Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 154 - 76 Lian Duo Goes Missing_2

Chapter 154: Chapter 76 Lian Duo Goes Missing_2
If Lian Duoduo were to seek death, that well would indeed be a suitable choice.
Thirty Mile Camp has several communal wells, and the one closest to the Lian Family is right in front of Yingzi’s home. From the entrance of the Lian Family, heading west, crossing through a small path in the village, there is a large empty space. Yingzi’s home is located there, and the well is also on that plot of land, not far from Yingzi’s doorstep.
To the south and west of this well, poplar trees are planted. Further west, the poplars become more numerous, forming a grove, and between the trees there is a main road that leads directly to Scholar Wang’s grand house. These poplar trees are also the property of Scholar Wang’s Family.
Because of its location, only about a dozen households, including the Lian Family and Yingzi’s family, use this well.
This time, Old Master Lian personally led his family out, heading straight for this well.
Lian Manman followed behind Lian Shouxin, also walking towards the edge of the well.
"Manman, you don’t need to go over there," Lian Shouxin suddenly stopped and then said to Lian Zhizhi, "Zhizhi, take your sister."
"Okay," Lian Zhizhi readily agreed, then came over and took Lian Manman’s hand tightly, and the other hand pointed to a large stone near their own gate and said, "Manman, we’ll just watch from here."
Wu Lang and Xiao Qi did not follow either but gathered around Lian Manman, their faces showing concern.
Lian Manman was at first puzzled but soon understood. The well must be where she got hurt. Lian Shouxin and the others were afraid that she would remember the past upon seeing this well.
Even though she had cooked and made fires at home, she had never done the work of fetching water from the well. She had never been to see this well before.
"I’m fine, you don’t have to worry," Lian Manman said to Lian Zhizhi, still a bit curious about the well.
At this moment, Old Master Lian and his three sons had already reached the water’s edge, leaning over the well to look down, Lian Jizu shouting Lian Duoduo’s name loudly.
Lian Manman then tugged on Lian Zhizhi’s hand, moving forward until she could clearly see the well and then stopped.
This well was not very large, yet its rim was made of stone, rising over a foot high. Above the well was a windlass, with a straw rope tied to it. When someone came to draw water, they had to attach a small wooden bucket to the end of the straw rope, toss it into the well, wait for the bucket to sink in the well water, then turn the windlass to lift the bucket filled with water.
This was not only a task requiring strength but also some skill. Since the division of the household, it had been Lian Shouxin who came to fetch water every day, and sometimes, when the family ran out of water and Lian Shouxin was not at home, it would be Lian Zhizhi and Wu Lang who came together. The two of them would work together to pull up the water, bucket by bucket from the well, pouring it into a large wooden barrel. When the barrel was full, they then worked together to carry it back home.
"Nobody." Lian Shouyi and Lian Jizu looked into the well and stood up straight after their inspection.
The water in the well was very deep; if someone really had fallen in, by this time, they should have surfaced. Lian Duo was not inside, so Old Master Lian breathed a sigh of relief, then grew worried again, where on earth had Lian Duoduo gone?
At this time, some families who cooked early had already finished their meals and came out to their doorsteps to cool off. Seeing the commotion at the Lian Family, they all walked over, guessing that something must have happened, and they approached one after another.
Lady He walked towards Lian Manman and sat down on the large stone at the doorstep of Yingzi’s home.
"With Duoduo’s bound feet, it’s hard for her to even walk," Lady He said, "And with the well being nearby, where else could she go?"
From what Lady He implied, she seemed to have made up her mind that Lian Duoduo had sought to end her life.
None of Lian Manman and the others responded to her.
"Lady Yingzi, have you seen our Lian Duoduo?" Lady He shouted into Yingzi’s home.
Lian Manman turned her head and saw Yingzi standing at the fence gate, looking out.
"What happened to Lian Duo? Are all of you here to look for her?" Yingzi walked out from behind the gate and stood beside Lady He to ask. Unlike the usual farm girls, Yingzi’s face was powdered, and she had applied rouge. Her dress was deliberately made tight, clinging to her body, showing off her voluptuous figure. She appeared quite attractive, though she couldn’t quite match Lian Huahua.
"She got scared when she scalded her sister Huahua’s leg with hot water and ran off," Lady He told Yingzi, inevitably adding some embellishments to the tale.
"Oh my!" Yingzi covered her mouth with one hand, revealing a shiny golden bracelet on her wrist. "Second Aunt Lian, isn’t Huahua now disabled?"
"It’s not a disability; she can walk just fine. It’s just that leg, tsk tsk, it’s likely going to look bad."
"Oh dear, what about her marriage prospects? Does the Song Family still want her?" This time, Yingzi didn’t mind sitting down beside Lady He on the dirty stone.
"How could they not want her? Even if there’s a scar, it’s on her leg, not her face," Lady He replied. She didn’t click with Yingzi and stood up to walk away.
Since they didn’t find Lian Duoduo here, it was natural to continue the search. After discussing, everyone decided to split up and look. Villagers were warm-hearted and many volunteered to help with the search. Lian Shouxin and Lian Manman took responsibility for searching westward from the well. Several children joined in, and Yingzi followed them.
"Duoduo, where are you? Come out, your grandpa said it’s not your fault, and he won’t let your parents punish you." As everyone entered the forest, they searched and called out. They startled little snakes, frogs, and toads in the underbrush, and Er Ya even found her family’s hen that hadn’t returned to its roost by dusk. But there was no sign of Lian Duoduo.
They left the forest and walked a bit farther to a large estate with blue brick tile houses and a powder-white surrounding wall, with a tall shadow wall in front of the gate.
Lian Shouxin stopped; ahead was Scholar Wang’s estate. Could Lian Duo have come here? While Lian Shouxin hesitated, the grand doors of the Wang Family flung open, and a tall, skinny youth walked out.
"What are you all doing here?"
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Manman, Zhizhi, Wu Lang, and Xiao Qi wish everyone a happy Dragon Boat Festival. May your skin be as white as rice dumplings, your hearts as sweet as jujube-filled dumplings, and your lives satisfying as meat dumplings—with plenty to eat, hee hee (don’t think dirty, definitely don’t think dirty). (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to vote for it on Qidian with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)