Chapter 174
Ye Yunniang ran all the way to the prefectural governor's mansion in one breath, panting heavily. "I want to see Magistrate Bao."
The yamen runner standing guard laughed at Ye Yunniang's words. Really, any kind of person dared to come and say they wanted to see the magistrate.
"Go, go, go. Magistrate Bao isn't someone you can see just because you want to. Hurry up and leave."
"I have urgent business and must see him. Tell him my surname is Ye, and my name is Ye Yunniang. He will see me."
"I don't care if you're Ye Yunniang or Li Yunniang. Leave quickly. If you don't leave, I won't hold back." The yamen runner shifted the staff in his hands, gesturing that he would hit her if she didn't leave.
"It's really urgent, I'm begging you. Please pass a message to Magistrate Bao for me. I need to see him."
"Get out of here." The yamen runner impatiently shoved Ye Yunniang.
Ye Yunniang stumbled back a few steps and steadied herself. Looking at the yamen runner blocking her path, she shouted directly.
"Bao Min, Bao Min..."
"You dare to call the magistrate by his given name." Hearing this, the yamen runner grew anxious. He raised his staff, ready to strike Ye Yunniang.
"Stop."
Luo Xin, who had just returned, witnessed this heart-stopping scene. He flew forward to block the staff.
"Guard Luo, this woman,"
The yamen runner's explanation was cut off by Ye Yunniang.
"Luo Xin, my mother is missing. Did Bao Min hide her and Shushu?"
"The madam is missing!" Luo Xin's expression changed drastically, and he rushed into the mansion to find Bao Min.
Ye Yunniang followed Luo Xin inside.
This time, the yamen runners guarding the door didn't stop her.
From Luo Xin's words, it was clear this woman had a close relationship with the magistrate.
The two yamen runners standing guard exchanged a glance.
What should they do?
It seemed they had stirred up trouble.
Ye Yunniang bumped into Bao Min, who was walking out.
At this moment, Bao Min exuded a cold aura. Behind him were Tong Mo and Zhou Yunluo.
"How did the madam disappear? And Shushu, where is she?"
Bao Min's anxiety didn't look faked, but Ye Yunniang still had her suspicions.
"Was it really not you who took my mother and Shushu away?"
"I would not do anything to displease the madam." Bao Min's stance was very clear, and he asked Ye Yunniang again, "How did the madam disappear?"
Ye Yunniang decided to trust Bao Min for the moment and recounted Cai Damei's strange behavior that morning from beginning to end.
"Luo Xin, go search. Even if you have to turn Jiangcheng upside down, you must find the madam and Shushu for me."
At the same time, Bao Min's mind raced, trying to figure out who had kidnapped Cai Damei and Cai Shuyi.
"Yes." Luo Xin led his men to search.
Ye Yunniang didn't stay long at the governor's mansion and headed home.
The children at home were still waiting for her.
"I'll walk you back." Tong Mo was worried about Ye Yunniang going back alone.
"I'll go too." Zhou Yunluo followed behind.
"No need. I can manage on my own." Ye Yunniang didn't want to get involved with Tong Mo and politely declined.
Ye Yunniang walked out of the governor's mansion and saw Jiang Mingzhe waiting outside.
Jiang Mingzhe hurried forward a couple of steps and supported the weak Ye Yunniang.
"I've already informed Wenyuan to search for mother and Shushu."
"Let's go home. Pan'er is still waiting for me." With her mother and Shushu in trouble, nothing else could happen to the children.
"Alright." Jiang Mingzhe helped Ye Yunniang into the carriage and they left.
"Brother, she's not interested in you. Stop staring." Zhou Yunluo kicked Tong Mo.
Zhou Yunluo didn't understand.
There were so many beautiful and gentle ladies in the capital, yet Tong Mo wasn't interested in any of them. Instead, he blindly fancied Ye Yunniang, who looked ordinary and had three sons.
"Go back to the mansion and stay put." Tong Mo left her with this instruction and walked away.
"Where are you going?"
"To find Auntie."
"To find Auntie? I'm going too." Zhou Yunluo followed him, determined not to be shaken off.
The carriage slowly returned to Sunset Alley, and Ye Yunniang stepped out.
"Auntie Yunniang." Xu Erlei rushed over but was blocked by Jiang Mingzhe.
"Erlei, Auntie is busy right now. We'll talk another day." Ye Yunniang was in no mood to talk to Xu Erlei at the moment.
"Auntie Yunniang, look."
Xu Erlei opened his hand, revealing a hair tie with a small golden bell attached to it.
Ye Yunniang cast a casual glance, but her eyes suddenly locked onto it.
She snatched the hair tie and closely examined the inside of the small bell.
Engraved inside the bell was the character "Shu."
There was no mistake; it was Shushu's hair tie, a New Year's gift Ye Yunniang had given her.
Cai Shuyi loved jingling bells.
Ye Yunniang had specially ordered about a dozen small bells engraved with the character "Shu" from a jewelry shop. She also picked out silk threads in Shushu's favorite colors.
She wove the bells into the threads, making hair ties, bracelets, and more for Shushu.
That morning, Cai Damei had used the bell hair tie to put Shushu's hair into little pigtails.
Ye Yunniang excitedly grabbed Xu Erlei's arms.
"Erlei, where did you find this hair tie? Tell me quickly, where did you find it?"
Ye Yunniang's desperate and slightly fierce expression frightened Xu Erlei.
Xu Erlei struggled, tightly gripped by Ye Yunniang, his voice trembling with fear.
"I, I,"
Jiang Mingzhe hugged Ye Yunniang. "Yunniang, you're scaring him. Let go first, release him."
Ye Yunniang looked at the tearful Xu Erlei and withdrew her hands.
"Erlei, Auntie was just too anxious. Don't be afraid, Auntie didn't mean to."
As Ye Yunniang explained, Xu Erlei backed away two steps.
Granny Xu, hearing the commotion from the Xu family courtyard, walked out.
"Erlei."
"Grandma." Xu Erlei ran to Granny Xu's side, leaning against her to soothe his frightened nerves.
"Auntie Xu, I'm sorry. I just scared Erlei." Ye Yunniang briefly explained about Cai Damei and Shushu going missing, and how Xu Erlei had found the hair tie Shushu wore that morning.
Granny Xu listened and patted Xu Erlei's shoulder.
"Erlei, tell Grandma what you know."
Xu Erlei hummed in agreement and recounted what happened.
After Liang Hemiao left the Xu family, there was no one constantly badmouthing the Li brothers in front of Xu Erlei.
With Xu Dalei's guidance, Xu Erlei slowly realized he had done wrong and hurt Li Pan and Li An.
He wanted to apologize, but the Li family was no longer in Sunset Alley.
When the Li family returned, Xu Erlei watched them bustling about every day, paying him no mind.
Xu Erlei felt an indescribable awkwardness in his heart. The words of apology remained unspoken.
It wasn't until today, during the New Year visits, that Xu Dalei brought him to the Li household.
Only then did Xu Erlei gather the courage to say the apology he should have said long ago.
After saying it, he felt embarrassed and ran out of the Li house.
Xu Erlei ran all the way out of the alley and sat in a crooked tree by the ditch not far away.
He picked at the tree bark and threw it into the water to ease his emotions.
While throwing the bark, he heard familiar voices and the jingling sound of a bell coming from the abandoned house across the ditch.
Xu Erlei had always been bold and curious. He jumped directly from the tree to the other side of the ditch and ran into the abandoned house.
There was no one inside.
He walked around and found a red hair tie with a bell in the weeds.
The golden bell delighted Xu Erlei, thinking he could sell it for money to buy candied haws.
When Xu Dalei found him, Xu Erlei stuffed the red hair tie into his clothes and followed him home.
Afraid that Xu Dalei would find out and make him hand it over, Xu Erlei hid the red hair tie when he got home.
In the afternoon, Xu Erlei played with the children in the alley.
One of the little girls had a red hair tie in her hair, and he heard her say that Shushu's red hair tie had a golden bell and was especially pretty.