But these people couldn't just sit inside and wait. So Wang Yan suggested they go out and secretly inquire about it.

If it were a young lady from a wealthy family who had gone missing, word would surely have leaked out.

Wang Ying asked her, "Where are we going?"

Wang Yan thought for a moment, "Sigh, let's go to the teahouse. There are too many people there, and who knows what kind of news might leak out."

"OK!"

The two sat in the teahouse for half a day, not daring to ask any questions, listening to others talk about various gossip, but they didn't pick up on any rumors.

When it was 1 PM, I went to eat feeling dejected. But I was pleasantly surprised to find myself in the lobby of the Kexuan Restaurant.

Wang Yan and her companion ordered a plate of frosty greens, a plate of Longjing shrimp, a West Lake fish in vinegar sauce, and three bowls of rice. They planned to take the food to Fumin Lane to eat with Aunt Wang and the others.

I even asked the shopkeeper to make another bowl of jade porridge, which is nourishing and good for you. This porridge was for that young lady.

Frosty greens are greens that have been touched by frost in winter. They are simply stir-fried with oil and salt and are sweet and delicious.

To make Longjing Shrimp, soak a handful of tea leaves in hot water, wash the shrimp, drain the water, mix egg white with starch to make a paste, and coat the shrimp with the starch.

Heat oil in a pan, add shrimp, stir-fry quickly for a few seconds, then remove the shrimp from the pan.

Then add the shrimp again, cook some Shaoxing wine, pour in the freshly brewed tea, add salt to taste, reduce the sauce until thickened, and plate. The aroma of tea is irresistible, leaving a lingering fragrance in your mouth.

The final step in making West Lake Vinegar Fish is to select grass carp of moderate size, keep them in clean water for several days without feeding them anything.

Then, kill the live fish, remove the scales, gills, and internal organs, and split the fish in half from the tail. Make a total of seven cuts.

Blanch the cut fish quickly in boiling water until cooked through, then remove the scalded fish and marinate it briefly with soy sauce, rice wine, and ginger for 15 minutes.

The sauce is made with locally brewed vinegar from Lin'an, wine, sugar, and cornstarch, resulting in a sweet and sour gravy. It's then poured over the fish and plated.

Wang Yan and her companion paid one qian of silver to pack all the food into a food box and carry it to Fumin Lane.

While the shopkeeper was plating the food, weren't the two of them sitting in the lobby drinking tea and waiting?

He overheard the guests at the next table talking amongst themselves, "I heard that the eldest daughter of the Shen family went to a temple to offer incense, but she fell off a cliff halfway there?"

"Tsk, where did you hear that news? Don't talk nonsense."

"Where am I talking nonsense? Didn't you see that this morning the Shen family mobilized all the guards in the manor and headed straight for Half Stone Mountain!"

Wang Yan and the other woman exchanged a glance, and at this moment they were not in a hurry to take the food back.

Wang Yan stepped forward and asked, "Excuse me, sir, is the eldest daughter of the Shen family you mentioned from Shen's Cloth Shop?"

The middle-aged man glanced at her, knowing it wasn't good to gossip like that behind her back. "Why are you asking this, little girl?"

Wang Ying pushed her younger sister back and said, "Please forgive me, my father wanted to come to Jiangnan to buy some kudzu cloth to sell back in his hometown. He just arrived here and is still unfamiliar with the place."

Therefore, I wanted to hear you two talking about Shen's Cloth Shop, so I took the liberty of approaching you to inquire. I hope you will forgive me if I have offended you.”

Knowing that they had no connection with the locals, they no longer needed to worry about the Shen family coming to question them. The uncle, who was a chatterbox, got even more excited.

"Hey, it's not a big deal to tell you guys. In just a few days, the news will be all over Lin'an City."

It's said that her young lady's car overturned and she fell off a cliff; her fate is unknown!

"You'd better wait before you start selling cloth; the Shen family doesn't have anyone capable of managing things right now."

Wang Yan rolled her eyes. "Why is that? Wasn't it said that only one young lady was missing?"

The uncle picked up his wine glass, sipped his wine, and said, "You don't know this, but the head of the Shen family passed away a month ago. Her son-in-law, Shao Wenxuan, is sickly all the time and can't handle anything."

Now that's happened, what's the point of you buying cloth now that the young master is in trouble?

You should hurry up and inquire again, and find a different fabric shop. The Zhu Family Fabric Shop in the west of the city is small, but it doesn't rip people off, and the fabrics are quite good.

If you don't need a large quantity, you can buy it there. It's just that they have a smaller selection.

Wang Yan and the other woman quickly thanked them, saying, "Thank you both for your frank advice. We will go back and inform our father so that we can avoid some detours."

The middle-aged man who had been talking took another sip of his drink and waved his hand, "What's the big deal! Even if I didn't say anything today, it would definitely be all over the teahouses and taverns by tomorrow."

Unable to suppress his gossipy nature, he glanced at the two women and wanted to analyze the reasons with them. It didn't seem like Miss Shen's accidental car overturning!

His companion across from him changed the subject, and by then the waiter had already packed up the food.

Wang Yan stood there for a while, and seeing that the other person had no intention of saying anything more, she thanked them again and left with her sister.

After walking for about 15 minutes, they arrived at the alley where they rented a place.

Upon entering the house, they saw Granny Wang feeding the young woman hot water. Wang Yan and the other woman were overjoyed to see this, finally she was awake!

Wang Yan took out the jade porridge and asked Wang Ying to feed the young lady some porridge instead of Wang Da Niang.

He called Aunt Wang out and told her all the information he had gathered.

"So you mean she might be the missing Miss Shen?"

Wang Yan nodded. "But it's not certain yet. Isn't she awake now? We'll go in and ask her later, and then find a child on the street to help deliver a message to her family to pick her up."

After drinking half a bowl of porridge, Shen Jiamu had applied the medicine to his shoulder three times that day and felt much better.

With a little strength remaining, she took off the gold bracelet from her arm and handed it to Wang Ying.

"Thank you for saving me, auntie and the two sisters. Please take this as payment for the medicine."

Wang Ying waved her hands repeatedly, saying that she needed to discuss with the other two whether or not to take it.

Just then, Aunt Wang and her companion entered. Her attention wasn't on the bracelet, but rather on the young girl.

"Young lady, you can speak now. Where are you from?"

We can help you send a message so your family can come and pick you up.

"Have you ever heard of the Shen family of Lin'an, madam? I am Shen Jiamu, the young master of the Shen family." (Don't ask her why she is the young master in the text; I will explain the historical context later in the author's notes.)

Wang Yan asked to confirm, "Shen Family Cloth Shop?"

The young woman raised her eyebrows confidently, "Exactly! Could you please help me send a message back home? The Shen family will surely reward me handsomely!"

Aunt Wang nodded, "That's fine, but there's no need for thanks."

Hearing that Aunt Wang didn't want any reward, Shen Jiamu felt embarrassed. Looking down, he realized they hadn't taken the bracelet yet.

She tried to push the bracelet over, but she was too weak. She raised her hand twice, then leaned back, losing her strength.

Seeing that she was holding the bracelet in her hand, Aunt Wang stepped forward and took it.

However, I only need to accept this one bracelet; I dare not accept any other reward.

If you found a little beggar on the street, why didn't you go and tell him yourself?

Indeed, Wang Yan felt that something was wrong! Although she didn't ask directly, it was obvious that this young woman was being chased.

Forget about robbing money; Shen Jiamu doesn't seem to care about money at all.

Two solid gold bracelets inlaid with rubies are given away without hesitation. If you encounter a robber, just throw the gold bracelets away, and the robber won't even have time to chase after you with a knife.

And didn't they hear that the car overturned and fell off a cliff? How did the people end up in Lin'an City?

Wang Yan glanced at the address the woman had given her to deliver the message and secretly praised her, thinking that the woman was quite clever.

She passed by this place when she came here this morning. How should I put it? It's a street similar to the back street of a marquis's mansion, a street where servants lived.

However, the servants of several families lived on that street.

Before long, a nanny arrived with two maids and a group of female guards.

Seeing this, Wang Yan and the others were about to leave when the old woman stopped them, saying, "Three benefactors, please stay a while."

Wang Yan thought to herself, "Oh no, I should have slipped away before they arrived. This young lady is such a troublemaker, she kept talking to us."

The old woman bowed respectfully. "My young lady was fortunate to be rescued by three benefactors, but she has been away from the manor for almost two days."

"The three of you may come back with me. Explain that Miss Ming was injured, which is why the three ladies took care of her outside overnight."

With a respectful attitude, a kind tone, and firm actions, these three are now unable to leave, no matter what.

She could only nod in agreement. Halfway there, Wang Yan gave Wang Ying a wink.

“My family’s luggage is still at the inn. Why don’t my mother and I go back with you to explain, and let my sister go back to the inn to pack her luggage first?”

Shen Jiamu felt a sense of relief and couldn't help but smile slightly. "That's absolutely right. Then let this sister go back. Our place is politically stable and has excellent public security. It's fine for her to go back alone."

Upon hearing this, Granny Qian stopped and politely handed over a purse, saying it was for Wang Ying to take to the inn to pay for her room.

Then they brought out a little girl, about eleven or twelve years old. "It's the end of the year, and it's not appropriate for a girl to live alone outside. This is my daughter. Would it be nice for her to keep the girl company?"

Wang Ying didn't dwell on it any longer. After taking the purse, she turned and left with the little girl.

Upon arriving at the inn, the three of them packed their belongings and then rented a standard room at an inn near the government office for three taels of silver a day.

However, Shen Jiamu paid for the room using the purse given to him by Granny Qian.

Shen Jiamu's words just now implied that staying here is the safest option.

Wang Yan and Aunt Wang both nodded slightly. After Wang Ying brought the little girl here, she stayed in the room every day and didn't go out.

Fortunately, there were many female innkeepers here. When she came to check in, several women who looked two or three years older than her also came and booked rooms.

Listen carefully to what they say; they're here to sell goods too. Some bring gemstones and beads from other places, while others come to buy tea and cloth.

The innkeepers were used to it and treated the guests with respect, handling their check-in process in a calm and courteous manner.

However, Wang Ying still told the shopkeeper downstairs that her family members, her father and brothers, had gone to Jinhua to collect ham and would be coming back in a few days.

The little girl, Ye Zi, who had come along, was very obedient and stayed at the inn with Wang Ying every day.