Le Yao seemed moved by Cai Ping's words. She nodded and asked softly, "Has the ladder I asked you to borrow from Old Zhang at the greenhouse been put in place?"
"Yes," Cai Ping said. "I had someone put it in the wooden shed by the east wall."
"It's dark," Le Yao said. "Let's go back and have dinner."
Hu Xiaotian heard every word of their conversation clearly. He understood that Le Yao had said those words for his benefit. There's a ladder in the shed by the east wall. Heh, this young widow really does have a heart. She kept her word and arranged a safe way out for me. Once everyone was asleep, he could sneak into the shed, take the ladder, and easily climb over the wall to leave the Wan Family estate. The more he thought about it, the more pleased he became. Still, however pleased he was, he had to wait patiently until the dead of night before making his move.
Hu Xiaotian endured nearly another four hours in the pond before midnight finally arrived. During his wait, he discovered that the guards patrolled this area once every hour.
As soon as the guards left the rear garden, Hu Xiaotian crept out of the pond. After soaking in the water for so long, he was cold and exhausted, his whole body almost numb. Forcing himself to bear the fatigue, he headed toward the wooden shed in the eastern corner of the courtyard.
When he reached the shed, he gently nudged its door with a finger. It gave a creak that sounded startlingly loud in the silent night. Alarmed, Hu Xiaotian hurriedly looked around, afraid someone might have noticed. Moonlight flowed like water over the rear garden, lighting it as brightly as day. A dark figure