Dongfang manor.
Dongfang Ming was checking his accounts in his study when Ming Yan knocked on the door and entered.
He put some thought into his words. “Master, a message from the guards. Ye Yang and Ye Liu are at the gates. They request a meeting with you.”
Dongfang Ming looked out the window. It was almost completely dark. Why had they come to see him?
“Let them in!”
He closed his accounts book and got up to sit by the wooden table next to it. He poured water into two empty cups while he waited.
Very soon, Ming Yan led the two visitors into the room.
“Brothers, come. Take your seats. Refreshments have been prepared for you.” Dongfang Ming smiled kindly.
Among the brothers, Ye Yang and Ye Liu were the steadiest. Even if they were beyond distraught at the moment, they did not show it.
Ye Liu spoke after they sat down. “Brother Ming, sorry to intrude at such a late hour!”
Dongfang Ming smiled slightly and shrugged it off. “That’s alright. How can I help you?”
With his ingenuity, how could he not have guessed they needed help.
They came at a time right after dinner but before resting up for the day.
Ye Yang and Ye Liu exchanged glances. Ye Liu kept his smile, assumed seriousness, then got to the point. “Brother Ming, Yang and I came here exactly because we need your help! This afternoon, our brother Mo said he was going to the bookstore to buy some books for Ran Er, but he hasn’t come back. Yang and I searched every bookstore nearby but we can’t find him.”
Ye Liu told Dongfang Ming everything that had happened in detail.
They chose not to make an official report at first because they thought they would be able to find him, but they were not expecting this.
Dongfang Ming frowned slightly after hearing their story. He knew they had not been in the capital long, and they could not possibly have offended anyone, but this obviously seemed to be a kidnapping!
He thought about Liu Duo, who was with child, and pictured her worried sick now that one of her husbands had somehow disappeared. He wanted very much to find Ye Mo as soon as possible.
“Ming Yan, give the orders. Tell our people to search every house in the city! We need to find him,” Dongfang Ming instructed Ming Yan beside him.
Upon receiving orders, Ming Yan left to make arrangements.
Ye Liu turned to Ye Yang and said, “Yang, go with Ming Yan. I’ll return to the inn and give them updates, otherwise, they might assume the worst.”
He knew Yang was not a talker, so if he were to go back to face the other two’s non-stop pestering, his slow speech might drive the younger two up the wall!
“Right!” Ye Yang got up and trailed after Ming Yan.
Ye Liu bid Dongfang Ming farewell and returned to the inn.
Liu Duo and Ye Ling ate whatever they could. Then they stood by the window, looking for any sign of their family.
The sky had darkened by then, but the shops down there had lanterns lit. At least there were still lights to show them the way.
“Ling, why haven’t they come back? Haven’t they found Mo? Urgh, I can’t take this!” Liu Duo groaned.
She had been saying the same thing over and over again.
Ye Ling was actually frantic too, but there was nothing he could do at the moment other than console her and control his own emotions.
“Duo Er, don’t worry. Maybe they were delayed somehow. I’m sure they’ll come back.”
