The winter in Shuojing is colder every day.

It rained at night, and the ground was covered with a layer of damp coldness on the morning of the next day. On the tenth day of the October 10th, He Yan got up early.

He Sui and He Yunsheng left before dawn. One of them was going to work and the other was going to school. After they left, He Yan got up, lit a candle, quietly washed it, and tiptoed out.

Qingmei slept well. It was not yet time to get up to cook. He Yan knew that Chiwu lived in an empty room in the yard. He was vigilant in the first half of the night and rested in the second half of the night. However, this man was very quick-minded, afraid of being discovered, He Yan took out the skills of his previous life in the vanguard camp and walked the short journey from the yard to outside the yard.

Xiangxiang looked at her, as if she was puzzled by her behavior. He Yan touched the horse's head. He Yunsheng really cherished the horse and specially matched a pair of saddles, but he couldn't bear to ride it. The saddles were all new. But today she was going to leave the city, and now she was really poor and had no money to rent a carriage, so she could only ask Xiangxiang to help her take her for a ride.

He Yan turned his horse and galloped out of the city in the hazy morning light of Shuojing City in the winter.

When the chicken cried for the third time, Qingmei yawned and got up to boil water. The boiling stove was placed outside the yard. The kettle was steaming with heat, which gave a little warmth in the cold morning. She first went to the kitchen, boiled the porridge, and then went to the yard to add water to the sink in the stable.

He Yunsheng loved horses as his life. In the past, he had to feed them himself, but now he has a heavy academic performance and goes out early and comes back late every day. He really can't take care of this glorious task to Qingmei. Qingmei dared not neglect it, and just thought Xiangxiang was the third young master in the mansion and took good care of it.

When she walked to the "stable", Xiangxiang would pace back and forth when she heard her voice, but today it was very quiet. Qingmei was a little worried. Could it be that she was sick? It has been very cold recently, and people are prone to wind and cold, let alone horses. Qingmei walked to the stable and held the wind lamp to see it. She was stunned for a moment. After a while, she came to her senses and hurried towards He Yan's house, running and shouting: "Girl, girl is not good! Xiangxiang... Xiangxiang was stolen..."

The door was pushed open, Qingmei's voice suddenly stopped, the room was empty and there was no one. She was panicked and searched around for a while, but didn't see He Yan's shadow. She was stunned for a moment and started crying.

With a "bang", the door was opened again, and a man's voice appeared in the yard: "What's wrong?"

Chiwu rubbed his forehead and had to say that the He family was too poor. There were no other guest rooms in the yard except for three rooms. He Sui was a honest person and wanted to live in Chiwu. He Yunsheng reluctantly agreed to live in the same room with Chiwu, but Chiwu refused. Although he was not particular all day long, he did not want to live to this point. He went to the mansion to work as a guard to protect the safety of the master's house and to protect the master's house's main house. Finally, after thinking about it, He Sui could only free up a house with miscellaneous items in the innermost part of the yard.

The house is very small, and after removing the debris, he can only put a bed. If Chiwu wants to leave, he has to be slanted. Although he is also a guard at the Xiao family, the treatment is very different. Even though the He family has tried his best to provide him with the best conditions, many times, Chiwu wants to pay out of his own pocket and let the He family change to a larger house.

He guarded the first half of the night last night and went back to the house to rest in the second half of the night. When he woke up, he heard the little maid crying heartbroken, so he got up and asked.

Qingmei turned around and was startled when she saw Chiwu. Chiwu was silent in the yard on weekdays and did not eat with them, but just slept in the utility room at night. She really had no presence. Therefore, Qingmei almost forgot that there was this person in the house. At this moment, Chiwu appeared, Qingmei seemed to have caught a life-saving straw, and rushed forward and said, "Young Master Chiwu! The girl and Xiangxiang are gone, and they have been captured!"

Chiwu: "..."

He said, "I'll go and have a look."

He Yan's bedroom was fancy and sachets were hung everywhere. The red tents of the red trunk were shocked. If he had to go in, he would not want to see these things. He just didn't expect that He Yan would be so cute under his casual and free appearance. He had to tell Bai Rongwei about this. When Bai Rongwei set up a new house for Xiao Jue in the future, he would be exactly like He Yan's intention.

He only glanced for a few seconds before walking out of the room. Qingmei followed: "Young Master Chiwu, how about it?"

"She wasn't taken away, she left herself."

"How is that possible?" Qingmei didn't believe it, "How could the girl leave quietly? Even if she was about to leave, she would say hello. Young Master Chiwu," she looked Chiwu up and down suspiciously, "You shouldn't be afraid that it's difficult to hand over to Governor Xiao, so you should push the responsibility to our girl."

Chiwu couldn't bear it anymore, "Miss, I saw clearly that before your lady was captured, she had carefully folded the quilt." The quilt was the method of folding new recruits in Liangzhou, like a square tofu block, which was obviously from He Yan's hands. "Which assassin should wait until she folded the quilt before catching someone?"

Qingmei: "But..."

"Just forget to catch people, I have never seen them before."

Qingmei stopped talking.

After a while, she seemed to have forgotten all the accusations and suspicions she had just given to Chiwu, and asked politely: "So Young Master Chiwu, can you think of why the girl would leave without saying goodbye?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know."

Chi Wu was also full of anger. There were only Qingmei and him in the yard. Seeing Qingmei's silly look, He Yan didn't have to go out of the house with such a lot of effort. There was no doubt that it was to prevent him from following her!

Now that the person is gone, the young master turned around and asked, he must be in trouble. He Yan walked easily and left him a mess. He had long known that this trip to He's house was not a good job, but it was true!

"What should I do now? Do I need to report to the official?" Qingmei was speechless and had to stare at the only person in front of her who could still speak.

Chi Wu said: "No, I'll go out to find her." Since He Yan went out secretly, it was very likely to be something that he didn't want people to know. It would be bad if the report to the official to make the matter bigger.

After taking a step, his sleeve was pulled. Chiwu looked back and Qingmei grabbed him, as if she was afraid that he would leave without saying goodbye the next moment, "I'll go with you."

“No need.”

"I am the only one in this yard, and even Xiangxiang is gone," the little maid curled her mouth, as if she was about to cry, and forced herself to hold it back, "Young Master Chiwu, I'll go find it with you!"

Chiwu: "..."

He was helpless, "Okay."

...

Of course He Yan could guess how the family would be upside down after she left. But she also believed in Chiwu and could comfort Qingmei's crybag.

She had no choice. If it weren't for Madam Qin's love, Niu Blacksmith would go down the mountain to "Changmao Iron Shop" only on the tenth day of the month, she wouldn't come up with this method. She couldn't let Chiwu go with her, and could only go out sneakily. As for the others, when Madam Qin was found, she would solve the matter first.

Since Xiangxiang came to He's house, she was born and raised by Heyun. When she didn't go to school, she could lead it to the nearby river. The pony ran very quickly, and He Yan went out of the city smoothly. He asked the pedestrians all the way and finally arrived at the market at the foot of the barren mountain.

It is not as lively as the city. There is only such a big market in the nearby villages and towns. On the tenth day of every month, businessmen from all walks of life set up stalls here. Some sell herbs, some sell old clothes, and cattle and sheep. It is very lively and dazzling.

He Yan led his horse to a wine shop, and the shopkeeper smiled and greeted: "Do you want to buy wine?"

He Yan went out today for convenience, so he dressed up in men's clothes. He smiled and said, "I'm going to make a pair of horseshoes for my horse. I heard that there is an iron shop called "Changmao Iron Shop". Can the shopkeeper know where it is?"

The shopkeeper pointed a direction to He Yan when he heard this, "You walk along this road and walk forward. When you walk to the right, you look at the Changmao Tel Shop."

He Yan thanked this man, so he led Xiangxiang to the other end. When the road reached the end, he turned back and saw that there was a shop facing him, with the words "Changmao Tie Shop" scribbled on it.

He Yan tied the horse outside and walked in by himself. There was only a gray-haired master inside. He sat in front of the iron stove, and Ding Ding knocked on a black iron jar.

"Master." He Yan called him.

The master looked up at He Yan and asked, "What do you want to fight?"

"Sorry," He Yan said: "I'm not here to make a blacksmith. I'm here to ask for someone with my master, named Niu Blacksmith. I heard that he will come here every day on the tenth day of the day. Has he been here today?"

He Yan was a little uncertain. Fuwang only said that Niu Blacksmith would come on the 10th day of the day, but he didn't say when it would come. With Niu Blacksmith's caution, she must leave after business. She came here after leaving the city. It was almost noon now, and maybe Niu Blacksmith had already arrived here and left.

When the master heard this, he stopped his movements. He stood up, picked up the veil soaked with water, wiped off the stains in his hand and said, "Old Niu hasn't come today. However, he is already late, and this is the first time he is late."

He Yan: "Is it late?"

"He will come here to deliver goods in the tenth morning of every month. Lao Niu's craftsmanship is very good," said the master with some emotion: "I originally asked him to come to my shop to help, and the monthly salary is much higher than that he does by himself. He refuses, so he will not let it go. According to time, at the early morning of this morning, he should have been here and handed me the ten iron sickles he asked him to make last month, but it is almost noon now," the master looked at the sun outside, "He hasn't come yet."

"Maybe something was delayed on the road." He Yan said this, but his heart sank. I'm afraid Xu Zhiheng had already found Madam Qin's whereabouts before her, so he couldn't see Niu Blacksmith now.

"Old Niu is a safe person. If there is nothing important, he will not be late." The master asked He Yan again: "What does the young master ask for him? Since I know him, he is just alone. The young master knows Lao Niu?"

He Yan smiled and said, "I don't know him. I just want to ask him about something."

The master nodded, pointed to a wooden board next to him, and waited, "Then let's sit here and talk until the old cow arrives."

He Yan sat down as he spoke, but unexpectedly, he sat down for a whole day.

The sun gradually set, and the sky began to get darker. The master completed the day's work, washed his hands and changed his clothes, stood up and said to He Yan: "Young Master, it seems that the old cow will not come today."

"The market is almost over at this time, and I'm going to close the door too." He tactfully signaled that He Yan was about to leave.

He Yan's heart was as if a stone had fallen. He forced a smile and said "Okay". After all, he was worried and said solemnly to the master: "Master, please don't mention it to others today. The same is true for Niu Blacksmith. I will come again in a few days."

The master responded, and He Yan took the horse away.

The people at the market dispersed in groups of three or three, only the mess left after the daylight was busy. A poor mother and son were bent over and picking up leftover vegetables and fruits on the ground. The lanterns in the distance gradually lit up. He Yan walked slowly with his horse, and it was really hard to be happy.

I originally thought that Fuwang had discovered a clue. When I came here today, I would follow Niu Blacksmith to find the whereabouts of Madam Qin, but I didn't expect to find nothing.

In the past few months, the blacksmith has been going to the iron shop to deliver goods on time every month, but he has not come today. It is impossible to see it from morning to night. Either Niu Blacksmith move away again with Madam Qin, or he can no longer come here.

He Yan's eyes were slightly deeper.

...

When he returned home, the house was already in chaos. Before He Sui came back, He Yunsheng was about to go out. The family was clamoring. When He Yan was leading the horse back, Qingmei was at the door. When he saw He Yan, he thought he had read it wrong. He rubbed his eyes and rushed over and shouted, "Miss is back!"

Before He Yan could speak, He Yunsheng took the lead in pretending to be accusing him and said, "Where have you gone? He took Xiangxiang away!"

He Yan didn't know whether he was caring for Xiangxiang or himself. After thinking about it, he said, "I just have nothing to do today and haven't gone out these days, so I took Xiangxiang out and walked away."

"Since you are going out, why don't you bring people?" He Yunsheng glanced at Chiwu who was silent on the side, "and didn't even say hello."

"Ah," He Yan pretended to be surprised, "I left words on the table when I left. Didn't you see it? If you didn't see it, maybe the swallows flying from outside took it away."

"In the cold winter, where did the swallows come from?" He Yunsheng looked at her coldly, "What are you doing?"

"I just went out for a walk and didn't do anything. I saw that it was still early and Chiwu had not woken up yet. I thought I shouldn't wake him up. Anyway, I'll come back in a while. I didn't expect that I haven't gone out for a long time, and I forgot the time as soon as I went out. Sorry, this time I was playing, and I would never do this next time." He Yan apologized without sincerity.

Chiwu: "..." Is this saying that he slept too hard?

He Yun was angry and angry: "He Yan!"

"I'm hungry, has Qingmei cooked?" He Yan touched his stomach. This was true. She had been in the iron shop for a day today and never left a single step, for fear that she would miss the Niu Blacksmith at the moment of leaving. Even the food was bought two steamed buns at the door to solve the problem.

"It's done." Qingmei hurried to the kitchen to serve the food, "When the girl is hungry, she will eat first. I keep hot porridge, and it's just right now."

"Thank you." He Yan replied with a smile.

He Yunsheng was helpless even if he was angry with He Yan. What He Yan wanted to do was never something he could control. He was both angry and helpless for a moment, so he had to sit down at the table, pick up the chopsticks and eat it without knowing the taste.

Chi Wu stood by the door, and was also confused. He Yan went out for a whole day. On this day, he and Qingmei looked for people everywhere, but they didn't even find He Yan's whereabouts. He Yunsheng was almost going to report to the official position. He Yan looked safe and sound at the moment, and his expression did not have many flaws.

But...what did she do?

...

In the remote courtyard in the room, a man and a woman were sitting opposite each other. The man was not young. The man had dark skin, wrinkles on his face, dirty fingers, and strong and strong. He looked like a man who was working hard. The woman was in her forties. Although she was in her forties, her skin was delicate and tender, and she still looked like a milf, not as if she had suffered hardships.

The man was better, but the woman looked particularly frightened. Both of them were tied with ropes and could not move for a moment. They could still speak with their mouths, but since they got here, they had been screaming for a long time, but no one came to answer.

"Old Niu, what's going on?" The woman spoke, her voice unstoppable in panic.

This man and woman are Niu Blacksmith and his darling Madam Qin who He Yan is looking for.

Niu Blacksmith shook his head. The man looked dull, but his eyes were a little smart. He looked around and said, "Maybe it's someone from the Xu family."
To be continued...