Lost Hairpin

They waited until the sun was high in the sky, but the middle-aged man still hadn't returned to the Woodshed.

So they had no choice but to head back to the Main Hall of Old Zhu's family and see what happened next.

"What are you even good for? You can't even handle this!"

Before they had made it back to the Main Hall, they heard the vicious old woman from yesterday yelling inside.

They also heard the sound of something smashing.

"Mother, I was wrong... I... I'll go look right now!" The middle-aged man's timid voice came from inside the closed room.

Even through the door, they could hear him perfectly clearly.

Look for what?

Had they triggered an important conversation?

But they seemed to have arrived too late. They hadn't heard anything useful.

"Get going, already! If you make us miss the auspicious hour, I'll chop you up and feed you to the dogs!" the old woman shouted, her voice trembling. Something struck flesh with a thud.

Everyone instinctively took a step back.

The middle-aged man yanked the Main Hall's door open. When he saw them all standing outside,

a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

His face looked as though something had been thrown at it. It was uneven, mottled with purple and black bruises.

The middle-aged man awkwardly turned around and quickly shut the door again, then timidly gestured for them to follow him.

Although they had no idea what was going on, they followed him back in the direction of the Woodshed.

Halfway there, Zheng Wuyou calmly stopped. "What is it, big brother? Just tell us. There's no need to go so far."

So they hadn't come too late. They had come too early.

Perhaps waiting in the Woodshed for the middle-aged man to return was the way to follow the story.

But time was short, and there was no need to waste it walking.

Whatever message he had to deliver was definitely related to the sentence on the List.

"Ah, something terrible has happened..." The middle-aged man turned around, anxiously slapping the back of his hand. The worry in his eyes showed that he really feared being chopped up and fed to the dogs.

The middle-aged man let out a deep sigh. Outsiders wouldn't understand.

"Stop sighing and just tell us," Guo Mu said, squeezing his burly frame past Hu Yu and Miao Laisheng.

Seeing how the man kept pausing for breath as he spoke, he couldn't help getting anxious too.

Zheng Wuyou caught on. "Is there something you're having trouble saying?"

"Is it the hairpin?" Miao Laisheng cut Zheng Wuyou off, getting straight to the point with his guess.

A flicker of surprise and terror crossed the middle-aged man's eyes.

He hurriedly waved his hands, trying to cover their mouths, but he only had two hands.

"Don't... Don't tell anyone! The bride's hairpin is missing!" The middle-aged man glanced behind him to check for eavesdroppers. Once he was sure no one was around, he continued in a hushed voice. "The bride's hairpin is the most important part of the Zhu Family Wedding Custom. It has to be specially made months in advance based on the bride's birth date and time!"

"The wedding is tomorrow, and when the Matchmaker was sorting through the bride's dowry today, she suddenly realized the hairpin was missing!"

Custom... hairpin... Matchmaker.

Weren't those the very things mentioned in the sentence?

No wonder knowing the time hadn't been enough to solve the riddle.

The crucial moment hadn't come yet.

Zheng Wuyou nodded with an understanding "Mm," signaling for the middle-aged man to continue.

"Yesterday, I was the only one who brought food to the bride. If we can't find the hairpin, Mother will kill me!" The middle-aged man anxiously and miserably scratched at the thinning hair on his crown. Dandruff fell in a visible shower in the sunlight.

"So you want us to help you find the hairpin?" Zheng Wuyou's gaze fixed on the "snow" drifting toward her. She instinctively took a step back.

The middle-aged man hadn't expected them to catch on so quickly, so he added, "It'll be easier for you to look around the village. If I go out searching and word gets out, the wedding will have to be postponed!"

It seemed they had appeared in this place so that the wedding could go ahead as planned—and they could leave this damned place.

"Understood. But how can you be sure the hairpin is somewhere outside your home?" Zheng Wuyou seized on the flaw in his story, giving the middle-aged man no chance to take advantage of them.

Miao Laisheng watched the brown-haired figure in front of him with interest.

She had asked the question he'd wanted to ask.

"I... I can't be sure. I can search the house. You look outside!"

"What about the work we were originally assigned?" Hu Yu folded her arms across her chest, her gaze imposing as she followed Zheng Wuyou's line of thought.

"You were only hired to help out. If the hairpin isn't found, you can all get lost and go home today!"

At the mention of who was responsible for what, the middle-aged man seemed like a different person. He was no longer so timid.

His sudden growl startled Hu Yu.

"You're right. Whatever the host family asks us to do is part of our job."

Zheng Wuyou smiled as she spoke, giving Hu Yu a look to steer her away from that topic.

After leading them out through the back door of Old Zhu's family, the middle-aged man shut it behind them and disappeared into the house.

They could hardly stand being in Old Zhu's family for even a few minutes.

"It's almost 13:00. Can we really find it in time?" Wen Dian stood outside the back door, watching the group walk away with determination. With a pounding headache, she hurried behind them as they passed through the alley.

"Tomorrow at 13:00." Miao Laisheng's tall figure made the path beneath his feet look tiny. As usual, he walked behind Zheng Wuyou.

Everyone turned to him in confusion, unsure how he knew.

"Tomorrow is the day of the wedding. The Matchmaker will lead the newlyweds in paying their respects," Zheng Wuyou said, understanding what he meant. It was as though she were translating for Miao Laisheng.

She explained what his words meant.

Back on Stone Path, they huddled together and discussed things. In the end, they decided to split up according to their lodging groups.

The village was only so big. If each group searched a separate area, they could cover it quickly.

It would also let them get to know the place faster.

Since the short woman was so quiet, they assigned Hu Yu and the short woman to Uncle Cai's and Sun Wu's groups, respectively.

The village chief was the only person living at the end of the road, so they agreed to meet at the Wooden House afterward.

Zheng Wuyou and Miao Laisheng were responsible for the two unoccupied houses at the village entrance.

The others split up evenly among the remaining areas.

Zheng Wuyou also wanted to take this opportunity to find out where the dull thud she had heard from the direction of the village entrance last night had come from.

Zheng Wuyou and Miao Laisheng stood outside the first house by the river at the village entrance.

She tried pushing the door, but it was still locked.

"Zhu Family Village..."

Behind the two busy searchers, Wansi felt a chill creep over her back.

She looked up and saw that the village entrance sign was blocking the sunlight above her.

Hearing her, Zheng Wuyou looked up with Wansi.

Three characters had been boldly painted in red on the black sign: Zhu Family Village.

Miao Laisheng was observant. He glanced around and noticed a half-open window beside the side door.

He kept quiet, exchanging a knowing look with Zheng Wuyou, who had turned her attention back to him.

The two of them pushed the window open together and slipped inside in perfect coordination.

They left Wansi outside to keep watch and make sure no one ambushed them.

As soon as they entered, dust rose everywhere, and the air was filled with a stale smell. The furniture was plain and covered in dust. Someone seemed to have lived in the house, but only in certain areas.