Stolen...
Upon hearing this, Jiao Lin was stunned. Was this still Chinese characters?
The little girl, whose face had turned deathly pale upon hearing her mother's agreement, seemed to have finally recovered.
She knew her mother wouldn't sell her.
Thinking of this, the little girl shook off her uncle's hand and ran up behind Tong Aning.
Tong Aning turned around in surprise and met a pair of pitiful eyes.
This person is a deity; she doesn't need to open her mouth, and I can hear her speaking. Will she save me?
Tong Aning pulled the little girl's hand, which was tugging at her clothes, and said, "Don't worry, I won't let anyone take you away."
Reassured by this promise, the little girl nodded.
The man was furious. "You come back here!"
Jiao Lin kicked the man in the shinbone, and the man fell to his knees with a thud. Jiao Lin said, "Can't you even see the situation clearly? You're about to go to Jingzhao Prefecture, and you're still threatening people here?"
The man realized what was happening, and fear appeared in his eyes.
Jiao Lin scoffed, "Now you're scared? Where were you before?"
"Please, esteemed sirs, spare my life! I... I had no choice!"
Jiao Lin didn't believe it. "You had no choice? Was someone holding a knife to your throat, forcing you to sell your own niece?"
Man: "That's right."
Jiao Lin: "..."
Tong Aning: "Then tell me, who is that person?"
The man said, "I don't know his name, I only know that his house is the fifth one on East-West Avenue."
Jiao Lin murmured, "The fifth house on East-West Avenue..."
He inexplicably felt that the address was familiar.
The servant beside him reminded him, "Young Master, isn't your best friend, Young Master Kang Tai, staying there?"
Jiao Lin: "Yes, yes, I remember now, that's where the Kang family lives..."
Jiao Lin realized what he meant and said irritably, "Who said Kang Tai and I are best friends?"
It was bad enough that he wanted to steal his wife, but now he actually instigated his uncle to kidnap his niece! What kind of friends has he made? Jiao Lin sighed, suddenly feeling incredibly disappointed in himself.
Meeting Tong Aning's gaze, Jiao Lin immediately distanced himself from Kang Tai, saying, "I don't know him at all."
Then he said, "What would that Kang Tai want with such a young girl...?"
A couple suddenly rushed over and took the little girl who was being led by Tong Aning.
" Guo'er, your mother has finally found you," Guo'er's mother said, touching her Guo'er's body. Her eyes were red as she anxiously asked, " Guo'er, are you alright?"
Guo'er shook her head.
The man said shamelessly, "Sister, brother-in-law."
Xiao Caichun held Guo'er's hand tightly, her face cold as she said, "Who's your sister? I don't have a heartless brother like you."
If someone in the village hadn't seen her brother take Guo'er to the city and heard him say he was going to sell Guo'er, she wouldn't have believed that her brother could actually do such a thing.
On the way here, she was heartbroken. If Guo'er couldn't be found, she wouldn't want to live anymore.
The tall man beside Xiao Caichun silently embraced his wife and daughter, still feeling lingering fear.
Xiao Caiming said, "Sister, I watched Guo'er grow up. Would I ever mistreat her? I'm taking Guo'er to live a good life."
Xiao Caichun said coldly, "Then tell me, what kind of auspicious day is it?"
"They don't have a daughter. If they wanted one, she'd be a daughter of an official, living a life of wealth and luxury. Why would they want to suffer in the village with you?"
[A noble lady? You're kidding me.]
[ Kang Tai had a sickly younger brother who loved to torment little girls. From then on, Guo'er became his servant, receiving no reward for good behavior and being beaten for bad behavior.]
Xiao Caichun pursed her lips.
Suddenly, she stepped forward and slapped Xiao Caiming hard across the face, crying and shouting, "I'm severing ties with you! I want to sever all ties with you!"
"Elder sister..."
Xiao Caichun had her husband pick up Guo'er, and the couple left with their daughter without any hesitation.
Xiao Caiming was sent to the Jingzhao Prefecture.
Tong Aning never expected that there would be a follow-up to this matter.
The next day, she went to see Xue Lin and happened to run into Kang Tai meeting Cen Yu.
Kang Tai's words implied that he hoped Cen Yu would release Xiao Caiming out of respect for the Kang family.
Cen Yu has always been upright and incorruptible. The Kang family disregarded the law and committed such a serious crime. He hadn't even gone to confront the Kang family yet, but they shamelessly came to him. Therefore, Cen Yu spoke without any mercy.
"Face? The laws of our Great Xia are decreed by His Majesty. Since Young Master Kang has such great influence, why don't you go and ask His Majesty?"
Kang Tai's face turned ashen. He pointed at Cen Yu and said, "You... Cen Yu, you just wait."
" Young Master Kang, please take care and don't bother seeing me off."
After Kang Tai left, Cen Yu waved his sleeve and said, "Who was that?"
Tong Aning gave Cen Yu a thumbs-up from afar.
Xue Lin followed Tong Aning into the Marquis's carriage.
Xue Lin asked, "Back to the Marquis's residence?"
"Let's go to the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion," Tong Aning said with a smile. "I tried their new dishes a couple of days ago, Drunken Fragrance Pavilion they were delicious. I was thinking of letting you try them too."
I haven't felt this way of being cared for in a long time.
Xue Lin smiled and said, "Okay."
Bored, Tong Aning tapped the table and asked softly, "Is Xiao Caiming really that important to Kang Tai? Kang Tai actually went so far as to come to the Jingzhao Prefecture in person to plead for him."
Xue Lin said, "They must have other plans."
To a powerful and influential family like the Kang family, Xiao Caiming was nothing more than a nobody, and therefore of no importance.
But what exactly they were plotting, Xue Lin couldn't figure out for the time being.
[Really?]
Xue Lin looked at Tong Aning, who was clearly communicating with her system. She hid her surprise well, but her eyebrows still lifted slightly.
This is a rare and beautiful view from inside the carriage.
[ Xiao Caiming, this can be considered a case of those who do many evil deeds inevitably bringing about their own downfall.]
Xue Lin listened intently; he wasn't particularly curious, but he simply enjoyed listening to Tong Aning speak.
[The Kang family is truly a bunch of perverts, the most perverted being that sickly younger brother, who's always smitten with young girls one minute and with men who farm the land the next.]
Tong Aning felt a chill just thinking about it.
Xixi: [It's hard to understand. I heard he's on a hunger strike at home, and if he can't see Xiao Caiming, he'll kill himself.]
[So what if I die? It's no big deal.]
We've arrived at the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion.
Tong Aning was a regular customer here, so the manager naturally didn't dare to neglect her when she came to eat. He personally led Tong Aning and Xue Lin to a private room on the second floor.
As they went upstairs, they passed a man wearing a veiled hat. The man seemed to be unwell, coughing occasionally.
I'm not feeling well...
[ Xixi, could this be Kang's sickly younger brother?]
[Yes, host.]
Tong Aning: "..."
[Weren't you going on a hunger strike?]
Tong Aning was speechless. She even pulled Xue Lin, who was walking on the outside, towards her, afraid that Xue Lin would get tainted by the Kang family's bad luck.
Xue Lin was suddenly so close to Tong Aning, her beautiful face so close to his face, that Xue Lin felt his breath catch in his throat and his limbs went numb.
" Heir Xue, Heir Xue?"
The two had already arrived at the private room. Tong Aning pulled Xue Lin to sit down and waved her hand in front of him.
Miss Tong.
"What are you thinking about? You seem so engrossed. Let me pour you some tea."
Tong Aning picked up the teapot, but Xue Lin snatched it away halfway through.
Xue Lin said, "I'll do it."
Tong Aning took a sip, and the shopkeeper immediately flattered her, saying, " Miss Tong, how is it? This is this year's new tea."
Tong Aning nodded. She had little interest in tea, feeling that most teas were the same and she couldn't tell the difference.
Shopkeeper: "..."
If I had known, I would have brought pastries to please Miss Tong.
Xue Lin noticed a tea set in the private room and said, "Shall I brew a pot of tea for Miss Tong to try?"
Tong Aning perked up, her eyes brightening, "Great!"
The two sat down opposite each other at the tea table.
Tong Aning watched Xue Lin make tea; handsome people are pleasing to the eye no matter what they do.
Xue Lin brewed tea while explaining things to Tong Aning.
Tong Aning listened attentively, nodding occasionally.
The tea was ready, Xue Lin poured a cup for Tong Aning.
Before even taking a sip, Tong Aning could smell the refreshing aroma of the tea. She took a sip, and her eyes lit up even more. "It smells so good! You're amazing!"
"That's not difficult; you just need to bring out the natural aroma of the tea leaves."
Tong Aning: "I don't understand, but you're very good at making tea."
Xue Lin: " Miss Tong just now... t..."
Tong Aning realized what she meant and smiled sheepishly, "You mean just now? Because you were the one speaking, even though I couldn't understand it, I still thought it sounded nice."
Xue Lin pursed his lips, a surge of joy slowly spreading through his heart.
"The food is being served."
Tong Aning put down her teacup and naturally took Xue Lin's hand to stand up. Xue Lin stared blankly at the hand Tong Aning was holding.
Tong Aning said, "Try it, how is it?"
Xue Lin picked up a piece of eggplant from the plate, took a bite, and said, "Delicious."
"This flavorful eggplant dish involves cutting the eggplant into strips, frying them, and then stir-frying them, resulting in a crispy exterior and tender interior."
"Yes."
"And this..."
Tong Aning piled a lot of food onto Xue Lin's plate, which Sichen noticed was almost piled up like a small mountain. Xue Lin, however, ate it all without any haste or resistance.
It's all gone!
Is this still the same somewhat anorexic prince?
"It's still not enough. A normal man's appetite is several times that of you, but let's take it slow."
Xue Lin smiled and said, "Okay."
The two left the private room and heard an argument going on downstairs.
Tong Aning: "..."
[It's unbelievable how someone always seems to be arguing and fighting.]
But this time, the shopkeeper didn't have a long face.
[Are you used to it?]
One reason was that people were used to it, and another was that because Drunken Fragrance Pavilion had such a lively atmosphere, the number of customers at the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion increased significantly. The owner behind the scenes told him to record the losses later, and he would pay the manager some silver.
Oh my, this made the shopkeeper extremely happy.
Let them argue all they want; it's not like he paid for it anyway.
Tong Aning glanced down to the first floor, her expression suddenly changed, and she lifted her skirt and quickly walked downstairs.
Shopkeeper: "?"
Why is it Miss Tong who lost her composure this time?
[I must still be dreaming. My usually calm and collected older brother is actually arguing with someone downstairs?]