Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 957: Wipe Out (2)

Chapter 957: Chapter 957: Wipe Out (2)

Mrs. Zhao heard the words, a flicker of doubt crossing her mind, but being much more astute than her daughter Fan Meijiao, she didn’t show it. Instead, she spoke with a crying tone, "Big brother, then I’ll leave first. You must find a way to save Meijiao. She is my life-blood!"

Zhao Fengnian rubbed his temples, which were swollen with a headache, waved his hand irritably, and said, "Big sister rest assured, Meijiao is also Mother’s life-blood, and my own niece. I will certainly find a way to rescue her from the villain’s grasp. Please, you should go now!"

Though Mrs. Zhao was worried about her daughter, she had to rely on her elder brother to find people. Seeing that Zhao Fengnian showed no signs of worry, she dared not stay any longer. After speaking with Madame Zhao, she left, seemingly soulless.

At that moment, Madame Zhao had also recovered her composure and asked Zhao Fengnian anxiously, "Son, could it be that the villain who kidnapped Meijiao has done something improper?"

Zhao Fengnian’s forehead was beading with sweat, his face revealing unease, "Mother, if the villain were after money, he probably would have contacted us for a ransom after taking Meijiao. But an entire day has gone by and no one has come with a message. I’m afraid the villain is an enemy of our family, targeting my son."

It was no wonder Zhao Fengnian thought this. There had indeed been someone who had tried such a thing against him in the past but had not succeeded. The villain had been suppressed by Zhao Fengnian’s tactics, but the memory of that incident still frightened him deeply when he thought of it today.

Madame Zhao was clearly informed of the situation and became terribly frightened, frantically asking, "Who could it be? Who could it be this time? After taking Meijiao, might they target someone else from our family next?"

Zhao Fengnian turned pale and shook his head in a daze, "My son doesn’t know..."

Zhao Fengnian genuinely did not know who would wish him harm. It wasn’t that he hadn’t committed foul deeds or had no suspects; rather, there were too many suspects for him to determine who it could be.

Having held office for nearly twenty years, Zhao Fengnian had never directly taken a life, but members of his clan had taken advantage of his power to commit countless atrocities, also secretly delivering uncountable benefits to him—land, Silver, antiques, calligraphy and paintings... These items were so numerous they filled the Zhao Family’s storehouse.

And those benefits were mostly plundered by his clan members from others, ill-gotten gains. Otherwise, how could his meager official salary support the entire household of over a hundred people?

Madame Zhao very much understood these matters since among those who bullied others with their power were many of her own relatives. Just from her maternal family alone she had received many benefits. Otherwise, how could she have generated a substantial private fund over the years, allowing Fan Meijiao to maintain their facade?

Now with Fan Meijiao’s kidnapping filled with suspicion, mother and son unconsciously thought of this, and the more they thought about it, the more they feared that what happened to Fan Meijiao could happen to them next.

"Son, what do we do now? What exactly should we do?" Madame Zhao asked Zhao Fengnian, her hands shaking as she clutched his, uncertain whether she was more concerned about what they would do in the future or how to rescue her granddaughter Ping An.

Zhao Fengnian was extremely panicked, and Madame Zhao’s question made him even more so. Fortunately, having served as an official for so many years and climbed to his current position, it was impossible for him to have no plans at all.

After forcing himself to calm down, he said to Madame Zhao, "Mother, we cannot spread the word about Meijiao’s kidnapping. For now, the best plan is to wait and see, and search for Meijiao’s whereabouts in secret! If the Mu Family inquires, say that Meijiao went to the family temple to fast and pray, hoping for God’s blessing on her good marriage. She will come out when her merit is complete on her wedding day."