boyutpedia Chapter 24 Lost the Person
Chapter 24 Lost the Person
Outside the cave, it was pitch black, as if shrouded in black mist, so dark that one could not see their own hand in front of their face.
Xiao Hengzhi kept pace with her, walking very slowly. Jiang Mian held tightly to the strip of cloth, not daring to relax.
She asked, "Xiao Hengzhi, how can you see even at night?"
He hesitated for a moment before saying, "I used to walk a lot at night when I was a child, so I can see them."
Jiang Wan nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
Although she didn't know where Xiao Hengzhi was before he was eight years old, she guessed that he must not have had a good life. She had never heard him mention it when they were together before.
All she remembered was that when her mother found him, he was covered in wounds and lying in a snowdrift, barely alive.
The doctors who saw him all said he had a hard time surviving, but his will to live was very strong, and he miraculously survived in the end.
Jiang Wan was stunned; she suddenly felt...
In fact, Xiao Hengzhi, at least at this time, was not a bad person.
Even if he is a man-eating wolf, at this moment he is just a wolf cub.
She might be able to patiently guide him and lead him towards goodness.
Thinking of this, Jiang Mian seemed to have made up her mind, and pulled the strip of cloth forward with a little force.
She asked softly, "Xiao Hengzhi, what gift would you like for your birthday this year?"
Xiao Heng was taken aback, then smiled and said, "Second Miss, do you remember my birthday?"
Jiang Mian pouted, "Even if I wanted to forget your birthday, it would be hard..."
Xiao Hengzhi thought about it and realized it seemed so.
He had just arrived at the Jiang residence when Jiang Li was preparing for her birthday banquet. It was the first time Xiao Hengzhi realized that birthdays were celebrated in a grand manner.
He squatted on the ladder, gazing longingly.
Madam Jiang came and asked him, "Hengzhi, when is your birthday?"
He thought for a moment. He had seen fireworks through the dark cracks in the wall before. Some people said that every time fireworks were set off on Hualing Bridge, it meant that another year had passed. That day was called New Year's Day.
So he replied, "New Year's Day, my birthday is New Year's Day."
"New Year's Day? New Year's Day marks the beginning of a new era. It's an auspicious day." Madam Jiang smiled and patted his head.
So the following year, on New Year's Day, Xiao Hengzhi's room had a brand new set of clothes and a bowl of longevity noodles.
After Madam Jiang passed away, he never celebrated his birthday again.
Seeing that he remained silent, Jiang Mian gently tugged at the cloth strip again.
Xiao Hengzhi snapped out of his reverie and asked with some confusion, "Is the Second Miss going to celebrate my birthday?"
She's never been like this before, even when we were together. What's wrong with her all of a sudden?
Jiang Wan couldn't see his expression, so she said, "It's just a birthday gift for you. Everyone in the household gets one, so you can't be left out."
As she spoke, she thought to herself that if she wanted to guide him towards goodness, the first step was to show him kindness.
She decided that she would treat Xiao Hengzhi better when she returned this time.
Xiao Hengzhi turned his head and looked at her smiling face, guessing what she was thinking.
He shook his head helplessly, his eyes full of doting affection as he smiled.
Finally, dawn broke.
Through the bamboo grove, one can vaguely see farmers who have gotten up early on the path.
Jiang Wan exclaimed excitedly, "Great! We've finally arrived!"
Xiao Hengzhi strode forward and asked a farmer, "Old man, do you know where there is a carriage and horse caravan in town?"
"Travel agencies? There are plenty of them, several in town."
After the old man finished speaking, the two men's expressions darkened slightly.
If there were many carriages and horses in the town, Cong Shuang shouldn't have been gone for so long.
Without taking a break, they hurried towards the town.
As the sky grew brighter, the town's market gradually came alive, with shops opening and a bustling atmosphere filling the air.
Jiang Mian and Xiao Hengzhi inquired along the way, but the owners of several carriage shops all shook their heads, saying they had never seen a girl like Cong Shuang.
Jiang Mian sat down on the steps in frustration, rubbing her calves.
Two vendors sat nearby, discussing which goods were selling well these days.
Jiang Mian glanced at the stall on the ground; it was filled with brocade pouches and pendants.
One row of yellow brocade pouches stood out, as they were actually imitations of the gold and jade talismans.
She picked one up and examined it closely. Although the shapes were similar, the gold-threaded jade talisman was woven with gold thread and contained a jade Guanyin statue. This brocade pouch was merely similar in shape and color.
She asked, "Young man, this brocade pouch has a unique design. Is it a fashionable item?"
The vendor shook his head and replied, "Don't mention it, young lady. Last month I was selling goods in Nanyang, but a group of high-ranking officials came and questioned me, ordering me to stop selling. They said it looked like...like gold thread or something. I had no choice but to come to this town to sell it cheaply."
Jiang Mian nodded, suddenly realizing what was going on.
In her past life, she knew that the Empress Dowager was searching for her grandson with great difficulty. She thought there might be traces of him in Nanyang, so she sent many people there, but in the end, she found nothing.
Now that she looked at it this way, she realized that the people below had misunderstood.
This matter gave the Empress Dowager hope, but when it was ultimately dashed, she passed away not long afterward.
It seems that in this life, the Empress Dowager's grandson will still be nowhere to be found.
Seeing Jiang Mian staring at the brocade pouch, the vendor asked with a hint of delight, "Miss, you've been looking at it for a long time, would you like to buy one?"
Jiang Man came to her senses, put down her things, and gently shook her head.
Without a single coin, let alone buying anything, you can't even afford to eat.
She clutched her stomach and leaned against the bridge.
Seeing her listless appearance, Xiao Hengzhi squatted down and asked, "Are you hungry? What would you like to eat?"
Jiang Wan leaned against the railing and asked, "I'm hungry, but do you have any money?"
"If you don't have silver, go and exchange it for silver."
"How do I change it?"
After Jiang Mian finished speaking, she noticed his gaze falling on the top of her head.
She pursed her lips, pulled a hairpin from her hair, and said, "Take it! Buy me some food."
Xiao Hengzhi took the hairpin with a slight smile. Just as he was about to leave, he asked again, "Why don't you come with me? What if something happens to you here alone?"
Jiang Mian glanced at him and said, "What could possibly happen in broad daylight? Stop dawdling and hurry up. I can't walk anymore, so I'll wait for you here."
Xiao Hengzhi glanced around and saw that it was indeed a bustling market, and the people walking around seemed normal.
But Jiang Mian's attire clearly indicated she was from a noble family, making her stand out in the crowd. Gui Ye wasn't there, and if she were targeted, she probably wouldn't be able to handle it alone.
He slowly walked away, stood under a pillar not far away, and watched for a moment. After confirming that there was nothing amiss, he turned and went to the pawnshop.
The shopkeeper was a very shrewd and lean man, who was tapping his abacus with his head down.
Xiao Hengzhi walked in and casually placed the hairpin on the cabinet.
The shopkeeper looked up and saw a gold hairpin inlaid with dark blue jade. He squinted at it for a moment, then looked up and said, "This is a good item. Please wait a moment, young master, while I appraise it."
Then he turned around and grabbed a scale. After weighing it, he wiped it with a cotton cloth and examined it against the light, being very fussy.
Xiao Hengzhi, growing impatient, urged, "Is the appraisal finished?"
The shopkeeper calmly replied, "Sir, please don't be hasty. This hairpin can be purchased for two taels of silver."
Xiao Hengzhi thought to himself that this hairpin was worth at least twenty taels of silver, but he said, "Five taels."
"This..." The shopkeeper pursed his lips, looking troubled. "Sir, please don't compare my little shop to the capital. Two taels is already the maximum."
Xiao Hengzhi was too lazy to say more and simply waved his hand to signify the deal.
After taking the money, fearing that Jiang Mian would be impatient, he went to the nearest shop and bought a few sesame cakes.
As he was about to pay, the shopkeeper's words suddenly flashed through his mind—'Don't compare my shop to the capital...'
Xiao Hengzhi frowned. He had not mentioned the capital. Why did the shopkeeper say that?
not good!
He panicked and quickly ran to find Jiang Mian.
However, there was no one around the railing.
......
He immediately went back to the pawnshop to find the manager. However, the pawnshop was already closed, with a "Closed" sign hanging on the door.
He kicked the door open, and inside, only the waiter was wiping the tables and chairs.
Seeing his menacing manner, the waiter quickly stepped forward with a smile and said, "What can I do for you, sir? We're closed for the day. Please come back tomorrow."
Xiao Hengzhi grabbed the waiter by the collar and asked fiercely, "Where is the manager?"
"This...this humble one doesn't know..."
Xiao Hengzhi didn't waste any more words. He took out a dagger, spun it in mid-air, and slashed at the waiter's wrist: "I'll ask you one more time, where is it?"
The waiter howled in pain, clutching his bleeding wrist, and looked tremblingly at a door behind the counter.
Xiao Hengzhi pushed him aside, climbed over the counter, and kicked open the small door. He saw the shopkeeper frantically stuffing silver into his bundle, preparing to escape through the back window.
He reacted swiftly, grabbing him and slamming him to the ground, his voice low and cold: "Where is she?"
The innkeeper trembled, stammering, "I...I don't know who you're referring to, sir..."
Xiao Hengzhi raised the knife, the tip pointing at his eyes, and said coldly, "If you don't talk, you can forget about having these eyes."
The innkeeper trembled, feeling the coldness of the knife tip, and finally couldn't help but shout, "I'll talk! I'll talk! Some time ago, while I was fishing by the river, I overheard someone say that a nobleman from the capital would be passing through this area and was going to send some women to the Drunken Sound Pavilion. I inadvertently glanced at a portrait of a woman, and your hairpin matched the one in the portrait, so I was overcome with greed..."
Xiao Hengzhi interrupted him: "So you went to inform them?"
The shopkeeper swallowed hard and begged for mercy, "Great hero, spare my life! Those people took the waterway, and there's only one road connecting the town to the water. I... that's all I know..."
Before the shopkeeper could finish speaking, he mercilessly plunged a knife into his chest. Then he quickly went out, found a horse, and galloped straight towards the riverbank.