The Xu family discovered the person was missing in the evening.

Lu Sheng helped Old Master Hu, followed by Cao Zixuan who clung to him like a shadow, and the three of them entered the Xu family home together.

"Lu Sheng, that girl, you seem to have lost so much weight in just one month," Old Mrs. Xu said, looking Lu Sheng up and down.

"Look how thin her chin is, it's practically pointy," said Aunt Wu. "Tell the kitchen to make extra nourishing soup today. Lu Sheng needs to recover properly these next few days."

"Exactly, this girl doesn't take care of herself at all. She rushes to deliver the goods like she's in a hurry. Why does she have to rush to meet deadlines? Look how thin she's become."

From the moment he saw her, Old Master Hu's mouth never stopped, constantly criticizing Lu Sheng for not taking his health seriously. Lu Sheng nodded casually, "I know."

But his sharp gaze fell on Cao Zixuan. It was all because of that big mouth of his. If he hadn't spoken recklessly in front of his master, his master wouldn't have said that.

Cao Zixuan ignored him and shamelessly sat down next to Lu Sheng with a plate of pastries.

"Lu Sheng, this is your favorite chestnut cake. It's fresh out of the oven and still warm. Try it!"

The chestnut cake on the plate was still steaming. Lu Sheng didn't like sweets, but he only liked chestnut cake.

Whenever she comes to the Xu family, these pastries are always served.

She had just reached for a piece of pastry when she suddenly asked Grandma Xu, "Grandma Xu, hasn't Man'er come back yet?"

While chatting with Grandpa Hu, Grandma Xu took a moment to say, "Not yet, I'm afraid he'll be coming back with Yi'er."

The brother and sister often came back together. Old Mrs. Xu saw that it was almost time, and sure enough, after everyone chatted for a while, a servant came to announce that the eldest young master had returned.

"You've come at the perfect time. The food in the kitchen is ready. Let's all move to the dining room for our meal."

Grandma Xu led everyone towards the dining room, and knowing that Fu Man'er was attached to Lu Sheng, she specially arranged for the two of them to sit together.

Before everyone had even taken their seats, Xu Yi walked in.

Old Xu saw him first, "Yi'er, sit down and eat."

"Where's Man'er? She always complains of being hungry as soon as she comes back. What's she up to today?" Old Xu looked around but didn't see Fu Man'er.

Xu Yi hadn't even lifted his foot yet when he asked, "Man'er, hasn't she already returned?"

After his shift ended, he went to Fu Kee restaurant, where the staff told him that the owner had already gone home.

"No, he hasn't come back." The previously noisy dining room suddenly fell silent, and everyone looked at Xu Yi.

It's as if a few more glances would reveal Fu Man'er's identity; that girl is definitely trying to amuse everyone.

They might suddenly jump in from outside the door, make faces at everyone, and laugh as they say they've fooled you all.

“I went to Fu Ji’s restaurant, and the waiter said that Man’er returned an hour and a half ago,” Xu Yi said in a deep voice.

An hour and a half is such a long time. It takes less than half an hour for the Xu family to get to the town. They could walk home in that long.

"Where's Shuangxi? Isn't she with Man'er?" Xu Yi turned around and asked a servant, who immediately ran out.

A servant quickly came to report, "Shuangxi hasn't returned, and neither has Miss's carriage."

"What?" Old Mrs. Xu suddenly stood up, her face full of shock.

"I'll send someone to look for it right away." Xu Yi said, then walked out, with Lu Sheng and Cao Zixuan quickly following behind.

Grandma Xu and Grandpa Xu didn't look too good, so Grandpa Hu comforted them.

"Don't worry, Man'er is probably just held up by something."

"I made so many delicious dishes today, all of which are Man'er's favorites. She wouldn't want to miss them."

Half of the dishes were already laid out on the table, each one looking and smelling delicious, but the people at the table were no longer interested in them.

The wait was the most anxious and agonizing. Even the usually calm and collected Old Man Xu couldn't stand it anymore. He paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, frequently looking towards the door.

I don't know how well Xu Yi and the others are searching. After a while, Xu Yi finally returned.

"Yi'er, where's Man'er?" Before he could even walk in, Old Man Xu and the others came out to greet him. He hadn't even spoken yet, but judging from his expression, it was clear that things weren't going very well.

"We didn't find Man'er, but in an alley next to Fu Ji, we found Uncle Zhao, who drove the carriage for Man'er. He had been knocked unconscious and tied up inside."

Upon hearing this, Grandma Xu's heart skipped a beat, and she stumbled, almost losing her balance. Grandpa Xu quickly supported her. Only then did Xu Yi, who was in a state of panic, realize that perhaps he shouldn't have told his grandparents everything so bluntly, as they were too old to handle it.

"What about Man'er? What about Man'er?" Old Mrs. Xu asked anxiously.

“Someone saw Man’er’s carriage heading towards the outskirts of the city. Lu Sheng and the others have already gone after it. Grandpa, Grandma, Master, please stay at home and rest assured. I will send someone to deliver any news.”

The situation was actually worse than Xu Yi had described. They had seen the carriage an hour earlier, and now it would be very difficult for them to catch up.

He went home because Uncle Zhao said a new coachman came to him, saying that the master had asked him to do other work.

Uncle Zhao was a little suspicious and was about to go ask the young lady when he was hit on the back of the neck. When he woke up, his hands and feet were tied, his mouth was gagged, and he was thrown at the end of the alley.

After Xu Yi finished speaking, he hurriedly went to find the steward and asked about the new coachman. No one knew him well, since he had only been there for a few days.

Yesterday, the driver said he had some family matters to attend to and took half a day off. Since they couldn't get any information from him, Xu Yi had no choice but to send someone to the driver's house to inquire.

When the person who had inquired returned, Xu Yi realized that the address on the document was fake, and the people living there didn't know the driver at all.

Without finding the driver, Xu Yi couldn't know his intentions, so he didn't dare to delay and went to find Xie Ming with the driver's portrait and name.

The yamen (government office) has the names of all the residents of Lanzhen, registered on their original sites. If you go there, you might be able to find out something.

The news of Fu Man'er's disappearance caused an uproar in the Xu family, and not only the Xu family, but also the Cao family received the news.

Yu Miaoyi arranged for many guards to protect Cao Zixuan and Lu Sheng, instructing them to find Fu Man'er at all costs.

In an instant, the entire town of Lan became bustling with activity. People were walking around the streets with portraits in their hands, and even the constables from the government office were mobilized.

Many people were peeking around, trying to find out what was happening, but no one answered them.

The side door of the Chu family opened and closed several times. Every time Madam Chu's confidant came in, the Chu family members would be happier. "Good, good." After hearing the confidant's words, Madam Chu laughed. "That wild girl is already in our hands. I wonder which side the Xu family will take care of at this time."

"Master, tomorrow you should arrange for people to cause trouble at the Xu family's restaurant." After Madam Chu finished speaking, she noticed that Master Chu looked worried.

"Master, Master?" Madam Chu called out twice before Master Chu came to his senses.

"Madam, what's wrong?"

"Master, we've got the wild girl from the Xu family. They're looking for her everywhere. If you arrange for someone to take action tomorrow, they'll be too busy to even take care of themselves." Madam Chu chuckled as she thought about it, a laugh that sounded utterly terrifying.

"I understand. I will arrange the rest. There are still some things to take care of at the cloth shop. I'll go to the study to deal with them first."

Master Chu seemed somewhat distracted, because the news he received concerned northern merchants and sounded very unfavorable to him; he was about to do something to turn the tide.

Only Madam Chu, Chu Yiyi, and Madam Chu's confidante remained in the hall. Without Master Chu present, Madam Chu spoke without any restraint.

"Yiyi, we've caught that brat. Tell me, what do we need to do to get revenge?"

Chu Yiyi looked pleased, but the words that came out of her mouth were very vicious: "Just like Mother said before, the best way to ruin a woman is to destroy her reputation and innocence."

Actually, what Madam Chu mentioned before was reputation; the word "innocence" was added by Chu Yiyi at the last minute.

"After tonight, I'll make sure everyone in Lan Town knows what kind of person that wild girl from the Xu family is, and see who dares to say she's more beautiful than me."

Chu Yiyi gripped her skirt tightly, the face of Fu Man'er flashing through her mind. She was unwilling!

"Mother, I'm going to avenge this myself!"