Two days later, outside an inn in Tianniu Quarter, Sun Yiqiu, Li Dongdong, and Hu Yun were all there, seeing off Scholar surnamed Hong and the two old people.
Over the past two days, besides letting the two old people rest, they had helped them check the household registry at the county office and searched around the county. Hu Yun had even asked Yin Cha to look through the underworld's records, to see whether Ning'an County had any trace of the two old people's daughter. After all that searching, though they could not say there had been absolutely no oversight, they had basically found no such person.
Today, they were going to fulfill their promise and send the two old people home. Scholar Hong happened to be leaving as well, so he volunteered for the task, hiring a carriage and personally escorting them back.
The carriage was already waiting before the inn, and the two old people were being helped outside by the others.
"Come, watch the threshold." "The stools are set."
"Be careful getting into the carriage, you two."
The two old people repeatedly said "All right," then climbed into the carriage one after the other and sat down on the stools inside. Looking at the four young people outside, their eyes brimmed with tears.
"Good people, you are all good people!" "We will pray for you every day, wishing you long lives and peace year after year!"
"Yes, yes! We may never be able to repay you in this life, but if there is another life, we will certainly repay all of you benefactors!"
"Without you, we would likely have died far from home!"
As they spoke, the two old people, who had already been seated, rose in the carriage and tried to kneel. Sun Yiqiu and the