Chapter 45

"My good sir, it is just a pot of wine. I will have someone send two jars of the finest Daughter's Red to your table in a moment; let us go back and continue our fun."

The madam looked to be over forty, wiggling her slightly bloated hips as she leaned halfway against the big man.

It had to be said, this madam still had some tricks up her sleeve.

Coaxed by her like this, the big man's anger dissipated quite a bit. He gave the madam, who was half-leaning on him, a lecherous smile, then used his large hand to slap her plump hips hard.

The madam frowned in pain, but she still forced a smile and cast a flirtatious glance at the big man, finally coaxing him back.

Seeing that the excitement was over, Zhu Gaochi grabbed his younger brother and prepared to leave.

But at this moment, Zhu Gaoxu did not want to leave.

With his eyes slightly narrowed, Zhu Gaoxu stared in the direction the big man had left, lost in thought.

It was not until Zhu Gaochi pinched his arm that he came back to his senses.

"Second brother, what is wrong with you? It is getting late, and this is not a good place; we should hurry back."

"Ah, big brother, you go ahead. I will tell two Embroidered Uniform Guards to escort you back. I will stay here for a while and return immediately."

As he spoke, Zhu Gaoxu beckoned. Soon, an Embroidered Uniform Guard walked over. After receiving instructions, the guard escorted Zhu Gaochi away.

As soon as Zhu Gaochi left, the madam walked over, stood in front of the girl, and said fiercely, "You little slut, wait until I am done with my business and see how I deal with you! Now get to the back and help out!"

Hearing this, the girl did not dare to hesitate. While constantly saying she was sorry, she lowered her head and walked past Zhu Gaoxu.

Zhu Gaoxu did not speak to this. After the girl left, he asked the madam, "Who was that man just now?"

Hearing this, the madam's expression became somewhat unnatural. Although she knew Zhu Gaoxu's status, he was still young after all, and she did not take him seriously. Thus, she replied perfunctorily, "Just a local bully. My shop is small, and I cannot afford to offend him. I still have guests to attend to downstairs; please excuse yourself, little ancestor."

After speaking, she wiggled her waist and walked downstairs.

Zhu Gaoxu watched the madam's back and cursed her for being cunning.

This madam clearly knew something, but she did not speak because she was wary of the other party's status.

Knowing the other party did not want to talk, questioning her forcefully would only risk alerting the enemy; after all, he did not know what kind of relationship the madam had with that person.

Suddenly, Zhu Gaoxu thought of something and chased after the direction the girl had left.

After winding through several turns, Zhu Gaoxu finally found the girl in the backyard of Wanhua Pavilion.

Under the moonlight, the girl sat by a pile of firewood in the corner, hugging her knees with both hands and curled up tightly. By the moonlight, Zhu Gaoxu discovered that the girl was already crying her eyes out.

Seeing this scene, even though Zhu Gaoxu had seen many grand scenes in his past and present lives, he could not help but feel a sense of unease in his heart.

Walking over softly, Zhu Gaoxu arrived in front of the girl.

Perhaps sensing someone had come, the girl was startled subconsciously, then said fluently, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll go to work right now."

As she spoke, she wiped the tears from her face with her small hands and braced herself against the ground to stand up.

Zhu Gaoxu reached out his small hand to press the girl back down. The girl also saw that the person who had come was a child about her own age, and she looked up at Zhu Gaoxu in a daze.

At this moment, Zhu Gaoxu finally saw the girl's face clearly.

For an instant, Zhu Gaoxu was stunned.

It was hard to imagine that a child of only about four years old could already possess such peerless beauty.

Her large eyes were still filled with tears, and her fair, tender skin appeared slightly flushed from her recent crying. Coupled with her pitiful expression at this moment, Zhu Gaoxu was left dazed for a while.

Clearly, the girl before him was a little beauty in the making.

Subconsciously reaching out to wipe the tears from the girl's face, Zhu Gaoxu asked gently, "What is your name?"

Seeing that Zhu Gaoxu had no ill intentions, the little girl sniffled and replied weakly, "They call me Linger."

"Linger, a nice name. You... are very spirited."

Linger was clearly hearing someone say this to her for the first time. She smiled shyly, and her already slightly red cheeks turned even redder.

Unfortunately, because of the night, Zhu Gaoxu did not see this scene; instead, he sat down on the ground opposite Linger.

"Why are you in a place like this?"

"Daddy said there is good food here, said he would let me enjoy a good life here, and that he would come to pick me up in a few days, but..."

Linger did not continue. The tears that had stopped began to well up in her eyes again.

Zhu Gaoxu did not need to hear the rest; just hearing this much, he had already filled in the gaps.

It could only be described as the wicked feudal society.

Seeing that Linger was about to cry again, Zhu Gaoxu hurriedly changed the subject: "My name is Zhu Gaoxu. I will come again tomorrow and bring you something delicious."

Sure enough, hearing that Zhu Gaoxu had delicious food, Linger immediately wiped away the tears in her eyes.

Seeing that Linger had stabilized her emotions, Zhu Gaoxu did not forget his main business and asked her, "Do you know that bully from the second floor just now?"