Gu Qingyao turned pale. She knew without asking what had happened.
She turned and ran to look for Mo Beihan.
That day, Mo Beihan was still at work. It happened to be lunchtime when Gu Qingyao came looking for him. Mo Beihan immediately frowned when he saw that she was covered with snow and her little face was blue with cold. “What are you doing out here on such a cold day? What has happened?”
Gu Qingyao was frantic. “My teacher has been arrested, my teacher has been arrested.”
Mo Beihan was shocked!
Teacher?
Jiang Yiru?
Gu Qingyao said, “I just went to give them some coal but discovered that their house has been smashed to smithereens. Half the kitchen has collapsed. They must have been arrested. Elder Brother Beihan, what will we do? Can you save them?”
Mo Beihan had not expected this to happen. But their status was special, so it was not unthinkable that something had happened to them.
“Go home and wait for me at my house. I’ll go and make inquiries.”
“I…” Gu Qingyao could not wait. “You go and make inquiries. I’ll look for my third brother and see if he or Third Uncle know anybody. Elder Brother Beihan, no matter what, you must save them. They have already suffered so much. I was planning to take good care of them so they can enjoy their later years! I didn’t expect something like this to happen.”
Mo Beihan said soothingly, “I know, don’t worry. I’ll go now. Don’t look for your third brother. It’s too far and it’s so cold.”
“It’s all right, I’m dressed warmly. After all, Third Brother and Third Uncle have lived here for so many years. Perhaps they can help? I’ll let them know and immediately go back to wait. Alright?”
Mo Beihan did not stop her when he saw how frantic she was. “All right! Remember to carry a hot water bottle. Stay warm. I’ll go and apply for leave.”
Mo Beihan went to apply for leave while Gu Qingyao ran off to look for Gu Jinlin and Gu Yundong. Then she waited in Mo Beihan’s house.
It was 6 o’clock in the evening. The sun was setting earlier and it was getting dark, but there was still no news of Mo Beihan and the others.
Gu Qingyao knew they would certainly want food when they came back, so she prepared some dishes and waited for them.
She was in no mood to cook, so she just took out some things from her interspace and kept them warm over the stove so that they could eat when they came back.
Mo Beihan finally came home around 9 o’clock.
With him were Gu Jinlin, Gu Yundong and Ji Mingzhe.
“How are things? How are they?”
Gu Qingyao rushed over the moment they entered the door.
Mo Beihan glanced at her and said soothingly, “Don’t worry. We haven’t seen them, but we know that they’re alive.”
Gu Qingyao’s heart fell!
Alive…
“Have they been tortured?”
Mo Beihan nodded. “Mhm!”
“This… everything was fine, why were they suddenly arrested?”
Mo Beihan said, “Someone fabricated charges against them and slandered them. They have always been watched. It’s quite normal for something like that to happen to people of their status. Right now, the news is that they won’t be killed, but they probably won’t be allowed to stay here. They will be sent somewhere far away to work.”
Gu Qingyao was worried sick.
“But they’re already so old and they’re injured. Where can they go? Are they… being sent to the countryside?”
Mo Beihan nodded. “Probably.”
Gu Qingyao paused. She thought for a moment and then grabbed Mo Beihan’s hand. “Get them sent to the Qing River Brigade.”