"Zhao Di?" Qin Ningyi murmured, recalling the name. Why was she here now?
Thinking of the trust in An'an's eyes when he mentioned Zhao Di, she was their mother and son's friend in this village. He had to help find her.
Qin Ningyi gave his subordinate a look. The subordinate understood and stepped back a few paces, making a special signal. Two men guarding the surroundings received the message and hurried over.
"Young Master Qin."
Seeing the two men suddenly appear, Liu Dazhi and Liu Fang were startled.
Liu Dazhi was intimidated by their imposing presence and blurted out, "Who are you? Why did you suddenly appear? What do you want..."
A subordinate forced a friendly smile and stepped forward to explain. Liu Fang was so scared by his smile that she hid behind Liu Dazhi. During this process, Liu Fang caught a glimpse of Qin Ningyi's face.
"Dad!" Liu Fang tugged on Liu Dazhi's sleeve and whispered timidly in his ear, "Look at this uncle, doesn't he look a lot like An'an?"
She was good friends with An'an. Even if others didn't remember, she would definitely remember An'an's appearance. This uncle looked almost exactly like An'an.
She remembered what An'an had told them before he left about looking for his dad. Now this uncle was standing at An'an's doorstep. Could this be the dad An'an was looking for?
Liu Dazhi only truly looked at Qin Ningyi after Liu Fang reminded him. Upon closer inspection, he really did resemble An'an.
"You..." Liu Dazhi had a strange thought, but he felt it wouldn't be right to speculate about Huo Rou. He didn't know how to voice his question.
As a child, Liu Fang had no such reservations. She said clearly, "Uncle, are you An'an's dad?"
Once she accepted the possibility that Qin Ningyi might be An'an's father, Liu Fang no longer found him scary. The cold aura around him transformed into the steady and excellent demeanor she found in An'an.
She emerged from behind Liu Dazhi, looking at Qin Ningyi with curiosity and anticipation.
Qin Ningyi nodded. "Yes."
He slightly bent down as he spoke, a fitting smile on his face, which completely dispelled Liu Fang's wariness. She ran to Qin Ningyi without her previous timidity.
"Uncle, where is An'an? Did he come back with you?"
She hadn't seen An'an in a long time. He hadn't returned since he left, and even when Aunt Huo came back, An'an didn't. She used to be able to call An'an occasionally, but now even the phone wouldn't connect. No one was there to play with them, and it was truly boring.
Qin Ningyi looked at Liu Fang's sparkling eyes and didn't know how to respond for a moment.
"Didn't you say Zhao Di was missing?" he said, bringing up the matter Liu Fang had mentioned earlier, successfully diverting her attention.
A child's mind can switch quickly. "Right! Sister Zhao Di!"
She turned to look at Liu Dazhi.
Qin Ningyi then turned to his subordinates who had been lurking nearby. "Have you seen a girl about eighteen or nineteen years old, very thin?"
In his memory, these were Zhao Di's only remaining distinguishing features.
Liu Dazhi also looked over.
Now that Qin Ningyi's identity was clear, and he was An'an's father, he probably wasn't a bad person. Liu Fang had even heard Zhao Di praise An'an's father when she called her earlier.
"Brother, look..." Qin Ningyi and his men were clearly extraordinary. Perhaps they could really help them find Zhao Di.
The two subordinates who had appeared later nodded as expected. "Yes, with messy hair, she ran from that direction and sat by the door for quite a while before leaving."
The direction they pointed was where Li Zhaodi lived. Liu Fang nodded ecstatically when she saw the direction they indicated.
"She went that way." The subordinates led the way, and everyone followed behind, searching together.
In the village, except for the road in front of Huo Rou's house, the other paths were not easy to walk.
Liu Dazhi looked at Qin Ningyi with great concern. His clothes would likely get stained with mud and water, and who knew if they could be washed clean. They were used to walking on these mountain paths, but a city person like An'an's father probably wouldn't be able to handle it, especially with the snow making it even more slippery.
He watched Qin Ningyi with worry, ready to catch him at any moment if he slipped. After all, he was the man of the Huo family's daughter, and they had received so much kindness from them; now they could repay some of it.
The strong wind howled, branches trembled, and snow fell.
"Creak—"
Liu Dazhi's alarm bells rang, and he was about to rush to rescue the young master Qin Ningyi.