Chapter 175: Natural Disaster

Chapter 175: Natural Disaster

Xin You's last sentence was spoken so softly that Xiaolian didn't catch it. Seeing her close her eyes, Xiaolian also fell silent.

Gu Yu's home was quite far from the Imperial Academy. Xin You closed her eyes not to rest, but to repeatedly recall the horrific scene, trying to gather more clues during this time.

"Miss, we can't go any further inside," the coachman said, stopping the carriage.

Xiaolian helped Xin You out of the carriage and let out a low exclamation.

What met their eyes were rows of dilapidated houses, low and compact. Dirty water flowed across the snow on the ground, leaving winding traces.

The Kou family was wealthy, and even after moving into the capital and settling in Shaoqing Mansion, their life was still comfortable. Xiaolian had never been to a place like this before.

Xiaolian lifted her foot, then put it back down, silently pulling up the hem of Xin You's cloak.

Because of the snow, there were no neighbors gathered outside chatting. Occasionally, someone hurried by, casting curious glances at Xin You and Xiaolian.

"Miss, should we ask someone for directions?"

Although they had a specific address, it wasn't easy to find Gu Yu's home among these chaotic alleys and similar houses.

Xin You shook her head. "No, let's just wander around."

Asking for directions would indeed be easier, but given her age, it was inevitable that people would speculate about her relationship with Gu Yu.

Unlike at the bookstore, this was Gu Yu's home, the place where he had grown up. Rumors here could affect him.

Xin You didn't explain this to Xiaolian and walked forward, holding up her skirt.

Her memory and sense of direction were good; she should be able to find the place where Gu Yu had his accident by matching the scenes in her mind with the actual surroundings.

"Miss, watch your step."

Xin You was fully focused on comparing the scenes in her mind with the actual surroundings and, despite Xiaolian's warning, still stepped into the dirty water.

"This place is really hard to walk in," Xiaolian said, feeling sorry for Xin You and complaining softly.

Xin You stared intently at the wall and the faded wooden door in front of her.

It should be this house.

The height of the wall and the red brick mixed into the mud bricks matched the scene in her memory.

At that moment, the door opened, and a woman came out.

The woman was delicate, with traces of hard work etched on her face by time.

Xin You blinked lightly.

A new scene appeared in her mind, similar to the time of Gu Yu's accident, except that Gu Yu had been standing outside the wall, while the woman had been trapped inside the house.

Seeing Xin You, the woman asked curiously, "Miss, do you need something?"

Clearly, in the woman's eyes, Xin You stood out like a sore thumb here.

"My cat suddenly jumped out of the carriage and ran in here, but I can't find it. Has the lady seen it?" Xin You said, her face filled with anxiety.

"No, I haven't seen it," the woman said, putting down the bucket she was carrying and heading to the house across the street. "Don't worry, miss, I'll ask the neighbors."

Soon, the woman called out to an old man.

The old man looked at Xin You and shook his head. "Haven't seen it. The cats we raise catch mice and can't play with the cats from wealthy families."

Fearing suspicion and trouble, the old man quickly closed his door after glancing at Xin You again.

Xin You lowered her eyes, hiding her tumultuous emotions.

This Zhang Bo had his accident in the courtyard. Whether it was because the house was sturdier than others' or due to luck, the main house hadn't collapsed, only the kitchen built in the courtyard had. He had been injured by falling during the fright, but there was no danger to his life.

Seeing the woman was about to ask others for help, Xiaolian felt embarrassed and looked at Xin You.

But Xin You showed no intention of stopping her.

She needed to observe more people to deduce more information.

In a place like this, there were no secrets. Soon, all the neighbors knew that a young lady from a wealthy family had lost her cat. Some were genuinely helpful, while others, eyeing the potential reward, joined in the search.

After watching for a while, Xin You's face turned grim, worrying Xiaolian.

"Miss, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Go and tell the lady that we'll look elsewhere."

Xiaolian went to inform them, and the woman approached, tentatively advising, "Miss, you should head home early. It's been snowing all along—"

This was a tactful reminder that it wasn't safe for two young girls to be outside.

Xin You looked up slightly, gazing at the gray sky.

The heavy snow fell in large flakes, showing no sign of stopping.

Yes, it had been snowing all along.

After thanking the people searching for the cat, Xin You, with deep steps and shallow ones through the snow, got back into the carriage.

"Miss—" Xiaolian hesitated, feeling uneasy.

Having been with Xin You for a long time, she knew something significant was about to happen.

Xin You leaned against the carriage wall, her expression solemn. "Most of the people we met just now are in danger of losing their lives."

Xiaolian turned pale. "So many of them? Miss, what can we do?"

"Let me think."

From the images she had seen, it could be inferred that a minor earthquake had occurred at that time, but the main cause of the collapse was likely the incessant heavy snow. The mild tremor might have caused a few objects to fall, but the unrelenting snow was probably the primary factor.

How could they save these people?

Xin You cupped her hands around a hand warmer that had only residual warmth, deep in thought.

Reporting the matter to the authorities would definitely not work. The officials wouldn’t mobilize based on her word alone; they would dismiss her as spreading false rumors.

Lord He would likely believe her, but as a member of the Jinlin Guard, the most suitable pretext for evacuating those people would be to use the guise of a fugitive hunt. However, that would cause him trouble.

After much consideration, Xin You decided that relying on herself was the safest option.

The Imperial Academy would be on holiday on the 10th. From the images, it was clear the incident occurred in the early morning, so it must have been either the 10th or 11th day of the month.

Today was the 7th, and tomorrow would be the Laba Festival.

A thought struck Xin You, and she returned to the Bookstore to give some instructions.

The snow continued to fall. There weren’t many customers at the Bookstore in the afternoon. Liu Zhou was free to run errands, and Captain Yang brought many guards to procure supplies as Xin You had instructed. Xiaolian was also busy, heading straight to a rice shop owned by Miss Kou.