"Bai Yiling is missing?"
Long Xingyun stared at Lu San in disbelief, "Who told you that? How could she possibly go missing in C City when she's perfectly fine?"
"Was she kidnapped?"
Bai Corporation's total assets are worth nearly ten billion. It's bound to attract envy.
If Bai Yiling is truly missing, it must be related to a kidnapping.
Lu San shook his head and said, "Reporting to Young Master Long, Miss Bai Yiling's disappearance has nothing to do with kidnapping."
"According to my informants in C City, before Miss Bai Yiling disappeared, she had already transferred all of Bai Corporation's assets and left C City quietly with the proceeds."
"As for her destination and whereabouts, no one knows!"
Boom!
Upon hearing this, Long Xingyun felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His face instantly changed.
Bai Yiling wasn't kidnapped. With so much money, where was she going?
"What informants did you arrange? How come no one knew about such a big matter?" Long Xingyun roared in anger.
Lu San looked distressed and said, "Young Master Long, Miss Bai Yiling handled those assets in secret. She didn't let anyone know except her confidants."
"I estimate that her purpose in doing so was to hide it from you, Young Master Long, and prevent any obstruction to her plan!"
Long Xingyun's face turned grim. "What plan could Bai Yiling have?"
Lu San shook his head. "I don't know. This is just my guess. If she didn't have a new plan or arrangement, why would she take so much money and disappear from C City!"
"Lu San, find out Bai Yiling's whereabouts as soon as possible!"
Long Xingyun shouted furiously, "She's the woman I like. Even if she runs to the ends of the earth, I will bring her back. No one can stop me!"
"Yes, I will arrange for people to track down Miss Bai Yiling's whereabouts immediately!"
...
At precisely twelve noon, the banquet in Zhuxi Village began.
After all, this was a major local event. Following Mei Xueyun's suggestion, relevant leaders from Jinbao Town were invited.
Tables were set up along both banks of the stream. The grandeur of this banquet far surpassed the previous wild boar feast and the park opening banquet.
Just looking at the dishes served on the table was dazzling. There was cold shredded cabbage, a platter of fruit and ginseng, braised yellow croaker, preserved pork with preserved vegetables, clear meatballs, preserved egg and soft tofu, stewed old chicken soup, beer duck, large pot-braised pork knuckle, steamed rice cakes, stir-fried mushrooms and eggs, roast lamb, and more.
The entire village was enveloped in the aroma of boiling dishes. A gust of wind blew to the east of the village and across the river, making people walking on the road feel almost drunk.
"What great event is Zhuxi Village celebrating? It smells so good!"
"Smelling this aroma, I can't even walk!"
"Isn't Zhuxi Village a famously poor village? Why are they holding such a grand banquet?"
"It smells so good, the aroma alone makes me want to drink half a liter of liquor!"
...
Cheng Xiaofan had already started the live stream.
In the live broadcast room, bullet comments scrolled by one after another.
"Damn, I bet this streamer's village is full of foodies!"
"It's only been a few days, first the wild boar feast, then the park opening banquet, and now what banquet is this?"
"The dishes at today's banquet are so rich. I can smell the aroma of food and wine through the screen, making my mouth water down to my toes!"
"I think there should be a crackdown on excessive eating and drinking. If this continues, how can city dwellers like me endure it!"
Looking at the bullet comments in the live broadcast room, Cheng Xiaofan selectively replied, "Some people are asking what kind of banquet this is today. I'll answer here: it's a work-starting banquet!"
"Because tomorrow, a construction team will be stationed in the back mountain to help us build a road from the back mountain to Bailong Lake."
"Once this road is completed, it will be much more convenient for people who want to visit Bailong Lake!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the live broadcast room erupted.
"Ah, good news, it's worth celebrating!"
"That's great. Now we can see the horses of Bailong Lake galloping through the waves!"
"Hello, streamer. I'm from the City Angling Association. Let's organize a fishing activity to Bailong Lake together when the time comes!"
"Upstairs, I want to sign up in advance!"
"I want to buy a piece of land next to Bailong Lake, set up a thatched hut, chop wood and feed horses every day, and live a life of reclusion!"
The banquet was reaching its peak.
Fu Yueli started to instigate, "Xiaofan, sing a mountain song!"
Cheng Xiaofan chuckled and said, "I said yesterday that I'd let my mom sing!"
Miao Xiuhua was particularly happy today. She stood up from beside Bai Yiling and said, "If you want me to sing, I'll sing a noodle-rolling song for everyone!"
She immediately opened her voice and sang, "The sun doesn't set, and my noodles are strong and thick. When cooked in the pot, they swirl and shimmer. When served in the bowl, they form a circle. When eaten, they taste like osmanthus!"
Her clear voice was as smooth as silk, and as crisp and pleasant as a mountain stream.
As villagers of Zhuxi Village, they were already accustomed to Miao Xiuhua's singing.
However, visitors from C City were all amazed by her voice!
"Mom, you sing so beautifully!"
Bai Yiling quickly applauded her.
As for the live broadcast room, it was like an explosion.
"I'm drunk, I'm drunk. I never thought a country woman could have such a good voice!"
"Beautiful, beautiful, I love it, I love it. This is definitely a replica of Liu Sanjie!"
"I'll sing one!"
Tang Guihua, the women's director, volunteered and started singing, "A stool is two feet five inches long, and every stool is sat by a singing master. Two stools are five feet long, and every stool is sat by a singing bachelor. Yesterday, I passed by his door and saw a strange pair. I saw a millstone floating across the river, and I saw a monk taking a wife!"
As soon as the song ended, the people around burst into laughter.
This was a popular "laughing song" in the Zhuxi Village area. The singer not only had to sing well but also cooperate with exaggerated body language to vividly express the song's meaning.
Tang Guihua had a good voice, and her body language was also performed appropriately. After singing the song, it was like watching a hilarious skit, making people burst into laughter.
"I'll sing one too!"
From a table not far away, Luo Yang stood up.
He opened his voice and sang loudly, "Pick some fragrant tea and sing a song, to make my dear sister smile. Sing to make the spring water gurgle, sing to make the tea mountains green."
"Sing to make travelers forget to hurry, sing to make the stars fall. The wind blows and the rain doesn't stop, and we sing tea-picking songs year after year!"
For a time, everyone sang one after another.
Even the children joined the ranks of singing mountain songs.
The fans in the live broadcast room were dumbfounded and frantically typed comments.
"Streamer, why are the people in your village like singers possessed?"
"Awesome, awesome, everyone's voice is so captivatingly beautiful!"
"Streamer, why don't you rename the village Singer Village?"
"I'm impressed, I'm impressed. Even I, the mountain song prince who thought I was unique, have to bow to the male and female singers in this village!"
"There's a painter's village in Shandong, and every villager is a painter. I didn't expect there to be a singer's village here, and every villager is a singer!"
"Streamer, does your village accept disciples?"