Seeing Tang Youyou get up and head into the house, Old Man Tang finally let out a sigh of relief from the pent - up anger in his chest.
He glanced at Rong Xun and whispered, "Kid, who is this? Where did you bring him from?"
But Rong Xun didn't answer him. He also left silently.
The silence among them lasted until nightfall. Tang Youyou stretched and walked into the courtyard.
In the empty courtyard, Tang Youyou stood still for a moment. Then she slowly spoke up.
"Alright, let's go out and buy some necessities. Don't just sit here like mute bottles."
Hearing this, the door in the dark distance quietly opened.
Two little girls walked out. Qingyu and Yiran, one on the left and the other on the right, were peeping at her with their heads down.
"Empress Dowager, are you..."
Not angry anymore?
But they didn't ask the second half of the sentence.
A moment later, except for Granny Xuan who didn't come out because of her health, the rest of the people, including Rong Xun, came out.
Rong Xun gently held Tang Youyou's little hand and said tenderly, "My lady, if you want to go out, I will surely accompany you."
But in the ears of the others, this affectionate remark sounded like a love - showing nonsense.
At night in the area of the Supreme Court, there was hardly any management. People on the street were crowded together. The bustling street was in complete disarray.
Tang Youyou just happened to like this kind of feeling. Facing the sea of people, she felt a sense of childhood joy.
On the street, there were mostly old men and women, all wearing smiles on their faces.
Even though this place was extremely poor and few families could afford candles, the street was still full of lights and excitement. It was truly wonderful.
In the distance, a woman was wearing a bright red dress. Under her delicate makeup, there was a tear - streaked face.
This girl was about to get married.
However, what Tang Youyou cared about was not her, but her groom beside her.
This man was fat and stocky, far from being handsome. But even so, there were still people flattering him.
"Your Excellency is truly a brave and resourceful handsome man. It's the blessing of the youngest daughter of the Li family to marry you. You two are really a perfect match!"
The old woman's flattery was so skillful that every word made the fat - headed and big - eared Lord Song happy for a long time.
And every time he was happy, he would scatter a lot of silver, which made the surrounding flattery even louder.
As a result, Miss Li became even more sad. She sat upright on the chair, with her head down, looking at the people around her.
She was sold. Even though she was a young lady of the Li family, she was now worthless. In the eyes of her parents, a worthless person had no reason to exist.
Selling her could earn some money. Just like her elder sister, she was marrying this man.
Tang Youyou grabbed a passer - by and whispered, "Grandma, why is this girl marrying this man?"
The old woman rolled her eyes immediately and said arrogantly, "Can't you tell? Obviously, the people of the Li family can no longer maintain their arrogance and have to marry off their most precious youngest daughter."
"Lord Song is the biggest official in this area of the Supreme Court. The eldest daughter was married off because the Li family was forced. Now, they are so poor that they can't even afford to eat. So, it's only natural for the youngest daughter to be sold."
Tang Youyou stood in the distance, quietly watching the passers - by saying things that were far from the truth, constantly praising the couple as a perfect match. The atmosphere was right, but for the youngest daughter, she seemed out of place.
So, Tang Youyou gently closed her eyes. After calming down, she opened her eyes again and looked at the shops in the distance. There was hardly anyone in the inn.
In the bustling street, the Laifu Inn seemed rather strange.
Seeing this, Tang Youyou walked towards the shop. As soon as she entered, she saw some shabby tables, chairs, and bowls. There were cobwebs in the corners, the wall was peeling, and there was a musty smell in the air.
But even in such a situation, this shop was still in business.
The shopkeeper seemed to hear the noise outside. She lifted the curtain from the inner room and walked out step by step.
The woman in front of her looked like a child. On closer inspection, she was only fifteen or sixteen years old. Every move of hers was extremely charming. She was so good - looking and coquettish, just like a little goblin...
When she saw Tang Youyou, the little girl was holding a pipe in her mouth and crossing her arms over her chest. She gave Tang Youyou a sidelong glance.
"Miss, you must have come here voluntarily, right?"
Hearing her voice, Tang Youyou felt that this woman was a natural charmer.
And what she said was true.
The reason she came to this place was just because she had a plan in mind.
But she had to keep silent. She couldn't disrupt her own plan, nor could she allow this woman to do so.
"Little girl, it's not your place to gossip about my business."
Hearing this, the girl laughed again. "I'm the owner of this place, Li Yu."
"I don't care who you are. I only care how you could tell?"
Hearing this, Li Yu smiled and said, "Empress Dowager, you are a noble person. If you didn't want to come here, who could force you?"
She was right.
However, Tang Youyou was curious. This girl could establish herself in this lawless place solely by her own ability, which showed her means.
Tang Youyou led the people behind her to sit in the main hall. Looking at the person in front of her, she asked again.
"I'm just curious. If you are the only one running this shop, how do you manage to keep it going?"
As soon as the words were out, Old Man Tang frowned. He grabbed Tang Youyou's sleeve, looked into her eyes, and shook his head slightly.
"Don't cross someone's business path."
Hearing this, Tang Youyou didn't pursue the matter further. Then she lowered her head and looked at the kitchen knife on the table. After they casually ordered a few dishes, they heard the girl say slowly, "Miss, it's a total of a hundred taels of silver."
Hearing this, Tang Youyou felt a tingling sensation on her scalp.