The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

Chapter 383 All That Matters is Money
The news that Man'er and the others had disappeared shocked Yan Guan Town.

Most of the merchants were furious. They kidnapped the shopkeeper's child as a show of force to all the businesses in Yanguan Town.

Many businesses are helping to find people.

Upon learning the news, Nie Xiaofeng rushed to Tong Huaqiong's side to find out more.

Gu Baishuang didn't go to admire the lanterns; instead, she stayed home and took stock of her personal savings.

During the Spring Festival, she listened to Tong Huaqiong's words and carefully followed Nie Mingyuan's schemes. Today, Nie Mingyuan finally took the bait and is considering letting her participate in the porcelain business on the condition that she join the Lu family's merchant ship with Tong Huaqiong.

Although Nie Mingyuan is still wary of her, she is now able to take over her family's business with firsthand information, which is an improvement.

Gu Baishuang was planning to give herself an extra safety net. She took stock of her family's belongings and converted them into silver, intending to invest in her stepmother Tong Huaqiong's overseas business.

She was just dreaming about the future when she received news that her nephew and niece had gone missing.

Gu Baishuang was extremely anxious and quickly gathered the maids and servants in the house to go out and search together.

She planned to go to the street to meet her stepmother.

Just as she was about to leave, a note flew down and landed at her feet. The old woman beside her picked it up and handed it to her.

Gu Baishuang's expression changed drastically upon reading the document.

They said the Nie family's child was in the hands of robbers and demanded that the Nie family prepare two thousand taels of silver.

Could it be that Nie Xiaofeng, the grandson or granddaughter of the Nie family, was also abducted?
Wait a minute, my grandchildren just came back from watching the lanterns.

Nie Xiaofeng's strength was not something a kidnapper could take away.

Gu Baishuang hurriedly ran out of the house, thought for a moment, went back inside, and stuffed the note in her hand into the old woman beside her. The old woman then quietly slipped out of the side gate into the street.

Not long after the old woman went out, she saw Tong Huaqiong and the others.

Tong Huaqiong had just searched around. Boss Qian, He Chao, and Liu Tielian, the village chief of Qinghewan, had gathered the people of Qinghewan in the town to conduct a search after hearing the news.

Tong Huaqiong thought that enough people had already searched, so she stood at the place where the child was lost and waited.

She kept thinking, what if Man'er and the others got lost? What if they came back and couldn't find the adults? What if an enemy came looking for her to negotiate but couldn't find them?
"Grandma, someone just shot a note at you. She asked me to give it to you," the old woman whispered to Tong Huaqiong.

Tong Huaqiong ignored the shocking title "old lady," clutched the note in her hand, unfolded it with her back turned, and understood at a glance that the kidnapper had mistaken Man'er, Yaozu, and the others for members of the Nie family.

Although Tong Huaqiong didn't know where the misunderstanding came from, she was certain that Man'er and the others hadn't left Yanguan Town yet, and since the kidnapper wanted money, he had no intention of harming the children.

The kidnapper wrote very clearly on the note that the Nie family should place two thousand taels of silver at the designated place at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), and the child would be delivered to the Nie family at dawn.

In other words, the child will not be in danger before dawn.

“The child is still in town,” Tong Huaqiong said.

Having confirmed this information, Tong Huaqiong's tense nerves relaxed slightly.

As long as everyone is safe, everything is fine.

"Since the person is still in town, let the yamen runners help look for them," the old woman said to Tong Huaqiong as she spotted a yamen runner in the distance.

This constitutes extortion; even if the Gu and Nie families joined forces, they couldn't raise that much money.

"We must not let the yamen runners know now," Lu Zhaoyang shook his head.

Tong Huaqiong's idea coincided with Lu Zhaoyang's.

Who knows who took away Man'er, Xiaolong, Yaozu, and Duo'er?

Now that this group is in the shadows, they will definitely be keeping a close eye on the movements of the constables.

If they handed the note to the constables, and the group became desperate, Man'er, Xiaolong, and the others would definitely be in danger. What gave Tong Huaqiong some comfort was that the people who abducted the children didn't know about her relationship with them.

This will allow them to operate covertly.

“Aunt Tong, leave this to me. Trust me, I’ll definitely find the child,” Lu Zhaoyang said to Tong Huaqiong, clutching the note.

Lu Zhaoyang felt extremely guilty.

If he hadn't wanted to meet Huang Jingshan, Aunt Tong might not have brought her child to town to see the lanterns tonight.

Even if she takes the children to town to enjoy the lanterns, she doesn't need to focus her energy on him and Huang Jingshan, thus avoiding being so careless that she gives the kidnapper an opportunity.

If anything were to happen to the child, he would not only be letting down Aunt Tong, but he and Huang Jingshan would also never be happy in this life.

Therefore, even for the sake of his happiness with Huang Jingshan, he had to find the child.

Tong Huaqiong nodded calmly and handed Man'er's velvet flower to Lu Zhaoyang, who then left with his men.

Since Lu Zhaoyang did not die in this life, it must be because God has been kind to him. Tong Huaqiong believes that those who are favored by fate will continue to be favored by fate.

She believed that with Lu Zhaoyang around, the children would be found.

"Mother, Yaozu, has Yaozu disappeared?"

Liu Yue'e went to see the lanterns tonight. While Tong Huaqiong and the Huang family were talking, she slipped into a shop that was open for business.

She went shopping at a jewelry store with several young wives from the village, bought some jewelry and satin, and was overjoyed by their flattery.

I ran into the Huang family as I was leaving the jewelry shop. They said that Man'er and Yaozu had gone missing.

Liu Yue'e's mind went blank, and she was terrified out of her wits.

She only has one son; if he were lost, Gu Dashu would never forgive her.

But you can't entirely blame her. Her mother-in-law, aunt, and brother-in-law were all there, as was Su Chengmin, who was specifically there to keep an eye on the children, so she felt safe wandering around.

Liu Yue'e stumbled and ran, her hairpins and ornaments falling off. She grabbed Tong Huaqiong's hand to confirm whether Yaozu was lost.

Tong Huaqiong said, "All four children are missing, and everyone is searching for them."

The news from her mother-in-law made Liu Yue'e dizzy, and what angered her was that a group of people hadn't kept an eye on her son.

Liu Yue'e exploded, saying, "How could you take care of the child? How could you abandon the child right under your noses?"

Tong Huaqiong felt guilty about losing her child.

Knowing full well that there are many people admiring the lanterns, they still put their children in the midst of the lively acrobatic performances.

But she didn't know who to blame; in the blink of an eye, the children were gone.

Faced with her daughter-in-law's accusations, Tong Huaqiong decided not to argue with her.

Tong Huaqiong said to Liu Yue'e, "Everyone is already searching, we're sure we'll find it."

Liu Yue'e cried, "You make it sound so easy! We don't even know where the child is! What if Yaozu has been sold to some shameful place? I won't live anymore! Waaah, my poor Yaozu!"

Tong Huaqiong's face darkened: "What did you say!"

Liu Yue'e collapsed in tears, her hair disheveled, and began cursing Su Chengmin: "Wasn't I supposed to look after the child? How come he didn't keep an eye on him? If Yaozu can't be found, I'll never forgive him."

Liu Yue'e's face was covered in tears.

Tong Huaqiong was annoyed by Liu Yue'e's crying, so she asked Gu Taohua to take Liu Yue'e to a dark and secluded place.

Liu Yue'e's crying and making a scene was too conspicuous.