Chapter Six: The Unexpected Turn of Events

  Every day in the Fu Li tribe's school, the days passed quickly, and before I knew it, three days had already passed.

  Cao Cong gradually got used to this kind of two-point life, and when he was in first grade again, he recited the articles that needed to be recited and practiced calligraphy. It's not clear whether it's because of his mature mind or because this little body is clever by nature, but remembering his homework has become easy.

  At noon that day, it was time for a nap again. Cao Song hastily ate a few mouthfuls of snacks and took some food to surround Gu Na again. This child is indeed indomitable, coming every day to put on such an act. Cao Song disliked the various sweet and greasy snack smells in the house, so he went out to get some fresh air. Just as he had taken a few steps, he heard someone whispering: "Master Cao, Master Cao!"

  Cao Gong turned his head and saw that it was a young servant from Master Fu's family, so he walked over.

  The little servant nodded and bowed: "Master Yuan, my master is calling you to the pavilion in the backyard!"

  Cao Guang was slightly surprised: "Did the teacher call me? Did he also call other classmates or just called me alone?"

  The little servant hastily stretched out his finger: "Just call Yan Dage, you hurry up and go with Xiao De, my master is still waiting!"

  Cao Gong felt a bit puzzled, but thinking that it would be impolite to keep his elders waiting, he followed him.

  There was a pavilion in the backyard, Cao Guang saw it and walked over, but Cao Bao was not there. Cao Guang was still wondering what was going on when his mouth and nose were suddenly covered with a wet cloth, he didn't have time to struggle before losing consciousness.

  Not far away, that little servant who came with Cao Yu was happily fiddling with the two silver coins in his hand, still thinking to himself that the affairs of wealthy families were indeed strange, even relatives couldn't casually meet. This Gu San may look a bit shabby, but he's generous with his money, it seems he also wants to take advantage of this Cao Yu to curry favor with the Cao family. The next moment, he was shocked stiff, wasn't that little person being carried by Gu San the very same Cao Gongzi he had just brought over? He wanted to open his mouth and shout, but Gu San had already jumped over the wall and escaped.

  This little fellow was so frightened that he trembled all over, and even if he were foolish enough, he could see that Gu San had no good intentions, and yet he had become an accomplice. In the end, it would be his own head on the block, so he clenched his fists and decided to rush back into the house to pack up his things and run away. Although being a fugitive slave was bitter, at least he could keep his life intact.

  In the classroom, Gu Na was still his usual self, unmoved by delicious food. Cao Song had a disappointing experience and returned to his seat with a sigh, only to find that his brother's seat was empty. He searched everywhere, looked in the front and back yards, thinking he might have gone back home, and even scolded him for being unbrotherly.

  When Cao Gong's book boys Xi Mo and Nong Mo came to collect the point heart box, Cao Song only knew that his brother had not returned home. What happened to a good person who suddenly disappeared? The two book boys were in a panic, one went to the inner courtyard to find Mr., and the other went to inform Cao Fang and others in the front courtyard.

  Not a moment later, Cao Hua and Cao Fang both arrived, one with a head full of cold sweat, the other with a pale face. Cao Kun was Cao Yin's only son, the old lady's heart's desire, if something were to happen to him, everyone would be implicated. Several people set out together, first confirming with the gatekeeper repeatedly, except for Cao Hua's little servant going out, no one else had left the mansion, and then they thoroughly searched the three courtyards, even searching under the bed in the inner courtyard bedroom, but still couldn't find any sign of Cao Kun.

  Something big happened, and the classes in the school couldn't continue. The students were making a racket, wanting to get out of class. Cao Fang thought more thoroughly, not daring to let them go back, on one hand he ordered someone to quickly report to Cao Yin, on the other hand he had people guard the entrance, not allowing people from various departments to leave. Even if outsiders kidnapped someone, without inside help it would be hard to do.

  A moment later, Cao Yin arrived on horseback, accompanied by his attendant Zhuang Chang and a dozen or so guards from the mansion.

  Cao Yin heard that his son was missing and thought it was because of himself being implicated, fearing that the enemy had come to seek revenge. Regardless of who the opponent was, he couldn't let anyone take his son out of Jiangning for now. Thinking of this, he immediately ordered several people who followed Cao Gong to school to bring the guards to guard the four city gates. Later, from the students to each person's followers and book boys, they were all separated and asked about their whereabouts during this noon break, and no one was left alone, with someone by their side, which should have excluded suspicion.

  Zhuang Chang led the way, and they discovered some marks on the top of the wall in the backyard. It seemed that someone had been climbing over the wall to enter or exit. Everyone's eyes fell on Cao Bao, because at present the biggest suspect was Cao Bao's young servant who had not returned home until now.

  Cao Yin had not yet reacted, but Cao Bao was already so angry that he fainted.

  Zhuang Chang often saw that many children were so scared that they couldn't move, and let Cao Yi release them first, letting them go home. The crowd had some who were secretly delighted in the misfortune of others, and some like Cao Song who had tears in their eyes. Only Gu Na's expression was somewhat unusual, with a straight gaze, it was unclear what he was thinking. Zhuang Chang noticed something unusual, quietly called one of his subordinates, and gave a low command.

  Guna walked home with a heavy heart, filled with regret. No wonder that gambler of a father had suddenly become so affectionate over the past two days, not only asking about his schoolwork but also inquiring about the class schedule. He had held back from speaking the truth in front of everyone. That man, no matter how despicable, was still his biological father.

  In the distance, he saw a crowd of people gathered in front of his own courtyard gate. Gu Na thought it was because his father's affair had been exposed and feared that it would implicate his mother, so he hurriedly ran forward. However, they were just several neighbors from the street, all familiar faces - there was Chen Liu who drove horse-drawn carriages on the street, Qian Dangnu from the end of the street, and a few other neighbors. When everyone saw Gu Na arrive, they started chattering away.

  It turned out that yesterday Gu San found Chen Liu, wanting to buy his horse carriage. Since he had no money, he wanted to sell Zhou Shi to him as a wife. Chen Liu was an orphan, and his family was poor, with their entire fortune being just a few broken houses and a horse carriage. He was 23 or 24 years old and had never married before. Although Gu San was a gambler, the kindness of his wife was well-known by everyone in the neighborhood, so Chen Liu was willing to agree.

  Gu San said that as long as Chen Liu's horse carriage added two taels of silver, he would write the divorce papers himself. Chen Liu was afraid of being cheated, so he asked Qian Dama, a street neighbor who was good at matchmaking, to help and act as an intermediary.

  Originally, they had agreed that it would be unseemly to go out during the day, so Chen Liu was supposed to come and escort her home tonight. Chen Liu waited until noon, but felt something was amiss, fearing that Gu San might abscond with his family, resulting in a loss of both people and goods. He then arrived at the Gu's residence. Although he was a simple-minded person, he understood some basic etiquette and knew it wouldn't be proper for him to show up uninvited, so he asked Mrs. Qian and several neighbors to come and help mediate.

  Zhou's family was a scholarly one, and when she heard the neighbor, Mrs. Qian, calling at the door, she originally intended to open it, but seeing that there were men among them, she thought it inappropriate, so she spoke with Mrs. Qian through the closed door for a few sentences. When she heard her husband say he had sold her, she was even more unwilling to open the door and wanted to wait until her son returned to take charge.

  Gu Na looked at the contract and indeed it was her father Gu San's handwriting. Her heart felt cold, she couldn't believe he could be so ruthless, not considering their relationship as husband and wife at all.

  Guna clenched his fists and bowed to the onlookers: "Ladies and gentlemen, uncles and aunts, things have come to this point, I won't say more. Please disperse first and let us discuss this matter between my mother and me!" He then turned to Chen Liu and said: "Uncle Chen, please don't worry, since my father bought your horse carriage, this debt has fallen on me. My mother is a timid person, if we rush her like this, I'm afraid something big will happen!

  Madam Zhou's kindness is well-known to all, and everyone thought that Gu Nai had spoken reasonably, so they each returned home. Even Chen Liu left calmly, he had a few regrets in his heart, knowing that he was not worthy of Madam Zhou, this marriage was something he had thought about wrongly. Now, the carriage was gone, and he could only hope that the young master of the Gu family would manage to scrape together some silver to pay back the debt.

  Zhou's family confirmed that there was only her son left outside the courtyard door, and then she opened a gap in the door to let him in.

  At noon, Zhou's family was like a startled bird, seeing her son again and couldn't help but burst into tears, hearing that the letter selling his wife was indeed written by her husband, a hint of despair appeared in Zhou's eyes.

  Cao Fang and others guarded the four city gates until nightfall, but nothing was gained. Cao Yi, on the one hand, sent people to search for him, and on the other hand, sent people to each of the scholars' homes, instructing their parents not to speak carelessly.

  The old lady thought that her daughter-in-law was worried about her mother's family and didn't want to let her son go out alone, so she asked Li Shi to prepare to return to her mother's house, on the one hand to take care of her mother, and also to take care of her son. Li Shi had no choice but to tell the truth in front of the old lady, who spat up blood and fainted. The old lady thought that her daughter-in-law was worried about her mother's family and didn't want to let her son go out alone, so she asked Li Shi to prepare to return to her mother's house, on the one hand to take care of her mother, and also to take care of her son.

  Cao Guan and his wife, Zhao Jia, found out the truth from their son and came to ask questions. Because of those students, almost all relatives and friends knew that the young master of the Weaving Bureau had been tied up and taken away. Cao Yin was afraid that it would reach the ears of the old lady, so he ordered that no one in the mansion was allowed to spread rumors, otherwise they would be beaten to death, and this was how the news was kept strictly confidential.

  Li wanted to wait for news of her son, but she couldn't rest assured returning to her natal home, nor could she stay in the mansion, fearing she wouldn't be able to explain herself to Old Lady. Zhao Jia was also a mother, so she suggested inviting Big Sister to stay with her for a few days. Cao Yi was worried that his wife would reveal traces of something while staying in the mansion and be discovered by Old Lady, so he entrusted his wife to his younger brother's wife to take care of.

  Let's not mention the chaos at Cao's house for now, and just talk about Zhuang Chang's side. They sent someone to follow Gu Na and found out about Gu San selling his wife to buy a horse carriage. Because of the overly coincidental timing, it was inevitable that people would start to suspect. After sending someone to thoroughly investigate Gu San's background, Zhuang Chang had some certainty that Gu San might be the one who kidnapped Cao Yun.

  The next day, the little servant who had run away from the clan school appeared. It turned out that after he left that day, he went to seek refuge with a distant relative outside the city. The relative knew that he had sold himself into slavery and saw him acting hastily, so he asked him kindly. The young servant was still young and hesitated for a few sentences before telling the truth. The relative was afraid of getting involved, so he pretended to coax him into eating and drinking, then tied him up after he got drunk, and called the officials at dawn.

  In the yamen, after a severe beating, the little servant confessed his master's name. When the Cao family was mentioned in Jiangning, it turned out to be a relative of the Weaving Bureau, and the county official did not dare to make an arbitrary judgment, so he sent two yamen runners to take the little servant to Cao Hu's place to verify the truth.

  When Cao Yin arrived at Cao Huang's house, the little servant had already told him about how Gu San was tied up by Cao Guang. Cao Yin had heard from Zhuang Chang that Gu San sold his wife to buy a cart and had been suspicious for some time. Now that he had confirmation, he took people to Gu San's house.

  Zhou's wife was unaware of the change, and went out to the kitchen to prepare tea. Gu Na saw Cao Yin's face covered in frost, asked about his father's whereabouts, had a plan in mind, and after seeing his mother leave, said: "That person sold my mother yesterday, it's already an unforgivable sin! I am that person's foster son, repaying the debt of my father is heavenly justice, please sir take me away. Maybe that person will get the news and return from his mistakes. I only ask sir to spare my mother, give her some dignity." He said this and knelt down on the ground.

  Although Cao Yin came with a belly full of anger, he was not unreasonable. This disaster was indeed caused by Gu San, and what did it have to do with his wife and daughter? He himself was filial, having seen Gu Na take care of her mother at a young age, and felt pity for him. He reached out to help him up. Cao Yin worried about his son in his heart, thinking "a tiger does not eat its own son", or perhaps Gu San knew that his son was in the Cao residence, and would turn back even if he couldn't bear it.

  The Gu family had long been empty and poor, with no tea to offer, only a few cups of plain water. Seeing Cao Yin's unpleasant expression, Zhou Shi thought that perhaps her husband had gotten into some kind of trouble again, and she asked nervously: "My husband is not here, I wonder what business you have with him, uncle?"

  Cao Yin glanced at Zhou Shi and then at Gu Na, sighed in his heart, and ordered the person beside him to go find Chen Liu, the horse cart seller.

  Zhou saw that it was actually for this ugly matter that he had come, and he was so ashamed and indignant that he didn't dare to lift his head again.