Chapter 223
Seeing Lu Gu’s face turn pale in an instant, Shen Yaoqing had no choice but to say, “I’ll go ask the Qiu family today. They travel frequently for trade, so they must have more connections than us. That Qiu Laoda is used to venturing outside, and with Biaozi’s help, plus Erqing’s own considerable skills, he’ll surely be fine.”
Yet, in the face of the entire missing horse team, neither living nor dead bodies found, these words offered little comfort to anyone.
Sitting alone in the main room for a long time, Lu Gu still hadn’t regained his composure. Shen Yan opened her mouth several times, wanting to talk to him, but before she could speak, she nearly burst into tears herself.
Over the past few months, she and Lu Gu had been waiting together for Shen Xuanqing's return. Never had she imagined such a tragedy would occur. Just the other day, she had complained to Lu Gu, “Why doesn’t Second Brother even write a letter back?” The moment the words left her mouth, she saw Lu Gu’s face pale and knew she had spoken wrongly, she could only lower her head in silence.
“Sit here and eat by yourself. Auntie is making food for us. It’s cold outside, so don’t go out. And remember, don’t get too close to the clay stove—getting burned hurts.” She gently pressed Lingjun onto a small stool beside Lu Gu, breaking off a small piece of soft steamed bun for him to eat.
“Mm.” Lingjun nodded his little head, clutching the bun in his hand and taking a bite. He glanced at his aunt, then turned to look at his amu.
Though young, the child could sense the change in the family. Lu Gu had been in low spirits these past few days, and even Lingjun had stopped his usual mischief, staying obediently quiet.
Lu Gu remained lost in thought, unaware of what was even passing through his mind. He only snapped back to reality when Lingjun stood before him, lightly patting his knee.
“Amu, I’m thirsty.”
The child’s soft, delicate voice reached him. He paused before replying, “Alright, Amu will pour you some water.”
“Where’s Auntie?” he asked absentmindedly.
“Auntie’s cooking.” Lingjun stood on tiptoe, hands gripping the edge of the table as he watched Lu Gu pour water. The half bun was already finished.
“It's warm, just right.” Lu Gu handed him the bowl.
The weather was cold, so the clay stove had been placed beside the table. Lifting the kettle lid, he scooped some hot water. Hearing the sounds of Shen Yan cooking in the kitchen, he added, “Go play on the bed. Amu will tuck a tangpozi under the blankets for you, alright?”
Lingjun, busy drinking with both hands around the bowl, couldn’t answer immediately. Only after setting it down did he nod. “Okay.”
Today, he hadn’t run around or begged his amu to take him outside to play. Sitting here, the wind chilled his hands and feet, so burrowing into a warm bed sounded perfect.
Lu Gu led the child to the bedroom and settled him in before heading to the kitchen to help. He had Lingjun stay in bed because without supervision, the child might touch the clay stove. Unlike adults, a child’s tender skin could be badly scalded.
As he worked, he kept glancing toward the main room, afraid Lingjun might sneak out to play when the adults weren’t looking. Both he and Shen Yan appeared composed, but the kitchen was much quieter than usual.
On the second day of the twelfth lunar month, with only a month left before the New Year, Shen Yaoqing had been making inquiries everywhere. Early this morning, he hitched the mule cart and headed for Yuqing Prefecture with the families of several men from the horse caravan.
Lu Gu and Shen Yan stayed behind to mind the shop with Lingjun. No matter what, life had to go on. Besides, sitting idle at home would only lead to more anxious thoughts.
In the afternoon, a fulang came to buy a rabbit—only the meat, not the fur. Lu Gu let Shen Yan tend to the front while he went to the backyard to slaughter the rabbit.
Recently, with Shen Yaoqing constantly away, he and Shen Yan had taken care of Lingjun and become increasingly adept at slaughtering rabbits, chickens, and ducks.
Sitting on a small stool, he had already skinned the rabbit and was about to gut it when his hands became stained with blood. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a mule cart outside. Before he could stand, voices and footsteps erupted in a clamor. Shen Yaoqing had returned.
He froze, hands stilled, looking up blankly at Shen Yaoqing, who stood before him, nearly choking back a sob.
Over a month ago, near Tianying Ridge to the north, an herb gatherer had discovered a dozen corpses at the base of a cliff—most killed by arrows, with no identification tags on them. The sheer number of dead had terrified the gatherer, who reported it to the authorities.
But Tianying Ridge was far from Yuqing Prefecture, making the investigation difficult.
“We couldn’t find anything in the prefecture. Just as we were about to return, we ran into the Qiu family and learned the news. They sent someone to identify the bodies. Based on clothing and features, they were indeed from the horse caravan. The corpses were brought back yesterday and are being held at the prefectural office. I went to look… Erqing wasn’t among them.”
At this, Shen Yaoqing wiped his eyes, his voice slightly choked. “I’ll keep searching tomorrow. Qiu Laoda and Qiu Laosan weren’t there either. Their family is heading to Tianying Ridge’s prefectural office, and I’ll go with them.”
With Shen Xuanqing still missing, there was no hiding the truth. They could only speak plainly.
Lu Gu remained seated, unmoving even after Shen Yaoqing finished. Only when Shen Yaoqing tentatively called him, “Guzi?” did he react.
Gripping the knife in his hand, he pressed his lips together and silently resumed butchering the rabbit, never stopping his work.
Seeing this, Shen Yaoqing shifted his feet and sighed heavily before leaving.
Alone in the backyard, Lu Gu still didn’t speak, keeping his head down as he worked. Then, suddenly, tears splashed down.
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