Chapter 63 Missing

"Jingzhi!" Jian Bingde saw the familiar figure coming out of the main room from afar, smiled, and pushed Si Tang who was hiding behind him, "Why don't you go and apologize to your father?"

"Dad, I am an unfilial daughter..."

Si Tang knelt down with a trembling voice. Si Baifu's eyes stayed on her for a moment, as if he didn't see her. He led Jian Bingde inside, "Jian Yong is here, come in and sit down."

"I won't sit down. Jingzhi is a busy man. Don't let me delay things. I have asked about the last matter. The shopkeeper didn't want to see her. It was just a small matter between girls. There is no need to take it so seriously. Atang is a child who has no bad intentions and knows that he is wrong. Atang, don't you think so?"

Jian Bingde waved his hand to push Si Tang forward, stopping Si Baifu from going into the house. Si Baifu seemed to have noticed his daughter only then. "Since Jian Yong said so, I will let her go this time. Why don't you take the young lady back to rest?"

Su Jin, who was supporting Si Tang, was blocked by the servant who suddenly stood in front of her. The master and servant had no way to move forward and were led out of the main courtyard by the servants. Si Baifu's expression eased a little. Without waiting for Jian Bingde to ask, he smiled bitterly and said, "I was busy with court affairs and neglected my family. Ah Li was cowardly and Ah Tang acted recklessly, which made people laugh at it."

"Is Ali okay?" Jian Bingde felt a little depressed when he heard his heavy tone.

"I am sorry, Brother Jianyong. I asked someone about it, but he refuses to see anyone. I'm going to make you laugh, but he doesn't even want to see me, his father. If you have anything to say, why don't you tell me and I'll have someone convey it?" Seeing that he didn't come forward, Si Baifu stood under the eaves and talked to Jian Bingde about Si Li. Jian Bingde's expectant expression suddenly dimmed.

"Ah, it's also my fault. I was born scary and it became a headache for Ali."

Jian Bingde sighed, and Si Baifu said considerately, "Would you like me to walk with you, Brother Jianyong? How are the preparations for the spring sea voyage you mentioned last time going?"

He changed the subject, but Jian Bingde was not in the mood to talk about his career. He responded with a few random words and then left. After leaving the government office and getting on his own carriage, he took out the small box he had prepared. On the jade hairpin was a cluster of pear blossoms, pure white, bright and beautiful, but it was a piece of jewelry that only grown-up girls could wear.

Seeing her husband coming back, Mrs. Jian asked, "Have you seen Ah Li? I bought the jade for the hairpin from the border. It is warm and nourishing, and it is perfect for Ah Li to wear."

Jian Bingde slammed the box on the table and said sadly, "You told me not to give it to Atang to take away, now I haven't even sent the thing away."

"You are still not allowed to see Ali? Did Si Baifu still tell you that Ali doesn't want to see you? This excuse has been used for so many years, and he never changes it." Madam Jian frowned, "Old Jian, this is not right. How long have we not seen each other? Si Tang and her mother are not easy to deal with, but you think they are good. Last time she went out to play, she fell ill and was not allowed to visit her or see her. I haven't heard a single word from her. How can this be?"

"You know Ah-Li's temper." Jian Bingde said angrily, "You think too much. What could possibly happen in your own family? We are outsiders in Ah-Li's eyes."

Madam Jian pinched his ears and applied force, and Jian Bingde cried for mercy. Madam Jian then let go, "What's the point of saying that? You don't love your sister, but I do! Although nothing was found in Guangji Temple, I have already asked people to investigate again. If someone disappears once when he goes out, what if he lost our girl? I'll see how you cry!"

"This... can't be possible?" Jian Bingde hesitated. "I don't think Bai Fu looks anxious. For so many years, you have been saying that there are problems with his wife Ji, but didn't you find out every time that it wasn't her fault, but that Ah Li was weak-willed and made the mistake? Why did he suddenly abandon the child?"

Facing his wife's unfriendly look, Jian Bingde immediately changed his tone, "But we still have to check. The Chinese New Year is coming in less than two months, so we should just live in peace!"

"That's better." Mrs. Jane snorted.

A waiter came running in from the door. His short jacket was a bit old and inconspicuous. His voice was trembling, "Madam, something happened!"

The couple in the room looked very upset, and Jian Bingde blurted out, "What happened to Quanfu and Qingya?" Although Mrs. Jian did not speak, her expression was also very heavy.

The waiter wiped his sweat, "The young master and the young lady are fine. It's my cousin. Madam asked me to go to Guangji Temple to get information. I happened to meet a group of people looking for someone this morning. They were looking for a donkey cart and a few young children. I felt something was not right in the description, so I followed them for a while and found out that they were going back to the Si Family Manor. It just so happened that the cook of the Si Family Manor had a relationship with our family. I asked and found out that my cousin had gone out to play before and didn't return to the Si Mansion at all. She was recuperating at the manor because she had a high fever after falling into the water. She took people out to relax a few days ago, but there has been no news since then!"

Falling into the water, recuperating from illness, going missing, any of these things would be extremely traumatic for a girl who had not yet reached adulthood. Mrs. Jian turned pale, holding onto Jian Bingde's arm and staggering as if about to fall, she asked softly, "Ali...Ali is missing?"

Jian Bingde recalled Si Baifu's calm tone when he spoke, and he was furious at being fooled. The Si family sent people to look for him, which meant that Si Baifu, as a father, knew everything about this matter, but he kept it a secret from him. Who did he think he was? He held his wife with one hand and told the waiter, "Go change your clothes, ask where the young lady and the young master are, and tell them to go home as soon as possible."

The waiter went away in response. Jian Bingde was so angry that his eyes turned red. He punched the table, breaking the table legs and smashing the teacups and plates all over the floor. "How can this be possible!"

Although they had never communicated face to face, he had seen his sister's only child from afar. The child had been a little weak since childhood, and only gained some weight when he grew up. He looked chubby like a Fuwa. He was a little stupid, but with the financial situation of Si Jian and Er's family, they could always afford to raise him. Who knew that such a thing would happen!

Mrs. Jian held his hand, also full of anger. When she married Jian Bingde, her younger sister was still a married woman, and she looked just like her own sister. She had some complaints when Si Baifu remarried, but she let it go when she thought it would be very hard for the little girl to be without her mother to take care of her. With such a father, she never worried about her marriage in the future, and looked forward to watching the little girl grow up, but she disappeared before she reached the age of marriage. Wasn't this going to ruin her? !

"If you ask me, if we had taken Ah Li back to Xingling that year, maybe her illness would have been cured long ago." Mrs. Jian choked and wiped her eyes, feeling extremely regretful. Jian Bingde felt very confused, but he still hugged her to comfort her.

The guy who was sent out to look for someone ran all the way to the East Market according to the young lady's instructions before he left. The door under the sign of Guan Ji's Pastry Shop was closed, so he walked around and knocked on the back door before entering.

With the help of the system, he had already made a pot of donkey stew and patted the soybean flour stuck on his hands. After answering a question from an apprentice, he was about to move on to the next one when he heard a noisy sound outside the kitchen.

Guan Zhiyu, who was standing by, noticed her suspicious look and said, "Let's go and have a look together. It's still early and you can still make it back in time."

The layout of Guan Ji's kitchen was different from the ones Si Li had seen before. There was another room outside the kitchen, which was somewhat similar to a warehouse, with wooden shelves, tables and chairs inside. Guan Zhizhen and a pair of siblings were sharing the donkey rolls that had just come out of the oven, and a servant was standing opposite them.

When Si Li entered the room, the servant had already finished speaking. The brother and sister both looked unhappy. Si Li recognized the younger brother. She had seen the honest boy who liked to eat wolftooth potatoes and her mother at the previous Buddhist meeting. Before coming to Guan Ji, Si Li had never expected to run into acquaintances here. After listening to Guan Zhizhen's introduction, she learned that when Guan Ji was suing the officials, the brother and sister happened to pass by and stopped the master who was about to run away with the account book, which helped Guan Ji a lot.

Human fate is so wonderful. I heard that the two siblings also lived in Beijing. I knew that she was the shopkeeper of Wanglai Ju, and I just agreed to go to the store to take a look.

The young girl Aya and her brother Afu stood up and bowed to Guan Zhiyu and Si Li, "Sorry to bother you today. Family members have something to do, so we'll leave first." Aya smiled apologetically at Si Li, "I'm afraid we'll have to reschedule our previous appointment."

Si Li said enthusiastically, "Why don't you bring some food back? Eat something sweet, and you'll feel better."

"No need. Xiao Si, we will definitely come find you after we finish our work!"

The two of them left in a hurry with their servants. Guan Zhizhen, the only one who listened to the whole thing, sighed, "Alas, I'm afraid I won't see him again for ten days or so. It's so hard to find someone so interesting."

"Is it so serious?" Si Li was shocked. Thinking of that quick-talking woman, she felt worried for no reason.

"That's right!" Guan Zhizhen took a bite of the freshly made donkey roll and shrugged nonchalantly, "A child is lost. It's almost the New Year, and there are a lot of lanterns at the garden party. I guess it's the beggar again. It's very hard to find him."

"If we don't report it to the police, it might involve private matters." Guan Zhiyu glanced at his younger brother and said, "Don't meddle in other people's family affairs." Guan Zhizhen immediately shrank her head when she was glanced at by her elder brother.

Other people's relatives are looking for their children, but she is hiding from her relatives. It is a bit strange. Si Li sighed, "I hope everything is fine and she is safe."

"It seems that some people haven't understood the way Miss Si folded her face just now. Why don't you demonstrate it again?"

Guan Zhiyu extended the invitation, and Si Li nodded happily, "It's actually a simple technique, you don't have to do it, it just adds a softer texture. Guan's donkey rolling has been passed down for many years, and you still have to practice on your own to master it. I think we can make some glutinous rice balls with the donkey rolling technique and sell them, and the taste is probably not bad."

She was talking about mochi and snow meringue. Even in her previous life, these were still new things compared to traditional snacks. Now that they were partners, she would naturally not hide this new perspective.

Guan Zhiyu smiled and said, "Maintain the status quo and then innovate. Miss Si is a little impatient. They are still children. If you let them abandon the basic skills and do something else, they can only be a mess."

What he said was true, but it was a bit tiring to hear. After spending half an afternoon together, Si Li had already understood his cautiousness and slowness. After all, Guan Ji was someone else's store, and unlike a dessert shop, it had its own foundation and heritage. She did not intend to take over and turn Guan Ji into a one-man show for Wanglaiju. After all, all the food from Guan Ji would be sold at Wanglaiju, and there was no need to rush the research and development of new food.