Chapter 405, Burning Incense
On the second day of the Double Ninth Festival, the rice flowers woke up early.
"Man'er, go to the front yard and look for Brother Xiaoliu. Ask him if Uncle Qin Wu and the others are back."
A night passed, and Yan Wentao and Yan Wenkai had not returned yet, which made Daohua very worried.
Wang Maner immediately turned around and went out, but soon ran back in a hurry.
Seeing her come back, Daohua said to Guyu who was combing her hair, "Guyu, go and do something else. Let Man'er comb my hair."
Guyu nodded, handed the wooden comb to Wang Maner, and then quickly left the room.
As soon as the man left, Daohua immediately asked, "How was it?"
Wang Maner shook her head: "He hasn't come back yet."
Rice flower frowned immediately.
Wang Maner continued, "Young lady, don't worry too much. This morning, the master personally led the yamen runners to search along the direction of yesterday. I think there should be news soon."
Rice Flower: "I hope so."
After that, Daohua waited anxiously for another day.
When it was dark, Yan Wenxiu returned with two Yan family guards.
After hearing the news, Daohua went straight to the front yard.
Seeing his sister appear in the yard, Yan Wenxiu quickly dismissed them: "Why are you in the front yard? There are only men here. You, a girl, shouldn't be here."
Daohua said anxiously, "Brother, it's already late. Forget about etiquette and rules. Tell me how the third and fourth brothers are doing first."
Yan Wenxiu looked helpless: "It seems that you didn't listen to what father said to us yesterday, right?"
Daohua: "I listened to you, but nothing is absolute. If it were anything else, I wouldn't panic, but now this concerns the safety of my third and fourth brothers, right? Of course I'm worried."
Yan Wenxiu: "I asked the guards, and Wentao and Wenkai should be safe."
Daohua: "Then why haven't they come back yet?"
Yan Wenxiu: "It's because those two guys were too ambitious. They thought they had learned some skills in the military camp, so they wanted to follow some seemingly plausible trails to chase people. In the end, they got themselves into trouble."
Daohua looked puzzled: "What do you mean?"
Yan Wenxiu: "They went to chase someone, but they must have been discovered, and then they were deliberately lured into the mountains. Qin Wu was worried that we would be anxious, so he sent two guards back first, and then he took the rest of the people into the mountains to look for them."
Daohua's expression relaxed a little: "So, third and fourth brothers are okay?"
Yan Wenxiu: "If they don't get lost in the mountains and don't encounter tigers or black bears, they should be fine."
Daohua rolled her eyes at her eldest brother and said, "Brother, judging from your tone, you seem to be very regretful."
Yan Wenxiu snorted, "Those two brats should be taught a lesson. Otherwise, they'd really think they were omnipotent. Look, they're being made a fool of themselves without even realizing it."
Daohua was silent for a moment, then said, "Those people didn't deal with the third and fourth brothers. It seems they are not bad people."
Yan Wenxiu looked at Daohua and said, "Don't jump to conclusions so easily. Even if they aren't guilty of heinous crimes, the fact that they're disguised and appearing in public definitely means they have ulterior motives. Perhaps they're not taking action simply to avoid attracting attention."
Daohua suddenly remembered that Xiao Yeyang had also been looking for someone recently, and immediately rubbed his chin and muttered, "Could it be the same group of people?"
Yan Wenxiu didn't hear clearly: "What did you say?"
Daohua shook her head: "Nothing." Xiao Yeyang had said not to push things too far, so she couldn't say anything. She could only remind him, "Then we need to ask Father to pay more attention."
Yan Wenxiu nodded and said, "Okay, don't worry about these things anymore. Go back quickly. There's nothing going on here. Qin Wu is very familiar with the situation in the mountains and should be able to find those two brats soon. I'll also bring some people over to help them in the next two days."
Daohua nodded and said, "Brother, you should take care of yourself too. I'm leaving now."
In the next two days, although Daohua was still worried about Yan Wentao and Yan Yunyan, she was not as anxious as before and took some time to entertain the two guests, Yan Yunxi and Yan Yunyan.
When the three of them were together, they mostly talked about their hometown.
"Wait, you said Uncle Tu's hunting dogs just gave birth to a litter of pups?"
Yan Yunyan nodded: "Well, before we came, my second brother said he would bring one for you, but my parents refused."
Daohua looked regretful and said, "Why would you refuse?"
Yan Yunyan: "My parents are worried that you won't like it. They said that what kind of lady from a wealthy family would keep a dog?"
Daohua: "Yes, many ladies like to keep dogs, and some even like to keep cats. The only difference is that the breeds may be different from those back home."
Yan Yunyan looked at Daohua and said, "Yiyi, do you really want to get a dog?"
Daohua nodded and said, "I remember that Uncle Tu's hunting dogs were very powerful. They could hunt and find things."
Yan Yunxi took over and said with a smile: "I know this too. I remember that one time, Aunt Qiu's baby Ga Wa disappeared, and it was Uncle Tu's hunting dog that helped to look for him."
After hearing this, Daohua was even more moved. This time, her third and fourth brothers went to pursue someone, which made her realize how difficult it was to find someone in ancient times.
Hunting dogs are famous for their keen sense of smell. Her family doesn't need to hunt, but they can be used to guard the house.
Yan Yunyan: "Yiyi, if you really want it, I will write home immediately. It just so happens that after the autumn harvest, Uncle Zhixin will come to deliver the account book. Ask him to bring it over."
Daohua nodded repeatedly: "Okay, okay, well, how do you calculate the price of this puppy?"
Yan Yunyan immediately smiled and said, "Yiyi, don't mention money. The puppy was originally meant to be given to you by my second brother."
Daohua didn't hesitate. Back home, when dogs gave birth to puppies, they would give them to people they knew and were close to, free of charge. "Thank you very much."
Two days later, Qin Wu and the Yan family guards carried the disheveled Yan Wentao and Yan Wenkai back.
Daohua received the news immediately and hurried to the yards of her two brothers.
Looking at the two people lying unconscious on the bed, Daohua asked anxiously, "What happened to them?"
Qin Wu: "Don't worry, young lady. The two young masters are fine. They were just knocked unconscious."
Daohua: "Knocked out?"
Qin Wu nodded: "Of course, he is also hungry and tired. I checked and there are no injuries on his body."
Daohua was worried and took their pulses personally. Seeing that their pulses were steady and strong, she felt relieved. "Thank you for your help, Uncle Qin Wu. You must have been exhausted these past two days. Go back and rest quickly."
Qin Wu did not refuse. In order to find these two gentlemen, they had hardly slept for the past two days.
Yan Wentao and Yan Wenkai were carried back by Qin Wu and the guards. Naturally, this matter could not be concealed. Before Daohua left their yard, Old Lady Yan and Madam Li came hurriedly, supported by the maids and old women.
After a while, people from the second and third rooms also arrived.
Looking at the scene of mobilizing so many troops, Daohua felt that her two brothers might be beaten when they woke up.
This time, Yan Wentao and Yan Wenkai were indeed in trouble and it took them three days to recover.
As soon as he showed his kindness, Yan Zhigao rewarded him with ten strokes of the cane.
Originally, they were going to be beaten 20 times, but Old Lady Yan refused to agree, so they were only beaten 10 times to teach them a lesson.
Looking at her two grandsons who were being helped up with their teeth bared, Old Lady Yan thought for a moment and said, "Thanks to the blessings of our ancestors and Bodhisattvas, Wentao and Wenkai were able to return safely."
"Let's find some time to go to the temple and burn some incense, kowtow to the Bodhisattva and thank him for his blessings. We should also light a few more ever-burning lamps for the ancestors of the Yan family, so that they can bless the descendants of the Yan family."
Mrs. Li naturally strongly agreed with this.
She has two sons, each of whom is the apple of her eye. Although she usually values her eldest son more, she also loves her youngest son very much.
Thinking about her youngest son and nephew who had been missing for several days and nights, she felt a pang of fear.
Although Daohua felt that this matter had nothing to do with the ancestors and Bodhisattvas, she was still happy to be able to go out.
Three days later, Yan Wentao and Yan Wenkai's injuries on their buttocks were almost healed, and they were preparing to return to Ningmen Pass. It happened that the women of the Yan family were going to the temple to burn incense that day, so the two men escorted them for a while.
Because they had set out late in the morning, it was already noon when they arrived at the temple. Old Lady Yan said to her two grandchildren, "Have a vegetarian meal before you go back. This is a good opportunity to burn some incense for the Buddha."
(End of this chapter)
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