Jiang Yuwei hurriedly said to Ning Huaizhi:

“Huaizhi, let’s split up and search. You take the oxcart and search the surrounding alleys. In a quarter of an hour, whether we find it or not, we’ll meet here again. I’ll go search this house again. Perhaps Wan’er was playing and forgot the time.”

Upon hearing this, Ning Huaizhi naturally dared not delay and drove the oxcart away.

Jiang Yuwei then knocked on the door of the delivery company again:

"Sir, I'm so sorry, my daughter came with me to deliver goods earlier. She said she was going to come into the house to find me, but I haven't seen her at all. Could you please make an exception and let me go in to look for my daughter? I think she might be playing somewhere and has lost track of time."

The steward was a kind-hearted man. Seeing that Jiang Yuwei was really anxious, he ordered a servant to take her to the mansion to look for her.

The courtyard wasn't large. The servant led Jiang Yuwei around the courtyard, searching everywhere they could think of, but they still couldn't find Ning Wan. The more Jiang Yuwei searched, the more uncertain she became. She almost shouted herself hoarse, but still couldn't find Ning Wan. A quarter of an hour later, they arrived at the gate, and Jiang Yuwei had no choice but to leave the mansion, looking back every few steps.

As soon as Jiang Yuwei stepped out of the mansion gate, she saw a note and the bamboo dragonfly she had made for Ning Wan placed next to the stone lions at the gate. Jiang Yuwei quickly stepped forward and picked up the note:

"Searching for the girl at the Fengliu Pavilion on the outskirts of the city."

Jiang Yuwei was startled. Could Ning Wan have been kidnapped? Who did it? She hadn't offended anyone. Could it be that strange man from last night who followed her to town?

Just as Jiang Yuwei was thinking, she saw Ning Huaizhi anxiously driving the oxcart back:

"Yuwei, I haven't found Wan'er here, have you found her on your end?"

When Jiang Yuwei saw Ning Huaizhi arrive, her eyes reddened slightly. She handed him the note, which he took, frowned, and after reading it, clenched his fist.

"Who exactly wants to harm my Wan'er?"

Jiang Yuwei held Ning Huaizhi's hand and shook her head:

"No, Huaizhi, I don't think this person is after Wan'er. They're after both of us. We must have offended someone, and they want to take revenge on Wan'er. We don't know who they are, so we should be careful. Do you have your slingshot with you?"

Ning Huaizhi nodded with a stern face:

"No matter who it is, I will kill this person. He dared to harm my family, and I will never let him go."

Jiang Yuwei shook her head:

“Since that person left us this note, he just wants to use Wan’er to blackmail us. We can’t panic. And you shouldn’t be shouting for violence all the time. I still want to live our peaceful lives. We need to think of another way. Let’s go to Lianxianglou first. I need to ask Manager Xu to do something for me.”

Jiang Yuwei boarded the oxcart, and Ning Huaizhi, without saying anything else, headed straight for Lianxianglou.

As soon as Jiang Yuwei arrived at the entrance of Lianxiang Restaurant, she saw Manager Xu explaining the membership system to the guests outside. So Jiang Yuwei quickly went up to Manager Xu and called him aside, whispering:

"Manager Xu, I went out with my daughter today, but I was caught off guard and she was kidnapped by villains. They are currently waiting for us at the Fengliu Pavilion on the outskirts of the city to find her. I would like to ask you for a favor."

Upon hearing this, Manager Xu hurriedly said:

"How could such a thing happen? Yuwei, just tell me what's wrong, and I'll do my best to help."

Jiang Yuwei looked at Manager Xu gratefully and said:

"I would like to ask you to help me go to the yamen and ask the constables to come to Fengliu Pavilion to arrest the people. We don't know how many people are lying in ambush there, or who wants to harm our family. But I am really worried about my daughter's safety, so we must hurry to Fengliu Pavilion now. I'm entrusting the matter of asking the constables to you, Manager Xu."

Manager Xu nodded without hesitation upon hearing this:

"Alright, you can leave this to me. You hurry up and go find the child!"

After saying this, Manager Xu gave a few instructions to his assistant and then got into the carriage and headed to the yamen. Jiang Yuwei got into the oxcart and told Ning Huaizhi to hurry to Fengliu Pavilion.

The two arrived at the Pavilion of Romance, travel-worn, and saw two tall men standing inside, their faces covered with cloth. Jiang Yuwei couldn't tell who they were, but they seemed somewhat familiar, so she stepped forward and called out:

"Did you kidnap my daughter?"

The two men heard the sound and turned around to see Ning Huaizhi and Jiang Yuwei driving an oxcart towards them.

One of the taller men stepped forward and burst into laughter:

"We're the ones who tied her up, so what? Want to see your daughter?"

Ning Huaizhi said coldly with a gloomy face:

"Hand over Wan'er, and we'll spare your lives."

"Hahaha, your daughter is in our hands, why would we be afraid of you? Today I'll make you bark like a dog, and you'd better do it obediently!"

Jiang Yuwei gripped Ning Huaizhi's hand tightly, shook her head at him, and then slowly spoke:

"What have you done to Wan'er?"

The tall man spoke again:

"I'll see your daughter if you want, but you have to promise me one thing."

Jiang Yuwei stared intently at the two people in the pavilion and asked in a deep voice:

"What's up?"

"If you forbid people from buying paper in Ping'an Town anymore, would you agree to that?"

Jiang Yuwei sneered:

"Are you people sent by Ge's Paper Mill?"

"You, you, how did you know?"

Jiang Yuwei stared at the two people. Their figures and voices seemed somewhat familiar, but she couldn't quite place them. So she spoke again:

"Let my daughter out first. I need to know if she's safe before we can talk about what happened earlier. Otherwise, I won't agree to your request."

Upon hearing Jiang Yuwei's words, the two were immediately perplexed. They whispered among themselves for a while, and then one of them called out:

“Then you should stand there and not come any closer. I can let you see your daughter from a distance.”

Jiang Yuwei nodded and said:

"Okay, we'll stay here."

The tall man turned and walked behind the pavilion. Behind a pine tree, he picked up Ning Wan, who was tied up. Jiang Yuwei watched from afar and felt her heart clench with heartache.

Ning Huaizhi, who was standing to the side, had already taken out the slingshot from his pocket and was holding it tightly in his hand.

The man carried Ning Wan into the pavilion and shouted to Jiang Yuwei:

"See this? This is your daughter. She's perfectly fine. If you agree to our demands, I'll let her go."

Jiang Yuwei shook her head:

"It's too far away to see clearly. What if you lie to me and find someone else's child to impersonate my Wan'er?"

The man became anxious upon hearing this:

"You wretched woman, you've got so many problems. This is your daughter."

As the man spoke, he ripped the gag out of Ning Wan's mouth, impatiently shoved her, and said fiercely:

"Speak louder, call her 'Mom,' let that bitch hear if you're really her daughter!"