kvmb Chapter 163: Kong Qing Disappears
Chapter 163: Kong Qing Disappears
When Luo Xiaoran and the others arrived home last night, it was already very late. They ate something quickly and went to rest.
The fatigue from the journey made Luo Xiaoran, Qiu Niang and Niu Dan sleep for a long time. They didn’t even have breakfast. They got up at noon and ate it together with lunch.
Sun Qingyuan still taught Luo Xingchen according to the previous time. When he heard that Luo Xiaoran had returned, he was very surprised. However, Luo Xiaoran was still sleeping, so he didn't want to disturb her.
"Your sudden departure has made everyone very worried. They all think something has happened to you. Kong Qing and I have searched the Hexi and Hedong villages, as well as Fuyuan County, thoroughly."
Sun Qingyuan looked at Luo Xiaoran, who had lost weight, and his tone was cautious and tentative. He didn't believe that Luo Xiaoran would be so unstable as to just leave a letter and run away.
Moreover, the handwriting on the letter was quite neat, but he knew Luo Xiaoran's handwriting...
Luo Xiaoran swallowed a mouthful of porridge carefully. It was hot, sweet and soft, and slid smoothly down the esophagus into the stomach. After a while, her stomach felt warm and full, and all the fatigue from the past few days was swept away.
Luo Xiaoran wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, glanced at Sun Qingyuan, and said lightly:
"That's the end of the matter. You don't have to be curious anymore. Anyway, I won't tell you. Speaking of Kong Qing, didn't Ruyi say that she would come every day? It's already noon today, why hasn't she come yet?"
Ruyi frowned slightly, "Yes, Kong Qing comes to our place with Master Sun almost every day. What happened today?"
Everyone at the table looked at Sun Qingyuan, waiting for his answer.
Sun Qingyuan paused in mid-air with his hand holding the chopsticks. Although he felt a little strange... and worried, he did not show it on his face:
"Why are you looking at me? We just met by chance, we didn't make an appointment to come together. I'm also wondering why she didn't come today. Was she delayed by something at home?"
Luo Xiaoran looked at his knuckles that had turned white from holding the chopsticks so tightly, and secretly cursed Sun Qingyuan for being so stubborn.
“Ruyi, after dinner, go visit Kongqing’s house!”
"I understand, ma'am."
……
Ruyi went to Du Kongqing's house very quickly, but was delayed for a long time before returning. Following behind her was Du Kang, who almost never went out. Both of them had bitter faces.
"Xiao Ran, you're back from the south? You left in a hurry and there was no news for several months, which made everyone worried." Although Du Kang looked unhappy, he still greeted her politely.
"Aunt Ming, why are you here? Didn't Kong Qing go home at noon?" Luo Xiaoran almost immediately guessed the reason why Du Kang came here.
Sun Qingyuan paused while drinking tea, and without bothering to avoid suspicion, he stared straight at Du Kang.
As soon as these words came out, Du Kang grabbed Luo Xiaoran's hand, his eyes were anxious, and his voice was trembling:
"This kid said he wanted to come to your house after breakfast to see if you were back.
But it wasn't until Ruyi came to my house that I realized she had never been here or gone home.
Ruyi accompanied me to search everywhere I could think of just now, but I couldn't find her."
Luo Xiaoran held Du Kang's hand, took her to the stool, and comforted her carefully:
"Aunt Ming, don't worry. Kong Qing is not an ignorant girl. Maybe she was tripped up by something.
So, you go home first. If Kong Qing can’t find you when he gets home, he’ll be worried.”
After that, Luo Xiaoran said to Ruyi: "You go back with Aunt Ming and take good care of her. If Kong Qing comes back, bring back the news immediately."
"Aunt Ming, Sun Qingyuan and I will ask people to search Hexi Village and Hedong Village, and we will definitely bring Kong Qing back to you.
You are not in good health, so don't worry or overthink. If Kong Qing comes back and sees you sick because of her, you will blame yourself."
"Okay, okay!" Du Kang grabbed Luo Xiaoran's hand again, and said earnestly, "Good child, I'm sorry to bother you. I have no other choice but to ask you for help. You know, last time An Ruquan..."
Du Kang didn't finish her words, she said half and left the other half, but Luo Xiaoran already understood what she meant.
After the incident with An Ruquan, Kong Qing has slowly come to terms with it and gradually forgotten the bad memories of the past.
But Aunt Ming is a sentimental person. Even though An Ruquan died, she was still like a frightened bird, fearing that Kong Qing would encounter another accident.
Luo Xiaoran patted Du Kang's hand to comfort him, and said in a deep voice, "I promise that I will bring Kong Qing back to you intact."
After Ruyi and Du Kang left, Luo Xiaoran went to find Village Chief Zhang and Niu Shubao. Before she could greet them by saying "long time no see", the first thing she said when they met was to ask them to help organize the villagers in Hexi to find Du Kongqing, which also scared them.
Afterwards, Luo Xiaoran and Sun Qingyuan went to Hedong Village together, called Sansi from Sun Qingyuan's shabby house, and asked Zhao Mingtang's family to help find Kong Qing.
Li Xinghua saw that Village Chief Zhang and Niu Shubao had brought many villagers to look for Du Kongqing. When she heard that Luo Xiaoran had gone to Hedong Village, she also hurried back to her mother's home in Hedong Village and called her brother and sister-in-law to help them look for her in Hedong Village.
The crowd searched from noon to night, and saw lights on both sides of the Dandan River. They were torches lit by the villagers.
After nearly four hours, so many people still hadn't found Du Kongqing. Luo Xiaoran even went to Dandan Mountain, and searched all the way up along the route she and Du Kongqing had taken to find medicinal herbs, but still found nothing.
On the five acres of land north of the house, Du Kongqing made full use of every piece of soil according to Luo Xiaoran's plan, and the medicinal herbs quietly took root and were arranged in neat rows.
Luo Xiaoran stood beside the medicine field, her eyes swept over the herbs, an unprecedented solemnity emerging in her eyes.
Aunt Ming and Aunt Ji both said that Kong Qing had not returned. They spent the whole afternoon searching, searching through Hexi Village, Hedong Village and even Dandan Mountain. Kong Qing, where are you?
"Ms. Luo, we have searched all the places that Kong Qing might have been, but there is no trace of her."
It was dark, the wind was cold, and the temperature was low. In the light of the fire, Niu Shubao was sweating all over his forehead and his whole face was wrinkled.
Luo Xiaoran cleared her throat, "I see, it's getting late, you and the village chief should ask everyone to go back. Thank you all for what happened today."
Niu Shubao hurriedly said, "I'll stay and continue looking."
Luo Xiaoran shook her head. "I'm afraid Kong Qing is not here. You should go back first and gather your strength. Maybe you can help me later."
Niu Shubao hesitated for a moment, then left with a heart full of sorrow.
Sun Qingyuan came running all the way. He didn't have the calmness of a scholar anymore. His sharp-edged face was filled with gloom and mania:
"How's it going? Is there any news about Kong Qing?"