For Yang Xiaochuan, he dare not offend Land Officer Yang, and could only endure being scolded.
After a while, the people who went to search in the direction of the town returned, and it was Auntie Li’s son who came back with Uncle Old Gen.
Upon seeing the two of them enter, Yang Chuxia hastily asked.
"Nothing. We have asked many people along the way, and no one saw any horse or ox carts passing by. Also, no one saw anyone carrying anything on the road," said Li Anshun, Auntie Li’s son.
Yangshu Village is nestled next to the mountains, surrounded by crisscrossing rivers, and a little further away lies the sea.
As a result, the only route leading out of the village is the one that goes to the town. Other villages such as Li’s Village and Liu Village were also located along this road.
Yang Dongzhi is a grown woman, so it wouldn’t be easy to smuggle her away casually. Horse carts or ox carts would be necessary, as one can’t simply carry her on their shoulders. Therefore, if any vehicles had passed along that road, someone should have seen them, even if one village didn’t notice, the next village would.
But now, not a single person had seen anything, which made it seem quite surreal.
If people were still hidden in the village, nearly every nook and cranny had already been searched.
Yang Chuxia furrowed her brows in thought: was it possible that the kidnappers didn’t use a horse cart at all, but instead hid Dongzhi in another village?
"Grandfather, can you negotiate with the land officers of the nearby villages to search in their villages?" Yang Chuxia continued, "Although Yang Dongzhi is a young woman and doesn’t appear too heavy, she still has a stature. If someone really abducted her, they would definitely not carry her away on their shoulders, they must have used a vehicle. Our village, Li’s Village, and Liu Village are all along the same road. If a vehicle had passed by, someone would have noticed. But now, no one has seen anything. I suspect that the kidnappers might not have used horse carts at all, but instead carried her away. If they carried her, they couldn’t have gone far by now, and perhaps they hid in another village when they realized we were looking for her."
After thinking for a moment, Land Officer Yang replied, "You have a point. If it were just people involved, they could easily hide her in any village and then leave later at night."
"I’ll go now, and if we delay any longer, those thieves might run away. Old Gen, you and Dayong prepare an ox cart each. Dayong and I will go to Liu Village while you and your father go find Li’s Village’s land officer. We need some people from our village to accompany us, and once we get permission from the other village’s land officer, our villagers will join the search," said Land Officer Yang as he stood up.
Subsequently, Yang Dayong, Old Gen, and Li Anshun prepared the ox carts, and Yang Dachuan, Yang Da’an, and Yang Xiaochuan followed.
"Brother An, you don’t need to go," said Yang Dachuan as soon as he heard the news and saw that Ye Zi’an was planning to go.
Yang Chuxia also said, "Brother An, you don’t need to go. I’ll go with my father to have a look."
Yang Dachuan, however, said, "You two go home. Your mother is alone at home minding your younger brothers, and your grandfather is sick. I’m worried."
Upon careful consideration, Yang Chuxia agreed, as her house was located on the outskirts of the village, and it wouldn’t be good if a thief suddenly appeared from a corner.
"Alright, dad, Brother An and I will go home first, and you all go quickly – you need to move faster."
"Okay," said Yang Dachuan and the others as they climbed onto the ox carts.
At this moment, the people of Yangshu Village were united in their efforts. Almost everyone with an ox cart had contributed it, and the young men of the village joined the search, one by one.