Surprise him

The old doctor shook his head helplessly. "It's not that I'm not doing my best, but the human mind is extremely complex, like a densely woven silk thread, intertwined and intertwined, stretching and growing. Once it's broken, it can't be reconnected."

At this point, Cheng Yayin's reluctance to give up was completely shattered. In fact, she should have known long ago that the director of the Salesian Home treated Du Lanxin so well and must have sought out famous doctors. But her condition showed no improvement. Doesn't it mean that tomorrow is not what people want, and this young and kind girl will never get better?

Cheng Yayin felt a surge of depression in her heart, and followed Pei Songsheng out of the clinic without saying a word. When she left, she did not forget to leave a large sum of medical fees and asked the old doctor to take good care of Du Lanxin.

On the carriage back home, Cheng Yayin leaned against the wall in silence. Pei Songsheng saw her gloomy look and said gently, "Actually, it's not all in vain. We at least know that the man's surname is Wang, which is a very important clue."

Cheng Yayin didn't feel much better. She thought, since that man was so promiscuous, he might not reveal his real name when meeting girls. Pei Songsheng couldn't help but understand this; he was just trying to comfort her.

Although she was not comforted, Cheng Yayin still forced a smile at him and whispered "thank you".

When the carriage was halfway there, Cheng Yayin got off in advance because she had something else to do. Pei Songsheng had already made an appointment with Xue Zhi to discuss something at home, so he didn't want to keep anyone waiting for a long time, so he went back home first.

Cheng Yayin went to her own academy.

A fire the previous night destroyed nearly 70% of the Salesian Home. Pei Songsheng said he needed to find another place to house the homeless nannies and children, but there were so many of them that he couldn't find a suitable place at the moment. So Cheng Yayin volunteered to send them all to her own academy.

Cheng Yayin had invested most of her earnings from writing books over the past few years into this academy. She had spent considerable time choosing a location, ultimately settling on a spot at the end of the Dongfang Market. This quiet spot, nestled between the bustling market and the main stream, was a perfect place for both study and daily life. They even dedicated a school building to it; while it wasn't yet fully completed, it was more than enough to accommodate the Salesian's inmates.

Cheng Yayin went to see how the dean and the others were settling in. If there was anything missing, she bought it. When the dean and the children saw her, they thanked her profusely, calling her a living bodhisattva, almost making Cheng Yayin feel embarrassed. In reality, she had simply done what she could; it was only natural for her to help the poor and the needy, as those with wealth should benefit from it.

Although the children were frightened, no one was injured. Now that they had a safe place to live, they could not hide their excitement for being in a new place, and they all started playing in the courtyard of the academy.

Looking at the innocent smiles on the children's faces, Cheng Yayin felt relieved.

The director asked about Du Lanxin's situation. Cheng Yayin gave a brief account and then asked about the whole story before and after her disappearance, such as whether there was anything unusual before her disappearance, and whether she had any unusual items on her when she returned to the orphanage.

Unfortunately, the dean was also full of doubts about Du Lanxin's case and could not provide any useful clues. Cheng Yayin had no choice but to return home dejected.

When he returned to Pei Mansion, Xue Zhi had just finished talking to Pei Songsheng. Pei Songsheng was about to see him out when he met Cheng Yayin.

Xue Zhi bowed politely and called out, "Sister-in-law."

Cheng Yayin also bowed her head in return. Seeing Xue Zhi's depressed expression, she knew that he must have also been to Du Lanxin's place and returned empty-handed.

Judging from his appearance, he was about to leave Pei Mansion. Cheng Yayin estimated the time and asked him to stay for a quick meal.

Xue Zhi politely declined, saying he had official business to attend to, and hurried off. Cheng Yayin saw how haggard he looked, and imagined that since his sister's disappearance, he must have been worried day and night, barely able to afford food and clothing. Only by devoting himself to official duties could he temporarily forget his anxiety, and she couldn't help but feel even more sympathetic towards him.

After bidding farewell to Xue Zhi, the couple slowly walked back to the mansion. Cheng Yayin expressed her concern for Xue Zhi. As a close friend, Pei Songsheng's worries were even greater than hers. However, since it was a close relative who had been in trouble, no amount of comfort from others would matter. All he could do was to do his utmost to help him catch the criminal.

After a night of rest, Pei Songsheng's spirit did not seem to have recovered much. There was a hint of fatigue between his brows. He would occasionally rub his eyebrows while speaking, as if he was extremely tired.

"Are you tired?" Cheng Yayin asked worriedly.

Pei Songsheng shook his head, pressed his brow and said, "I'm not tired, I'm just a little dizzy."

Cheng Yayin remembered that the reason why he was confused at first was because of blood clots in his brain. Now that he was awake, it meant that the blood clots in his brain had dissipated, but there might be other symptoms that had not been cured. She immediately asked someone to call a doctor.

Pei Songsheng stopped her and shook his head, indicating that there was no need to make such a fuss. "Actually, I've been feeling dizzy and unwell since the fall at Fanle Building a few days ago. I guess it's because I've been busy with official duties for days and haven't had a good rest. It's okay. I'll take a good rest after this busy period is over."

He said it so lightly, but Cheng Yayin knew it wasn't going to be easy. Not to mention the recent backlog of official duties, even with the upcoming work for the Censorate and the pursuit of the missing persons, he was bound to be kept busy non-stop, and it was unclear when he would finally get a break.

Seeing Pei Songsheng so listless, Cheng Yayin suddenly thought of something. Her eyes lit up and she said, "Let me show you something."

The two of them just walked into the inner courtyard. Pei Songsheng was arranged by Cheng Yayin to sit on a stone bench in the courtyard. He watched her in confusion as she quickly slipped into her bedroom.

He had not slept well last night and was actually very tired now. He could hardly support himself sitting on the stool. He rested one hand on the stone table beside him, supported his forehead and closed his eyes to rest. He opened his eyes when he heard the sound of the door being pushed open, and saw Cheng Yayin coming out carefully holding a wooden object. At first he did not understand her intention, but when she put the thing on the stone table and he saw the complete structure of the object, his eyes suddenly widened.

Cheng Yayin looked at Pei Songsheng's expression and said with satisfaction, "Isn't it a surprise?"

Pei Songsheng was silent for a moment and asked, "How come this is here with you?"

Cheng Yayin then recounted the entire story of this remarkable event, which had spanned over ten years. Her voice was filled with emotion, and after she finished, she let out a long sigh and said excitedly, "Don't you think it's extraordinary? We hadn't even met back then, but on my first day in Shengjing, I found your beloved possession. Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye, and now I'm bringing it to you again."

After the initial shock, Pei Songsheng put on a faint smile and looked at Cheng Yayin with bright eyes as she told him the story.

She was very excited, and Pei Songsheng was also very moved, but he knew that the reasons why they were intoxicated at the moment were different.

When she talked about this matter, it was as if she was discussing a story with twists and turns. She was deeply impressed by the exquisite connection of the plot, as if she was not involved in it. But for Pei Songsheng, the likes and dislikes of his youth were too far away from him. Compared with the joy of regaining what he had lost, his heart was now occupied by another more powerful voice - fate is predestined.

Cheng Yayin has used these four words to describe every pair of characters in her works, but she has no intention of applying these four words to him and her.

Pei Songsheng lowered his eyes to hide the loneliness in his eyes, and bent down to fiddle with the small wooden house on the table. It was a little different from his childhood memory. For example, the puppet he had placed in the house was now placed in the yard of the wooden house. He reached out and picked up one to look at it, and immediately found that it was not carved by him.

Without waiting for a closer look, Cheng Yayin took the little wooden figure from his hand and put it back in the yard, saying with a wry smile, "It can only be admired from a distance; it can't withstand close scrutiny."

A fire completely put an end to Cheng Yayin's idea of ​​finding the little wooden man, so she drew a blueprint according to her memory and asked someone to send it to a craftsman to carve it according to the model. However, after so much time, she really couldn't draw the original appearance of the wooden man. She always felt that there was something wrong with the little wooden man sent to her, so she took the carving knife on her own initiative and changed a few places by herself. This time, her clumsiness was exposed. Not only did she not change it to the appearance she wanted, but she also carved the little wooden man's nose and eyes crookedly.

But her attempt to hide her shame failed. Pei Songsheng still picked up the little wooden men. His clear and elegant eyes swept over their twisted faces one by one, and a smile that could not be suppressed appeared at the corner of his mouth.

He rarely had such an expression, and he didn't look as listless as before. Cheng Yayin breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, she couldn't hide her embarrassment. She muttered, "Well, I'm not good at wood carving, so it's already impressive that you can carve it like this. If you think it's ugly, I'll ask a carpenter to carve it for you."

"Not ugly." Pei Songsheng said softly, his fingers stroking the hair bun of a small wooden figure with a missing corner, and said to her, "Do you have a carving knife?"

Of course there is. Cheng Yayin went into the house to take out the tools, watched Pei Songsheng pick up the carving knife, and fell into deep thought.

He hadn't touched wood carving for more than ten years. The moment he held the carving knife, he felt a sense of melancholy in his heart. His father's advice in his childhood rang in his ears again, making him want to put down the carving knife.

But Cheng Yayin looked at him with burning eyes, as if she was looking forward to him showing his skills.

So he put aside all distractions and concentrated on carving.

Cheng Yayin watched with interest.

After all, it had been many years since he had touched the figure, so Pei Songsheng's technique was a little unfamiliar at first. But after carving a few strokes, he gradually got better at it. The crooked eyebrows and eyes of the little wooden figure were gradually shaped into a straight shape under his hands, the uneven parts were scraped off, and the corners that were not carved were skillfully flattened and reshaped. The small female doll with two buns was quickly transformed under his carving knife, and the eyebrows and eyes became lively and lively, but it was not the way Cheng Yayin remembered.

After carefully distinguishing it, she hesitated and said, "Is this... me?"

Pei Songsheng handed her the carved wooden figure without saying a word.

Cheng Yayin took it and looked at it carefully, then touched her face to confirm that it was herself engraved in this figure. However, the little wooden figure had two buns on its head, and looked a little childish, more like her when she was a child.

"That's amazing." Cheng Yayin couldn't help but exclaim in amazement. "You haven't carved anything in so many years, and yet you carved so well in your first try. If you weren't born into an official family, you would definitely be famous as a craftsman if you became one."

Cheng Yayin couldn't let go of the little wooden man who looked 80% like herself. She looked at Pei Songsheng's hands and then at her own, thinking that they were all human hands, so why was there such a big difference?

She immediately decided: "I want to learn wood carving, and when I learn it, I will carve a picture of you."

She said it without meaning it, and had no idea what kind of waves her words had stirred up in Pei Songsheng's heart.

But he knew that her words were not meant to be ambiguous, but merely a courtesy. After she finished speaking, she excitedly pulled him aside to ask about carving techniques, her eyes glued to the carving knife, not even giving him a spare glance.

He laughed at himself, suppressed the hopeless fantasies in his heart, and earnestly demonstrated to her how to hold the carving knife.

Since Pei Songsheng was accidentally injured, Cheng Yayin hadn't felt as relaxed as she did today for a long time. However, the happy atmosphere didn't last long. Jian Zhu came to report that Si Xuan from the Fire Department had arrived.

He put down the carving knife and his expression became solemn again.