Before the house was raided, the maidservant of the Prime Minister's residence absconded with t

Inside the inn, Dongkui was listlessly slumped over the table, looking utterly distressed.

Seeing them return, he hurriedly went to greet them: "Seventh Brother Shi, Brother Qingfeng, have you heard anything about Sister Tao'er and the young master?"

Xiao Yi shook his head, looked at the empty dining hall with only a few diners, and asked, "Boss Zhou's people haven't been here?"

It wasn't lunchtime yet, so there weren't many customers.

Dongkui sighed and sat back down in her chair, exhausted. "No, I waited all afternoon and didn't see a single person."

Xiao Yi didn't speak and sat down at the table.

Qingfeng poured tea for the three of them, but none of them were in the mood to drink it.

It was completely dark when the lights were turned on in the inn.

As more and more diners arrived in the lobby, the sounds of laughter and the clinking of bowls and chopsticks blended together, making their table seem even more deserted.

Dongkui buried her face in her arms and said in a muffled voice, "Brother Qingfeng, do you think something might have happened to Sister Tao'er?"

She's raising the young master alone; what if they encounter bad people...?

"No, don't overthink it!"

Qingfeng interrupted her, but her tone wasn't so certain.

She then glanced at her master, Xiao Yi, who sat in the main seat with a gloomy face.

This girl, Dongkui, really doesn't know how to read people's expressions. Didn't she see that her master's face was not good and he was in a bad mood?

And all they say are discouraging things!

"I'm sorry, Brother Qingfeng, I was just too worried about Sister Tao'er and the others."

"Seventh Brother Shi, I was just talking nonsense. Sister Tao'er and the others are very lucky; they'll definitely be fine."

Dongkui realized she had said the wrong thing and quickly apologized, feeling extremely remorseful.

Xiao Yi shook his head, about to speak, when just then, footsteps came from the doorway.

The three of them looked up at the same time and saw Zhou Yong stride in, followed by a middle-aged man in his forties, dressed in a half-new silk robe, looking like a businessman. His face was plastered with a smile, a very signature smile.

Zhou Yong was all smiles, and before he even got close, his voice rang out: "Young Master, great news!"

There's news about your sister and nephew!

Dongkui jumped to her feet, almost tipping her chair over: "Boss Zhou, are you telling the truth?"

Xiao Yi also quickly stood up, suppressing his excitement, and clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "Boss Zhou, you've worked hard!"

This person is…

I had already guessed who the other person was, but I still couldn't be impolite.

Zhou Yong stepped aside and pointed to the middle-aged man behind him, saying, "This is Boss Liu from Yahang. He's met your sister and nephew before."

Boss Liu laughed heartily and rubbed his hands together as usual: "Young master, to be honest, a young woman did come to my place yesterday with a child to rent a room."

I thought the woman looked kind and the child was well-behaved, so I rented them a small courtyard in Willow Lane on East Street.

Xiao Yi's heart pounded, and he quickly asked, "Was that girl about fifteen or sixteen years old, pretty, and spoke clearly?"

Boss Liu nodded: "Yes, yes, that's it."

She said they went to stay with relatives, and there was a child with them, about four or five years old, who was very handsome. I heard her call the child Ayan.

"It's them, it's them!" Dongkui's eyes reddened with excitement as she grabbed Qingfeng's arm and shook it. "Qingfeng, did you hear that?"

It's Tao'er and the young master!

Qingfeng was also excited; they finally had a clue. However, his excitement wasn't as obvious as Dongkui's. He patted Dongkui's hand, "Don't get excited..."

Don't get excited...

Dongkui smiled sheepishly.

Xiao Yi took a deep breath, took out a silver ingot from his sleeve, and handed it to Zhou Ming: "Boss Zhou, I am deeply grateful and this is just a small token of my appreciation."

The previous 100 taels had already been given in advance.

Zhou Yong smiled and declined a few times, but eventually accepted it. He then pushed Boss Liu forward a little: "Boss Liu, take them there so they can get acquainted with the place and reunite with their family sooner."

Boss Liu nodded repeatedly: "Young master, please come with me."

That place isn't far; it's about a half-hour walk away.

As night deepened, the moon peeked out from behind the clouds, casting its gentle light across the ground.

Xiao Yi and his two companions followed Boss Liu through several alleys and turned into a small street called Willow Alley.

The alley was narrow, with small courtyards enclosed by low walls on both sides, and vines climbing on the walls, casting shadows in the moonlight.

Old Liu stopped in front of a black lacquered wooden door and said in a low voice, "This is it. Young master, you can knock on the door yourself. I'll leave you here."

Xiao Yi thanked Boss Liu and gave him a tael of silver as a token of his gratitude. Boss Liu did not refuse and left after thanking him.

After he walked away, Xiao Yi stepped forward and gently knocked on the door.

There was a moment of silence in the courtyard, followed by a wary female voice: "Who's there?"

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Dongkui burst into tears.

This is Peach Sister's voice.

She rushed to the door, her voice trembling: "Sister Tao'er..."

It's me, Peach!

I am Sister Dongkui…

There was a moment of silence in the courtyard, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.

The door creaked open, and a familiar face appeared behind it—it was Tao'er, whom they had been searching for for so long.

She was dressed in a bright green spring dress, her hair simply tied back, and she was holding half a half-eaten cornbread in her hand.

Seeing Dongkui outside the door, and Xiao Yi and Qingfeng behind her, her eyes reddened, her lips moved, and after a long while, she managed to squeeze out a sentence:

"How...did you find us?"

Dongkui hugged her tightly, laughing and crying at the same time: "Little Peach Sister..."

How could you leave me all alone?

Waaaaah………

Do you know how worried we were about you?

As Tao'er was held in her arms, her eyes welled up with tears.

She looked up, past Dongkui's shoulder, and at Xiao Yi standing in the moonlight.

Xiao Yi was also looking at her.

Under the moonlight, Tao'er's face looked thinner than when she left home, and there were faint dark circles under her eyes, clearly indicating that she hadn't been sleeping well these past few days.

But she stood there, her back straight, and in her eyes, besides the tears, there was something else that was hard to describe.

"Brother Shi Qi..."

Brother Qingfeng…

Tao called out softly.

Xiao Yi stepped forward, looked at her, a thousand words stuck in his throat, and finally just reached out and patted her shoulder, saying in a hoarse voice, "It's good that you're alright."

Where is Ayan?

Tao'er wiped away her tears, stepped aside to let the door open, and said, "He's having dinner inside. You... come in first."

The yard wasn't big, but it was kept quite clean.

The light was on in the main room, where two people, one adult and one child, were eating.

The younger one is Ayan, while the older one is a handsome and refined young master.

Looking at the handsome young man who had suddenly appeared, Dongkui couldn't help but wonder: When did Sister Tao'er have a noble young man by her side?

Xiao Yi and Qingfeng stared wide-eyed the moment they saw the young master.

The two of them were filled with shock!