He forced himself to close his eyes, turned over, and prepared to sleep.
Just then, a guard came in and reported: "Sir, children have been going missing in the city for the past few days, and the government office has come to us for help."
Qin Jian paused in his act of gnawing on the duck head, then turned and asked, "What do you mean by 'children are frequently disappearing'? Are there really such brazen human traffickers?"
The guard frowned and replied, "The target was children aged three to five. I don't think this is something an ordinary broker could do. The government office thinks so too, so they asked us to help investigate the case."
Upon hearing this, Qin Jian suddenly lost interest in the duck head in his hand. This was Prince Chen's territory, and someone dared to so brazenly abduct children. Wasn't this blatantly smearing Prince Chen's reputation?
They are stationed here now to protect the peace of Jingzhou, and he still insists on getting involved in this matter.
"Come, let's go take a look!"
He put down the duck head in his hand, picked up a handkerchief to wipe his hands, and walked out with a serious expression. When he reached the door, he didn't forget to tell Lou Chong: "Keep an eye on Sun Qi. Make sure he doesn't drink. I'll go check on him first."
"yes!"
Lou Chong agreed, and then happily continued to gnaw on the duck head. Since Qin Jian had left, he decided to have an extra serving!
To his surprise, a shadow fell over his face, and the seat Qin Jian had just been sitting in was now occupied by another person.
"Third Master, what's wrong?"
He was somewhat puzzled, but then he saw that Lu Baichuan had already started to get started.
"Third Master, do you want something to eat?"
His eyes lit up instantly, and he pushed the food box towards Lu Baichuan, muttering, "It's good that you want to eat. Come on, eat more. This Lu Black Duck is absolutely delicious!"
Lu Baichuan took a bite, and it was indeed fragrant and spicy, but the spicier it was, the better it tasted.
Why is it called Lu Hei Ya (Black Duck)?
The delicious food finally eased some of his guilt and unease, and he was in the mood to talk to Lou Chong.
"It seems to be because the owner's family is surnamed Lu."
At this point, Lou Chong glanced cautiously at Lu Baichuan. He had gone to Changzhou with him, and he knew that his third master also seemed to have the surname Lu. He wondered if this would bring up some painful memories for him.
Fortunately, Lu Baichuan remained relatively calm and didn't become pretentious just because they shared the same surname.
"Hmm, I seem to have a connection with this family. I heard they are Qin Jian's saviors. I'll find an opportunity to pay them a visit."
Lu Baichuan nodded, regaining some energy, and ate two more duck feet.
"Sure, Second Master mentioned he's going to visit that family soon. Let's go together and get acquainted so we won't have to queue up to buy Lu Hei Ya anymore!"
Lou Chong smiled and made plans. Lu Hei Ya (a type of duck) doesn't just sell ducks; it also has some unique snacks. Although he hadn't been able to buy any ducks these past few days, he had eaten quite a few snacks. If Third Master liked them, he would go and buy some tomorrow.
Lu Hei Ya whetted his appetite, and Lu Baichuan even drank a bowl of porridge.
He didn't know if it was the medicine Qin Jian had just given him that had worked, but he felt less uncomfortable.
"Go and find out about the child who went missing, as I just mentioned."
After giving this instruction, Lu Baichuan went back to bed. He knew he couldn't continue living like this in a daze. Although he was alone now, he still had other responsibilities on his shoulders. If he gave up and ignored them, all his efforts over the years would have been a joke.
Lou Chong, seeing that he had finally come to his senses, hurriedly agreed and went out to find someone to inquire about the matter.
Of course, before leaving, he instructed two servants to keep an eye on him and prevent him from secretly drinking.
Who knows if he was deliberately trying to get me away to go drinking?
Lu Baichuan felt somewhat helpless when he heard him loudly instructing the servants. Was he really that untrustworthy now?
The next day, when Dr. Song learned that He Jiuniang's family had come looking for her, he gave her a day off. However, patients who needed long-term treatment during this period still needed to come to his home for consultations.
In the morning, He Jiuniang handed the child over to Sun Shi to look after, and then hurriedly went out to see doctors. Gou'er fussed about going to the bookstore in the prefectural city to buy some books as gifts for his three older brothers.
Although Mrs. Sun said that he was a spendthrift like his mother, she was also pleased that her grandson was sensible. She called her husband and eldest son, and the three of them accompanied the child to go shopping.
This was actually the first time the elderly couple had come out since they settled in Anping Village.
Before, when they had no money, they didn't dare to look around when walking on the street, and even tried to reduce the number of times they went out. Now that the family is making money, the old couple can get a lot of money every time they divide the money. This time, Sun also brought enough money with her.
Having money in their pockets makes them walk with their chests out, and they'll even buy interesting little gadgets to bring back to their other children.
The dog also received quite a few trinkets and was all smiles the whole way.
However, all of this was paid for by Boss Lu. How could he, a grown man, let his parents and nephew pay for his trip?
Every time Mrs. Sun was about to pay, he would quickly pay for it.
After this happened twice, Mrs. Sun stopped arguing with her eldest son. The elderly couple had worked hard for many years and were now able to enjoy the blessings of their children.
They didn't know where the bookstores were in the city, but they weren't in a hurry. They wandered around looking for them, finally experiencing the simple joys of the wealthy.
He Jiuniang usually ate with Jiang Ruoya before leaving, but today she couldn't eat with Jiang Ruoya because she was worried about her family. She patiently explained to Jiang Ruoya.
"Can you take me out to eat?"
Jiang Ruoya pouted, looking somewhat aggrieved.
She looked forward to eating with Jiu'er every day, as it would improve her appetite. Today, upon hearing that Jiu'er was going to visit her family, she couldn't help but feel a little sad, as Jiu'er hadn't yet considered her family.
Before He Jiuniang could speak, Lingyue hurriedly pulled her aside and coaxed, "Madam, Madam He has things to attend to. Let's not keep her up. We'll see her again tomorrow anyway. If you'd like to go out, Madam, after dinner, I'll take you to a teahouse, shall we?"
"But I still want to go out with Jiu'er..."
Jiang Ruoya looked at He Jiuniang with a pitiful expression. He Jiuniang thought to herself that Jiang Ruoya was just like a child. Anyway, she planned to take her son to play at noon. Whether she herded one sheep or two sheep, it was all the same...
Just as she was about to agree, a servant ran over and shouted, "Madam He, there's a man outside surnamed Lu who claims to be your elder brother. He says he has urgent business to discuss with you!"
He Jiuniang's heart skipped a beat, realizing something was wrong, and she hurriedly said, "I'll go take a look first!"
After saying that, she turned and ran without caring about anything else. Jiang Ruoya was anxious to follow, but Ling Yue and Ling Xue pulled her back and coaxed her gently.
He Jiuniang saw Lu Laoda from afar, and Lu Laoda rushed over in a panic, shouting, "Third sister-in-law, something terrible has happened! Gou'er is missing!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com