"Hey! How strange..." Mirai said. "When I first came to the Land of Water, I met a merchant. Later, without realizing it, I followed him to a small inn. At the time, I clearly heard that merchant call out 'Madam'..."
Terumi Mei asked, "Did you see her afterward? What did she look like?"
"I didn't see her, but later... I was delayed by something else..."
Mirai recalled the child with glasses and asked whether they had seen him. Terumi Mei and her daughter shook their heads, but Xiao Qing seemed to remember something.
"I really did see him once at the docks... That child was still very fair and polite, so he left a deep impression on me..."
"Who was he?" Mirai asked urgently.
"No, I don't know. Although I saw him, he didn't seem to be a local!" Green shook his head, then suddenly had an idea. "Right, you can ask Zhang Shilang. That child was about the same age as Zhang Shilang, so maybe he knows?"
"Xiao Mei, go bring Chojuro here... Be careful!"
"Mm..." Terumi Mei went to get Chojuro at her father's command.
"Yongzhilang, Yongzhilang, wake up..."
"Mm..." Yongzhilang rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed. "Is that you, Sister Gui... Huh? Why are you out here?"
"Yongzhilang, my father has something to ask you. Come with me to the basement..."
"Oh, okay..."
Yongzhilang put on his clothes and followed her to the basement.
Seeing that the sky was growing brighter, Terumi Mei drew the curtains and made other preparations to avoid arousing suspicion.
When they arrived, Mirai and the others asked Zhang Shilang, "Kid, do you know anyone around your age? He wears glasses, speaks very politely, and looks fair and clean..."
Zhang Shilang thought back over the children around him. A few