Chapter 23

When Ye Nan came back from seeing her brother, the kitchen maid was delivering snacks. She secretly thanked her lucky timing.

Opening the lid of the bamboo food box, she found a small dish of fried glutinous rice cakes. Deep-fried to a golden brown and drizzled with honey, they smelled delicious. Ye Nan sighed. There were only four small pieces, and she wondered if the young lady would be full. She carried the food box into the house, ready to call Yueming to eat while it was still hot. When hot, it was crispy on the outside and glutinous on the inside, but when cold, it was chewy and not very tasty.

"Miss..." Looking at the empty bed in front of her, she shouted and then her voice became hoarse, and then she became flustered.

Where are the people? Why are they gone?

The bed was covered only with disheveled bedding and Yueming's pajamas. She reached under the covers and felt no warmth, so she must have been up for quite some time. She hurried out to look for her, asking everyone she met along the way, "Have you seen Miss Lan?" Everyone shook their heads.

She stood in the garden, pacing anxiously, and looked everywhere for the young lady, but there was no sign of her. Where had she gone?

Suddenly she remembered that the young lady always liked to go and play with the third young lady. Could it be that she was afraid of the third wife and so she secretly went to see the third young lady alone?

Holding on to this glimmer of hope, she went to the third young lady's yard and asked the maid serving the third young lady if she had seen Yueming.

"Miss Yueming?" Ai Yu, the personal maid of the Third Miss, raised her eyebrows when she heard Ye Nan asking about Yueming. She thought to herself, how could Miss Yueming dare to come here? Isn't she afraid that the Third Miss will chase her and scold her again?

"Miss Yueming hasn't come to see our young lady for several days."

With her last glimmer of hope shattered, Ye Nan's face turned pale and she almost collapsed to the ground. Ai Yu quickly supported her and helped her to sit on the steps in front of the corridor. She asked a little girl to tell the third lady that Miss Yueming was missing.

The Third Miss was surprised to hear that Yueming was missing. She asked the little girl, "Who told you that Miss Yueming was missing? When did she disappear?"

The little girl shook her head and said, "I don't know when I last saw her. It was Ye Nan, who serves Miss Yueming, who told me she was crying outside!"

Upon hearing this, the third young lady put down the embroidery frame she was embroidering and went to the door to see Ye Nan sitting on the steps crying.

She asked Ye Nan, "Don't cry. When have you lost Miss Yueming? Have you looked for her in the mansion?"

Ye Nan wiped her tears and said, "When I left, the young lady was still taking a nap. After only two quarters of an hour, when I came back, she was gone. I asked everyone in the house, and no one said they had seen her."

That is, she didn't know when Yueming would disappear. The Third Miss was anxious. Seeing that she started crying when she asked her, she became furious and said in a stern voice, "Master, why are you running around instead of serving you personally while you take a nap? What's so important that you can't even take care of your master?"

Ye Nan didn't dare to say that she was going out to see her relatives. She just kept silent and sobbed with her head down.

The Third Miss was too busy blaming her now. She said to Ai Yu, "Go tell the Second Housekeeper Feng that Miss Yueming is missing. Have him send people to search for her inside and outside the mansion."

Just as the mansion was in turmoil, Yunkai returned, holding Yueming. Miss San was waiting in Yueming's room for news when she suddenly heard loud shouts, "Young Master, you're back!" and "Miss Lan, you're back!" Upon hearing Yueming's return, she hurried out of the room, only to find her lying in Yunkai's arms, her face as pale as paper, her eyes closed, her clothes covered in dust.

She panicked and asked repeatedly, "What happened? How did it become like this?"

Yun Kai didn't bother to explain it to her in detail. He simply said, "She went into Serlin alone and was frightened by the Third Buddha. Third sister, please send someone to call a doctor."

Quan Yunxiang's best doctor is Yueming's biological father Lan Yingde. The third lady has been married far away for several years, and she has no idea what Yunxiang's current situation is. She hurried to find the third wife for advice and asked Ai Yu to stay and help take care of Yueming.

Ai Yu helped Yun Kai put Yue Ming on the bed. When Ye Nan saw Yue Ming in this state, he was so scared that his legs went weak and he knelt in front of the bed.

Yunkai was helping Yueming pick the dead leaves from her hair when he was startled by a loud "thump" behind him. Turning around, he saw Ye Nan kneeling on the ground and shivering. He said unhappily, "Why are you kneeling? Go get a basin of hot water and wash her." Ye Nan got up quickly as if she had been pardoned and went to the kitchen to get hot water. She ran away stumbling because of fear.

Because it was the women's room, Feng Xiaosai didn't dare to enter casually and stood at the door waiting for Yun Kai. Ye Nan was useless, so he simply asked Ai Yu to find clothes for Yue Ming to change into. He went out and told Feng Xiaosai: "The ritual of the Third Buddha is not over yet. I have to rush back to Serlin. You stay here and keep an eye on it. If anything happens, let me know immediately."

Feng Xiaosai patted his chest and nodded, saying, "Master, don't worry, I will take good care of Miss Yueming."

When Yun Kai boarded the carriage, he realized he was still holding the dry leaf he had plucked from Yue Ming's hair. He lifted the carriage curtain and threw the leaf out. A breeze suddenly rose, and the leaf swirled in the air before finally falling to the ground.

Yunkai thought back to Yueming's unconscious state. She must have been terrified. Her face was filled with fear, and she couldn't even scream. She just fell limply to the ground covered with dust and dead leaves. She didn't know if she had bumped into anything.

But how did she get to Serin alone? Without even a maid? And why did she leave the house?

Yunkai felt that this was a serious matter!

When the Third Lady heard Yueming run out of the house and fainted, only to be carried back by the Second Young Master, she was also shocked. She asked the Third Young Master, "Why did she go to Serlin alone? The Third Buddha is holding a ceremony in Serlin today. Isn't she afraid of causing trouble?"

The Third Miss was anxious, twisting her handkerchief and saying, "I don't know either. When my second brother brought her back, he just said she was frightened by the Third Buddha and told us to find a doctor quickly. Please send someone to get a doctor back as soon as possible."

The Third Madam rolled her eyes and said to the Third Miss, "I understand. Go and do your thing. I'll have Man'e tell Feng Er to invite them right away."

Yueming's situation was unclear, and the third young lady was anxious to see her. When she heard the third wife agree, she took the little girl away.

Man'e was a little surprised to see the Third Miss leave, while the Third Madam was calmly drinking tea and hadn't told her to go find Feng Er. She asked cautiously, "Madam, which doctor do you want to see?"

The Third Wife sneered, "Why call a doctor? We need a soul-caller to wake her up. She'll do anything to seduce a man."

Man'e was completely confused. "Are you saying Miss Lan is pretending?"

"What kind of place is Serlin? It burns people to death. Who would dare to hang out there on normal days? Yet, she had the audacity to break in and even let the Second Young Master carry her back. This little vixen is quite accomplished."

Man'e felt that Yueming couldn't speak the language, so how could she find Serlin alone and pretend to be weak to seduce the Second Young Master? However, for Yueming's sake, it would be unwise to refute the Third Madam. She had no choice but to ask, "So, are we going to invite the doctor or not?"

The Third Wife glanced at Man'e, crossed her legs, and knocked the lid of her teacup against the cup. With a look of sarcasm on her face, she said, "Didn't I tell you to hire a soul-caller? Have Feng Er go to the Lahu Village and get the best soul-caller there. He'll call back this little vixen's soul and spirit, so she can behave herself."

Man'e told Feng'er to go to the Lahu village and ask a soul-caller to call back Miss Lan's soul. He promised and sent Man'e away, but he was worried.

He'd heard that Miss Lan had been brought home by the Second Young Master, and the circumstances were unclear. He thought they should have called in a doctor, but why did they resort to calling in a ghost-caller? But with Mrs. Yin away, the backyard was managed by the Third Madam, a fierce woman who couldn't be easily offended. However, he had received many favors from Lan Yingde, and it was his duty to take good care of Miss Lan.

He thought about it and decided that he should go check on Miss Lan before making any plans. When he arrived in front of Yueming's room, he saw his youngest son Feng Xiaosai guarding the door, and he was really sleepy and hit the pillow.

He asked Feng Xiaosai, "Why are you here? Who will serve the Second Young Master?"

Feng Xiaosai leaned close to his father's ear and whispered, "The Second Young Master asked me to watch over him. If Miss Lan has anything, tell him immediately."

Hearing how much the Second Young Master cared about Miss Lan, Feng Er felt he should be even more cautious. He asked his youngest son, "What's going on with Miss Lan? The Third Madam asked someone to call back her soul."

Didn't the Third Miss say she'd hired a doctor? Why did she become a ghost caller again? Feng Xiaosai rolled his eyes and waved to his father.

Feng Er leaned in closer and heard Feng Xiaochui say, "The Second Young Master asked for a doctor, so you'd better do it. If you disobey the Third Madam, you'll get a scolding at best, but if you disobey the Second Young Master, it's more than just a scolding. You have to know whether you're offending the Third Madam or the Second Young Master."

Feng Er felt relieved after hearing this. He gave his youngest son a look that said "You are still too young" and walked out proudly with his hands behind his back.

Offending the Third Wife or the Second Young Master? What's the point of choosing? He invited both the doctor and the soul-caller over. It would be great if he didn't offend anyone.