Is the beginning of a catastrophe? The little farm cook is raising a family with a full warehouse.

It was just dawn and the quiet streets were broken by a burst of noisy footsteps.

Facts have proved that Shen Shulan and Xu Ranyuan's decision to leave overnight was the right one. Early the next morning, Shen Linfeng came to their house with a group of ferocious men to search.

Shen Linfeng rode on his tall horse, looking down at the house in front of him. With a stern look on his face, he ordered in a deep voice: "Surround it all. Not even a fly is allowed to fly out!"

"Yes!" The subordinates received the order and moved quickly like well-trained hunting dogs.

Some people rushed to the back door of the house, some scattered along the wall, and some held sharp knives and guarded the entrances and exits of each alley. For a moment, the entire house was surrounded and the atmosphere was tense.

"Bang, bang, bang!" There was a series of rapid and forceful knocks on the door, as if trying to break through it.

Shen Linfeng's men yelled at the top of their lungs, "Open the door! Stop playing dead! If you don't open the door, don't blame us for being rude!"

Everyone, who had been soundly asleep, was instantly awakened. Cheng Yuntao and Jiang Yu realized simultaneously that Shen Linfeng had come looking for them. After getting dressed, they tacitly placed their grandmother and their younger siblings in the same room. After a brief reassurance, they told them not to come out no matter what noise they heard.

Then, the two of them hurried towards the front yard.

The surrounding neighbors were woken up by the noise, and the originally quiet street suddenly became lively.

Aunt Zhang, wearing an old cotton-padded coat, opened the door sleepily. When she saw Shen Linfeng and his group, she gasped in fright, quickly covered her mouth, retreated back into the house, and secretly peeked out through the crack in the door.

Uncle Li, who was standing nearby, walked to the door tremblingly with a cane, frowned, and shouted loudly: "Why are you making so much noise so early in the morning? Can't you let people live their lives?" But the only response he got was the cold eyes of Shen Linfeng's men. Uncle Li turned pale with fear, shivered, and quickly closed the door.

The children nearby came over curiously to watch the fun, but were pulled back into the house by the adults. Then they heard the adults' warnings: "Don't go out. These people look like they are not to be trifled with."

Seeing that the door didn't open after knocking on it, Shen Linfeng lost his patience. A fierce look flashed across his face. He waved his hand to signal his men to retreat, took a step forward, raised his foot and kicked the door open.

The door slammed against the wall with a loud noise.

When Shen Linfeng and his men rushed into the yard aggressively, Cheng Yuntao stood in the middle of the yard with a cold face and an upright posture. Jiang Yu stood behind her with a stern expression and a sharp gaze.

Cheng Yuntao looked at Shen Linfeng, her anger rising in her heart: "Second Young Master Shen, isn't it a bit too rude to trespass into a private house so rudely so early in the morning?"

Her voice was crisp but with a hint of coldness, piercing Shen Linfeng directly.

Shen Linfeng raised the corners of his mouth, but there was no smile in his eyes. He said with a forced smile: "Miss Cheng, I'm really sorry. I was reckless, but I was really anxious to find the person. I hope Miss Cheng can understand and just hand the person over."

"If you don't cooperate, don't blame me for sending people to search directly." Shen Linfeng's voice was low and carried an unquestionable threat.

Cheng Yuntao's heart tightened, but she remained calm. She frowned slightly and asked in confusion, "People? What people? I don't understand what you are talking about." Her eyes were innocent, trying to confuse Shen Linfeng's judgment.

Shen Linfeng took a step forward, staring into Cheng Yuntao's eyes like a venomous snake, as if he wanted to see through her. He slowly squeezed out three words from between his teeth: "Shen Shulan."

Cheng Yuntao looked calm and met Shen Linfeng's gaze without showing any sign of weakness. "Second Young Master Shen, are you mistaken? I haven't seen Shu Lan recently. If you don't believe me, you can ask the neighbors to see if any strange men have been around here."

Shen Linfeng sneered, his laughter full of mockery: "It's already this time, and you are still playing dumb? I have already investigated the whole story clearly. My so-called brother is actually a woman disguised as a man! Du Qiu, that daring concubine, dared to deceive people and kept it a secret for twenty years!"

A trace of ferocity appeared on his face. "When I first found out, I really couldn't believe it. But after I digested this news, I felt that Shen Shulan deserved to die. A woman actually dared to be on equal footing with me in the City Lord's Mansion for so many years!"

Shen Linfeng paused, his eyes sharp as a knife: "There really aren't many strange men coming and going here recently, but there are some women!"

Facing Shen Linfeng's relentless pressure, Cheng Yuntao continued to play dumb: "I don't understand what Second Young Master Shen is saying. If you want to search, go ahead. It saves us from wasting our breath here!"

Shen Linfeng laughed in anger and said, "Okay, very good! Since you are unwilling to hand him over, don't blame me for being rude!"

He waved his hand, and his men behind him immediately scattered like vicious dogs, searching everywhere in the house.

Soon, the men who had been searching came back one after another, reporting with a look of panic on their faces: "Master, we have searched everywhere, but we haven't found anyone."

When Shen Linfeng heard this, his face instantly turned ashen and extremely ugly.

He turned his head sharply and demanded, "How is this possible? Isn't the area under our control? How could she have escaped?"

Shen Linfeng seemed to react suddenly, a trace of annoyance flashed across his face, and then he cursed in a low voice: "He must have escaped last night, he ran really fast." As he finished speaking, there was a hint of gritted teeth in his voice.

Just as he was about to explode with rage, a clear voice came from the courtyard gate: "Miss Cheng, my master asked me to pick you up."

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a gorgeously decorated carriage parked steadily outside the house. The body of the carriage was painted with intricate patterns with vermilion lacquer. The horse pulling the carriage was agile and had smooth mane. It was obvious that it came from a wealthy family.

Mu Qingfeng was dressed in a smart suit and stood beside the carriage with a stern expression. His posture was straight and upright, like a pine tree. His eyes were calm, but revealed an aura that should not be underestimated.

Seeing this, Cheng Yuntao breathed a sigh of relief.

She was on guard last night, knowing that Shen Linfeng would not give up, so she sent a message to the Ji Mansion early, saying that she had developed a new and interesting dish and wanted to make it for Ji Yanchuan to taste, and begged him to send Mu Qingfeng to pick him up early in the morning.

Mu Qingfeng strode into the courtyard and said to Shen Linfeng calmly, "My master sent me to pick up Miss Cheng. I hope Second Young Master Shen will help me."

When Shen Linfeng heard this, his face instantly darkened and a hint of anger flashed in his eyes.

Cheng Yuntao secretly rejoiced in her heart that the reinforcements were indeed sent in the right way. For Ji Yanchuan's sake, Shen Linfeng could restrain himself a little.

As long as we can calm Shen Linfeng down and wait for him to leave, this disaster can be avoided temporarily.