Tian Dazhuang explained hurriedly, the sweat on his body having dried into salt stains on his face:
"No, Mother, Eldest Girl is gone. Third Brother and I went to the cave and didn't see her at all. We looked all around but couldn't find her."
Third Brother, standing to the side, also looked worried:
"She couldn't have been eaten by wild beasts, could she?"
Gone?
In Qin Sang's memory, this great mountain was home to all kinds of wild beasts. There was a high possibility that Third Brother's fears were correct, but Qin Sang couldn't just leave things be.
Eldest Brothers Wife, who had just lit the stove inside, rushed out upon hearing the conversation. When she heard that Eldest Girl was missing, her body went weak. Qin Sang tossed aside the mugwort in her hand and quickly supported her, instructing:
"Eldest Brothers Wife, don't scare yourself. Children love to play; she might have just run out of the cave. Maybe when she sees it's getting dark, Eldest Girl will come back on her own. Si Jin, help your sister-in-law inside to rest."
"Third Brother, you're fast on your feet. Go to the Village Chief's house immediately, beat the gong to call everyone, and ask the villagers to help search the mountain for Eldest Girl. Get as many as you can."
Third Brother knew there was no time to lose. The sun would set in half an hour, so he left in a hurry.
Qin Sang found a wooden stick in the woodshed:
"Eldest Brother, come with me to the cave on the mountain now."
Eldest Brother was stunned. "Mother, you're going to look too?"
"Cut the nonsense." Qin Sang grabbed his arm. "Lead the way, quickly!"
Finally, she instructed Third Brothers Wife, who was standing by the door:
"Third Brothers Wife, later, see how many people San Gui manages to bring and cook enough Dry Rice for everyone. Boil all the eggs in the house too. The villagers are helping us; regardless of whether Eldest Girl is found, we can't let them come for nothing."
Third Brothers Wife clutched her stomach, looking somewhat reluctant:
"Mother, I'm still carrying your Golden Grandson in my belly. I can't overexert myself during the first few months."
Qin Sang knew that ever since Third Brothers Wife married into the family, she hadn't touched any housework. First she claimed to be a newlywed, then she was pregnant, making her excuses even more "justified." Even their room's Commode was carried out, emptied, and washed at the river by Eldest Brothers Wife every day. Given the special circumstances, Qin Sang's eyes sharpened, her expression returning to the Original Owner's former harshness:
"Your sister-in-law used to go to the fields to fetch water and fertilize while pregnant. Cooking a meal won't exhaust you."
Hearing her mother-in-law mention her sister-in-law's past hardships, Third Brothers Wife felt angry but dared not speak out, only offering a muffled "Mhm."
Tian Dazhuang only snapped out of it after being dragged a few steps by Qin Sang, then he sped up.
His mother had never liked Eldest Girl. He had thought that after learning she was missing, his mother would say it was good to save on the family's grain. He hadn't expected that instead of making snide remarks, she would immediately arrange for a search and even go up the mountain herself.
He hoped Mother would always treat them like this...
Qin Sang didn't stop. Although the Original Owner was already a grandmother, her actual age was only thirty-four, the same as Qin Sang's age in her previous life. Furthermore, the Original Owner's diet was the best in the whole Tian Family, and she never mistreated herself, so she was more well-off than her eldest son, Tian Dazhuang.
Tian Dazhuang led the way while Qin Sang followed closely, asking about the situation along the way. It turned out Eldest Brother was also worried about Eldest Girl encountering wild beasts. The cave he chose was only halfway up the mountain, right next to a path frequently used by the village Hunters, so the probability of encountering large beasts was low.
They walked quickly for half an hour. Along the way, the two of them shouted Eldest Girl's name at the top of their lungs. By the time they reached the cave halfway up the mountain, it was already getting dark, and there was still no sign of Eldest Girl.
Tian Dazhuang's face was full of worry:
"Eldest Girl has always been very obedient. In fact, I brought her water this morning and told her not to run around. If she did run, she would surely head down the mountain. Mother, I'm afraid Eldest Girl really was snatched by a wild beast. It's my fault... If I had known, it would have been better to let you sell Eldest Girl. At least..."
Qin Sang carefully examined the marks on the ground. Aside from the footprints left by adults, there were only Eldest Girl's small footprints.
She cut off Tian Dazhuang's wild thoughts:
"Calm down. It's not necessarily true that a beast took Eldest Girl. Look, there aren't even any animal tracks here. If it were a beast, how could there be no blood at all, and no signs of a struggle or dragging? Eldest Girl should still be alive."
Her words gave Tian Dazhuang hope. "Really?"
At this time, the villagers San Gui had asked for help arrived. There weren't many, only six men. Three were cousins from the Tian Family, two were a Hunter father-and-son duo from the village, and the last was a next-door neighbor.
Tian Sangui said with some distress, "Mother, the other families in the village weren't willing to help us."
Qin Sang knew the Original Body hadn't been a decent person in the village; other families likely feared they wouldn't get anything in return for their help.
"Tian Qinshi, what's going on?"
The one asking was the Village Chief's eldest son, Tian Yougen. Besides the gong, he also brought several torches.
Qin Sang briefly explained her reasoning. It was logical and well-founded, and everyone felt it was likely correct:
"Right now, the fear is that Eldest Girl got lost while going down the mountain herself, or fell into some ravine or thicket."
"I suggest everyone split into groups of three and search in different directions. That way, we can help each other if we encounter any danger."
"When you're searching, observe the footprints and signs on the path more closely—things like broken branches, blood, or droppings. Everyone must be careful of snakes and insects, and alert others immediately if you encounter wild beasts."
"Regardless of whether she's found, everyone should gather back here in two hours."
"If you find her, come back here first and strike the gong. The sound travels far; it can be heard even across a mountain peak. What do you all think?"
As Qin Sang spoke, her eyes swept over the village Hunters. The father and son each had a bow on their back, which was very conspicuous:
"My Hu Zi and I are often on the mountain and know the routes well. We can be in two different groups."
Tian Yougen stared at Qin Sang's face for a few seconds and had no objections:
"Alright, we'll do as Tian Qinshi says. Everyone, group up. Three to a group. In two hours, return here even if she isn't found."
The ten people split into three groups. After each group lit a torch, they headed off in various directions. Tian Yougen placed the gong on a rock at the cave entrance and joined Qin Sang and Tian Dazhuang's group.
Qin Sang had already looked at the footprints when she first arrived, and she pointed in a direction up the mountain:
"Paternal uncle, let's look this way."
In Tianjia Village, except for a few families with different surnames, most people were named Tian. The Village Chief's family and the Original Owner's family shared the same ancestor. By calculation, Tian Yougen's grandfather was the grandfather of the Original Owner's husband, Qin Sangs deceased husband.
However, back then, Qin Sangs deceased husband's mother had given birth to two daughters in a row and suffered a lot in the village. She was forced to live on the edge of the village, which led to Qin Sangs deceased husband's family having little contact with the Village Chief's family. It was precisely because he wanted to prove himself after being mistreated in the village that Qin Sangs deceased husband chose to join the army.
Qin Sangs deceased husband did indeed succeed in making the villagers not dare to look down on him. This fueled the Original Owner's arrogance. After losing her husband, she had a youngest son who was a scholar. The Original Owner looked down on these villagers, calling each of them a "Mud-leg."
Qin Sang stopped thinking about the sins the Original Owner had committed and seriously examined the traces along the way.
Tian Dazhuang walked in front holding the torch, using a stick to beat the grass to drive away snakes and insects. Qin Sang walked in the middle, and Tian Yougen was at the back. The mountain path was difficult to traverse. As the sun set, the only places the torch could illuminate were right before their feet.
The mountain path was narrow and steep, only really used by Hunters, and overgrown with weeds. Fortunately, Qin Sang had frequently followed her grandfather and father into the mountains to gather herbs in her previous life, so she was fairly well-adapted.
She chose this way because she had seen a few small footprints in the cave leading up the mountain. Unfortunately, once they reached the mountain path with more grass, the footprints became less obvious. Now, they could only rely on luck.
"Eldest Girl... Eldest Girl..."
The villagers' shouts echoed through the forest. Tian Dazhuang was also shouting. Qin Sang told him to shout every dozen steps or so so they wouldn't miss Eldest Girl's response and could save some energy.
They searched and stopped, not knowing how far they had walked. Looking around, they could see nothing but the light of the torch. Suddenly, Qin Sang's eyes narrowed, and she shouted, "Stop."