"Since that's the case, things will be much easier. I'll arrange for my brothers to search everywhere," Boss Zhang said generously.
Mr. Sun also went to round up help. People like them, who do business in the market, know people from all walks of life. With the bounty posters out, the Golden Sand City was abuzz with undercurrents.
However, after waiting all night, Gu Chaobei and his wife were still disappointed.
"We didn't find anyone. I'm sorry, Brother Zhang, we did our best!"
"Mr. Sun, we've inquired everywhere, and we haven't heard of any young girl being sold last night! Perhaps it wasn't the work of human traffickers?"
Indeed, people from all walks of life moved quickly. They actively searched every suspicious spot in the city, but it was all in vain. Gu Qingcheng was nowhere to be found.
Upon hearing this news, Hu Lanfang immediately fainted. Gu Chaobei panicked. Although he was a doctor, he couldn't treat himself. When his patient was his own wife, he lost all composure and, without his usual professional calm, held his wife and cried, "Wake up, my dear, wake up!"
It was Sun Sanniang who remained calm. She stepped forward and firmly pinched Hu Lanfang's philtrum. Only then did Hu Lanfang slowly regain consciousness. When she first opened her eyes, her vision was blurred. It was only when she saw Gu Chaobei that her gaze focused on him. With a wail, she burst into tears and said, "What do we do? Our daughter is lost? It's my fault for not watching her. I should have gone out with her. How could this have happened?"
Listening to his wife's tearful lament, Gu Chaobei was filled with regret. Alas, why had he been so greedy for that brief moment? At the time, he had even considered going with his daughter, fearing she might be bullied by traffickers and the price would be raised. But while he hesitated, his daughter had already gone downstairs. He had thought then that his child was growing up and should be allowed some experience. The city was relatively safe, and the market was so close; what could possibly go wrong? He never expected such a disaster to strike precisely then. If Gu Chaobei hadn't been occupied caring for his wife, he would have been beating his chest and stamping his feet in despair.
"Brother Zhang, there's someone here who says he's looking for Gu Chaobei and claims to know Gu Qingcheng's whereabouts."
Just as the situation reached a standstill, Boss Zhang had one of his men escort someone in from outside. Upon hearing this news, everyone's spirits lifted. There was news about Qingcheng? Hu Lanfang immediately sprang up as if she hadn't been the one who fainted moments before. With agile movements, she stepped forward and asked, "Who? Who knows about Qingcheng's whereabouts? Bring him in quickly!"
"Old Six, Aunt Six, it's me."
As he spoke, a man dressed in rags walked in from outside. His cotton-padded jacket was covered in patches of all sizes, and he looked disheveled, like a beggar. Gu Chaobei looked closely and realized it was Gu Bukou. Gu Bukou's steps were weak from hunger, and he was panting.
"Bukou, you know about Qingcheng?"
When Hu Lanfang saw it was Gu Bukou, her heart sank with disappointment. Gu Bukou had been temporarily living in Pukou Village outside the city. How could he possibly know about Qingcheng? Hu Lanfang slumped back onto the chair, her legs giving out.
"Yes, I have news about Qingcheng to tell you. You must hurry and save her, or it will be too late," Gu Bukou said urgently.
"What? You really have news about Qingcheng?" Hu Lanfang, as if injected with adrenaline, jumped up again. She rushed forward, grabbed Gu Bukou's hand, and, disregarding propriety between men and women, shook him urgently, asking, "Tell me quickly, what happened to Qingcheng? What happened? Where did you see her?" Hu Lanfang's voice trembled, laced with sobs.
Gu Bukou, swaying from her shaking, said, "Auntie, let go of my hand, and I'll tell you slowly."
Gu Chaobei quickly brought a bowl of warm tea from the side and said, "Bukou, have some water." The tea contained sesame seeds, peanuts, and dried longans. Gu Bukou, on the verge of fainting from hunger, gulped down the tea. After drinking the warm liquid, he immediately felt more energetic and spoke with more strength.
"I have to say, your family is truly wicked! This evening, when I passed by your family's campsite, I overheard your eldest son celebrating joyfully. He said Qingcheng had been successfully handed over to Old Master Gu, who was very pleased and said she fit the image of a virgin girl. Not only did he give him the remaining five taels of silver, but he also gave them an extra three taels as a bonus, which would cover their travel expenses to the south. Then, your mother said that Qingcheng was fortunate to be recommended by Old Master Gu as a virgin girl to benefit the local people. In the future, she might even receive incense offerings and perhaps become a minor deity. What a good thing! When I heard this, I knew something was terribly wrong. What virgin girl? Old Master Gu is utterly wicked. The villagers in Pukou Village have known for days that he has been looking for a virgin girl to sacrifice to the Seven Stars Evil-Dispelling Tower, but he hasn't found a suitable one. If they sold Qingcheng to Old Master Gu, wouldn't that be sending Qingcheng to her death? I know Qingcheng is your family's only daughter, and you usually treat her like a pearl in your palm. You definitely wouldn't have sold her. So I immediately rushed into the city to inform you. However, the guards at the city gate wouldn't let me in, and I had no money to bribe them. Later, I hid in a grain transport cart and managed to sneak in. But the city is so vast, and I couldn't find you anywhere. I was so anxious, and then I happened to meet the brother from before. They were talking as they walked about you looking for Qingcheng, so I stopped him and asked him to bring me to you. That's the whole story."
Gu Bukou finished in one breath, and for a long time, no one present spoke. The situation was far beyond everyone's expectations. It turned out that Qingcheng's own relatives had abducted and sold her?
For Gu Bukou, he had always remembered the great kindness of Gu Laoliu. Previously, when he exchanged salt with Gu Laoliu, he had received a generous scoop of salt for a bowl of coarse noodles, which had saved his family's lives. At the time, he had acted against his conscience and cheated Gu Laoliu, but that didn't mean he didn't know how to be grateful. A bowl of coarse noodles was definitely not worth a scoop of salt. He knew that scoop of salt could have been exchanged for at least two or three catties of grain. But not eating salt for a long time would lead to death. At that time, his family was on the verge of that point; their bodies were swollen, and they had no energy to walk. After taking that scoop of salt, his family's edema disappeared. Later, Gu Qingcheng and her father hunted many wild beasts, and their family's health gradually recovered by drinking the very salty meat broth, allowing them to survive until now. Gu Bukou had always told his family to be grateful and remember the kindness of that scoop of salt from Gu Laoliu. Therefore, when he heard that Gu Laohan's family had sold Qingcheng, he immediately risked his life to come to the city to inform Gu Chaobei. Heaven truly had mercy, for he managed to find Gu Chaobei.
After listening, Gu Chaobei gratefully hugged Gu Bukou tightly and said, "First, let me thank you. You are a great benefactor to our family. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have known where Qingcheng was abducted, searching all over the city with no clue." Hu Lanfang also repeatedly expressed her heartfelt thanks.