"My younger sister asked her husband to look for her. He found her at the Kang Family Courtyard in the east of the city, but when my sister saw that our cousin had married someone without telling the family, she was so angry that she refused to get involved anymore.
"Later, we heard that the two of them had returned to his hometown. The next time we heard anything from them was after my parents passed away, when my cousin sent this letter.
"At the time, I did consider bringing her back, but when I saw that the letter didn't even include an address, I gave up on the idea.
"We've had no contact since then. May I ask why you've suddenly come to inquire about her, sir? Is she connected to what happened to my sister?"
Shen Shixu did not answer his question directly, since all they had at the moment was speculation. "We just have a few ideas. Once we get to the bottom of the case, I'll send someone to let you know.
"Please take care of yourself, sir. Don't keep making your son worry. If there's nothing else, we'll take our leave."
Shen Shixu and Xiao Jinyi left the Fang Residence. Finding a lead had put Shen Shixu in a good mood. He stretched and said to Xiao Jinyi, who had quietly stayed by his side the whole time, "Come on, let me treat you to a meal first. Once we've eaten, we'll head to Guirong Town."
The two of them picked a place at random and grabbed a quick bite. After asking for directions to Guirong Town, they mounted their horses and set off.
They ran into Jiang Miaokong on their way out of the city. When he learned that they had a lead, he