Upon hearing that Su Lanxiang was missing, Tang Shi immediately became alert. Having a kidnapper in the village was a serious matter, especially since her own son Zhang Zhaocai was a boy and worth more than Su Lanxiang.
They had to catch the kidnapper quickly, or else what if they took Zhang Zhaocai away?
So Tang Shi said, "Are you all stupid? Go find Su Li! She's so rich, has many servants, and even has a noble son backing her. Let her help us look!"
Sun Shi gritted her teeth. At first, she thought Su Lanxiang was just out playing and wanted to look around herself without alarming others. But now it was clear—Su Lanxiang wasn’t just playing; she was truly missing.
Sun Shi decisively told Su Sanyun, "Let's go to Ali's house and ask for help."
The couple immediately headed to Su Li's house. It was still before dawn, but since villagers had to get up early to sell vegetables, almost every household was already awake and heading to Su Li's fields.
On the way, they met Su Sanyun and his wife. Seeing their urgency, the warm-hearted villagers quickly asked, "Lanxiang still hasn't come home?"
Sun Shi, voice trembling with tears, said, "No, we've searched all night but still can't find her! We're going to Su Li's for help—she has wide connections and might help us find her."
The villagers, all from the same village, were deeply concerned about the missing child. They spread the news quickly and comforted Sun Shi and Su Sanyun: "Maybe the child just wandered off while playing. We'll tell everyone in the fields to keep an eye out during the market—maybe someone will spot her on the road."
Sun Shi and Su Sanyun thanked the villagers and hurried to Su Li's house.
"What? Lanxiang is missing!?" Su Li was woken up by Bailu and heard the news through the door. She quickly threw on some clothes and went out with Bailu.
The couple was frantic upon seeing Su Li. Just as Su Li entered the hall, Fourth Uncle's family along with Wang Shi and Zhang Mu also arrived. Everyone gathered to see how they could help after hearing about Su Lanxiang's disappearance.
Su Sanyun and his wife carefully recounted the events before Su Lanxiang went missing: the adults were talking inside, Su Lanxiang was building a snowman in the yard. After a while, Sun Shi called her to come back to sleep but found her gone. The main gate, which had been latched, was now slightly open.
Su Lanxiang was an extremely well-behaved and timid child; she definitely wouldn’t sneak out into the snowy night silently. That left only one possibility—she had been kidnapped!
Su Li immediately made a decisive decision and ordered the household servants to split into groups to search around the village.
Zhang Mu said, "I'll check around the foot of the nearby mountain. Maybe little Lanxiang got lost down there."
Saying that, Zhang Mu quickly went back inside to explain the situation to Wu Caiwei, then dressed and headed out with his bow and arrows to search.
Fourth Uncle said, "I'll take Yuan Yu to Qingmiao City to check with some contacts at the slave market. If Lanxiang was kidnapped, she’d definitely be sold there."
Wang Shi and Chen Shi said, "The two of us will ask around the village to see if we can find any clues."
Everyone immediately divided the tasks and did their best. Even Li Yanhao was dragged into the search. Although he didn’t care much about other women, after all, it was Su Li’s sister who was missing.
Li Yanhao rubbed his nose and said, "I'll go to the city and have my people help look."
Su Li thought for a moment and asked, "Are you familiar with the brothels?"
Li Yanhao jumped up instinctively and said, "I would never go to a place like that!"
Su Li rolled her eyes and said, "I mean Lanxiang is pretty; she might have been sold to a brothel. Fourth Uncle and the others are looking for the common slave market, not the one supplying brothels. If you have connections, try looking for the slave market that supplies the brothels."
Li Yanhao said, "That's easy. The rich young masters in Qingmiao City who love to seek pleasure are always trying to curry favor with me. They know the brothels there best. I'll ask them and surely get some information."