Before Mrs. Cheng could finish what she was trying to say, Cheng Biyuan knew what she meant. He said in a very decisively manner, "Yuqin, don't think too much. It's no use to keep hiding. Why would we want to continue to hide if we can guard what we have? Besides, do you think our hiding had really done us any good?"
"Ye, I understand that. I just don't want to see any other misfortunes in this house!" Mrs. Cheng looked concerned, and her voice lowered.
Cheng Xiao Xiao didn't understand what she was saying, but Cheng Biyuan did. Sternly, he said, "Accident? What accident? Is it really an accident? That's us being weak and couldn't guard what's ours. We had no choice but to cower and survive. Why do we have to keep hiding? We have the ability now? Not only are we not hiding, I want to tell everything that I, Cheng Biyuan, is no pushover. I will get back from them what was ours!"
"…." After the words full of anger and oppression, Mrs. Cheng nodded and didn't say anything else.
Cheng Xiao Xiao did not take this opportunity to ask her parents any questions. What her father said was enough. Now was not the time to find out why everything happened. When they are strong enough, they would go take back what was rightfully theirs.
Inside a room in Lai Yue1 Inn.
"SMACK!"
A clear sound of a slap resounded from the living room, a hand print appeared on Innkeeper Zhu's cheek. Deacon Lin had the cold look of ice, he stared at the person who dared not say a word in front of him with a piercing look. Coldly, he said, "We have given you three days. You want to go and confess your own crime or you want me to do it for you?"
"I…" said Innkeeper Zhu with a deep face, embarrassed and angry, and also deeply worried. He turned to the other person for help, "Deacon Bai, I really had no leads to their whereabouts."
"Then you brought this upon yourself!" Shouted Deacon Lin angrily.
Deacon Bai, who hadn't spoken a word yet, didn't look any happier. After all, they have been here for a few days and had nothing to show for it. It'd be lying to say he wasn't angry. They would need to report back to their master one way or another.
Of course, he was also aware that now was not the time to dole out the innkeeper's punishment. Begrudgingly, he said, "Deacon Lin, chill out. We still need him to figure something out. We won't be able to locate the mother and daughter otherwise.
"Hrm…" Deacon Lin turned his head sideway. He understood what he said was the truth, so he didn't say anything else.
Deacon Bai looked at the man who's rubbing his face and said in a solemn voice, "Innkeeper Zhu, you have been living here for tens of years, had you really no leads at all? I urge you to try harder to locate them. Otherwise, we aren't the only ones who are going to get into trouble. I am afraid our families will be dragged into this as well. Please try to think of something else."
"Deacon Bai, Deacon Lin, I have tried every means I could think of. Words had it that the doctor down at the Huichun2 Clinic had been to been to a couple of house calls. I only he'd tell me where they are, I will be able to locate the Cheng's."
"Bastard!" Shouted Deacon Lin right after Innkeeper Zhu finished his sentence. "If you knew this all along, why didn't you go and ask him? Why did you waste so much time? You want to die, huh? If you want to die, don't drag us down with you!"
"It's wasn't that I didn't go to him!" With a dismal look, Innkeeper Zhu recounted the story of how he was booted out of the clinic by Dr. Xu.
"Hrm. That bastard didn't know any better. We will just pay him a visit tonight. We can handle an old thing like him!"
Deacon Lin had a barbarous look in his eyes. He was the dangerous kind and will use any means to get what he wanted.
Deacon Bai, aware of what kind of person he was, frowned but didn't say anything otherwise. After all they haven't been able to located them all this time, they were running out of options. So, in order to locate the Cheng's, this was necessary.
Innkeeper Zhu was worried and couldn't help but to say, "Dr. Xu was pretty well respected among the town folks. You don't want to stir up too much trouble."
"Tsk, a town several thousand of townsmen, so what if he is well-respected? Our master has more servants than men in this town, what do I care about this old man Xu? He will cooperate if he knows any better!"
"I don't think we should cause too much of a ruckus before we learned on the Cheng's background!" Deacon Bai gave his ruthless partner a sideway glance and said in a deep voice.
Innkeeper Zhu agreed whole-heartedly. After all, he had been living here for tens of years and this was his town. Besides, if things blew up and other townsmen found out he had to do with all these, he wouldn't be able to face them ever again.
Deacon Lin is cold-blooded, but not murderous. He sneered and didn't insist any more.
"Nobody else other than Dr. Xu had been to the Cheng's?" asked Deacon Bai.
"This…."
Innkeeper Zhu thought over all the gossips in the last couple of days. He hesitated for a bit and said, "I heard that the pharmacy apprentice Shen Tang had been booted out of Huichun Clinic, but I don't know whether that was true."
"Kicked out of Huichun Clinic? Is that true? Do we know why?"
"Words had it that he leaked some personal information about some patient. I don't know the details!"
"What?"
Deacon Bai looked concerned upon hearing this news. Deacon Lin and Innkeeper Zhu didn't understand what was bothering him and why the sudden reaction.
Innkeeper Zhu asked in a lowered voice, "Deacon Bai, what's the matter?"
"If this was true, I'm afraid someone had already been to the Cheng's. We are already late!" Deacon Bai had a solemn expression.
"What do you mean?" Deacon Lin still didn't catch the implication of this.
"I mean someone had already found the Cheng's through Huichun Clinic's pharmacy apprentice!"
Deacon Bai had a complicated expression. He then looked at Innkeeper Zhu and continued, "If Innkeeper Zhu have heard that Dr. Xu had make house calls to the Cheng's; then other would have heard of it as well. We could gathered that the other party had also been rejected by Dr. Xu but then paid off his apprentice for the information. Which was why Dr. Xu kicked him out after finding out about it."
And Deacon Bai had figured out what exactly had transpired.