Feng Qixian emerged from the Pure Joy Pavilion, his heart heavy with gloom. He wandered aimlessly with the flow of people until the aroma of roasted meat wafted over, at which point he finally stopped.
He looked in the direction of the aroma and saw a barbecue restaurant.
Customers were sitting in twos and threes in the shop, and his gaze was drawn to a girl in a pink dress.
Feng Qixian couldn't help but think that if his daughter were still alive, she would probably be this age as well.
He walked into the shop without realizing it, and when he came to his senses, he was already sitting opposite Meng Anzhi. The three people at the table were staring at him in a daze.
" Zither Master Feng?"
Feng Qixian suddenly snapped back to reality, instinctively stood up, cupped his hands in apology, and said, "I'm so sorry, I panicked for a moment and offended everyone. I'm truly sorry..."
Jin Shanyao noticed his expression was off and asked, "What's wrong? You seem unhappy?"
Since his wife and daughter left, no one has ever asked him if he's happy.
Looking at the stranger before him, Feng Qixian suddenly felt a surge of urge to confide in him, and said in a hoarse voice, "My daughter loves wearing pink clothes..."
His gaze fell on Meng Anzhi, and he paused for a moment, "But I haven't seen her in a long time."
Jin Shanyao had heard Wan Ning mention his ordeal before, and now she listened quietly without saying anything more.
Feng Qixian sat back in his chair, forcing a bitter smile. "I was born with a talent for music. I was already quite well-known in the village when I was eight. As I grew up, my fame grew, I got married, had children, and lived a smooth and comfortable life."
Meng Anci silently poured him a cup of tea and pushed it to his side.
Feng Qixian glanced at him, nodded, and continued, "Back then, I was young and arrogant, looking down on everyone. When I was twenty-three, I took my daughter on a picnic and we met a group of musicians on the way. On a whim, I made a bet with them over a musical score."
He stopped abruptly at this point.
The refined and otherworldly air he once possessed vanished, and he became utterly dejected, as if his spine had been removed.
"That was the most regrettable decision of my life... My daughter was right beside me, how could she be lost?" he muttered to himself. "I reported it to the authorities, but to no avail. Some said she fell into the river and drowned, others said she was kidnapped..."
Feng Qixian, unable to continue speaking.
Meng Anzhi asked softly, "What's your daughter's name? What are her features?"
" Miaoyin, Feng Miaoyin... She has a small mole on her jawbone, you can't see it unless you look closely."
Meng Anzhi kept these words in mind.
Jin Shanyao, munching on a meat skewer, was momentarily at a loss for words to offer comfort. After a moment's thought, she picked up her teacup and gently tapped it against his. Under Feng Qixian's puzzled gaze, she managed to utter only two words, "My condolences."
Feng Qixian looked into her eyes, which seemed to lack understanding of human relationships, chuckled softly, shook his head, and stood up, supporting himself on the table as he walked out.
Just as he was about to leave, Jin Shanyao suddenly called out to him, "Hey... meeting is fate. Would you like a fortune told? It'll only cost one coin."
Feng Qixian glanced back at her only once before turning and disappearing into the crowd.
Jin Shanyao said helplessly to the siblings, "I plan to retire from fortune-telling tonight and stop doing it... I wanted to help him out because of his difficult life, but alas..." She shrugged.
Meng Anci, puzzled, "You've given up fortune-telling? You're not going to do it anymore?"
"Hmm. I consulted the oracle back then because I was short of money. Now that you've entered the court as an official and Anzhi's medical skills have improved somewhat, why should I get involved in these karmas and cause myself trouble?"
Jin Shanyao clearly felt her body becoming lighter day by day, a feeling she had never experienced before.
The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, and the days go by one by one.
Meng Anzhi had just seen a patient off when she turned around and saw Feng Qixian standing in the middle of the street, staring at her in a daze.
Meng Anzhi stepped forward with a smile, " Zither Master Feng... what are you doing here?"
Feng Qixian hesitated for a long time, "... The young lady who said she would tell my fortune the other day, would you still be willing to do it for me?"
Meng Anzhi thought of her aunt's words about washing her hands of the trade and was a little unsure. "You go inside and wait a while, I'll go ask her..." After saying that, she led Feng Qixian to a seat and turned to go to the backyard.
Jin Shanyao and Meng Anci were standing in the courtyard sunbathing with their eyes closed when Meng Anzhi walked over and asked softly, "Auntie... Feng Qixian is here. He wants to ask if your divination still holds true?"
Jin Shanyao slowly opened her eyes, "Of course, where is he? I'll go and divine for him right now..."
Meng Anci asked suspiciously, "Didn't you say you wanted to retire from the criminal life?"
Jin Shanyao her head. "Yes... I've already ordered it from the jewelry shop, but the shopkeeper said there aren't many people ordering the gold basin, so they have to make it first... The goods haven't arrived yet, so I can't wash my hands of the gold basin."
As she spoke, she walked into the shop. Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci exchanged a glance and followed her.
Upon seeing Jin Shanyao stand up, Feng Qixian said awkwardly, " Shopkeeper Jin..."
He had tried divination to find his relatives before, but each time he had returned empty-handed. He had already planned to give up, but a sliver of hope remained in his heart... What if, what if he could actually find them this time?
With that in mind, he went to the barbecue shop again and followed the direction the shopkeeper pointed out.
Fortunately, she lived on Vermilion Bird Street, and fortunately, they were from out of town, which made the search so easy.
Jin Shanyao sat down behind the desk, and before Feng Qixian could speak, she took out an ounce of silver and placed it on the table. " Shopkeeper Jin, thank you for your trouble..."
Jin Shanyao swiped the money directly into the money box. Feng Qixian's daughter had been missing for quite some time, and the location was not in the capital, so asking about plants was not an option.
" Feng Miaoyin's birth date and time?"
Feng Qixian hurriedly replied, "Sixteen years old, female, birth chart: Bingwu, Dingyou, Gengshen, Yiyou."
Jin Shanyao calculated with her fingers and said, "Your daughter is both far away and right before your eyes."
Feng Qixian froze. " Shopkeeper Jin... what do you mean?"
"Her fortune Jin Shanyao shows she's been staying in the capital all these years. There are only a handful of places in the capital that have connections to music halls and musicians. Go ask at the Pure Joy Pavilion; they should be able to find some clues."
Feng Qixian jumped up and rushed out without even saying thank you. Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci bewildered glances... Did he really believe her already? Wouldn't he ask any more questions?
Feng Qixian rushed to the Pure Joy Pavilion in a flurry of activity. From afar, he saw that the area outside the pavilion was crowded with people, and he saw a girl being led out by government officials, who had bound her hand and foot.
The moment their eyes met, Feng Qixian froze on the spot, his eyes instantly reddening.
It's so similar... she looks exactly like his wife. He was almost immediately certain that this was the daughter he had been searching for for many years.
Feng Qixian rushed to the official, his voice trembling, and asked, "Sir, what... what happened?"
" Zither Master Feng? What are you doing here? Do you know that Zither Master Wu is dead?"
" Zither Master Wu is dead?"
Feng Qixian felt a buzzing in his head as two massive amounts of information crashed into his mind at the same time... On one hand, his best friend of many years had suddenly passed away; on the other hand, his daughter, who had been missing for many years, had finally been found.
The overwhelming amount of information flooded his brain, momentarily robbing him of his ability to think.
Yu Jiaonu hurriedly lowered her head, not daring to look at Feng Qixian.
"Let's go." The officer shoved Yu Jiaonu, causing her to stumble and fall forward. Feng Qixian caught her before she fell.
Yu Jiaonu dared not raise her head, and was pushed along by the officials with her head down.
" Feng Miaoyin..." Feng Qixian suddenly spoke, Yu Jiaonu paused slightly before striding away without a trace of regret.
Feng Qixian followed instinctively, watching Yu Jiaonu's retreating figure, his vision gradually blurring with tears. What had happened to his daughter?