"Ah? So that's how it is. Were you kidnapped?" Mi Guo guessed. "There are so many kidnappers these days, they specifically target young girls and wives, selling them to brothels."
Gu Qingcheng suddenly felt a sense of camaraderie with Mi Guo. Facing such a desperate situation, they could still chat and gossip so calmly, even about matters of life and death.
Haha.
Gu Qingcheng thought for a moment and said confidently:
"It's okay, I won't die. My parents must be looking for me! They'll definitely save me!"
"Looking is useless. If you were sold, your parents wouldn't find a trace. I heard that kidnappers are in cahoots with officials; the officials won't even inspect their carriages." Mi Guo said earnestly.
"Ah, this is too dark!" Gu Qingcheng became a little disheartened. Was she really going to be tied up like the Flower Boy, then dragged to be buried alive?
"No, no, I have to find a way to escape." Gu Qingcheng pondered.
Gu Chaobei and Hu Lanfang finished their meal at the restaurant and waited for Gu Qingcheng to return, but she never did. They initially thought she was delayed because the market vendors hadn't finished their transactions yet. However, as time passed, an unsettling feeling began to creep into their hearts. Hu Lanfang couldn't sit still anymore and said, "Old Gu, let's go take a look. Don't just sit in this warm room and refuse to move."
"Alright." Gu Chaobei had already had the same thought. Hearing his wife's words, he immediately got up. After paying the bill, they headed to the meat market across the street. To their surprise, by the time they arrived, the market had already closed. The ground was littered with chicken and duck feathers, but there was no sign of their daughter. Gu Chaobei's heart pounded, and he quickly asked an old man who had just finished a transaction, "Elder, did you see my daughter come to collect chickens and ducks?"
"Yes, I did!" The old man's words brought a sliver of relief to Gu Chaobei. "Oh, when was that?"
"A while ago. I saw her collect the chickens and ducks and walk out of the market," the old man replied.
"Ah, she's been gone for a long time?" Hu Lanfang panicked upon hearing this. "What happened to our daughter? She didn't come back to find us? Could she have gone home by herself? That's unlikely. She knows we're waiting for her at the restaurant; she wouldn't have gone back alone without leaving a message."
The couple, unwilling to give up, searched the market again but found no trace of their daughter. Hu Lanfang's legs felt weak. "What should we do? What if something happened to our daughter?" A thousand terrible thoughts flooded her mind, and Hu Lanfang was in a panic.
"No, no, our daughter is so smart, how could anything happen to her? You're overthinking it. Haha, maybe she just went to the street outside, saw something delicious, and impulsively went to buy it." Gu Chaobei tried to comfort his wife with a calm demeanor, but he was also terribly worried.
"Mmm, that's possible. This child is just greedy. When she thinks of food, she forgets everything else." Hu Lanfang's hope rekindled, and she pretended to complain.
"Yes, she must be greedy. Let's go find her quickly. Oh, why don't you wait at the restaurant? I'm afraid she'll worry if she goes back and can't find us. I'll look for her alone. If I find her, I'll blow my whistle. One blow, and if you hear it, wait for us right there."
"Okay." Hu Lanfang listened and patted the whistle in her pocket, feeling its solid presence. Ever since they were separated by a mountain flood that day and managed to contact each other with the whistle, their family of three never went out without it. It was their lifesaver! The main thing was that there weren't many similar whistles around, and its sound was very distinctive; it clearly belonged to their family.
Hu Lanfang stood nervously below the restaurant, waiting for the whistle to blow. But after a long, long time, she heard nothing. Gu Chaobei walked along the street, asking at every open food stall if they had seen a thin, small girl buying large quantities of things.
"No, haven't seen her!" The shopkeepers all shook their heads. Gu Chaobei knew they were telling the truth. If Gu Qingcheng had bought anything, they would definitely remember, especially since their daughter bought so much. Any shop she had visited would surely have made an impression. After searching for a long time and not finding his daughter, Gu Chaobei had to return to report to his wife.
As soon as Hu Lanfang saw him return alone, she couldn't stand still, leaning against the doorframe and asking, "Still no luck?"
"Maybe she's playing around and got lost? How about we go find Mr. Sun and Boss Zhang? Let them mobilize people to help us search. More hands make lighter work."
"Good!" Hu Lanfang's spirits lifted immediately. "Let's go quickly!" With just the two of them, searching for someone in the city was like finding a needle in a haystack. However, Boss Zhang and Mr. Sun were locals; they could gather more people, and they were more familiar with the city. The couple quickly rushed to the intermediary's office and found Mr. Sun.
Upon hearing that Gu Qingcheng was missing, Mr. Sun's expression turned startled. Hu Lanfang's heart tightened, and she quickly asked, "Mr. Sun, is this serious?"
"Alas, there are many kidnappers in the city. I didn't think to remind you, seeing that your family of three was always together. Don't worry yet. I'll quickly find people to help you search. If she hasn't left the city, it will be easier to handle. At most, she'll be in those few places. Oh, I'll call Boss Zhang to come over, and we can discuss it together. He knows many people too. If we search together, there's a high chance of finding her."
Hu Lanfang's tears immediately streamed down. "If Qingcheng is found, I will reward you generously. Each of you will receive 100 taels as a reward, and the brothers who help find her will also receive 100 taels of silver! For those who help search tonight, each will receive one tael of silver for their hard work!" Hu Lanfang was willing to pay any price.
Mr. Sun quickly said, "Money is a minor matter; finding the person is important. We are old friends, how can we take this money? However, if someone finds Qingcheng, giving them a hundred taels as a reward is acceptable. It will surely make everyone more motivated to search."
Gu Chaobei nodded repeatedly. "Alright, let's do it that way." Sun Sanniang was urgently called to fetch Boss Zhang. Boss Zhang rushed over as soon as he heard that the Gu family was in trouble. On the way, Sun Sanniang had already told him about the matter. So, upon entering, he skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point. "To be honest, Qingcheng is quite a pretty child. If she's caught by kidnappers, she's usually sold to brothels. I don't know if she's been sold yet. If she was just sold, you might still be able to redeem her with money."
"No problem, we'll pay whatever it takes." Hu Lanfang couldn't worry about anything else. As long as she could get her daughter back, she was willing to become bankrupt. She never imagined that she would encounter such a terrifying situation in this era, causing her such heartache.