Chapter Nineteen: The Sweet and Tangy Candied Hawthorn

Xie Yanzhi’s eyes widened, and after a long pause, he muttered, “You’re really rude!”

Cheng Yuan cast him a cool glance. Instinctively, Xie Yanzhi stepped back, his back hitting the wall just as she turned and went back inside.

Only then did he dare to mutter softly, “What the heck! If there’s nothing to eat, there’s nothing to eat. With her attitude, it’s a miracle anyone would marry her if she weren’t the one who chose the groom!”

When Cheng Yuan returned to the main hall, Cheng Zhi was nowhere to be seen. Passing by her room, faint sobbing could be heard.

Her footsteps faltered for a moment, then she continued toward the kitchen.

Inside, rows of bright red candied hawthorns, glazed with crystallized sugar, were neatly arranged on a plate, as if waiting to be picked.

Snapping back to reality, Cheng Yuan had already taken one and bitten into it.

Before she could savor the taste, tears streamed down her face.

The candied hawthorn was both salty and sweet.

Yet, before she fainted, a curse blazed through her heart: Damn it, this is definitely ill-intentioned!

She collapsed stiffly onto the floor, the candied hawthorn rolling to a dusty corner.

In the dim backyard, someone who had apparently been lurking for some time tiptoed in. Aunt Jiang quietly pulled out a large cloth and muffled Cheng Yuan’s mouth.

She then stuffed her into a sack and hoisted it onto her shoulder.

——

“Who are you?”

At the courtyard gate, Xie Yanzhi scrutinized the seemingly well-behaved young man before him, feeling an unfamiliar pang of imbalance.

How could this person look more handsome than himself?

Huang Xiuqiu bowed calmly and smiled. “Huang Xiuqiu. Sister Yuan collected medicine from my father today, but he just remembered another herb was needed, so he sent me to deliver it.”

He lifted the small package of medicine in his hand.

“Sister Yuan? Cheng Yuan?” Xie Yanzhi eyed him suspiciously. “Why so familiar? She’s inside—just saw her enter the kitchen. You can just look for her there.”

Huang Xiuqiu smiled and replied, “Sister Yuan and I grew up together, so I call her that out of familiarity.”

Xie Yanzhi waved his hand dismissively, signaling him not to bother further.

Huang Xiuqiu’s steps were light as he approached the kitchen. Just before reaching it, he cleared his throat, “Sister Yuan, I’ve brought the medicine.”

But upon entering, no one was there.

The smile on Huang Xiuqiu’s face faded instantly as he scanned the room and spotted the half-bitten candied hawthorn in the corner.

He stepped forward, gently picked it up, and was about to place it on the stove when a familiar scent reached his nose.

After studying it for a moment, he took that half of the candied hawthorn and sniffed it carefully.

——

Born with an exceptionally keen sense of smell, Huang Xiuqiu could identify many herbs even when crushed and mixed chaotically.

Suddenly, his expression changed drastically as he dashed outside.

“There’s a sedative in the candied hawthorn! Sister Yuan is in danger! Hurry, find help!”

Xie Yanzhi was stunned. “Sedative? Impossible, wasn’t this made by Aunt?”

Nearby, Xie Tingjun snorted coldly, “The one who brought the hawthorn isn’t a good person!”

From behind Huang Xiuqiu came a voice, trembling with shock and tears, “A sedative? Yuan’er is missing?!”

Xie Tingjun’s composed expression faltered as he jumped up, looking around hurriedly.

“Where are the covert guards?”

Only then did Xie Yanzhi realize—weren’t there two guards always perched in the trees or on the eaves? How could Cheng Yuan have disappeared?

The four searched around, finally finding the two guards asleep in the backyard grass.

Xie Yanzhi kicked one awake.

“Hmm?” “Hey?”

“Master!”

“Where is Miss Cheng Yuan?” Xie Tingjun asked sternly.

“Didn’t she leave already?” the two guards replied in unison.

“That’s not right. We seem to have a gap in our memory! I remember talking to Mo Bai up in the tree just now, then suddenly it’s this moment.”

“It was noon when Yuan’er left; now it’s dark.” Cheng Zhi wept, “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have taken that basket of hawthorn. It must be Sister-in-law who drugged her and kidnapped my Yuan’er!”

The two guards, realizing the gravity of the situation, knelt immediately.

“I’m going to find Yuan’er!” Cheng Zhi turned to leave but was stopped by Xie Tingjun.

“Why? You won’t let me look for Yuan’er?”

Xie Tingjun nearly lost his composure. “What good would it do? If they stole her, do you think they’d just return her to you?”

Cheng Zhi’s body went limp, her eyes dimming. Huang Xiuqiu hurried to support her and shot Xie Tingjun a displeased glare.

“Aunt, please look after Hu Di at home. I think these two covert guards can be of use.”

——

“Why do we have to go too?”

Xie Yanzhi was reluctant as he was dragged along but knew the matter was urgent and couldn’t afford to sulk.

“To lure the tiger out of the mountain,” Huang Xiuqiu said before Xie Tingjun interrupted.

He strolled leisurely in the courtyard, completely unhurried, causing Huang Xiuqiu to glance back at him several times.

Waving his hands, he reassured them, “Don’t worry, there’s still time. It’s been less than fifteen minutes since Miss Cheng Yuan entered and you arrived. Even if she was kidnapped, it’d take at least that long to leave the village.”

His willingness to accompany Yanzhi was merely to show that the father and son of the Xie family were not ungrateful fiends.

When the three arrived, the Jiang family’s gate was firmly shut.

“Grandma Jiang! Grandma Jiang!” Huang Xiuqiu called several times from outside, but there was no response—only the faint aroma of food wafting from within.

The scent of rice and meat.

Suspicious.

“Grandma Jiang, are you inside? I’m coming in.”

The courtyard walls were high; climbing over was nearly impossible.

Huang Xiuqiu exchanged a glance with the two—the Xie father and son were both handsome young men.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded from inside.

“Coming, coming. Don’t knock.”

It was Aunt Jiang’s voice. The gate creaked open, revealing only her head, the corner of her mouth smeared with suspicious grease stains.

“Xiuqiu, who are you looking for? What’s the matter?”

Huang Xiuqiu stepped forward, realizing there was no chance to enter, and smiled just enough to be courteous. “I’m here on behalf of Grandma Jiang and Uncle Jiang. May I ask them to come out?”

Aunt Jiang said nothing, only eyeing him suspiciously.

Then Huang Xiuqiu held out the medicine package. “This contains some ginseng…”

Her eyes immediately brightened.

“But I must meet Uncle Jiang and Grandma Jiang in person.”

Seeing this, Aunt Jiang hesitated but nodded reluctantly. “Wait here for a moment.”

She shut the gate firmly. Soon, several footsteps of varying sizes approached.

Xie Tingjun glanced up at the sky, hearing almost no noise before the footsteps stopped inside.

Then the gate opened, and the three entered.

As soon as Xie Yanzhi stepped into the main hall, he sniffed the air and his eyes lit up.

“Father, there’s the scent of meat!”

Xie Tingjun, who was surveying the room, paused as if he hadn’t heard, then walked over to join Mo Bai, who had just made a discovery.