chase after them?” Xie Yanzhi, surprised he actually had a clue, was instantly displeased.

“Chase after them with this body?” Xie Changzhi coughed violently several times, gripping the doorframe to steady himself. His disdainful look made Xie Yanzhi fume.

“Besides, if I went after them, who would wait for you all? You only realized something was wrong after the house had been robbed!”

His mocking words made Xie Yanzhi’s face change from blue to white, then white to blue, finally muttering under his breath.

Xie Tingjun’s expression was also sour; obviously losing face, but he found no retort.

“In that case, this young brother and the two of you stay home to care for Hu’er, okay? I’ll borrow a bullock cart from Uncle Wang and rush to the county; it should still be in time.”

Huang Xuqiu was anxious and broke the deadlock directly.

Xie Changzhi clenched his fists beside him, realizing he was powerless at this moment.

“All right.”

“Mo Bai and Mo Fei will accompany you,” Xie Tingjun added, giving Huang Xuqiu a meaningful glance.

“Thank you!” Huang Xuqiu bowed farewell and left without looking back.

“Tch, what use is a farewell? She’s off to be a hero saving a beauty. I bet when Miss Cheng Yuan returns, this son-in-law might have to give up his place~” Xie Yanzhi finished, but just then, Xie Changzhi, who had been watching Huang Xuqiu’s retreating figure, suddenly turned and locked eyes with him, a terrifying storm brewing in his gaze.

He froze for a moment before lowering his head and shoulders again, silent, and walked back inside, bypassing the two.

Xie Yanzhi’s heart sank, and he felt annoyed.

“Really thinks he’s someone important. Let’s see if he’s still so arrogant when he’s kicked out!”

As he finished, he suddenly felt a familiar gaze upon him.

He trembled and looked up, barely opening his mouth before instinctively bending his knee.

“Dad, I’m not cursing you...”

—

Inside the room, Xie Changzhi lay back on the bed, taking a deep breath.

An infinite fragrance lingered beside him. Clutching the pillow tightly, his fingers suddenly brushed against something icy cold.