12dz Chapter 289 The village's golden thigh has lost one.
Chapter 289 The village's golden thigh has lost one.
Zhu Mei and Yang Qing didn't see their older brother, so they assumed he had returned to the village and didn't pay any attention, continuing to busy themselves with their work in the canteen.
Gao Mengli and Da Niu sold jewelry until evening, but they still didn't notice that Lin Xi was missing.
When the mother and son returned to the courtyard, Da Niu didn't see his father and was a little surprised. "Mom, it seems like Dad hasn't come back yet."
Gao Mengli looked around, then patted Da Niu on the shoulder and instructed, "Da Niu, go pry open the coal and make it burn brighter. We'll cook first."
Your dad's probably still busy at the village entrance. He'll be able to eat around the time the food is ready and he gets back.
Da Niu responded and quickly ran to the kitchen stove to pry up the coal.
Gao Mengli stood there, frowning, and occasionally looked towards the courtyard gate with a puzzled expression.
Why is the village canteen so busy today, the first day of the Lunar New Year?
However, thinking of the worshippers who came to offer incense, Gao Mengli stroked her chin and frowned.
Maybe, probably, that's how it is.
Just then, Da Niu poked his head out of the kitchen, "Mom, the fire's blazing!"
Upon hearing this, Gao Mengli felt relieved and quickly walked into the kitchen.
During the Lunar New Year, we don't cook for the next few days after the holiday; we just eat the leftovers from New Year's Eve!
The stewed pork rib soup, sour duck, pickled cabbage and pork hock, etc., were still filling the large bowl to the brim.
Gao Mengli quickly grabbed a large bowl, scooped some out with a spoon, and heated it in a large pot.
As it grew later and later, she still hadn't seen Lin Xi return.
She couldn't sit still any longer, so she quickly stood up, took the big ox, and walked outside.
"Da Niu, let's go to the village canteen and see if your dad is done with his work."
"it is good!"
The two had just stepped out of the courtyard when they saw Yang Qing and Zhu Mei returning from work at the canteen.
Da Niu quickly stepped forward, "Second Aunt, Third Aunt, didn't my father come back with you?"
Yang Qing and Zhu Mei exchanged a glance, their faces showing a hint of surprise.
Zhu Mei looked puzzled: "Hey, didn't my brother come back? That doesn't make sense. He was busy in the cafeteria for an hour, and then he went home. He wasn't in the cafeteria."
"He's not in the cafeteria?" Gao Mengli's brows furrowed instantly.
Yang Qing couldn't help but feel worried. She stepped forward, grabbed Gao Mengli's arm, and asked, "Sister-in-law, hasn't my brother come home?"
Gao Mengli shook her head: "He's not home. He hasn't come back yet. Da Niu and I thought he was still at the village canteen."
"Could it be that my brother went to the cured meat shop?" Zhu Mei thought that there wasn't much cured meat left in the canteen, and it was possible that her brother had gone to the shop to clear out the stock.
"Then I'll go take a look first."
Upon hearing this, Gao Mengli immediately headed towards the bakery.
"Mom, wait for me, I'll go with you."
Da Niu quickly followed Gao Mengli and ran over.
Yang Qing and Zhu Mei exchanged a glance, both seeing worry in each other's eyes.
The two quickly ran back to the old house to "call for help".
"What? The boss is missing?" Lin Yong suddenly stood up from the stool, his face full of anxiety.
Jiang Shuzhi took three steps at a time and ran out of the courtyard: "Damn it, where did this person go? I'll go to the cured meat shop to check."
Lin Yong didn't hesitate and called out loudly from inside the house: "Second brother, third brother, you guys who are quick on your feet, come with me! The rest of you, search around the village, ask from house to house, and see if anyone has seen where the eldest brother went."
After saying that, the group of people hurriedly ran off in different directions.
Gao Mengli and Da Niu rushed to the cured meat shop in a panic. Before they even entered, they shouted at the top of their lungs:
"Xixi—Xixi—are you inside?"
But no one responded to the cured meat bakery.
The only response she received was the bewildered faces of Mengze and the other eleven people, who were hanging up cured meat.
Mengze quickly hung the cured meat he had just prepared on a wooden stick, hurried down the stairs, and ran to Gao Mengli's side: "Master Lin has never been here before. Master, has something happened?"
Da Niu, who usually has a love-hate relationship with his father, is even more anxious than his mother when his father goes missing.
Her eyes were red and swollen: "Uncle Mengze, my father is missing!"
"What? Gone? What do you mean?"
Upon hearing this, Mengze was shocked. How could a perfectly healthy person just disappear?
"literal meaning."
Seeing that she couldn't find anyone here, Gao Mengli turned around and quickly ran to the duck farm to look for them.
"Hey—Mom, wait for me!"
When Da Niu saw that his mother had run away again, he quickly ran after her.
Mengze and the others in black also put down what they were doing and hurried to find the person.
They went to the duck farm to find the manager, Zhao Ye, but Lin Xi was nowhere to be seen.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Ye became anxious because the village's wealthy father's most valuable asset had disappeared.
They immediately gathered the villagers from the duck-raising workshop and went together to search for the person.
Wherever Gao Mengli went, she was followed by countless villagers who had only just learned of the news.
They searched everywhere until nightfall, but they still couldn't find Lin Xi's half-piece of cloth.
The village chief lit the torch, and the darkness was immediately illuminated.
Looking around at the villagers and outlaws who filled the area, Gao Mengli was filled with gratitude.
"Everyone, today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, a day for family reunion, but my Linxi is still nowhere to be found. I feel really bad for keeping everyone busy all day."
After Gao Mengli finished speaking, Lin Yong led the entire Lin family in thanking the villagers.
The village chief stepped forward, patted Lin Yong on the shoulder with a solemn expression, and comforted him, "Brother Lin, don't be discouraged. Our village is only so big. Your Lin Xi must still be in the village. Let's search carefully again, and we'll definitely find him."
"Yes, yes, let's light torches and search again!"
Other villagers and bandits raised their torches and echoed the sentiment.
But Wangyue Village is such a small place; if we were to search for it, we should have found it long ago.
Unless, of course, they are not in the village.
Thinking of this, Gao Mengli's expression changed slightly.
She quickly walked up to Yang Qing and Zhu Mei and asked them carefully, "Second sister-in-law, third sister-in-law, think carefully, did any suspicious people come to the village canteen today?"
Yang Qing frowned slightly, thought for a while, and said uncertainly, "Sister-in-law, there are many worshippers coming to burn incense today, and the canteen is bustling with people. To be honest, I can't think of anyone suspicious right now."
However, a special young master arrived—a customer who specifically requested that the eldest brother prepare his private dishes.
"special?"
Zhu Mei nodded and quickly chimed in, "Yes, because that young master brought his own table when he ate, and he even put up a screen around it."
Therefore, we couldn't see what the person looked like, and his carriage looked like that of someone of high status and wealth.
Gao Mengli's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that this rich young man had kidnapped her Lin Xi?
Color? Probably not. Lin Xi's looks are so striking that you wouldn't even notice her in a crowd. Someone who can only win people over with their charisma probably wouldn't catch anyone's eye.
Then there's only one possibility: either they're attracted to Lin Xi's cooking skills, or they're attracted to Lin Xi's recipes.
“But that young master only left not long ago, while my elder brother was gone before they left.”
Gao Mengli had already made up her mind, but after Zhu Mei said that, she became uncertain again.