"As you command, young master, Iāll attend to this matter immediately."
After Ye Er left, he immediately went to speak with the people from Fushui County, and then, without delay, led a team to various towns throughout the night.
"Whatās happened again?" Seeing him return from the front yard with a slightly troubled expression, I couldnāt help but ask.
Ye Ziāan paused for a moment, then forced a smile, "Itās nothing, letās eat first!"
"Daddy, eat this, youāll feel better if you eat this," Yangyang, observant of moods, noticed the lack of smile on Ye Ziāanās face and scooped some egg custard for him with a spoon.
"Thank you, son!"
Lele, sensitively aware that something might have happened outside, did not quite understand the matter due to his young age and obediently continued eating, occasionally picking food for his parents.
After finishing the meal, he dutifully returned to his little study room to practice calligraphy. His father had said that recognizing more characters meant reading more books, and reading more would help him grow up faster. If he grew up faster, he could help his father with work.
"Ming Yu, what are you looking for?" Upon entering his little study, he found Ming Yu rummaging through his bookcase as if searching for something.
"Oh, itās the young master. Have you finished your meal?" Ming Yu smiled, waving a piece of cloth in her hand, "I saw that your things were a bit messy, so I decided to tidy up for you."
"Oh," hearing this, Lele simply nodded, though he wondered whether his things were really that disorderly.
After a while, seeing that she was still in the room, Lele asked, "Why donāt you go out?"
Ming Yu was taken aback for a moment, then quickly said with a smile, "Iāll go out right away."
"Have Sister-in-law Li come over," Lele called out after she left.
Before he could finish speaking, Sister-in-law Liās voice came from outside, "Why is Ming Yu here? Arenāt you supposed to be with the mistress? You need to attend to her during meals."
"Yes, mama, Iām aware. I am heading there now."
Sister-in-law Li, finding Ming Yuās appearance somewhat strange yet not inquiring further, brought over some broth. Her usual task, along with Big Sister-in-law Li, was to look after Lele and Yangyang, while Sister-in-law Li and Ming Liu were in charge of other matters within the yard.
"Whatās going wrong? You look pale," Yang Chuxia queried Ye Ziāan after they had eaten and returned to their room.
Before the meal, Ye Er came to report that another girl had gone missing in Fushui County," Ye Ziāan explained as he placed his clothes on the rack, "I fear this is only the beginning, just as it was with Quanya County years ago."
Yang Chuxia remembered the incident well, as it had wide-ranging implications. Yang Jinling and Yang Dongzhi were directly affected as victims, and Ms.Hua Juniorās family was thoroughly driven out of Yangshu Village because of it.
"Has anything been discovered at the Fancy Red Pavilion?" Yang Chuxia then inquired.
"Nothing. The people inside havenāt noticed anything amiss. Itās as though they truly are in the business of welcoming guests. Nothing else untoward."
"Do you know what Fancy Red Pavilion feels like to me?" Yang Chuxia asked, following the response.
"What does it feel like?"
Yang Chuxia extended her hand and groped in the air, "Itās like an evil spirit. You know itās malevolent, yet you canāt stop it from harming the world."
"The Fancy Red Pavilion cannot be problem-free." Yang Chuxia stated confidently, "But apart from that one incident involving the selling of service contracts, it hasnāt been associated with any misconduct. Itās odd. One of these days, I must personally investigate the Fancy Red Pavilion."