The old man Yun fiddled with his pipe and looked up at the plaque above the door.
The man's surname was Chen.
He bore a four or five-tenths resemblance to Prefect Chen.
Could it be...
Madam Gu smiled faintly, "Sir, I'd like to inquire if a little child visited your residence today?"
The man frowned, a flicker of disgust in his eyes, "No!"
Little Xi Tian, nestled in her mother's arms, glared at the man, her little face puffed up like a pufferfish.
"You... you're lying!~"
The man's expression froze, and he shot a fierce glare at Little Xi Tian, "Little brat, who's lying?"
"I advise you to scram before I lose my temper, otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Little Xi Tian pouted!
His attitude was truly unpleasant.
However, the more flustered and indignant he became, the more it confirmed his guilt and the fact that he was hiding a child in his mansion.
"Woof woof!~" Xue Ling barked furiously towards the courtyard.
Seeing this, Little Xi Tian pointed with her chubby hand, "In, in there!"
Upon hearing this, Yun Da Man and Yun Er Man ascended the steps, intending to force their way in.
"Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing? Trespassing on private property?"
The man's face darkened as he stepped forward to block them, "Do you know who I am to dare cause trouble at my home?"
Yun Er Man, desperate to find his son, shoved the man aside, "I don't care who you are! My son was abducted and is now in your mansion. If you don't hand him over, I'll burn this courtyard down!"
"Hmph! Are you lawless?"
The man was furious and roared into the courtyard, "Guards, bring out the weapons!"
A moment later, seven or eight servants rushed out in a flurry.
They were armed with a variety of weapons, including choppers, sticks, pitchforks, and one man even carried a ladle.
Madam Gu instinctively hugged Little Xi Tian tighter and took a step back, "Sir, we've lost our child, and our whole family is worried."
"If we had any other options, we wouldn't be causing a scene at your doorstep. Please, be kind and bring out the child. I will pay you extra for it!"
She knew that Xiao Bao must have been sold by Lu Shi and her daughter.
At that moment, a baby's cry suddenly came from within the courtyard.
Although faint, everyone present heard it.
Yun Er Man's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed excitedly, "That's... that's Xiao Bao's cry!"
Liu Cui Rong also wailed and rushed forward, "Wuwuwu, Xiao Bao, Xiao Bao, Mother is here to take you home!~"
Seeing the man's indifference, she grabbed his leg and shrieked, "Give me back my son, give me back my son!"
The man was filled with disgust, his brows furrowed so tightly they could have crushed flies. He kicked her down the steps, "Scram!"
He had been considering handing over the child.
But upon seeing Liu Cui Rong, he immediately changed his mind.
This country bumpkin, with snot and tears all over her face, her speech and actions were utterly vulgar.
The man felt extremely repulsed.
What kind of child raised by her wouldn't turn out to be a good-for-nothing?
"To tell you the truth, I am the younger brother of the Prefect. If you oppose me, you are opposing Prefect Chen."
"I will pretend today's events never happened. Let's both take a step back, and it will be a win-win situation!"
With that, he ordered a servant beside him, "Go get five taels of silver!"
"Yes!" The servant replied, turned, and entered the courtyard.
Madam Gu's cold eyes narrowed, "What, you think you can dismiss us with five taels of silver? Or are you trying to intimidate us with the Prefect's status?"
If she couldn't find Xiao Bao today, Madam Gu would fight him to the end.
Even if it meant ruin, she would seek justice.
Children were meant to be nurtured, not traded commodities.
The seller was wrong for being greedy, and the buyer was equally guilty.
The man snorted, "A mere village woman, don't be ungrateful. In this county of Heyang, ask anyone, who dares to provoke me, Chen Laohu?"
Little Xi Tian: "..."
Alas, it truly was a case of too many frogs in a shallow pond and too much evil wind in a small temple!
These wealthy masters from prominent families were sometimes more troublesome than ruffians.
Little Xi Tian looked helplessly at Kong Xing Zhuo, her bright eyes blinking.
She knew that Brother Kong's identity was not simple.
At this moment, only he could extricate her family from this predicament.
Kong Xing Zhuo winked at Little Xi Tian, coughed lightly, and stepped forward.
He hadn't intended to get involved, but this so-called 'Chen Laohu' was truly arrogant.
If you bought someone's child, you should just hand them over when the owner comes looking.
Why all this nonsense?
"Sir, may I speak with you privately?" Kong Xing Zhuo asked with a smile.
Master Chen glanced at him, "And who are you?"
Kong Xing Zhuo cupped his hands, "I am Kong Xing Zhuo. I have something I'd like to show you!"
After speaking, Kong Xing Zhuo put his arm around Master Chen's shoulder, turning him around.
"What... what do you want to do?"
"Nothing much, look!"
Kong Xing Zhuo took out a square object from his embrace and waved it in front of Master Chen.
"Recognize it?" Kong Xing Zhuo squinted at him.
Master Chen's face suddenly turned pale with shock, his legs trembling uncontrollably. He stammered, "Rec... recognize it!"
"Good that you recognize it!" Kong Xing Zhuo released him, "Go and bring the child out!"
Master Chen stared for a long time before snapping back to reality.
He hurriedly ordered a servant, "Go, go quickly, bring the child out!"
The servants exchanged glances.
What had that young master shown their master?
Why was he suddenly so terrified?
"Sir, that child was bought by you for five taels of silver, how can you..."
"Insolent!"
Master Chen rebuked him angrily, his face filled with anxiety, "Are we commoners allowed to buy a child from a noble family?"
The servant shrunk his neck and went inside to fetch the child.
Kong Xing Zhuo, having completed his task, bowed to Madam Gu and old man Yun, "My elders, I must rush on my journey and cannot stay any longer!"
The sun was setting, casting a glow of twilight.
It was getting dark.
He was in a hurry to return to the capital.
"Thank you for your help, Master Kong!" Madam Gu said with a smile, her eyes twinkling. She asked him, "When will Master Kong be visiting Dashui Village again?"
Kong Xing Zhuo glanced at Little Xi Tian and pursed his lips into a smile, "We will meet again soon."
After he returned to the capital to pick up his master, they might end up living in Dashui Village permanently.
Old man Yun also cupped his hands in farewell, "Safe travels, Master Kong, have a good journey!"
After Kong Xing Zhuo left, Master Chen also returned Xiao Bao to the Yun family.
Madam Gu took out five taels of silver and returned them to Master Chen, "Please keep this money!"
Master Chen was terrified and refused to accept it, saying, "The two women who sold the child said they were from Dashui Village."
His household was short of heirs, so he had wanted to buy a successor to care for him in his old age.
Madam Gu knew without guessing that those two women were Lu Hong Xia and Liu Cui Jin.
She was determined to settle this score.
As the family just got into the carriage, Xue Ling began to bark again.
Little Xi Tian raised an eyebrow and took her mother's hand, "Find, find the bad guys!~"
Those two bad women were hiding in the county town.
If she didn't find them, Little Xi Tian would wake up in anger even in her sleep.
Madam Gu understood her daughter's meaning and told Yun Da Man, who was driving, to follow Xue Ling.
A quarter of an hour later, the carriage stopped in front of a restaurant...