Hope Rekindled

Compared to Wu Caiwei and Zhang Mu, those from the Old Su Family were even more anxious and uneasy.

At least Wu Caiwei and Zhang Mu were still young; even if their first son was gone, they could still have more children. But for the Old Su Family, it was different. Su Shimao, who was never in a hurry, might not even be able to have more children in the future. The lost child was the Old Su Family's only hope to continue their lineage.

Especially after Zhao heard from Liu Ru that Su Shimao might be unable to have children, the entire Old Su Family fell into panic.

"Has the child been found?" Zhao sneaked out to inquire, but was blocked by Old Su and Su Daqi as soon as she returned home.

"No!" Zhao's eyes reddened with anxiety as she entered the room. "I heard even the Crown Prince's men have searched but found nothing! Yuan Jie stayed in Qingmiao City for two days, asking both the underworld and the law, but no news!"

"Oh dear, my great-grandson, my precious!" Old Su cried out loudly but was quickly silenced by Su Daqi, who covered his mouth. "Father, don't shout, if others hear, we're done!"

Old Su came to his senses. They absolutely couldn't let anyone know that it was their family who lost the child. He held it in tightly and could only go inside to scold Liu Ru.

"If it weren't for you, our Old Su Family's precious would not have gone missing!" Old Su scolded.

Liu Ru retorted defiantly, "Why blame me? I was thinking of the child too. I'm no fairy; how could I have known someone would kidnap the child!"

Old Su painfully grabbed his hair and crouched on the ground, Su Daqi sighed heavily, while Liu Ru hurriedly sent Zhao out again to gather news, holding Zhang Mu's son on the bed.

This child was precious and had to be carefully cared for.

Poor her son, not knowing where he was, or if he was even alive...

Two days later, the Xiao family’s secret guards discovered that outside Qingmiao City, in a bandit’s den, there was a man named Baipiwu, skilled in disguise and stealth.

At this time, a letter was delivered to Zhang Mu’s herbal shop by a child who said he was paid one wen to deliver it and knew nothing else.

This letter rekindled hope in Zhang Mu and the others.

In the hall of the Su Li family, the whole family gathered, anxiously watching Zhang Mu open the letter.

"It’s the Black Tiger Bandits who kidnapped Little Clown. They’re demanding a ransom of 100,000 taels of silver," Zhang Mu read aloud.

"Alright, 100,000 taels! Give it to them!" Wu Caiwei immediately stood up upon hearing news of her son.

"Yes, yes, 100,000 taels is 100,000 taels. As long as Little Clown returns safely, we’ll pay any price!" Madam Wang said anxiously.

With news of the child, the whole family’s hearts were both relieved and anxious, and they immediately began gathering the silver.

Wu Caiwei grabbed Zhang Mu, crying and laughing at the same time. Su Li noticed Xiao Zetian hadn’t spoken and pulled him aside to ask, "Is there something you want to say?"

Xiao Zetian nodded and told Su Li about Baipiwu, the man the Xiao family’s secret guards had discovered, saying, "I guess Baipiwu disguised himself as the crescent-headed woman and snuck in to steal the child."

"No wonder we couldn’t find him. So it was a man disguised as a woman." Su Li suddenly understood. "So now, if we pay the ransom, they’ll release the child?"

Xiao Zetian glanced at Su Li and sighed, "According to bandit customs, generally, once the ransom is paid, they’ll release the hostage."

Su Li breathed a sigh of relief, "Then let’s pay the silver first, get the child back safely, and then you can deal with the bandit den after the autumn harvest."

Xiao Zetian hesitated and said, "I’m afraid that even if we pay the ransom this time, they might not hand over the child alive..."