The man was wearing a green robe that was washed so much that it looked pale, and was covered with patches of various sizes, making him look very shabby.
His forehead was swollen and purple, his hair was messy, and he looked in a disheveled state.
"Uncle, have you seen my daughter? She is wearing a blue flowered jacket..." He handed the paper in his hand to an old man passing by, "This is what my daughter looks like..."
The old man shook his head: "I haven't seen it."
The man in blue continued to stumble forward, grabbing passers-by and asking them questions along the way.
"Sister, have you ever seen a little girl in her teens?"
"Brother, have you ever seen a little girl this tall, with an oval face and wearing a blue flowered jacket?"
“…”
Passersby either shook their heads, or tried to avoid it, or whispered to each other on the side of the road.
"It's so pitiful that my daughter is lost." A plump middle-aged woman on the roadside said with sympathy on her face.
"I heard he was a scholar, and even a Tongsheng. He used to teach in his hometown of Yuzhou. Because of the disaster in Yuzhou last year, he became a refugee and fled to the capital with his daughter." Another middle-aged man said, pointing in a direction, "On weekdays, he writes for people not far ahead to make a living... I think his last name seems to be Zhang."
"He went to the government office to report to the police early in the morning, but he hit his head and broke it at the gate of the government office, and no one paid any attention to him... He was beaten out by the yamen runners and his leg was injured..."
"This is too much. It would be fine if the government didn't do anything, but they also beat people." Someone in the crowd muttered, and the others also became agitated when they heard it.
"Auntie, have you seen my daughter?" The scholar stopped another old woman with silver hair.
The old woman also shook her head.
Zhang Shusheng's face turned even paler, and he looked panic-stricken, as if his soul had been sucked away, and his eyes were empty.
The old woman felt sorry for him and said kindly, "Scholar, don't be discouraged. Keep looking."
"This child is missing. It is very likely that he was kidnapped by the flower-snatching gang."
"Go ask the matchmaker to see if she has any news. Matchmakers are well-informed."
"I don't think he's a beggar." Another young man in gray clothes and shorts said confidently, "A lot of children disappeared overnight, and they were all grown-up children. Shouldn't this beggar kidnap the younger ones?!"
"That's true." Other passers-by also thought this made sense and nodded frequently.
The young man in gray waved his fist and said indignantly: "Speaking of which, those officials are really hateful. They don't stand up for the people!"
"That's right, if this child is lost, who wouldn't be anxious? Isn't it the government's responsibility to help find the child?"
"Well, it's better to rely on yourself than on others. I still have to find a way to take care of the child myself."
“…”
The passers-by became more and more excited and indignant.
Gu Yanfei continued to walk slowly along the street outside the alley. Along the way, he heard people around him talking about missing children from time to time.
Everyone has children in their family, and everyone worries that their children will be the next victim.
For a time, people were in panic and full of speculation.
An uneasy and oppressive atmosphere permeated the air, spreading rapidly at an incredible speed.
The sky was covered with dark clouds, and it looked three times darker than yesterday.
Gu Yanfei stopped, took out the compass that he had just repaired yesterday from his sleeve pocket, and casually adjusted the needle on the compass.
The pointer began to rotate rapidly for a long time, making a faint buzzing sound.
Just like last night, I can't figure out anything.
The laws of nature in this little world are really unfair! "Girl," Juanbi asked anxiously, holding Qingguang's favorite bell ball, "Is Qingguang..."
Before he could finish his words, there was a commotion from behind.
Turning around, I saw the scholar running forward like a madman, holding the paper in his hand.
His eyes were red and he rushed forward recklessly, accidentally bumping into several people.
Some people just staggered a few steps, some were fortunately supported by their friends, and some were knocked to the ground.
"Poor scholar, do you have eyes?" The square-faced young man who fell to the ground was so angry that his face turned blue. He yelled at Zhang Shusheng's back, "You bumped into someone, and you don't even know how to apologize?!"
However, Zhang Shusheng seemed to have heard nothing and continued to rush forward.
"Forget it, forget it." The silver-haired old woman came over kindly to act as a peacemaker and comforted the square-faced young man, saying, "Little brother, don't bother with him."
"He lost his daughter last night, and I just heard that Prince Kang asked people to help look for the child all over the capital, so he is so anxious."
There was an uproar all around.
It was like a drop of cold water falling into a boiling hot oil pan, exploding with a crackling sound.
Passersby on both sides of the street came to listen to the excitement like a tide. They were all excited, their eyes were shining, and they talked one after another:
"King Kang is truly kindhearted and loves his people like his own children."
"If those missing children can be found, I will definitely build a longevity tablet for King Kang!"
The more the people talked, the more excited they became, and they were all filled with gratitude.
These ordinary people don’t ask for much. They just want a place to settle down, enough food to eat, and their families to be safe and sound without illness or disaster.
A young man in gray sighed with emotion: "King Kang has a noble character, no wonder there are real dragons bowing to him!"
His friend next to him pulled his sleeve and scolded him, "Don't talk nonsense!"
The young man in gray stopped talking, but passers-by heard what he said. They all talked about the rumor that a real dragon descended above Prince Kang’s palace on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year.
The people on the street began to clamor little by little, and their descriptions were vivid, as if they had all seen the giant dragon swinging its tail with their own eyes.
Gu Yanfei, who was parked on the side of the road, simply stopped moving. He glanced around and his eyes fell on a restaurant in front of him on the right. He said to Juanbi, "Let's go there and sit down."
The master and servant entered the restaurant and sat down in a private room on the second floor facing the street.
The waiter quickly served tea, pastries, nuts, etc.
Gu Yanfei drank tea while looking down at the street below from the window calmly.
Zhang Shusheng had already run away, but the passers-by still did not disperse. Words like "real dragon", "missing", and "child" floated up from below from time to time.
When Gu Yanfei finished drinking a pot of tea slowly, a rumbling sound of footsteps suddenly came from the end of the street, accompanied by the sound of messy horse hooves, which was very imposing.
A group of people dressed as guards came running towards this side, some riding horses and some running, all in a hurry, going door to door to inquire about the missing children.
The passers-by were all excited when they saw this scene, and they became even more noisy. Some came over after hearing the noise, while others gradually left...
“Found it!”
In an alley in the distance, a loud and high-pitched voice shouted, and the shout was so penetrating that it almost reached from one end of the street to the other.
(End of this chapter)
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