Moreover, rabbit fur is not valuable to begin with, and the cost of making it into a scarf is very low.
A processed rabbit in her shop can now sell for about thirty coins. Raising rabbits, while requiring time and effort, has relatively low financial costs.
The rabbits were raised by Wanzi, and she hadn't yet shared the profits from the rabbit meat sales with Zhao Wanzi. Once the rabbit skin scarves were sold, she would definitely settle the entire debt with Wanzi in one go.
He Tiantian doesn't mind giving her child so much money at once; on the contrary, giving money is what encourages her child in this matter.
"Shopkeeper, you should finish making these rabbit pelts first. No need to dye them; the white ones look fine too. Once the scarves are done, we can sell them when it snows in winter, in limited quantities," He Tiantian suggested.
Having learned from previous successes, Manager Guan didn't think too much about it this time.
Moreover, making this kind of short scarf seems to be even simpler than making a silk scarf.
He Tiantian didn't ask for money. She just threw the rabbit skin into the shop and said she had other things to do.
There were still fifty live rabbits on the cart. I had originally planned to go find Butcher Zhang today to discuss the slaughtering fees. However, because I had lingered too long at the Ni Chang Pavilion, I didn't have time to go.
As usual, Zhao Dahai drove the carriage to the backyard of He Tiantian's shop.
Zhao Dahai got out of the car and knocked on the door. The group waited for quite a while before someone opened it from the inside.
It's Zhao Yanniang.
When Zhao Yanniang saw He Tiantian finally return, she quickly went out to greet her, "Oh dear, Wanzi's mother, something terrible has happened at the shop."
Several people looked at Zhao Yanniang in confusion, only to see her anxiously saying, "We haven't seen Liu Chuyu since this morning. What are we going to do..."
This made them lose all interest in doing business early in the morning, and they turned down everything they could.
"What?" He Tiantian gestured for everyone to come inside first, with Cheng Ying carrying Xiao Mingzhu and following at the back.
Little Mingzhu slept soundly in her arms, occasionally smacking her lips.
Looking at the adorable little Mingzhu, Cheng Ying suddenly felt that having children might have its advantages.
The shop was closed, and Zhao Denglong, Zhao Xiaolan, and Chen Shi all sat on stools with sorrowful faces.
If Liu Chuyu weren't the county magistrate's son, they wouldn't be so worried now.
He Tiantian didn't even have the mind to sit down. She asked anxiously, "Are you sure you haven't seen it since this morning? Have you sent someone to the prefectural government to inform the magistrate and ask him to send people to look for it?"
Zhao Denglong, Zhao Xiaolan, and Zhao Yanniang looked at He Tiantian with blank expressions.
They...they didn't know what to do either.
Seeing the blank expressions on the faces of the people in the room, He Tiantian knew what was going on. She quickly instructed, "Dahai, Big Brother, unload the things from the cart immediately. Go to the government office and explain this to Magistrate Liu. Xiaolan, you go with me."
"Aunt Zhao, Mother, go to the market town and look for this child. Maybe he's lost track of time while watching the commotion. Lantern, go look for him at Magistrate Liu's mansion..."
Everyone nodded quickly and went their separate ways.
He Tiantian went upstairs, intending to see if she could find any clues in Liu Chuyu's room.
Cheng Ying was playing with Xiao Mingzhu in the courtyard downstairs. Luckily, Xiao Mingzhu had come along today and could help out.
He Tiantian looked around Liu Chuyu's room. The blankets on the bed were a little messy, but there was nothing unusual about them.
However, after checking, He Tiantian discovered that the table lamp in the room was missing. Walking to the window, she opened it and saw a row of muddy footprints.
There was some mud on the windows, and when I looked down, there was also some light mud on the floor of the house.
He Tiantian realized the seriousness of the situation. The footprints were quite large, and it was clear that they didn't belong to Liu Chuyu's child alone.
Furthermore, even if Liu Chuyu wanted to go out, there was no need for her to climb through the window.
For a moment, images of child abduction flashed through He Tiantian's mind.
Could it be that someone knows Liu Chuyu's true identity and wants to kidnap him to extort money from the county magistrate?
Just then, I heard the sound of a door opening downstairs.
He Tiantian hurried downstairs, where the small shop was packed with yamen runners.
Magistrate Liu, with his large belly protruding, stood at the very front. Standing next to him was his advisor, Zhang.
He Tiantian quickly stepped forward and asked worriedly, "Your Excellency, it was my fault..."
Before He Tiantian could finish speaking, Magistrate Liu raised his hand to stop her. He said worriedly, "I think I know what's going on..."
Ultimately, it's all because of this drought.
For many years, bandits have been rampant in the Wumeng Mountains, and every year these bandits would come down the mountain to burn, kill, and plunder.
The government sends troops to suppress them every year, but these bandits, relying on their familiarity with the mountain terrain, have failed to succeed in their repeated attempts.
This is also the most troublesome thing for Magistrate Liu. He never expected that this group of bandits would dare to kidnap his son.
This is intolerable! Absolutely unacceptable!
Magistrate Liu took a deep breath. "Madam He, this matter has nothing to do with you. These bandits, I will show them the power of the government today!"
As Magistrate Liu spoke, he was about to lead his men out.
Master Zhang quickly stepped forward to stop him, "Oh... sir, sir!" Master Zhang looked extremely worried, "I understand how you feel right now, sir, but that bandit leader Song is always ruthless, and we haven't gained the upper hand in our several encounters..."
"My lord, we need to consider this matter carefully. It's also for your son's safety."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
