Xue Ling had helped retrieve Xiao Bao when she was sold to the Chen Mansion by the Lu family.
With it leading the way, Old Man Yun could feel a bit more at ease.
The village chief held up a torch and briefly explained the mission.
"Little Sweet Treasure got lost in the county town. Keep your eyes peeled and search carefully."
"Hey, Fu Daqiang, don't beat Xiao Qiang. It's useless even if you beat him to death!"
Fu Xiaoqiang was beaten badly, and Du Jinqiang also received several lashes from Du Lao San.
Old Man Yun, along with his family, boarded the carriage and hurried towards the county town.
Grandma Jin had also heard about the commotion in the village.
She emerged from her residence in a state of panic, pacing back and forth at the village entrance.
"Oh dear, how could she have gotten lost out of the blue?"
Grandma Jin stamped her foot, then suddenly remembered her own young master.
Since leaving in the afternoon, the young master and Commander Kong had not yet returned.
She wondered what they were up to.
"Grandma, let's go back. It's cold outside!" the maid Ru Yue gently advised.
Grandma Jin sighed and turned to walk back.
As she passed by Yun Wangcai's house, she suddenly heard laughter coming from within.
The courtyard gate was ajar, and Grandma Jin frowned, tiptoeing inside.
"Hahaha, this is hilarious! With that brat gone, let's see if the Yun family still dares to be so arrogant!"
"Serves them right. They've been so smug these past few years, almost reaching the heavens. Now they're facing retribution!"
"What little lucky general, what little fairy, it's all a sham."
"If their daughter is so capable, how did she get lost?"
"I truly hope a wolf has eaten her!"
"..."
Upon hearing this, Grandma Jin felt a surge of anger.
These scoundrels, with someone lost, they were still here gloating and kicking them while they were down.
Were they even human?
Little Sweet Treasure was only a few years old, and they were cursing her like this!
Grandma Jin gritted her teeth, kicked open the door, and strode in furiously.
She saw Yun Wangcai's family gathered around the dining table, eating cornmeal flatbreads.
"Hey, old woman, who let you in? Get out!" Yun Goudan's face darkened as he yelled angrily.
Grandma Jin raised her hand and slapped him.
"Slap!"
"Ouch!"
Yun Goudan cried out, nearly falling off the kang.
Immediately after, Grandma Jin grabbed the kang table and yanked it hard.
The bowls, chopsticks, soup basins, and dry flatbreads scattered all over the floor.
"You people are worse than livestock, and you deserve to eat flatbreads?"
Grandma Jin put her hands on her hips and frowned. "Whose child gets lost and isn't worried or upset? You, on the other hand, not only don't help find her but also speak ill and curse Sweet Treasure to be eaten by wolves!"
"You black-hearted bastards deserve to be thrown into a pot of oil, sent to hell, and die a horrible death!"
Yun Wangcai's family was stunned.
Usually, Lu Jinping was also sharp-tongued.
But facing Grandma Jin's imposing presence, she didn't know how to retort.
"What... what business is it of yours?" Lu Jinping shot back.
Like a cat catching a mouse, meddling in other people's affairs.
"Little Xi Tian isn't your child, why are you making such a fuss?" Yun Wangcai also grumbled indignantly.
Grandma Jin's gaze was so cold it could freeze everything.
She suddenly let out a laugh. "That's right, I just remembered. Your family is childless, unable to have children, so this generation is the end of your lineage."
"Families like yours, which are childless, how can you understand human warmth and coldness? You're not even as fragrant as horse dung by the roadside."
After scolding, Grandma Jin turned to the door, gritting her teeth, "If you dare to curse Little Sweet Treasure again, I'll sew your mouths shut, spit!"
Before leaving, she didn't forget to spit.
The maid Ru Yue was dumbfounded.
Grandma Jin truly lived up to her reputation as an elder who had navigated the imperial palace.
Her ability to retort was top-notch.
Inside the grand mansion in the county town.
"Fourth Sister, the place has been found. Shall we go now?" asked the one-eyed dragon.
It was the dead of night, and all households were asleep, the best time to move the children.
Xia Si Jie didn't hesitate, "Prepare the carriage quickly and tie up all the children. Let's go!"
"Alright!"
The one-eyed dragon approached the vegetable cellar and was about to open the lid when he heard the sound of horses outside the courtyard.
"Search thoroughly, everyone! By dawn, you must find that little girl!"
"You, go search over there. Don't let these few houses off either!"
"Yes, sir!"
The one-eyed dragon's face paled with panic. He quickly grabbed two sacks and placed them on the cellar lid.
"Fourth Sister, the constables are here!"
"What's the panic? Don't say anything rash!"
"Knock, knock, knock..."
The old courtyard gate was pounded violently. The guards also quietly hid themselves.
"Open the door, open the door! The authorities are investigating!"
Xia Si Jie suppressed her inner fear and signaled the one-eyed dragon to hide first.
With his appearance, even a good person would be mistaken for a villain.
"Whoosh!"
The courtyard gate was opened, and a dark, burly constable walked in.
He ordered his constables, "Search carefully!"
"Yes!"
Xia Si Jie, with a smile on her face, asked in a low voice, "This, this officer, we are respectable people, we haven't committed any crimes! Who, who are you looking for?"
The constable glared at her and went straight to the backyard.
There were many breadcrumbs and half-wet vegetable soup scattered on the ground.
"Such a large mansion, and you're living here alone?" the constable asked her.
Xia Si Jie sighed, "I'm alone for now. My husband is away on a business trip, and he doesn't return for three to five months."
She tightly clutched the handkerchief in her hand, afraid of revealing any flaws.
The constable searched for a long time but found nothing, so he led his men away.
Their target was Little Xi Tian.
Apart from this little girl, they were not interested in anyone else.
Xia Si Jie closed the courtyard gate and let out a long sigh of relief.
She was truly scared to death.
"Fourth Sister, are we still leaving now?" the one-eyed dragon asked, jumping down from the roof.
Xia Si Jie patted her chest. "Leave my ass! Go bring those two children up here, quickly!"
Sell the most attractive ones first.
As for the remaining children, they would find a way to move them after the situation calmed down.
The one-eyed dragon responded, opened the lid, and jumped into the vegetable cellar.
Unexpectedly, his foot slipped, and he lost his balance, falling face-first.
"Splash!"
"Ouch!"
Little Xi Tian burst into laughter. "Hey, you're so big, how can you still fall down!"
Xiao Jin Heng, however, was full of vigilance, instinctively shielding Little Xi Tian behind him.
The one-eyed dragon got up and saw a large amount of chestnuts and hazelnuts scattered on the ground, looking bewildered.
What was going on?
Where did these chestnuts come from?
"You two, come up with me!"
The one-eyed dragon pointed at Xiao Jin Heng and Little Xi Tian, his attitude overbearing and arrogant.
"What do you want to do?" Xiao Jin Heng asked.
The one-eyed dragon heard this, his cold eyes narrowed. "Do I need to report to you what I want to do?"
"If you know what's good for you, hurry up and get up. Don't force me to use force!"
Xiao Jin Heng didn't move an inch.
The little village boy absolutely could not go out, otherwise, he would be in danger.
Unexpectedly, the one-eyed dragon was tired and drowsy, having long lost his patience.
He reached out, grabbed Xiao Jin Heng by the collar, and lifted him up.
Just then, Little Xi Tian's space also reacted.