Chapter 404: Unable to Find Her

Chapter 404: Unable to Find Her

Even Tong Yunpeng was fed up with indulging Chu Siying.

They were all out to have fun together, and no one owed anyone anything.

The other girls were exasperated: "...Siying’s been spoiled. Do we all have to cater to her just to have fun?"

"Exactly, Xingxing’s amazing at cards. Can’t we give her credit?"

"We usually cut her slack because she’s young, but she never thinks about us. We finally get a chance to hang out, and after tracking her down once, she takes off again..."

Even Tong Yunpeng frowned: "Siying’s really pushing it."

Everyone couldn’t help but vent their frustration.

But after venting, they sighed and reluctantly got up to search for Chu Siying.

To them, the eleven-year-old Chu Siying was still just a kid.

Even though Baima Temple is a busy Buddhist site where nothing major should happen, Chu Siying’s so unpredictable you can’t judge her by normal standards.

Tong Yunpeng sighed, and like before, they split up to search in different directions.

Xingxing joined in too, but after a fruitless search, she headed back to their meeting spot.

This time, no one had any luck finding Chu Siying.

The girls exchanged uneasy glances.

Tong Yunpeng, in particular, felt responsible for Chu Siying and took her care seriously. Not finding her after the search left her visibly upset.

The other girls tried to reassure her: "Sister Peng, don’t blame yourself. Siying’s the one who ran off."

Tong Yunpeng shook her head, sent a maid to update Madam Wang, and kept searching for Chu Siying.

The other girls joined in the search again, too.

This time, Xingxing even checked under the shrines in the side halls, but still came up empty.

When they regrouped, Chu Siying was still nowhere to be found.

This time, everyone looked serious.

Tong Yunpeng asked the maid, "What did Madam Wang say when you told her Siying ran off?"

The maid replied, "Madam Wang said she knew and asked you to keep looking. She mentioned that when Siying’s brothers upset her at home, she hides too."

Tong Yunpeng was stunned, and the other girls were equally speechless.

Xingxing finally realized where Miss Chu’s habit of running off and hiding came from.

Despite their frustration, they still had to find her.

But after another exhaustive search, they still couldn’t find Chu Siying.

When they regrouped, Xingxing noticed Tong Yunpeng had gone pale.

The other girls also felt inexplicably uneasy, subconsciously twisting their handkerchiefs: "...Maybe we should ask the monks in the temple for help?"

Tong Yunpeng bit her lip: "We should tell Madam Wang again."

Asking the temple monks for help, saying that Chu Siying is missing, is equivalent to making it public that the young lady of the Chu family has been missing for a while... This is a big deal, and they need to let the Chu family decide.

Thus, the girls rushed to the Buddha hall to find Madam Wang.

The ladies had just heard the abbot's sermon and were exchanging some thoughts on the teachings, walking out of the Buddha hall together. Seeing Tong Yunpeng bringing the girls over, they smiled and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Madam Wang, Chu Siying's mother, noticing that Chu Siying was not among the girls, even joked, "Is Ying still hiding somewhere?"

When Tong Yunpeng explained that they had searched everywhere and couldn't find Chu Siying, Madam Wang's smile slowly disappeared, her expression turned a bit sour, and her tone carried a hint of doubt: "Did you look everywhere?"

Her tone was sharp, and the words were directed at Tong Yunpeng, which made Madam Liu, Tong Yunpeng's mother, a bit annoyed.

Tong Yunpeng nodded: "We looked three times and still couldn't find her."

Madam Wang couldn't help but feel anxious and blurted out, "Why didn't you tell me sooner!"

At this, Madam Liu was really upset.

Your daughter is missing, so why are you shouting at mine!

Bai Xiaofeng, seeing Madam Liu's expression change, reached out and patted her hand to comfort her.

Tong Yunpeng, though, stayed calm and kept her usual good temper: "...Earlier, when we first couldn't find Sister Siying, I had the maid come and inform you. You said that Siying often does this at home."

Madam Wang was at a loss for words.

She couldn't find any fault with Tong Yunpeng, her face flushed, and finally said, "...Miss Peng, Aunt Wang was just too worried about Siying and spoke too quickly. You won't blame Aunt Wang, will you?"

Given Tong Yunpeng's temperament, she would likely nod and say she didn't blame her, but before she could speak, Madam Liu pulled her daughter aside and hinted, "As a mother, who wouldn't worry about their own daughter?... Siying's disappearance is no small matter, but fortunately, we have many people, let's spread out and look again."

Madam Wang, stung by Madam Liu's subtle jab, also looked unhappy. She coldly responded to Madam Liu's suggestion, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Madam Liu inwardly sneered.

This habit of showing displeasure and giving others a hard time, the little girl from the Chu family clearly learned it from her mother, Lady Wang!

Everyone here is of the same generation, no one should be flattering or indulging anyone!

It's just her silly daughter, being the eldest sister at home, used to taking care of her mischievous younger siblings, and thus always accustomed to looking after those younger than herself outside.

She had long disliked the little girl from the Chu family. That girl, only a couple of years younger than her Miss Peng, would throw tantrums and give her Miss Peng a hard time whenever things didn't go her way. Once or twice was fine, but she seemed to find it amusing, running off and hiding repeatedly, making her Miss Peng go through the trouble of searching for her.

They were all raised with love and care at home. That little girl from the Chu family didn't care about her Miss Peng, but she did!

It's not good for a child to be too sensible!

Madam Liu looked gloomy.

However, Chu Siying's disappearance was indeed no small matter. Madam Liu was only angry at Lady Wang for a moment before quickly organizing everyone to split up and search.

After searching everywhere, they had checked every corner of the White Horse Temple, even the small courtyard reserved for men to rest, where they worried Chu Siying might have wandered into, had been searched by the servants, but there was no trace of her.