Joyful Motherhood in a Rural Family

Chapter 439: Chapter 439: Searching
“Ah! I know now!”

Guihua’s face was filled with inexplicable excitement, “These riddles posed by the old scholars are simply no match for our sister-in-law! Does this mean that her knowledge is many times greater than theirs!”

This statement made Liu Sisi break into a cold sweat!

It was just because she had benefited from the highly developed internet of her previous life, that she could guess so many answers!

She already knew the answers to these lantern riddles, and now when she saw the riddles, she could just write down the answers directly. Naturally, unlike the people here trying to solve the riddles, she didn’t have to ponder for a long time!

This also created the illusion that she had everything figured out!

“Sister Guihua, don’t talk nonsense. If this gets out, I’m afraid we won’t even be able to stroll around tonight!”

Guihua quickly stuck out her tongue and changed the subject with a laugh.

Everyone chatted and laughed for a while, and the cooked dishes on the table were finally served.

“Do you guys feel that someone is missing tonight?”

Liu Sisi suddenly said.

Everyone’s fast movements of grabbing food stopped for a moment.

“Are you talking about Xuan’er and Prefecture Princess Luo? They went to the street over there, and besides, Prefecture Princess Luo is surrounded by a group of guards and maids, so there shouldn’t be any major problems.”

Di Yelei indifferently said.

It was no wonder he wasn’t worried. The county of Macheng was originally under their jurisdiction as constables. And for his child Di Xuan, who was such a big boy, what could happen?

“Eat up, everyone! The food won’t be tasty once it’s cold!” Di Yelei called out to everyone.

Liu Sisi also cast aside that sliver of worry in her heart and started eating the food cheerfully.

On the other side.

Di Xuan was chased relentlessly by Thirteenth Luo, and they both gradually moved farther away from Lantern Street.

As Thirteenth Luo chased after him, cursing all the while, there wasn’t a trace of the noble air that a Prefecture Princess should have.

Di Xuan occasionally turned his head to curse back, trying to shake off the sticky candy behind him.

“You little brat, stop right there for your aunt!”

Thirteenth Luo’s clear voice rang out, her footsteps getting closer and closer.

Di Xuan sprinted with his head down, feeling as though his feet were weighed down by lead, almost unable to move.

“You shrew! If you dare to chase after me, someone will teach you a lesson!”

He glanced back, mustered his courage, and dashed into a dark alleyway beside him.

“You … despicable little demon!”

Thirteenth Luo, who had caught up to the entrance of the alley, stomped her foot angrily. Looking at the dark entrance that seemed like the mouth of a tiger, she finally steeled her heart and followed him in.

Not long after they had disappeared, several silhouettes suddenly appeared at the entrance of the alley.

Seeing each other, they quickly went into the alley one after the other, their figures disappearing from sight.

Di Xuan ran blindly, the alley seemed to have no end, and it was pitch black and incredibly deep. Except for the faint moonlight from the dim full moon above, the entire alley was shrouded in darkness.

He ran with all his might, and suddenly he found himself slamming into a wall.

“Ouch! That hurts …”

He lifted his head, holding his forehead, and looked around.

It turned out that he had already reached the end of the alley. This alleyway was actually a dead-end!

How unlucky! Di Xuan reluctantly turned around.

“Huff, huff… Haha! Caught you, didn’t I? You little brat… actually… actually making me chase you so… so far! Huff, huff…”

She grabbed Di Xuan’s collar, panting heavily.

“Let go of me! You crazy woman, chasing me so far, lunatic! Lunatic!”

Di Xuan struggled, trying to break free from her hand.

“Hey! Aren’t you a little lunatic too, leading me on such a long chase, not even afraid of losing your way back!”

Thirteenth Luo did not relent in the slightest, tightening her grip on Di Xuan’s clothes.

“You’re the one who’ll get lost! You crazy woman! Besides using your status to oppress others and call for their punishment, what else can you do? Ouch! Crazy woman, you actually dared to bite me… I…”

In the darkness, the sounds of tussling quickly ensued.

Not until a “hiss” suddenly echoed in the alley, followed by firelight illuminating the entire alley, did the two entwined figures realize something was amiss. They hurriedly let go of each other, only to discover several shadowy figures standing behind them.

Di Xuan trembled all over.

“Who…who are you?”

Thirteenth Luo suddenly screamed in fear!

Elsewhere.

Liu Sisi and the others finished their meal before settling the bill and leaving the wine-house.

The darkness deepened outside, but not only did the crowd on the street show no signs of dwindling, it seemed to swell even more, packed with people!

“Should we go over there and look? Xuan’er and Prefecture Princess Luo have been gone for several hours and we still haven’t seen them. Could something have happened?” Liu Sisi remained uneasy.

“What could happen within our jurisdiction?”

Di Yelei felt compelled to refute her.

“You guys, do you think they might have tried to find us too, but there were too many people coming and going, and then we were queuing up and sitting down to eat, so they couldn’t find us?”

Guihua beside them also offered her opinion.

“It’s very likely that’s the case.”

Everyone immediately chimed in agreement with Guihua’s words. Boys will be boys, after all – it’s normal for them to be a bit wild while out having fun.

“But I still can’t help but worry. Why don’t we go and search for them too? Just in case we find them?”

Liu Sisi insisted on her idea.

Di Yelei thought about it and agreed: “That’s true, let’s go look for them. It would be even better if we could bump into them.”

“How about we split up and search? Guihua and I can lead Da Mao and Yun Er down one street, while you guys take another. Whether we find them or not, we’ll meet up at the carriage stop by daybreak. What do you think?”

Everyone had no objections, naturally making their way down the two different Lantern Streets.

Elderly Mr. Di seemed quite weary, but before they even reached halfway, he could no longer walk. Di Yelei bent down to carry him on his back as they continued forward.

Liu Sisi, leading YingEr, also felt extremely fatigued. Her legs felt as if they were filled with lead as she walked and called out.

Having reached the end of the street, Di Yelei put down Elderly Mr. Di and discussed with Liu Sisi.

“This won’t do either. You guys wait here, and I’ll go back for another look in case we missed something. If I don’t come back for a while, anyway, head to the carriage stop before daybreak, and make sure not to wander off and get lost again.”

Liu Sisi, of course, nodded in agreement.

As soon as Di Yelei had left, YingEr began to doze off. Liu Sisi cradled YingEr on her lap, silently waiting for Di Yelei’s return.