Chapter 955: Chapter 955: Changes in the Black Market
Shu Yu paused for a moment, "You..."
Young Master Jiang raised his eyes to look at the mountain, "You want to go check out that forest, donât you? Iâll go too. Iâm still the master of the Manor; I canât just ignore Little Yaâerâs disappearance."
Shu Yu stared at him for a few seconds and understoodâYoung Master Jiang definitely knew what that place was for.
The black market isnât exactly a secret; itâs just that common folk are unaware of it, while the wealthy families in Jiangyuan County are all in the know.
Young Master Jiang himself is a major landlord. Even for a piece of land with poor yields over a hundred acres, heâs willing to persist in experimenting for four or five yearsâclearly, money is no object for him.
Whatâs more, the black market is merely two thousand meters away from his Manor; it would be odd if he didnât know about it.
Thus, Shu Yu didnât refuse him. She turned around and said to Daniu and Third Lu, "You stay here. When the authorities arrive later, explain the situation to them. Meanwhile, keep an eye on Ms. Tang."
With that, she instructed Ying Xi to head out.
Daniu chased after them, only catching a glimpse of the mule carriageâs silhouette.
He furrowed his brows, and Third Lu patted him on the shoulder, "Whatâs bothering you?"
"I shouldâve gone with them. Otherwise, itâs just Yu and Young Master Jiang; two people..." At this moment, so many people had witnessed itâif word spread, it wouldnât be good for Yu.
Third Lu, however, didnât seem concerned. "What does it matter? Isnât there that servant named Ying Xi or Ying Bei following them?"
Daniu thought about it and agreedâit wasnât just the two of them, and that was good enough.
So, he headed back into the courtyard and sternly kept watch over Ms. Tang.
Shu Yu and Young Master Jiang didnât move quickly en route. Even at a slow pace, they found no trace of Little Yaâer.
Shu Yu had actually braced herself for the worst, but she was still unwilling to let it go.
Soon, the mule carriage arrived at the bamboo forest entrance.
Shu Yu got off the carriage and immediately began climbing upward.
To her surprise, she hadnât gone very far before she noticed that the forest looked different from the last time sheâd been hereâit seemed... more guarded, with stricter security.
Suspicion stirred in Shu Yuâs heart. After climbing a few more steps, she was stopped by someone.
The man glanced at the pair and asked, "Are you two here for something?"
Suppressing her astonishment, Shu Yu quickly replied, "Weâre looking for someone. Brother, have you seen a little girl, around five years old? Sheâs the child of tenants from the Manor down the hill. Two days ago, something happened, and she ran off. Sheâs been missing since."
The man pressed his lips together in silence for a moment, then nodded. "Seen her."
Shu Yu and Young Master Jiangâs faces lit up with joy. "Where is she?"
"Two days ago, just at dawn, that little girl did come through here. But we drove her away. She went in that direction. If you want to find her, try looking over there. Donât go upward; the area ahead is restricted."
"Drove her away?" Shu Yu took a deep breath, almost unable to contain herself from cursing.
She bit her lip, turned around, and left. Young Master Jiang quickly followed her.
The two of them walked toward the base of the mountain to the left as the guard had indicated. After a few steps, Shu Yu glanced back againâshe didnât mistake it; the number of guards had increased by two, and they were eyeing them warily.
She asked Young Master Jiang, "This entrance seems different from the last time I came here. Do you know whatâs going on?"
"You donât know?" Young Master Jiang was surprised. Heâd assumed that since she knew about the black market, she must also know the reason.
Shu Yu shook her head. "To be honest, I left Jiangyuan County last year for some matters and only returned a few days ago. Iâm truly unaware of the changes that have happened here."