The life of the Xianyu family through books

Chapter 920 Search
After a quick tidying up, Madam Peng and her husband hurriedly left the residence.

Peng Siqiang suppressed his nausea.

Although his father whipped him with all his might, it was nothing compared to the lingering smell in his mouth and nose.

He understood what his mother meant.

Neither the eldest nor the third son can be relied upon.

Xiao Liu was deeply loved by the Empress, unlike him, who couldn't catch the eye of the eldest and third sons.

His father was still strong, but the eldest and third sons were already eyeing the title of Duke.

"Second Steward."

"Fourth Young Master, please give your orders."

"Summon all the servants in the manor and come with me out of the manor."

……

Hu Xiaoni stumbled and struggled until she finally reached the gate with two large stone lions.

She had seen officials come to the village before and recognized the clothes they wore.

Hu Xiaoni was somewhat intimidated by the grand red gate, but then, as if she had thought of something, she sucked in her stomach, straightened her chest, and raised her head.

She muttered to herself, "Brave Nini, don't be afraid."

"My name is Hu Xiaoni, my father's name is Hu Da, and my uncle's name is Hu Er. My father and uncle are under the command of the Duke of Dingguo. The old man who steals flowers from me has stolen them. Please, sir, send Nini home."

These are the standard phrases taught in the village school of Xiao'an Village.

After Xiao An was transferred to the Duke of Dingguo's command and entered the capital, there were some minor modifications.

The line about "shooting the old man with flowers" was added by Hu Xiaoni herself.

Adults are worried about their children getting lost.

I never imagined that human traffickers could be so rampant right under the noses of the capital.

A chubby little girl, dressed in a floral print dress, with a red ribbon in her hair and several pigtails, walked in a straight line toward the yamen runners at the yamen gate, her face ashen.

As she got closer, she began to say, "My name is Hu Xiaoni, my father's name is Hu Da, and my uncle's name is Hu Er. My father and uncle are under the command of the Duke of Dingguo. The old man who steals flowers from me has stolen them. Please, sir, send Nini home."

Her voice went from soft to loud, growing ever louder.

As if afraid the official was hard of hearing, she repeated herself almost nonstop after finishing the first time.

The two constables at the gate looked at each other and smiled.

The cutest of all the cubs, they're loved by adults wherever they go.

"Hey, come here, come closer." The older constable beckoned with a smile.

Kids are the best at reading faces.

Seeing that the beckoning official was kind, Hu Xiaoni became a little bolder.

As you get closer, look up, and your eyes sparkle as you look at people.

They even know to half-squat down with their chubby bodies to greet you.

Clumsy and cute.

"Your name is Xiaoni. How old are you? Where do you live? Have you gotten separated from your parents and can't find your way home?" the younger constable asked with a smile.

At this moment, he still hadn't realized that the old man the little kid was talking about, the one who was supposed to be a kidnapper.

It can only be said that the Guanzhou dialect is not widely spread.

"It's not that she's lost, it's that bad guys stole Nini!" Hu Xiaoni said very seriously, "And big brothers, big sisters, big sisters, big brothers..."

Hu Xiaoni counted them on her fingers.

She didn't ask anyone's name, she just called those who looked taller than her "brother" and "sister".

"The bad guys dug a cellar and locked us up. Nini climbed out and is looking for her dad and uncle, and her little brother. Kill the bad guys, beat them to death, and save the older sister and brother. Nini wants to go home. Nini wants to go home quickly."

Seeing that the official still wouldn't take her home, Hu Xiaoni became anxious, stamping her feet and shouting, "Nini wants to go home! Please, sir, take Nini home!"

The two constables stopped laughing, realizing that this might be a child who had been abducted and escaped.

"Nini, don't rush, tell me slowly. Do you remember where you came from? Point it out to me." The older constable tried to coax Hu Xiaoni into describing the place where the child was hidden.

He winked at the young yamen runner.

The young constable nodded and quickly ran towards the gate.

Although this is the Taipusi (Imperial Stud) government office, they can't just ignore something like this.

Hu Xiaoni didn't cry when she was stolen by bad guys, and she didn't cry when she finally made it this far despite the hardships. But when the village school teachers said that the officials from the government office wouldn't take her home, Hu Xiaoni really couldn't hold back anymore.

She burst into tears.

"Nini wants to go home, waaaaaah, please, sir, Nini wants to go home! My brothers and sisters are waiting for me! I'll get a beating, and it hurts so much! Waaaaah!"

Her crying was so intense that neither the elderly bailiffs could soothe her nor frighten her.

Seeing that even crying wasn't working, Hu Xiaoni was really desperate!

A child's urgency is something that needs to be addressed immediately; it cannot wait even a moment.

She turned and ran away.

Hu Xiaoni's idea was very simple: if the officials here wouldn't take her home, she would find officials elsewhere.

How could the older yamen runners let her get away?

He grabbed her and picked her up.

He ran quickly towards the government office.

While running, he comforted her, "Don't cry, don't cry. I'll take you home, I'll take you home now, but you have to tell me where you live. The Duke of Dingguo has tens of thousands of soldiers under his command, how can we find you with just this? You have to think again, what's around your home? Are there any trees? Are there any bridges? Which of the four cities—east, west, south, and north—are you in? Or do you live outside the city?"

Hu Xiaoni gradually stopped crying, and while sniffling, she said in a childish voice, "My home is in Xiao'an Village."

The older yamen runner thought to himself, "It seems we're outside the city. But is there a village called Xiao'an in the outskirts of the capital?"
"No, no!" Hu Xiaoni suddenly shook her head repeatedly and shouted, "My home is in the Prince Ying's Mansion! Just like Brother Xiao Er, my home is also in the Prince Ying's Mansion!"

The older yamen runner was speechless.

Children's words are never reliable.

Living in the Prince's Palace? I'd say I live in the Royal Palace!
If a child goes missing, it is essential to report it to the authorities. If the family cannot find out where the child lives, the child should be sent to the Kyoto Prefecture government office as soon as possible.

Yes, after asking the adults inside, we quickly sent the little girl there.

……

Starting with the Five City Garrison Command, the Kyoto Prefecture government, the Duke of Dingguo's Mansion, the Duke of Pengguo's Mansion, and the Prince of Ying's Mansion—all families with ties to these individuals—sent people throughout the capital to search for the child.

At first, the Five Cities Garrison and the Kyoto Prefecture government said it was a girl.

Later, the fourth son of the Duke of Peng, accompanied by his powerful servants, went to the streets in a menacing manner. He recruited hangers-on, errand runners, and carriage drivers from the streets, and the one he sought was said to be a richly dressed young master.

Gou Zhu led the way, and Yan Lao Er led his men to a courtyard.

The front door was locked, the lock was covered in dust, and it looked like no one had been walking in front of the door for a long time.

However, if you go around to the back door, you'll see footprints and tire tracks, indicating that at least a dozen people have been coming and going.

"This house is not right. What kind of good person would close the front door and use the back door instead?" Yan Lao Er shouted, "Kick the door! Kick it open!"

Hu Er rushed forward anxiously, kicked the door twice but couldn't open it.

Qi Da said in a gruff voice, "Hu Er, get out of the way."

Hu Er immediately dodged.

Qi Da kicked the door panel and cracked it open.

The people at Xiao'an Camp rushed in with a whoosh.

The courtyard was in a mess.

The tire tracks on the ground were messy.

An unfamiliar smell filled the air.

"They ran away?!"

The house and courtyard were empty.

Yan Lao Er instinctively looked at Gou Zhu and exclaimed in surprise, "Why did you run away?"

The dog stared at him innocently.

When it comes to finding missing persons, cats are the real experts.

The dog crept closer and nudged him with its nose.

Yan Lao Er guessed it several times before he finally figured it out.

"You want to smell it again?"

He nodded repeatedly.

Yan Lao Er took out Hu Xiao Ni's handkerchief.

Gouzhu sniffed twice, then turned and led the way.

Yan Lao Er followed.

"There's a cellar here!"

Hu Er rushed to the front again, sliding to his knees, not caring whether his knees hurt or not.

He craned his neck and looked down.

"It's empty, nobody's here!"

"No, there were people hiding in this cellar before, quite a few. Look at those little footprints!"

"These are the child's handprints!"

That was close! I accidentally pressed some button and almost crashed and couldn't log on!
Thank goodness, being stuck at home kept my time in check~ Wahahaha~ o(*￣︶￣*)o