Chapter 32 It was enough to give her children someone else to rely on.
The weather was clear and sunny today. Song Baoyuan sat by the window as usual, so she could get some sunshine and Chengcheng could see her immediately when he came in to see her.
Suddenly feeling dizzy, Song Baoyuan frowned and raised her hand to cover her heart.
Somehow, I felt very nervous.
At the Jiang Mansion, Liu'an ran to the study in a hurry and rushed into the house without paying any attention to the rules.
"My dear! The young master is missing!"
Jiang Keyu, buried in her case files, suddenly looked up. "Gone?"
…
It was noon, the sun was shining brightly, and everyone was tired.
The officers and soldiers appeared on the streets without warning to search, which frightened the people.
"Have you seen this child?"
The officers and soldiers went door to door with the portrait, and the answers they got were all -
"No."
The Dali Temple and the Jingzhao Yin were dispatched at the same time, and the patrols at the city gates were particularly terrifying.
"Bang!"
Jiang Keyu slapped the paper with the news she had just obtained on the table in Jingzhao Prefecture.
"So many people reported their children missing in the past two months, and you didn't investigate?"
"this……"
The people of Jingzhao Prefecture could offer no explanation, they only knew that disaster was imminent.
Liu'an followed beside him and asked quietly, "Sir, do you want to inform the lady?"
Jiang Keyu couldn't even imagine how devastated Song Baoyuan would be when she knew Jiang Chengyou was missing.
He just said: "Find someone first."
Song Baoyuan's heart beat very fast all day long, and a feeling of uneasiness swept over her body.
As it was getting dark, she finally lost her patience and looked at the people who were selecting tea sets. "Qiaoyue and Qiaoyin, prepare the carriage and come back with me."
Qiao Yue was puzzled, "Why do you want to go back home suddenly?"
Song Baoyuan looked up at the sky with a worried look on her face. "I feel uneasy. I want to go back and see Chengcheng and Suisui."
Upon hearing this, Qiao Yue hurried to prepare the carriage.
It was already time for the peddlers and hawkers on the street to finish their work and go home, and there were only a few scattered people on the road.
The officers and soldiers who were questioning people along the way had been busy all day and were exhausted, but they couldn't stop working without the order from their superiors, so they squatted on the roadside in groups of three or four and complained.
The portraits casually placed on the ground were blown away by the wind, and they were not discovered immediately.
The portrait flew to her feet. Qiao Yin picked it up and looked at it, a puzzled look on her face. "Isn't this our young master?"
The curtain of the car was suddenly opened, and Song Baoyuan leaned out, "What young master?"
Qiao Yin hurriedly handed her the portrait.
When Song Baoyuan saw the familiar person on the paper, her breathing stopped.
Seeing this, Qiao Yin walked to the side of the road and asked, "Are you looking for the child in the portrait?"
The slovenly officer glanced up at her and asked, "Have you seen her?"
"Why are you looking for him?"
The officers and soldiers sneered, "Of course it's lost! Why else could it be?"
Qiao Yin froze for a moment.
"Go back home, quickly!"
Song Baoyuan's voice came from the carriage, with an urgency and anxiety that had never been heard before.
The coachman also heard what the officers and soldiers said, and immediately realized the seriousness of the matter. He quickly cracked the whip and drove the carriage at a fast speed.
The lights in the Jiang Mansion were on, and the doorman was pacing back and forth at the door. When he saw the carriage stopped in front of his house, he hurried forward to greet it.
"Madam, you are finally back!"
Song Baoyuan had no time to respond and hurried into the mansion, only to see Yao Ma and Jiang Suisui, who refused to go to bed, still playing in the yard.
"mother!"
When Jiang Suisui saw her, he immediately ran over.
Song Baoyuan squatted down and hugged her, clearly feeling her hands trembling, "Where's your brother?"
"My brother said this morning that he was going to go find Mom, but I didn't expect Mom to actually come back!"
Jiang Suisui couldn't hide her surprise.
But soon he was surprised again, "But why is my brother gone?"
Song Baoyuan's breath was cold and her heart was beating so fast that it seemed like it was about to jump out of her throat.
She could only find temporary comfort by hugging her daughter tightly.
"I am guilty! I have failed the young lady's expectations!"
Madam Yao and all the maids in the courtyard knelt down in front of Song Baoyuan, not daring to look up.
If Song Baoyuan was still holding on to hope on the way back, now she had no reason to deceive herself.
Chengcheng is missing and his whereabouts are unknown.
"Where is my husband?" Song Baoyuan asked in a trembling voice.
"My dear, after receiving the news, he went out to look for the young master, and he hasn't returned yet."
"mother?"
Jiang Suisui was uncomfortable with the restraint and struggled slightly. She also felt that the atmosphere was not right, so she opened her innocent eyes and asked, "Where is my brother?"
"It's fine."
For the first time, Song Baoyuan ignored her daughter's wishes and hugged her tightly, not giving her any chance to escape.
"Brother is fine." Song Baoyuan said.
Rather than answering his daughter, it was more like comforting himself.
*
In the abandoned temple, there is a brand new lock on the closed door.
Two men were sitting on the ground drinking water, with four or five unconscious children lying beside them, all tied up and bleeding from their heads.
"I'm starving," the chubby man complained. "That scene outside is terrifying. Who the hell did you kidnap back here?"
Another short, thin man was also rubbing his belly.
With so many soldiers outside, they didn't dare go out to find food.
"I saw he was dirty, so I didn't look closely. When I came back, I found out he was covered in good stuff."
Between the two of them was an unfolded bundle containing exquisite toys and gold.
"Tsk tsk tsk." The chubby man glanced at the child closest to him.
Jiang Chengyou lay on the ground, unconscious, his forehead bleeding, his face tear-stained, and his forearms bruised.
The chubby man suddenly reached out, pulled at his neck, and pulled out a golden lock.
"Look, if you're not from a noble family, how could you have such a good thing so easily?"
The short, thin man swallowed and asked, "Are we in trouble?"
"nonsense!"
"Well, then..." An idea suddenly occurred to the short and thin man. "Let's throw him out. Once the soldiers find him, they'll naturally withdraw."
The chubby man snorted coldly, "You dare to go out?"
"I don't dare."
"Even if you don't dare, you have to get out! You're the one who caused this trouble! When it gets darker, throw him out!"
"I……"
"Bang!"
The rotten door was kicked open, and countless dark shadows with flames rushed in, surrounding the dilapidated temple.
The two men immediately ran away with their heads in their hands.
"Get down!" the officers and soldiers shouted.
Jiang Keyu was filled with a murderous aura as he walked past the officers and soldiers and strode into the ruined temple.
By the flickering firelight and scattered moonlight, Jiang Chengyou's pale face was recognized.
Jiang Keyu quickly picked up the child and patted his face, "Jiang Chengyou, Jiang Chengyou?"
No response.
Jiang Keyu's eyes froze slightly, and she was so flustered that she couldn't control herself. "Chengcheng? Chengcheng?"
Like a dying kitten, fragile and hesitant, Jiang Chengyou narrowed his eyes with difficulty.
"father……"
The voice is even weaker.
Jiang Keyu felt as if her heart was being pulled, and she couldn't recover from the pain for a long time.
"It's okay, Daddy will take you home."
*
After her daughter fell asleep, Song Baoyuan stayed by her bedside.
Hearing the noise outside, she ran out in panic, only to see Jiang Keyu walking back quickly with the child in her arms.
At this moment, Song Baoyuan opened her eyes wide in fear, as if a thorn had grown in her heart, piercing her with holes and bleeding.
Chengcheng, who was so energetic, was now huddled in her father's arms, with one arm covered with red marks and hanging down weakly.
"Chengcheng!"
The moment she saw Song Baoyuan, a moment of helplessness flashed across Jiang Keyu's eyes.
"The doctor is here!"
Fortunately, Liu'an came with a doctor, giving Jiang Keyu a chance to escape. He bypassed Song Baoyuan and hurriedly sent his son into the house and put him on the bed.
The atmosphere was heavy. The doctor carefully took off Jiang Chengyou's clothes and gave him a thorough examination.
Song Baoyuan stood aside, looking at the child with tears in her eyes. She bit her bent fingers to prevent herself from crying out loud and disturbing the doctor.
Jiang Keyu sat on the edge of the couch, frowning, not daring to look sideways.
After about half a minute, the doctor took the patient's pulse and said, "These are just superficial injuries. Jiang Shaoqing and his wife can rest assured. Just apply some medicine and he will be fine after a few days of rest."
"but……"
Song Baoyuan and Jiang Keyu both looked over, their hearts, which had just been relieved, were weighed down again by these two words.
"The young master must be frightened after what he went through. You two must comfort him. If he can be more open-minded, he will naturally recover faster."
"I understand." Jiang Keyu said softly, "Thank you, doctor. Please write me a prescription. I'll take you out."
"How dare I trouble Jiang Shaoqing."
Song Baoyuan took a step back to make way for Jiang Keyu to send the doctor out.
As soon as they left, she walked forward, carefully reached out her hand, and touched Chengcheng's sleeping face tenderly.
The image of him being noisy on a daily basis flashed through my mind, and I felt even more distressed.
how so?
How could it... become like this?
The hand that was retracted suddenly tightened. Song Baoyuan wiped the red corners of her eyes with her fist and turned to walk outside.
At the door, I almost bumped into Jiang Keyu who turned back.
This was the first time Jiang Keyu saw such obvious anger and sadness in her eyes.
Guessing that she had something to say to him, Jiang Keyu turned her face away and walked to the side.
Song Baoyuan followed him into the corridor, stopping only after making sure that the sound of their conversation would not reach the house and wake Chengcheng.
"Why are you always like this!"
Her tone was filled with unbearable annoyance. Jiang Keyu turned around and their eyes met.
Song Baoyuan's eyes were red. "If you don't even want them, just tell me and I'll take them away! There's no need for you to be perfunctory and indifferent to them again and again, and finally hurt Chengcheng like this!"
"Have I ever been indifferent to them?" Jiang Keyu was puzzled. "Yes, today's responsibility is indeed mine, but I can't be around the children all the time in the twelve hours of the day. I..."
“That’s enough!”
Jiang Keyu was stunned, with a hint of disbelief in her eyes.
He never thought that his weak and obedient wife would one day explode in anger at him like this.
Song Baoyuan clenched her palms, trying hard to hold back her tears. "I know what you're going to say. You're going to say you're too busy to take care of them, but you have time to see others!"
"Who did I meet?"
"For you, being a competent Dali Temple official is far more important than being a qualified father! For you, among the people or things you need to spend time and energy to deal with, your own children don't even rank among them, right?"
Having tasted the bitterness of being wronged, Jiang Keyu pinched her knuckles and reminded herself to stay calm.
As a mother, it is understandable that she would lose control for a moment when she sees her child like this.
"I'm not trying to shirk my responsibilities as a father, but I have to maintain this family, so I can't just be their father. There are times when I'm too busy to do everything. You may not understand, but you don't have to assume so much of me."
Song Baoyuan's vision was blurry, and she couldn't see his expression clearly. "Let's not talk about anything else. Chengcheng just wanted to come to me this morning. Why didn't you let him?"
"He's been acting strangely lately. I just don't want him to cause you any trouble."
"Oh."
Song Baoyuan suddenly loosened her grip, raised her hand, and under his gaze, wiped away the tears that were about to overflow from her eyes bit by bit.
Song Baoyuan smiled, but her expression was more mocking than helpless. "Are you afraid that they will cause trouble for me, or for you?"
"Ayuan?"
"If you really hate them interrupting your private meetings or delaying your work, then I will take them away tomorrow and never let them bother you again!"
"Do you have to think of me like this?"
Song Baoyuan slowly stepped back, "How else do you want me to think of you?"
Jiang Keyu's eyes turned red unconsciously. "How can you take good care of them? Bring them out in public and hang out with a bunch of unknown people?"
In an instant, everything was quiet.
Words spoken are like spilled water. Jiang Keyu regretted it as soon as she said it. She was afraid that she would misunderstand her, but it was too late to take it back.
He paused and tried to explain, "I..."
Song Baoyuan looked up in surprise, "I didn't know before that you also have such prejudice against people in the world."
Her smile was bitter, "You've worked so hard with me all these years..."
She turned and ran.
Jiang Keyu stayed where she was, feeling frustrated and irritated.
*
Back in the child's room, Song Baoyuan stood by the couch, tears falling silently.
My mind was full of thoughts, but I remained silent for a long, long time.
She used to think that it would be better to leave her child with her father who was an official than with her who was just a merchant.
But what if Daddy doesn’t love them?
Or rather, I don’t love them that much.
What will happen if their father has other children in the future?
Song Baoyuan didn't dare to think about it.
Today, I almost didn’t see Chengcheng again.
This kind of thing must never happen again.
Song Baoyuan closed her eyes and wiped her cheeks thoroughly with her palms.
She had to find a way to make herself stronger so that her child would have someone to rely on.
It was late at night, but Song Baoyuan was not sleepy and was still thinking.
"Qiaoyue, on the day the teahouse opens, please reserve the best seats for..."
"Princess Liu'an."
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