Chapter 169: Missing

“Shall we celebrate tonight with a drink or two?”

“How about preparing some braised pig’s head for a feast?”

“Let’s have a plate of braised pig intestines as well. It’s been a while since we last had it, and I’ve been craving it.”

“Alright, let’s make sure the students finish early today…”

The elderly gatekeeper, “…”

He decided not to say a word! —

Song Jingyun’s achievement of becoming a top scholar, along with securing the top spot, caused quite a stir once again in Jiang Family Village.

A top scholar! This was the first time in nearly twenty years that Jiang Family Village had produced one, and to top it off, he was the number one scholar!

Smoke rose from the ancestral tombs in Jiang Family Village!

Even the ancestral tomb of Jiang Youcheng’s family was emitting smoke!

Similar to when Song Jingyun achieved the position of a child scholar, many people visited to congratulate him in Jiang Family Village. However, they also couldn’t shake off the words spoken by Jiang Zhengxin.

Although internally praising Song Jingyun, the villagers in Jiang Family Village kept their congratulations rather formal, refraining from excessive flattery.

After all, inflating someone’s ego could prevent the village from producing any Jinshi (imperial scholar) in the future, which would be a grave sin!

Jiang Zhengxin noticed that the villagers had a good understanding of the situation and conducted themselves appropriately. He was careful with his words, knowing the boundaries well, feeling proud of his management of the village and the respect he received.

However, Jiang Zhengxin had some concerns these days.

It was because Jiang Chunbao had gone missing.

Around the same time as the provincial examination results were announced, in the afternoon, Jiang Yocai and Zhang shi rushed to him in tears, desperately asking for help to find Jiang Chunbao.

They explained that in the morning, Jiang Chunbao had been crying and making a commotion in the house, causing a significant disturbance.

Jiang Chunbao had been suffering from a mental illness for some time, and although Jiang Yocai and shi Zhang cared for him, they also felt a mix of pity, disgust, and frustration. They didn’t put in as much effort as before. When Jiang Chunbao cried and made noise, they often ignored it and carried on with their own tasks.

Assuming he had grown tired from the commotion, they thought he had fallen asleep and didn’t pay much attention afterward.

It was the time of autumn harvest, with many activities in the fields, even Feng’s family children went to help with tasks. With everyone occupied in the fields, there was no one specifically watching over Jiang Chunbao at home.

Moreover, Jiang Chunbao had been particularly wary of people lately, often hiding under the covers and rarely leaving the bed unless necessary. As a result, the second family didn’t feel the need to closely monitor him.

It wasn’t until noon, after the family had finished their midday meal, that  Zhang shi went inside to persuade Jiang Chunbao to eat and discovered that the bed was empty, with Jiang Chunbao nowhere to be found.

They searched every corner of the house, the yard, the fields, and even nearby neighbors’ homes but couldn’t locate Jiang Chunbao. Despite inquiring around, no one had seen him.

Although Jiang Zhengxin harbored some displeasure towards Jiang Yocai’s family, particularly for Jiang Chunbao’s stubbornness, inability to pass the child scholar examination, and constant criticism of Song Jingyun behind his back, he knew that as the village head, he couldn’t ignore this matter.

Upon learning of the situation, Jiang Zhengxin organized the village’s young and able-bodied residents to search and inquire everywhere.

From noon until evening, they scoured not only the entire Jiang Family Village but also the surrounding villages with meticulous investigation.

However, there was no sign of Jiang Chunbao.

No one had seen Jiang Chunbao, as if he had vanished into thin air.

Similar to the mysterious incident where Jiang Chunbao was bitten before, this disappearance was equally eerie.

Jiang Yocai’s family seemed utterly distraught, their faces grim and tears flowing incessantly.

For quite some time afterward, whenever people passed by the second family’s house in Jiang Family Village, they could faintly hear sounds of sobbing, evoking sorrowful sighs.

Even the Jiang Youcheng family felt profound regret over the matter. Despite their strained relationship with the second family, considering their shared ancestry and kinship, Jiang Youcheng couldn’t turn a blind eye. They searched and inquired everywhere, even posting missing person notices and offering rewards, fulfilling his duty as the third uncle.

In mid-September, the newly appointed scholars were about to start their studies at the Wende Academy.

Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun returned to their residence in the county town.

The Wende Academy provided dormitories for students free of charge. With subsidies for meals, expenses were minimal. However, Song Jingyun chose to eat and sleep at home to accompany his wife, preferring to return home for all three meals and even sleep there every night.

Jiang Mixia was naturally accustomed to having Song Jingyun around and didn’t oppose the arrangement.

During the day when Song Jingyun was at the academy and the restaurant had yet to start its business, she found herself alone at home with nothing to do. The vast courtyard felt empty, and with Song Jingyun returning regularly for meals, she would think about what to cook for him.

Initially, everything felt fresh and exciting, but as it turned into a regular task, she started feeling pressured. Particularly lacking natural talent in cooking, Jiang Mixia could only prepare a few dishes. Her attempts at new recipes often ended in failure.

Seeing Song Jingyun return every day and politely compliment her cooking, even when the food was barely edible, saying, “Wife, your cooking is excellent,” and finishing every bite, Jiang Mixia couldn’t help but feel guilty.

Her husband’s hard work in becoming a scholar had relieved the family of many financial burdens. He had put in tremendous effort for the family. As his wife, not being able to cook even a decent meal left her feeling inadequate.

After much contemplation, Jiang Mixia decided to buy meals from outside for all three daily meals.

During this era with little to no food additives or recycled cooking oil, and where advertising largely relied on word of mouth, the food sold outside was often made from quality ingredients and could be enjoyed without worry. Buying meals from outside for convenience and economic reasons was considered a good practice.

Thus, Jiang Mixia embarked on the daily task of exploring various delicious foods in the streets.

One day started with soy milk and fried dough sticks for breakfast, followed by Eight Treasure Rice, smoked chicken for lunch, and soy sauce pig’s trotters, stir-fried lotus root, and scallion flower rolls for dinner.

The next day began with tofu pudding and meat buns for breakfast, sweet and sour fish, mixed vegetables for lunch, and stewed pork with cabbage, and tofu soup for dinner.

Every day featured a unique menu, ensuring variety in meals.

Seeing her husbandlaw enjoy his food and feeling content herself, Jiang Mixia found this method effective. She even took menus from clean and well-prepared restaurants and eateries, creating a ten-day meal plan for herself.

Each day, she would follow the meal plan, making the process simple and convenient.

On this particular day, Jiang Mixia carried home sticky rice chicken, braised eggplant, and Yangzhou fried rice, contemplating what soup to make for lunch, when she noticed a few older ladies chatting in the alley.