Chapter Ninety-Two: By a Stroke of Chance

The entire Wei residence was searched from top to bottom. Even Long Pine Courtyard and Welcoming Bamboo Courtyard, places Wei Yilin was unlikely ever to visit, were checked—and still there was no sign of him.

It could be confirmed now that Wei Yilin was no longer in the manor. Wei Yichen and Wei Qingwan hurried to report the matter to Mrs. Yun.

At once, Mrs. Yun sent the whole household out to search.

In Long Pine Courtyard, after Wei Ruo had seen off the people who came asking whether she had seen Wei Yilin, she lazily sank back onto the bed.

A rare chance to rest—she ought to take a nap. Sleeping at midday was such a blissful thing.

“Miss, should you go out and help search as well? Everyone from Plum-Viewing Courtyard has already gone out too, running up and down and being terribly busy.” Xiumei frowned and asked with concern.

“So many people have already gone out. My being one more won’t make any difference. Besides, I don’t like that brat Wei Yilin, and he doesn’t like me either. He probably wouldn’t want to be found by me, his nominal elder sister, anyway.” Wei Ruo stretched a long, languid yawn.

“Miss, I’m only worried that if something really has happened to the young master, then when Madam asks about it later and learns that Eldest Miss was at home sleeping the day away without concern for anyone else, you’ll be blamed again...” Xiumei murmured with her head lowered.

At that, Wei Ruo opened her eyes, her mind sharpening at once.

Xiumei was right. By then, it might not be as simple as a scolding from Mrs. Yun. If someone else added fuel to the fire and spread word that she, as the elder sister, had been indifferent to the youngest brother of the family, that she had not cared at all even after he went missing, then who knew how harshly she would be criticized.

After a moment, Wei Ruo rolled over and propped herself up.

“Get me dressed. Your miss here is just born to toil—there’s no rest for me!”

Resigned, Wei Ruo got up and dressed, then left the house with Xiumei in a carriage.

The servants searching for Wei Yilin were all combing the area thoroughly. Aside from Wei Qingwan, who had taken a carriage, everyone else had gone on foot, so Wei Ruo’s usual carriage was still available.

Though she had gone out, she had no particular destination in mind. In the end, Wei Ruo simply headed to the southern part of the city. Even if she failed to find the boy, she could at least take a look at how things were progressing there.

After arriving in the south of the city, Wei Ruo got down from the carriage and wandered about, looking around.

Xiumei was helpless. Her young mistress was clearly using the pretext of searching for someone to inspect the progress of the land reclamation in the southern district.

As Wei Ruo walked, she looked carefully at the people there. The land had been opened up by poor folk who owned nothing of their own. Along the way, she saw either gaunt old men or children with sallow, wasted faces.

All of them were waiting for crops to grow from this earth. When they looked toward the newly reclaimed fields, there was light in their eyes.

There was a little boy, thin-bodied and yellow-skinned, dressed in a threadbare, flimsy coat, nestled in his grandfather’s arms. When Wei Ruo passed by, the boy stared at her, his eyes full of curiosity.

His grandfather quickly held him tighter and murmured, “Behave. That’s a young lady from the government.”

It was obvious the old man was afraid the child, not understanding the ways of the world, might offend Wei Ruo. They could tell from her clothes that she was far above them in rank.

The little boy was so frightened that he immediately withdrew his gaze and no longer dared look directly at Wei Ruo.

Wei Ruo stopped walking and turned to ask Xiumei, “Meimei, I’m a little hungry. Did you bring anything to eat?”

How could Xiumei not know that her young mistress was not hungry herself, but wanted to give food to these old people and children?

“There’s some in the carriage. I’ll go back and get it,” Xiumei said.

“Mm, bring more... no, bring everything from the carriage,” Wei Ruo said.

“All right. I’ll bring it all over and keep a portion for you, Miss. Should I give the extra to the old folks and children nearby? They all look so pitiful,” Xiumei said.

She would say what her young mistress had not said, so that the miss would not feel awkward asking.

“Mm, go on.”

“All right!”

Xiumei turned and ran back to the carriage parked by the main road.

From the carriage, Xiumei took out a bag of dried sweet potatoes. Just after she got down, she saw a large number of men from the guard office.

Xiumei was surprised, so she stopped a woman she knew well, Granny Zhang, to ask what was going on.

“Granny Zhang, what happened? Weren’t everyone searching for the young master? Why has everyone come to the south of the city?”

Granny Zhang wore a look of urgency. “Miss Xiumei, your young lady really had foresight! The young master must have secretly run to the south of the city! Early this morning, two servants at home drove an ox cart here carrying a load of straw. The young master probably hid on that cart and slipped out then! The guards searching for him found one of the young master’s ornaments on the cart.”

So Wei Ruo’s decision to come here had actually been the right one?

Xiumei opened her mouth, momentarily at a loss for words.

At that moment Granny Zhang added, “I don’t know how the young master is doing now, but I’ve heard that there are still remnants of Japanese pirates in the mountains around here lately. A child like the young master is in real danger.”

“What? There are still pirate remnants nearby? How can that be? Weren’t the pirates driven back after the last battle?” Xiumei was instantly alarmed.

“Yes. Most of them were killed, but a few escaped and hid around Moon-Viewing Mountain. I heard they’re very stubborn, surviving on roots and tree bark, and occasionally stealing food from the villagers reclaiming land in the south of the city. It was while they were stealing that the villagers spotted them. The matter was only reported to the authorities this morning, and the yamen hasn’t sent anyone to deal with it yet,” Granny Zhang explained.

Then, remembering that Wei Ruo was still out there, Xiumei grew worried. She could no longer worry about the task Wei Ruo had assigned her and hurried back to the spot where they had parted.

While waiting for Xiumei’s return, Wei Ruo was not idle either. She walked along the edges of the newly reclaimed fields, observing as she went.

The land around them had changed greatly. The old wild grass was gone, and the ground had been divided into neat plots, flat and square, with clear boundaries.

Most of the area had been reclaimed and improved very well; by the latter half of the month, it was likely they could begin planting.

Wei Ruo kept walking toward the mountains. She planned to take a look at the medicinal field she and the Xie family were running together.

Closer to the mountains, the terrain grew more complicated, and there were far fewer people about. From a distance, one could see two or three people still at work reclaiming land.

These plots had been bought by those in the county town with some means and savings. Yet because so few families had purchased land here for reclamation, the place remained sparsely populated, and one had to look a long way off before spotting anyone.

Wei Ruo continued onward. After rounding a large boulder, two short, broad-shouldered men appeared before her.

Both had cloth wraps tied around their heads and wore ordinary commoners’ clothing. Between them stood a boy with a face Wei Ruo knew all too well...

Wei Yilin!

The little ancestor the entire Wei household had mobilized to find had suddenly and without warning appeared right in front of her?