Chapter 213: Children in the Village

The second son was obviously still blaming himself...

Old Man Li sighed helplessly.

Here, just as Li Shoucai entered the west room, Yun Ying walked out from the east room.

She wore that water-red peony chest-high Ruqun for the first time in a long while, with purple tassels inserted obliquely in her hair, her face painted with rouge and powder, and she walked out of the courtyard gracefully.

"Eldest daughter-in-law, where are you going?" Old Man Li asked casually upon seeing this.

Yun Ying glanced at him obliquely, no longer having the politeness she had when she first entered the Li family, a touch of arrogance crossing her expression.

"I'm tired of staying in this house, going out for a walk."

Yun Ying threw down a sentence indifferently, and without giving Old Man Li time to reply, she turned and left the Li family.

Her indifferent and perfunctory attitude was obviously not giving him any face!

Old Man Li gritted his teeth fiercely.

Why on earth had the Li family fallen to such a state!

Even a woman from Yanliu Alley dared to despise him so much!

"Dressing up like a vixen all day, don't know who she's going out to seduce!" Old Woman Li stood at the kitchen door, obviously having seen the scene just now, cursing and swearing in her mouth.

However, she now didn't dare to scold her in front of Yun Ying, only daring to scold a few words after the person had left.

Otherwise, once this woman felt wronged, she would go to the eldest son to complain. The eldest son, blown by a few pillow talks, would turn around and blame her, the mother.

Truly hateful!

She had always had the final say in the Li family; when had she ever suffered this kind of grievance!

The second son had already turned his heart away, thinking about dividing the family every day. If it weren't for the fear that even the eldest son would run away and not want them, the two old ones, why would she have to suffer this grievance!

Old Woman Li stood in the courtyard and scolded for a long time until her anger subsided before returning to the kitchen.

Sun Shi was kneeling on the ground scrubbing the tables and chairs. This was a task assigned by Old Woman Li; if she didn't finish it, she wouldn't be given food.

The tables and chairs were old, some already rotten, and they smelled of an unpleasant, pungent odor. This work was purely arranged by Old Woman Li to torture Sun Shi.

She now had a belly full of fire with nowhere to vent, and only by torturing Sun Shi could she feel better.

Yun Ying left the Li family gate and walked toward the big locust tree in the village.

From afar, she saw the big locust tree, which was nearly a hundred years old, and the children in the village playing and frolicking underneath...

There were boys, there were girls... every one of them was at a fresh and lively age, the age that the young master of the Huang family liked.

Yun Ying slowed her pace, her gaze sweeping over those tender faces.

The corners of her lips gradually curled into a smile.

This day, Jiang Xiaoxiao went to town with her mother again.

The mother and daughter first replenished a batch of goods for their soap shop, and then found Xiao Linzi to ask if anything major had happened in Yong'an County recently.

It had been more than half a month since they rescued Shen Que. During this period, neither mother nor daughter had come to town, fearing that the matter of rescuing Shen Que that day would be exposed.

However, fortunately, Xiao Linzi said that besides something happening at the Yong'an County Yamen half a month ago, nothing major had happened since.

"Hey, didn't I hear that the Yong'an County Yamen was harboring a major criminal of the imperial court?" Jiang Xiaoxiao asked feignedly, as if unintentionally, "What happened later? Did they find the person?"

"Hey, what major criminal of the imperial court." Xiao Linzi threw the rag for wiping the cupboard onto his shoulder, "I heard that the soldiers sent by the Cishi didn't find the person they wanted to catch, and then withdrew and left... I think they were mistaken. Our Yong'an County has simple folk customs, and the County Magistrate is also a good person; how could they harbor any criminals."

"Is that so." Jiang Xiaoxiao smiled, not expressing any opinion on Xiao Linzi's words, but silently gave her mother a look.

It seems Shen Que is safe for the time being.

"Oh, by the way!" Xiao Linzi seemed to remember something and hurriedly said, "In the half month you were away, that Shopkeeper Zhou of Yuelai Restaurant came once."

Jiang Xiaoxiao was stunned: "What did he come for?"

"Don't know." Xiao Linzi shook his head, "He came to find you personally, but didn't say the reason. Seeing you weren't there, he went back and hasn't come again."

Jiang Xiaoxiao was silent.

She mostly knew the reason for Shopkeeper Zhou's visit.

It was nothing more than for Shen Que.

Before coming to town, she had privately asked Shen Que if he wanted to send a message to Shopkeeper Zhou.

Shen Que refused.

He said he didn't want to leak the news that he was still alive to anyone, including Shopkeeper Zhou.

The more people who know he is alive, the more dangerous it is.

"Xiao Linzi, if Shopkeeper Zhou comes again in the future, just tell him that Mother and I aren't here." Jiang Xiaoxiao said crisply.

"Oh, okay, okay." Xiao Linzi was stunned for a moment, but soon nodded in agreement.

In his view, their relationship with Shopkeeper Zhou should be quite good, but why...

Hmm... forget it, this isn't his business to manage; he just needs to do his own job well.

Xiao Linzi didn't think much and continued to work.

"Mother, tonight let's go to the night market street to eat Granny Cao's meat cakes." With the matter resolved, the big stone in Jiang Xiaoxiao's heart also fell, and she began to beg her mother.

"Okay." Jiang Wei looked at her helplessly.

Time soon reached the evening.

Jiang Xiaoxiao arrived at Granny Cao's pancake stall holding her mother's hand as she wished.

"Oh my, Xiaoxiao is here!" Granny Cao was very happy to see Jiang Xiaoxiao and hurriedly took out two hot tofu skin buns from the steamer and handed them to them, "I haven't seen you for more than half a month. Hurry and take them to eat, eat while they're hot."

"Thank you, Granny Cao!" Jiang Xiaoxiao smiled sweetly and took the two tofu skin buns.

Jiang Wei was just about to take out money on the side when she was stopped by Granny Cao, "Don't give me money. This is what I'm treating Xiaoxiao to; you don't need to pay."

Jiang Wei paused, looking at Granny Cao's kind face, and the eyes looking at Jiang Xiaoxiao were filled with deep gratitude...

Jiang Wei put down her hand and smiled: "Okay, then thank you, Auntie Cao."

"What's there to be polite about." Granny Cao waved her hand, and then shouted to the girl kneading dough behind the stall: "Merely'er, Xiaoxiao is here!"

"Xiaoxiao?"

Cao Wanzhi rushed out in surprise. Seeing Jiang Xiaoxiao, her face was full of uncontrollable joy, "Xiaoxiao, you finally came. I went to your shop to find you before, but didn't expect you weren't there. I, I even thought..."

Cao Wanzhi said, her eye sockets couldn't help but turn red.

Went to find them?

Jiang Xiaoxiao paused, then realized that Cao Wanzhi might have thought that she had offended the Huang family to save them that day, and thus suffered retribution?

"Sister Merely'er, don't worry, I'm fine. Mother and I have been at home these past few days." Jiang Xiaoxiao said with concern, and explained the reason for not being in town these past few days.

"I'm relieved to see you are unharmed." Cao Wanzhi nodded, then wiped her red eye sockets, pulled her small hand to the side, and whispered:

"Xiaoxiao, you might not know yet. When I went to inquire about news a few days ago, I heard people say that there is an extra five or six-year-old little girl in the young master of the Huang family's mansion... When I first heard it, I thought it was you, and I was really scared to death at the time..." ===== CHAPTER 214 =====