Chapter 428: Chapter 403: Quick as a Hare_1
With three younger sisters and Yan Wenyi around, Yan Wentao and Yan Wenkai couldn’t directly pursue the matter and investigate, so after exchanging glances, they silently withdrew their gaze.
After taking a few steps, Yan Wenkai suddenly bent over, clutching his belly and cried out, “Ouch, my stomach hurts so much, I need to go to the privy. Big sister, let third brother take you girls home.”
Those few people clearly looked like they had martial training, yet they were oddly disguised as farmers. There must be something fishy going on.
Now that their father was the Magistrate of Ningmen Prefecture, he had the responsibility to investigate suspicious individuals appearing in the area.
Watching Yan Wenkai hurry off towards the privy, Yan Wenyi shouted, “Wenkai, don’t rush, we’ll wait for you.”
Yan Wentao smiled and said, “Don’t wait for him, he knows his way back after he’s done. Let’s go, I’ll escort you girls home first.”
Daohua glanced at her fourth brother running off, clutching his stomach, and then at her third brother, who seemed unfazed. She didn’t say anything and took Yan Yunxi with her, heading towards the area where all the families were gathering.
After delivering the four of them to the Yan Family elders, Yan Wentao found an excuse to leave again. However, before he got very far, Daohua blocked his way.
“Third brother, what are you and fourth brother up to?”
Facing the concern on Daohua’s face, Yan Wentao hesitated for a moment but still said, “Those people just now were a bit off, Wenkai and I need to check it out. Uncle is the Magistrate of Ningmen Prefecture, and if something happens on his watch, he could be held accountable.”
The more she heard, the more worried Daohua became, “Then we must tell father immediately. It’s only you and fourth brother chasing after them; what if something happens?” As she spoke, she turned to walk back.
Yan Wentao immediately grabbed hold of her, “We don’t know anything for certain yet. Isn’t it inappropriate to rashly inform uncle?”
Daohua replied, “What’s wrong with that? Even if it turns out to be a wild goose chase, it’s better than the two of you pursuing danger.”
Having said that, without waiting for Yan Wentao to respond, she turned and ran off.
Seeing this, Yan Wentao had no choice. Worried that Wenkai was waiting for him to join the pursuit alone, after some thought, he quickly turned and went to find him.
By the time Daohua and Yan Zhigao arrived in haste, Yan Wentao was nowhere to be seen.
“Third brother must have gone to find fourth brother. Let’s hurry and catch up to see.”
Yan Zhigao was both anxious and frustrated at this moment. The two children were too bold; confronting suspicious people without notifying him and instead chasing after them themselves… what if something were to happen? How would he explain to their mother, his wife, and his younger brother and sister-in-law?
Nevertheless, this was not the time to chase after these matters. The priority was to find the young men.
Watching his eldest daughter leading the way, Yan Zhigao sighed and hurriedly followed.
“Miss, the master is catching up.”
“Don’t look back and don’t mind him. All we need to do is keep running,” she responded.
As long as they weren’t caught up by their uncle, he couldn’t order them to return. After all, they were in the suburban area outside the city, where there weren’t many people around to watch.
Thus, a curious scene unfolded.
Daohua, leading Wang Manman, was far ahead, leaving behind the bodyguards brought by Yan Zhigao by a good stretch.
The bodyguards’ physical strength certainly wasn’t inferior to that of Daohua and the other girl, but when it came to running, they might not have been a match. Moreover, they had to be mindful of Yan Zhigao. The scholar was not athletic; after a short run, he was already panting.
Watching his daughter running off into the distance, Yan Zhigao said between breaths to his bodyguard Qin Wu, “Don’t worry about me. Go take care of that girl, don’t let her run off wildly.”
Qin Wu nodded, “Then master, you take it slow.”
Only after Qin Wu caught up with Daohua did Yan Zhigao switch from running to walking, “Huff—huff—huff—, when I get back, I’ll have to have Wenxiu… follow Wenkai… and Wentao… to get some exercise. Otherwise, in case of emergencies… they’ll be unable to run.”
Looking at his oldest daughter ahead, who was running like a darted rabbit, not falling behind Qin Wu, Yan Zhigao inwardly marveled at his daughter’s good health—quite unlike other sheltered young ladies who would complain of tiredness after a mere stroll.
Before long, Daohua and Qin Wu arrived at the privy where Yan Wenkai had his bout of stomach trouble, but by that time, there was no one to be found.
“What should we do? Third brother and fourth brother must have gone after them on their own,” Daohua wondered.
Qin Wu didn’t know what to do and thought it best to wait for Yan Zhigao to arrive before deciding.
Daohua didn’t want to wait idly and waste time, she prepared to move forward with Wang Manman in pursuit.
Qin Wu didn’t dare let her leave and directly blocked her path, “Miss, I know you’re worried about the third and fourth young masters, but we don’t know what the situation up ahead is like, it’s really not easy for a young lady to continue chasing.”
Daohua was defiant, “What’s wrong with being a young lady? I won’t be a drag. Uncle Qin Wu, tell me, am I slower than you?”
Qin Wu had no choice but to say, “I didn’t mean that. What I mean is, if we chase until nightfall and still haven’t found the third and fourth young masters, Miss, do you plan to spend the night outside?”
At his words, Daohua suddenly fell silent. After a moment, she asked, “Then what should we do?”
Qin Wu replied, “Let’s wait for the patriarch’s decision.”
Daohua saw that her stepfather was still a good distance away and, having no choice, turned back with Wang Manman and Qin Wu.
“Father, the third brother and fourth brother have gone chasing after someone by themselves.”
Yan Zhigao was breathing heavily, waved at Qin Wu, then pointed at the bodyguard behind him, “You all… go… go find people.”
Qin Wu looked hesitant, “Patriarch, if we all leave, what about you?”
Daohua immediately said, “I’m here!”
With these words, Yan Zhigao and the others all looked towards Daohua.
Daohua, thinking they didn’t believe her, took the whip handed by Wang Manman, and with a ‘crack’, she brought down a swath of shrubs by the road.
Watching the downed shrubs, Yan Zhigao’s eyelids twitched. Not only was his eldest daughter fast on her feet, but she was also good with the whip. He said to Qin Wu, “All of you, go chase after them quickly, I’ll be fine here.”
After Qin Wu and the bodyguards left, Daohua looked at Yan Zhigao, “Father, what do we do now?”
Yan Zhigao replied, “Return to the estate. If Qin Wu and the others don’t come back after a long time, I will send government officials to search for them.”
The father and daughter started to head back.
“Father, you should exercise more. I think if grandmother were here, you might not even be able to outpace her.”
“How could that be? I might be a bit weakened, but I can still run faster than your grandmother.”
“Father, if you don’t believe me, when you have time, why not challenge grandmother to a race and you’ll see.”
“…”
“Father, let’s not tell grandmother and mother about the third and fourth brothers chasing someone, so they don’t worry.”
“I know that without a young girl needing to remind me.”
After meeting with Madam Yan and Madam Li, Yan Zhigao explained that Yan Wentao and Yan Wenkai were called away on some urgent business by Dong Yuanxuan and a few others. No one doubted this and they started their journey back to the estate.
When Daohua was about to get on the carriage, Yan Wenxiu stopped her.
Yan Wenxiu pulled Daohua aside and asked in a low voice, “Big sister, tell me the truth, did something happen?”
Daohua blinked, “Nothing happened.”
Yan Wenxiu pressed, “… Where did Qin Wu and the family’s bodyguards go?”
Daohua sighed; her eldest brother was still very attentive. She looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to them before whispering, “They’ve gone to chase after some suspicious individuals.”
Yan Wenxiu frowned, “Those two guys…”
Daohua thought for a bit, “Big brother, don’t blame the third and fourth brothers. Although they acted rashly, they will encounter these kinds of situations in the future. Now that father has sent Uncle Qin Wu and some others, there probably won’t be any trouble.”
Yan Wenxiu nodded, “Alright.” He then glanced at Daohua’s temples soaked with sweat, “Okay, you go back and rest in the carriage.”