Zhong Fengyue frowned slightly. What did it mean that he finally came? Could it be that Su Xiaoliu wasn't there?
He turned to look at the lute shop. There was no sign of Su Xiaoliu inside. On the long table lay an abacus and an open ledger.
A look of shock flashed across his ink - black eyes. He quickly turned to Wen Tong. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Wen Tong whisper.
"Mr. Zhong, I know where Miss Dai has been taken."
At night, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse.
The carriage jolted violently twice and then slowly came to a stop.
A series of rough footsteps approached. The wooden door of the carriage was pulled open. A big and burly man in cloth clothes looked at Su Xiaoliu and the other two, saying impatiently, "Get out and eat!"
Gu Momo, who had been asleep, suddenly opened her eyes. Su Xiaoliu stood up. By the light of the moon, she carefully sized up the man in cloth clothes. He must be the coachman. Well, he looked ill - tempered. It seemed that, just as Song Ningzhi had said, he was a hard - to - talk - to person.
Song Ningzhi didn't say a word but obediently stood up.
Just as Su Xiaoliu was about to step forward, two thinner men walked up with some iron chains. One of them grabbed Su Xiaoliu's wrist, while the other grabbed Gu Momo's hand.
Gu Momo was startled. She was about to cry but didn't dare to. She could only let the man put the iron chain around her feet. After that, the man immediately went to grab Song Ningzhi. Song Ningzhi let him do as he pleased expressionlessly and didn't struggle.
What were they doing?
Su Xiaoliu widened her eyes. The iron chain in the burly man's hand who had grabbed her made a heavy clanking sound, which made her feel uncomfortable. She quickly struggled a bit and couldn't help raising her voice, "What are you doing!"
Song Ningzhi was stunned for a moment and quickly turned to give her a look, signaling her not to be too excited.
After receiving her reminder, Su Xiaoliu shut her mouth but still moved her captured wrist defiantly.
The coachman standing outside the carriage glanced at Su Xiaoliu with a ferocious look. He growled roughly, "What? Of course, it's to prevent you guys from running away."
Run?
Before Su Xiaoliu could say anything, she heard a "click". A cold sensation came from her ankle. She looked down, and then there was another "click". Both of her feet were chained up. A long chain dragged on the ground. Every time she moved her feet, she felt extremely heavy.
These people were treating them like prisoners!
Su Xiaoliu looked at the coachman indignantly, but suddenly her body was dragged out of the carriage by one of the men.
"Let's go!"
After getting out of the carriage, Su Xiaoliu looked up at the dark sky. The evening wind was a bit cool, but in the early summer, it wasn't bone - chilling.
Looking down, Song Ningzhi and Gu Momo were standing beside her. One of the men lit a bonfire. The coachman threw several wild chickens to another man, then turned around and herded the three of them to sit not far from the bonfire so that they could be watched.
Sitting on the ground, Su Xiaoliu glanced at the coachman and secretly rolled her eyes. These human traffickers were really cautious.
Song Ningzhi and Gu Momo remained silent. Obviously, they were a bit afraid of these people.
Su Xiaoliu pursed her lips. Well, after all, they were just kids. Facing such a situation, no one would be completely fearless.
However, Su Xiaoliu was more open - minded. She thought that these people wouldn't do anything to them. After all, they were going to be sold. If they were lame or had broken limbs, or if their appearance was damaged, who would want them?
After a while, the smell of roasted chicken wafted over. Su Xiaoliu subconsciously looked at the roasted chicken on the bonfire, and her stomach growled.
The coachman picked up a roasted chicken and rudely threw it in the middle of the three of them.
"Share it."
The roasted chicken rolled on the ground. Song Ningzhi and Gu Momo glanced at it and turned their heads away.
Well, they were both from noble families. Who would eat such a humiliating thing?
Su Xiaoliu was much more open - minded. She wasn't a delicate person. Before the coachman got angry, Su Xiaoliu moved her buttocks, reached out and grabbed the roasted chicken, patted the dust on it, peeled off the dirty part on the outside, tore off a piece and stuffed it into her mouth. She squinted her eyes happily because it was so delicious.
Sure enough, food tasted the best when one was hungry.
She looked up at Song Ningzhi and Gu Momo. Both of them were looking at her in surprise. Su Xiaoliu blinked, a bit puzzled. She tore off two drumsticks and handed them over, saying, "Eat." Seeing that the two were just staring at her blankly, Su Xiaoliu frowned slightly, swallowed the chicken in her mouth, and said again, "It's just a bit dusty, not poisoned. This chicken is really delicious."
The two looked at each other, hesitated for a moment, and slowly took the drumsticks.
A look of triumph flashed across the coachman's eyes in the distance, but Su Xiaoliu didn't notice at all.
Gradually, Su Xiaoliu felt her head becoming a bit dizzy. She thought something was wrong in her heart. Before she could react, a wave of drowsiness swept over her. Her hand loosened, the drumstick in her hand fell to the ground, and she fell down.
Song Ningzhi and Gu Momo looked down at Su Xiaoliu, put down the drumsticks in their hands, and stood up.
Song Ningzhi turned to look at the coachman and the two men, saying, "Okay, take her away. The master has been waiting."
Gu Momo beside her curled her lips. She no longer looked weak. Her pretty face was smiling like a cat. She said, "I really didn't expect that the master would ask us to bring a married woman..."
The moon was bright, casting a cold silver glow on the ground and shining on Su Xiaoliu's sleeping profile.
Inside the room, sandalwood was burning, and the white smoke rose straight up.
The brocade curtain fell, and the beaded curtain was gently rolled up. It was so quiet that it was like a painting.
A man stood quietly in front of the bed. His dark red robe embroidered with Chinese flowering crabapples dragged on the ground. A black cloak covered his whole body, only revealing half of his fair and delicate face. His soft, black hair hung in front of his body. His long - fingered hand gently untied the belt of the curtain. The red curtain fell, blurring his shadow. There was an indescribable fatal beauty.
He silently looked at the woman sleeping quietly on the bed. The woman had a beautiful heart - shaped face. Her fair skin had a small, rosy, pursed mouth. It seemed that she was dreaming of something she didn't like, for her eyebrows were slightly knitted, looking a bit sad.
The man's long fingers gently landed on her knitted eyebrows, as if he wanted to smooth out the wrinkles...
"Pig's head! Don't run!" Suddenly, the woman shouted and grabbed the man's finger just as he was about to leave.
Fang Xie was stunned and for a moment forgot to withdraw his hand.
Pig's head...?
Su Xiaoliu's eyes were tightly closed, but her hand waved out.
Just now, she and Zhong Fengyue were having a meal in the inn that Boss Qin had mentioned. She ordered a pig's head. Who would have thought that just as she was about to grab the pig's head, it seemed to have grown legs and "whooshed" out of the inn. She reached out to grab it, but then she found that the pig's head had already gone cold...