Chapter 329 Disappearance
Qiu Heng prepared a new incense for the upcoming happy occasion, and many people inside and outside the mansion also quietly prepared congratulatory gifts for her.
That day, Xue Han invited Qiu Heng to go out and play. Leng Xiang Ju, Fang Zhou, and Qing Luo also wanted to go out.
"Granny Yu, Qingluo and I are planning to go shopping to see if we can find any suitable items for the young lady's trunk. Would you like to come?"
Granny Yu quickly wiped the crumbs from the corner of her mouth and said decisively, "Go."
She had to be very selective when choosing the dowry for the Sixth Miss, making sure to outdo everyone at Lengxiangju.
"Is Wang Mama going?" Fangzhou asked Qiuheng's wet nurse, Wang Mama, again.
Mrs. Wang said with a smile, "How can you all go out? You all go ahead."
"Sister Fangzhou, Sister Qingluo, I want to go too."
"And me too."
"I'll go too."
The maids surrounded Fangzhou and Qingluo.
Qingluo pointed a finger at the forehead of the little maid who was holding her arm: "Aren't you doing your jobs? What if other courtyards come looking for the young lady, and only Granny Wang is at Lengxiang Residence? What kind of scene is that?"
The maidservant reluctantly let go.
Qingluo looked at the maids who were staring at her and Fangzhou, and then picked another one to follow.
Fangzhou comforted those who were left behind: "It's rare for the young lady to go out today, so we can go out too, so that if the young lady finds out, there won't be any surprise. You can go tomorrow."
The young lady used to go out frequently, but since getting engaged, she's been staying at Lengxiang Residence. This has troubled Fangzhou, as she's been secretly planning to prepare a gift for her.
"We also want to prepare secretly." The atmosphere at Lengxiang Residence is pleasant; the head maids don't use their status to intimidate others, so the junior maids speak without hesitation.
With Qiu Heng frequently giving them tips, the maids were quite confident when it came to preparing gifts for their young lady.
Qingluo chuckled: "If you go out in groups of two or three, the girl won't notice. Go do your own thing."
August is a time of clear skies and crisp autumn air. The four of them left the Earl's mansion and walked towards the bustling city while chatting.
The four of them visited gold and silver shops, cosmetic shops, incense and medicine shops, and cloth shops... Before they knew it, half a day had passed.
Granny Yu looked at Fangzhou and the other two with envy: "It's so good to be young. My legs are about to break."
Fangzhou smiled and said, "Since Granny Yu is tired, let's go to the teahouse to rest."
"Sister Fangzhou, the comb you chose is so beautiful." The little maid who came with her said with some envy, "I wonder if Miss will like the Mohele comb I chose."
The crescent-shaped ivory comb, inlaid with magnificent rubies, is so beautiful and so expensive.
The little maid sighed inwardly.
"Don't worry, the young lady will like it." Fangzhou patted the maid's arm. "What kind of good things doesn't the young lady have? The imperial gifts are almost filling the storeroom. It doesn't matter if the gift is expensive or not, as long as it's the thought behind it, the young lady will like it."
The maid was relieved: "Sister Fangzhou understands you best, Miss."
Fangzhou smiled and said, "Of course, I grew up with the girl."
"Is Sister Fangzhou born into a family?" the maid asked.
Many people in the Earl's mansion were curious when the Sixth Miss first arrived: how could her adoptive parents, who were from the countryside, afford to raise a maid?
Fangzhou was unwilling to recall the pain of the past, but with the destruction of her enemies, she was now quite at ease: "No, I was bought by the girl with the money she had for buying a donkey. At that time, the girl was still very young, and I was very young too. Time flies so fast, and the girl is about to get married."
Fangzhou touched the purse containing the gifts and said with a smile, "I'll make the desserts for the banquet on the day we open the shop—"
The conversation abruptly ended, and Fangzhou's eyes widened in disbelief.
She didn't have time to say anything to Granny Yu and the other two. She pushed aside the green vines blocking her way and ran after them.
This sudden turn of events left Granny Yu and the other two stunned for a moment before they came to their senses.
"Fangzhou, where are you going?"
"Sister Fangzhou—"
The three hurriedly chased after Fangzhou in the direction he had run, but the streets were bustling with people, and Fangzhou was nowhere to be seen.
"What should we do, Granny Yu?" the maid asked.
Although the three were anxious, they were not panicked.
The capital city has always been safe, especially after the new emperor ascended the throne. Everyone knows they need to make a good impression on the new emperor, and under the instructions of their superiors, they patrol much more diligently than before.
"Judging from Fangzhou's appearance, she has run into someone she knows." Granny Yu calmly arranged, "I will go back to the original place and wait, so that Fangzhou won't miss us again when she comes back. You all continue to search, and if you haven't found Fangzhou in half an hour, go back to find me."
Qingluo and the maid nodded in unison: "Okay."
Granny Yu returned to her original spot, growing increasingly anxious as time passed.
Fangzhou ran so fast, who did he see?
"Granny Yu—" the little maid ran back.
"Didn't find Fangzhou?"
The maid shook her head.
"You wait here for Qingluo, I'll go back to the manor and tell her."
The young maidservant grabbed Granny Yu's arm: "Granny Yu, you wait here for Sister Qingluo. I'm quick on my feet, I'll go back and report."
"Alright, don't delay on the way."
The little maid ran very fast, and in one breath she ran back to the Yongqing Marquis's residence, just in time to meet Xue Han bringing Qiu Heng back.
"Miss!" The little maidservant gasped for breath as she saw Qiu Heng rushing over, clutching her waist.
"Huan'er, you've come back from outside? Why did you run so fast?" Qiu Heng released Xue Han's hand and looked at the little maid with concern in her eyes.
“Miss, I went out to buy things with Granny Yu, Sister Fangzhou, and Sister Qingluo. Sister Fangzhou seemed to have seen someone she knew, so she chased after her… We searched for more than half an hour but couldn’t find Sister Fangzhou. Granny Yu told me to go back to the manor to report the news…” The little maid spoke fluently and quickly explained the situation.
In truth, if it were anyone else like Fangzhou, Granny Yu and the other two wouldn't have been in such a hurry to search everywhere, only to rush back to the manor to report after failing to find her for a while. However, everyone in the manor knew that although Fangzhou was nominally the Sixth Miss's maid, they were like sisters to her, so they dared not be careless.
Qiu Heng's heart skipped a beat: "Someone you know?"
Fangzhou followed her from the south to the capital. Who would Fangzhou know who would make her leave Granny Yu and the others behind and chase after them in the street?
Did Fangzhou say anything?
The maid shook her head: "No. We were chatting when Sister Fangzhou suddenly changed her expression and ran over before she could finish speaking. She seemed very surprised by Sister Fangzhou's reaction..."
Qiu Heng glanced at the sky.
It was still early before nightfall.
The capital city was bustling and vibrant, with night markets that didn't close until the third watch of the night and reopened at the fifth watch, their lights never ceasing. This prosperity was possible not only because the people were well-off, but also because there were few criminals willing to commit crimes in the streets.
But for some reason, Qiu Heng felt inexplicably uneasy.
Xue Han noticed her unusual behavior and squeezed her hand: "Aheng, don't worry, I'll have the guards from the Marquis's residence split into several teams to search around, and I'll also inform the patrol office."
Qiu Heng nodded and sent out most of the guards from the Yongqing Marquis's residence. Suddenly, the streets were filled with many people hurrying by.
As darkness fell completely, lights came on in every home. Qiu Heng stood on the street, feeling the chill of the autumn wind.
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