The journey from Chuzhou all the way west to Huihe was full of dangers.
Meng Changyun gradually changed his opinion of Qin Yanning. Although this girl looked fragile, she was no worse than anyone else in enduring hardships.
With the help of the "little cook", although Qin Yanning's other conditions were worse along the way, he was never treated badly in terms of food.
Meng Changyun was also curious why his cooking skills improved so much overnight.
In the end, I can only attribute this to my sudden enlightenment.
As they walked along, Meng Changyun, who had originally wanted to teach Qin Yanning how to ride a horse, never mentioned this matter.
Qin Yanning was happy to have a leisurely time, and never mentioned it. Many innkeepers mistook them for a couple.
Whenever this happened, Meng Changyun would look at Qin Yanning with a calm pair of eyes, and Qin Yanning, who had originally wanted to explain something, could only shut his mouth.
Three months later, the two finally arrived safely at Xizhou, where the Qin couple had abducted Qin Yanning.
Xizhou is located in Huihe, and its customs and habits are different from those in the Central Plains. People walking on the streets are all wearing local Huihe clothing.
As soon as Meng Changyun appeared on the street with Qin Yanning in his arms, they attracted everyone's attention.
Most people in the Central Plains believed that the Uighurs were backward. On weekdays, only Uighur merchants went to the Central Plains to trade and sell spices, and few people from the Central Plains came to Xizhou.
Meng Changyun dismounted and took Qin Yanning to an inn to stay. Seeing Meng Changyun's generosity, the inn owner also smiled.
Qin Yanning thought to himself, money really can make the world go round.
After Meng Changyun and Qin Yanning put away the things they brought with them, they went to buy some local clothes.
Qin Yanning changed into a Uighur dress and drew thin eyebrows, which suddenly added a bit of exotic charm to her appearance.
Meng Changyun is also a rare clothes hanger, and the clothes from the ready-made clothing store fit him very well.
Qin Yanning couldn't help laughing when he saw Meng Changyun dressed like this.
Meng Changyun looked at Qin Yanning, his eyes filled with amazement.
Qin Yanning raised his head and waited for Meng Changyun's praise, but Meng Changyun lowered his eyes to hide his expression.
Huihe was the Xinjiang of the era when Qin Yanning originally lived. This was the first time she had come here in her past and present lives, so she was naturally a little surprised.
Seeing that Meng Changyun ignored him, Qin Yanning was not angry. He smiled and turned around.
As she spun, the pendants on her skirt jingled, which disturbed Meng Changyun's heart for a moment.
Meng Changyun took Qin Yanning to Siyue, the largest restaurant in Xizhou, with ease. The restaurant was crowded. Meng Changyun paid enough money and booked a private room.
Qin Yanning knew that Meng Changyun was trying to find out information for her.
She reached out and took a grape and handed it to Meng Changyun. Meng Changyun was stunned, but still ate the grape from Qin Yanning's hand.
The days in Huihe are long and the nights are short, and the fruits produced there are sweeter, but the women in Huihe are more aggressive than those in the Central Plains.
After being here for a few days, Qin Yanning has discovered that compared to the closed-off Central Plains, the Uighurs are more open.
Many of the shops here are run by women.
Qin Yanning took a sip of the milk tea in the small bowl. She carefully picked up the milk skin floating in the bowl and put it into her mouth.
When the owner of Siyue Restaurant knocked on the door and came in, there was still a small piece of milk skin on the corner of Qin Yanning's mouth.
The corners of Meng Changyun's mouth curled up slightly, and he reached out to wipe the milk off Qin Yanning's face, but Qin Yanning stared blankly at Siyue's boss.
The reason is simple: this boss is just too beautiful.
The original owner was already considered a beauty, but Qin Yanning was still amazed by the bright and elegant boss Siyue.
Meng Changyun couldn't help laughing when he saw Qin Yanning's useless look.
He finally understood that Qin Yanning would never spare a glance when she saw a handsome man, but if she saw a beautiful woman, she would want to glue her eyes to her.
Siyue’s boss was also stunned when he saw Qin Yanning’s burning gaze, and then greeted the two of them with a smile.
"I am Siyue's current boss, Anali. Young master and young lady, you have come all the way from the Central Plains and have worked hard. I wonder what you two are looking for me to inquire about?"
Meng Changyun had no acquaintances in Huihe. According to his habit, if he wanted to find out any information, he would naturally have to go to a restaurant first.
According to the Qin couple, during the years when Qin Yanning was abducted and sold, many children were lost in Xizhou. This incident must have caused a sensation in Xizhou at that time.
But Meng Changyun didn't expect that Anali was so young.
Meng Changyun estimated that when Qin Yanning was abducted, Anali was probably still a child.
"I'd like to know if a lot of children were lost in Xizhou fifteen years ago. If the boss doesn't know, you can introduce us to a few elderly people who know about this matter."
Anali didn't expect Meng Changyun to ask about this. She took a small round stool and sat down. "Fifteen years ago, I was only eleven years old. At that time, Xizhou did lose a lot of children."
"Later, the Protectorate sent people to investigate, but nothing was done about the matter. However, the number of missing children decreased significantly in the following years."
"People were in a panic back then. They thought a monster from Mirror Lake had come out and stolen the child."
Anali's eyes reddened slightly as she spoke, "My aunt also lost her daughter back then. My aunt and uncle have been searching for that child for over a decade."
"If the Moon God opens his eyes, I only hope that a miracle will appear and that the child can be returned to my aunt and uncle."
"This Siyue Restaurant was originally opened by my aunt. Later, in order to find the whereabouts of her child, my aunt entrusted the restaurant to me."
Anali's voice is gentle, like the gurgling of spring water. Although she has a bit of a Western accent, she speaks fluent Chinese.
Meng Changyun pressed on, "Did any of the famous wealthy families in Xizhou ever lose a child?"
The Qin couple said that when Qin Yanning was abducted, she was wearing a multi-treasure necklace inlaid with gems around her neck, which meant that she was obviously the daughter of a wealthy family.
Anali thought for a moment and replied, "Of course there are. The Ji family, the largest spice shop in Xizhou, lost a son. And then there's my aunt and uncle's daughter, Ayi Xiamu."
"Ayishamu was only three years old when he was lost. It would be better to say that he was robbed rather than lost."
"During Eid al-Adha that year, the maid holding her got separated from the rest of the family. She was knocked unconscious, and when she woke up, the child was gone."
Hearing this, Qin Yanning looked at Meng Changyun.
Who of them had the luckier bonus? Why did her search for her relatives go so smoothly?
Qin Yanning chuckled and looked at Anali, "Do you think I look familiar, boss?"
Anali nodded and then shook her head. "To be honest, young lady, I felt a closeness to you the moment I saw you, but I wouldn't say you looked familiar."
"The young lady has seen it too. We rarely have people from the Central Plains coming to Xizhou. Although the young lady is wearing Uighur clothing, her features are completely those of a Central Plains woman."
"It's just that the girl's eyes look like a person."
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