Lu Fei strained to recall the child-like face he had seen in the woods, but it had disappeared too quickly for him to make out any details. He only felt that it bore a slight resemblance to the child in the photo on the flyer.
Could it be that what Liu Fugui saw was indeed a child?
He examined the flyer, noting that the child had been missing for a month. The place of disappearance was a park—quite far from the Moonlight Mountain Villa.
"Still, what if...?"
Despite debating with himself, Lu Fei found it impossible to fall asleep. He rushed to the guest room and shook the slumbering Liu Fugui awake.
"Old Liu, take a good look at this. Does the child's face you saw in the woods match the one in this picture?"
"Huh? I just fell asleep."
Half-awake, Liu Fugui squinted at the flyer under the lamplight.
"It sort of looks like it... but then again, it sort of doesn't..."
"What do you mean 'sort of'? Look carefully!" Lu Fei shook his shoulder insistently.
"Alright, alright, I'll look properly."
Rubbing his eyes, Liu Fugui scrutinized the photo and gasped slightly. "It does look like him."
"What do you mean 'it looks like him'? Be more certain!" Lu Fei pressed.
"I can't be certain, brother," Liu Fugui replied, exasperated. "The woods were dark, and I didn't see it clearly. I was so scared after the second glance that I bolted—who would dare to take a longer look?"
"This kid has a mole on his chin. Think hard—did the face in the woods have one?" Lu Fei pointed at the photo again.
"Who could see such a tiny detail?" Liu Fugui said, giving Lu Fei a puzzled look. "Where'd you get this flyer? Do you know this kid?"
"No, someone was handing them out on the street. I figured if I found any clues, I'd let them know." Lu Fei sighed.
"Children are everything to their parents. Losing them would be devastating. If my daughter ever went missing, I wouldn't want to go on living," Liu Fugui said, resonating with the pain of loss.
"Should we call them and let them know? Maybe I was mistaken, and it wasn't a four-legged creature but an actual child squatting there. After all, who's ever heard of an animal with a human head?" Lu Fei mused.
"I'm worried that if we're wrong, we'll give them hope only to dash it again," Lu Fei added, conflicted.
"No, no, no, Little Lu, that's not how it works. You haven't been a parent, so you don't understand. The most frightening thing for a parent is not disappointment; it's the complete absence of hope," Liu Fugui said, his chubby face unexpectedly serious.
"Any clue, however small, would be met with gratitude. And even if it turns out not to be their child but someone else's, at least they have a chance to be found and reunited with their parents. Isn't that worth it?"
Lu Fei thought of his search for his grandfather and realized that he shared the same feelings of desperation.
"Alright, we'll call them. But it's late now..."
"No time like the present! Finding a lost child is a race against the clock."
Encouraged by Liu Fugui, Lu Fei dialed the number on the flyer. The phone rang a few times before a weary voice answered.
"Hello, who is this?"
"Hello, is this Mr. Yu?"
"Yes, do you have any news about my child?" The voice on the other end tensed up, hope trembling within each syllable.
"We saw a child tonight that looked like the one in your flyer. We aren't sure, as we didn't get a clear look, but there is a chance it could be him," Lu Fei explained.
"Where? Please tell me where! Even if it's just a possibility, we have to check," the man said, his voice cracking with urgency.
"I'll send you the location right away."
"Thank you! Thank you so much. Even if we don't find him, we're deeply grateful."
After sending the location, Lu Fei put down his phone and exhaled deeply.
"I hope they find him," he said quietly.
"We've done what we could. Now, it's up to fate," Liu Fugui said, placing a reassuring hand on Lu Fei's shoulder. "Let's hope fortune smiles upon them."
"Let's hope."
With their thoughts preoccupied, the two didn't get much sleep that night.
At dawn, Lu Fei's phone buzzed with a call from Mr. Yu.
"Hello, did you find him?" Lu Fei asked, holding his breath.
"No, we didn't. We searched the entire area with a rescue team through the night, but they found no trace of him. There was no sign of any child being there," Mr. Yu said, his voice heavy with exhaustion.
Lu Fei's heart sank. "I'm so sorry we couldn't help."
"No, thank you. Thank you for giving us a glimmer of hope. We still believe our son is alive and will keep looking for him, wherever that may take us. We won't give up!"
Mr. Yu's determination struck a chord.
Lu Fei hung up and shook his head at Liu Fugui, who wore a look of disappointment.
But deep down, they'd known this would be the most likely outcome. A seven or eight-year-old wandering alone into the mountains defied all logic.
"So if there wasn't a child in the woods, then what did we see last night?" Lu Fei muttered, still puzzled.
"Who knows? Maybe it really was just an animal, like Tiger said. I must've been so spooked that I imagined it was something else," Liu Fugui said, shrugging.
"Alright, enough pondering. We did what we could; some things are just meant to be."
After a brief moment of silence, Lu Fei pushed his worries aside. He had other matters to attend to.
"Tiger, it's time to go."
"Where to, boss?"
"For tea."
The two left, while Liu Fugui returned to his antique shop.
In the old quarter of the city, they arrived at a tea house adorned with traditional charm. Above the entrance hung an ornate sign, inscribed with the flowing characters: "Sanwei Teahouse."
Lu Fei stood at the doorway, staring at the sign. This teahouse was one of the last places his grandfather had visited before he disappeared, along with the Tianlong Auction House.
The Sanwei Teahouse was rumored to be a gathering place for practitioners of the mystic arts. Lu Fei had long wanted to visit but had been caught up in endless tasks.
Today, he finally had the chance.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped inside.
"Welcome, handsome gentlemen! What would you like to drink?"
A wave of perfume swept over them as an elegant woman in a qipao approached.
Tiger's eyes lit up, not so much because of her beauty but because of the dazzling jewelry she wore—jade necklaces and gold bracelets that sparkled with light.
"Clear moon reflects the breeze, seeking knowledge with three flavors," Lu Fei said with a smile.
"Sanwei Teahouse only serves three types: Longjing, Tieguanyin, and Dahongpao. I've heard Longjing is the most aromatic, so we'll have a pot of that."
The phrase was a coded greeting for members of the mystic circle. Upon hearing it, the woman's demeanor changed, growing warmer as she led them to a seat.
"Well, aren't you two a surprise! First time here, right? I haven't seen you around. Which esteemed house do you belong to?"