After Gu Liyue finished speaking, she turned around and just saw A Jie swallowing hard, looking longingly at the door. She couldn't help laughing. "A Jie hasn't eaten either, right? Do you want some?"
A Jie nodded quickly.
Gu Liyue said, "Drink the medicine first. I'll ask Yunniang to serve you some mushroom soup and some steamed corn buns. How about that?"
A Jie asked blankly, "What are steamed corn buns?"
Steamed corn buns...
Gu Liyue didn't know how to explain, but she still coaxed and persuaded A Jie to drink a bowl of medicine. She half - coaxed and half - forced it into his mouth.
A Jie cried loudly because of the bitterness. Gu Liyue quickly stuffed a piece of candy into his mouth. Although he didn't like it, the candy wasn't sweet and even had a bitter taste, but his mouth was so bitter that A Jie didn't spit it out. He just looked at the steamed corn buns in Yunniang's hand aggrievedly.
Just then, the voice of the village head came from outside. "My lord, that child is here. It's this family who caught him."
A cold voice came in. "Who dares to catch my younger brother?"
The door was instantly broken open. Xiao Hei barked non - stop and was kicked away by a guard with a scream.
Gu Liyue didn't care about A Jie in the room and quickly walked out. She frowned and glared angrily at the man in front of her. "Who are you? How can you break into a private house?"
The house was low, and the man had to lower his head to enter. The room was dim, and he squinted his eyes subconsciously, sizing up the two owners at the door.
The older woman was a bit hunched. Although she looked scared, she still protected the young girl behind her. The girl seemed to be about twelve or thirteen years old. From this angle, she was actually quite good - looking, but unfortunately, she was too thin.
Gu Liyue frowned. This man was so tall that she had to look up to see him. His hair was tied up with a jade crown, and his clothes were very elaborate in a style she had never seen before. It was obvious that he was either rich or noble.
But just because he was a nobleman, could he so despise others, break into the house and even injure her Xiao Hei?
She walked past the man and came to Xiao Hei. She carefully picked it up. Xiao Hei groaned a few times, indicating that it was still alive.
Gu Liyue looked back angrily. "May I ask who you are? Why did you hurt my puppy like this?"
The man was slightly stunned. This little girl, this ordinary village girl, wasn't afraid of him? Not to mention his status, just considering the common people's tendency to look down on the poor and curry favor with the rich, it was rare for such a villager to be so unyielding in front of him.
Another man squeezed in. He was holding a big knife and sneered while pointing at Gu Liyue. "So it's you? You've got some nerve. You dared to kidnap... a child. Someone, arrest this human trafficker for me."
Several guards immediately stepped forward. Their long spears were pointed at Gu Liyue's neck.
Yunniang was scared to death. She quickly ran over and made some inarticulate sounds. But she was a mute and was soon pushed to the side.
Gu Liyue said coldly, "This is my home. Even if you want to frame me with a crime, it should be judged in court. Even the emperor has to follow the law. Without evidence, can you just hurt and arrest people at will?"
Her tone was cold. Although she was just an ordinary girl, the guards subconsciously took a step back. Although their long spears were still pointed at Gu Liyue, they were not as fierce as before.
A Jie in the room ran out with the steamed corn bun in his hand. When he saw the two men, his eyes lit up. "Brother Lu, Brother Gu Si, why are you here? Hey, Brother Gu Si, what are you doing? Don't hurt Sister."
A Jie ran over to Gu Liyue on his short legs and shouted at the guards, "Back off!"
"What... what's going on?"
Gu Chengzhi originally thought that the girl in front of him was the human trafficker who had caught A Jie. He was holding a big knife and was ready to punish her directly. But now it seemed that A Jie was very close to her.
It was Lu Jinchen, who had entered first, who took a deep look at Gu Liyue and waved to A Jie. "Zhijie, come here. What's that in your hand?"
A Jie held up the steamed corn bun. "This is called a steamed corn bun. Yunniang and Sister gave it to me. I fell off the mountain, and it was Sister who carried me back."
Gu Chengzhi scratched his head. "Ah, you weren't kidnapped."
A Jie's big black eyes blinked as he looked at him. "No. It was Sister who saved me."
Gu Liyue didn't pay attention to them. She just carried Xiao Hei to a lounge chair on one side and put it down. Then she went to wash her hands and scooped up a bowl of soup for A Jie.
"He has some skin injuries. It's not very serious. He'll recover on his own in a few days. He was frightened and had a fever. I asked a doctor for some medicine, and he's already taken it. The fever hasn't gone down yet, but he seems much better. Have some soup, and then you can go back with them."
Gu Chengzhi laughed awkwardly. "It's my mistake... Actually, it's not entirely my fault. It's all your villagers' fault. When they saw us looking for someone, they came and said that you had caught A Jie. That's why we..."
Gu Liyue didn't say much. She fed A Jie the soup and rubbed his head. "Go back with your brothers. Don't be naughty in the future. You can't climb so high alone. Do you understand?"
Although she didn't know the reason, looking at how nervous these people were, she knew that this little guy had lied. She guessed that he had secretly climbed the mountain behind his parents' backs and accidentally slipped down.
A Jie pouted and replied, but he didn't let go of the hand holding the steamed corn bun. "The steamed corn bun is delicious."
Gu Liyue smiled. "If you like it, take it and eat it."
Gu Chengzhi quickly took A Jie's hand and was about to take him out.
"Wait."
Gu Chengzhi was stunned. He looked back at the little girl and asked warily, "What do you want to do?"
Gu Liyue said, "I saved your younger brother, but your people injured my dog and kicked down my door. We haven't settled this yet."
Gu Chengzhi looked at her contemptuously. "Humph, I knew it. People like you wouldn't be so kind as to save someone for free. You must be after the reward. Five taels of silver should be enough, right?"
Gu Liyue shook her head. "I've checked Xiao Hei. Some wound medicine will be enough. But I hope you remember that you shouldn't act violently at will without figuring out the truth. And no matter what a person does, it has nothing to do with the animal. It was just protecting its master."
"As for this door, it's broken. I can't use it anymore. I'll definitely have to find someone to make a new one for me. A door costs a hundred wen. Plus the labor fee, about a hundred and twenty wen should be enough. I can't make change for five taels of silver. Just give me a hundred and twenty wen."
Gu Chengzhi was so surprised that his jaw almost dropped. He was instantly unhappy. "Who asked you to make change for me? Just take it all, okay?"
Gu Liyue shook her head. "A gentleman doesn't accept hand - outs."
Gu Chengzhi was a bit crazy. "Why are you like this... No, the extra money can be your reward for saving A Jie. That should be okay, right?"
Gu Liyue still shook her head. "Sir, when I saved him, I didn't know he was so powerful and wealthy, and I never expected any reward."
Gu Chengzhi had never met someone so unreasonable. He muttered angrily, "A Jie's clothes are different from ordinary people's. You said you didn't know? Should I say you're blind or stupid?"
Lu Jinchen beside him waved his hand, interrupting Gu Chengzhi's words. He motioned in the direction of Xiao Hei. "I'm slightly versed in medicine. If the girl doesn't mind, could you let me take a look at the puppy? It can make up for some of my subordinates' mistakes."