Chapter 5 Luo Family

Hu Xiner strolled leisurely to the front of the post house. This post house used to be a place where soldiers stayed during the battles. Later, it was abandoned for a long time due to the peace and prosperity in the country. Only ordinary people could live in the post house to make a living.

After deducting the copper coins used to buy cloth and fill her stomach, Hu Xiner still had half of the money left, which was enough to live for two or three days.

Portraits are not consumables that can generate a steady stream of income, but one still needs to plan carefully for one's future livelihood.

Hu Xin'er was thinking clearly, when suddenly two big men in dark blue cloth blocked their way.

She staggered to the left, and the big man followed suit. She dodged to the right, but the big man still blocked her way.

Hu Xiner was wondering, how could there be robbers in public?

The two men were dressed exactly the same, wearing small felt hats and carrying big swords. It would be more appropriate to say that they were servants rather than robbers.

As expected, Hu Xin'er stood still. One of the big men said in a rough voice, "Miss, my lady invites you."

oh?

There's a young lady from an official family in this remote place?

"Who are you?"

"Luo family."

Hu Xiner was stunned. Isn’t the Luo family a landlord family?

What's the matter?

She was attracting wealth at the landlord's door, causing trouble for the landlord's family?

"Miss Hu is not feeling well and may not be able to visit." Before Hu Xin'er could finish her words, Mu Qing stood in front of her, grabbed her hand and dragged her back.

Although it was just a subtle movement, Hu Xiner saw it and felt warm in her heart.

She wanted to see what the landlord could do. Would he be so unreasonable as to eat her?

"It's okay, let's go meet." Hu Xiner clasped his hand and squeezed it gently, sending him a signal to reassure him.

In Shuangxi Village, the landlord Luo family is powerful and wealthy. They are everywhere. You can't avoid them even if you look up or down, so it's better to confront them head-on.

The courtyard with three entrances and exits, the pond and the rockery are indeed extraordinary compared to ordinary people's.

The servant led them through the corridor and arrived in front of a hall. Hu Xiner and Mu Qing looked at each other. Before they stepped over the threshold, they heard a delicate cry suddenly coming from the hall.

"Erzi, Erzi, you're finally back!"

Hu Xiner had imagined that the Luo family would come to punish them, or even destroy the bodies of the two, but she never expected that a fat woman in gorgeous clothes would rush out of the door and throw herself directly into Mu Qing's arms.

Mu Qing was knocked back two steps by her, and was stunned.

"Erzi, do you know how hard your sister has been searching for you for the past half year since you disappeared? Erzi, why are you so stupid? You don't even go home, and you haven't even entered the house several times. What's your reason?"

The woman sobbed bitterly, her eyes tearing up, and the listeners were completely stunned.

Mu Qing was one of the confused people. His beautiful hands were suspended in mid-air, not knowing where to put them. The woman was tugging at his clothes, which made him feel very resistant.

"Miss Luo, Miss Luo?" Hu Xin'er recognized her. She was the eldest daughter of a landlord. She looked like a winter melon spirit and was famous for being lazy and gluttonous.

She called out several times with a high-pitched voice, and Luo Yan finally calmed down. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with her fingertips, smiled, and bowed slightly to Hu Xin'er, "Miss Hu, thank you for taking care of our second son."

What is Erzi and Buerzi?

Hu Xin'er was puzzled. "Miss Luo, did you recognize the wrong person? This is the wandering young man in the village, the one who had no fixed place to live and slept in the open air before."

She tried to be as specific as possible. Shuangxi Village was not big, and there was only Mu Qing, the only wandering child.

"I know." Luo Yan smiled. "This is our second son. He has been studying in a private school in the capital since he was young. He passed the imperial examination some time ago. The two sons agreed to return home before the New Year's Eve, but they haven't been seen since. My family sent people to look for him but there is no news. If it weren't for the servants who met him today, who would have known that he was so far away and so close to us!"

Hu Xiner could almost understand the nitpicking. It meant that Mu Qing had not lived in the Luo family since he was a child, had made a name for himself under the emperor, and returned home with honors but disappeared?

There seemed to be nothing wrong with what she said. She looked at Mu Qing, whose bottomless eyes were filled with confusion.

Just such a coincidence?

She was supposed to be sold to the eldest son of a landlord by her elder sister, but she ended up with the second son of a landlord in a confused way?

Hu Xin'er was skeptical, but Luo Yan beckoned them into the hall. "Don't just stand there. Come, I've asked the servants to prepare some wine and food. Second son, you've been suffering outside these days, haven't you?"

Mu Qing did not answer. He had no impression of the Luo family at all.

Luo Yan could see Mu Qing's unfamiliarity, but she didn't care. She was still as warm and arranged for them to enjoy the food. She patted Mu Qing's shoulder and said kindly, "Second son, take your time to eat. I'm going to run something and will be back soon."

Hu Xiner had just eaten five baked buns and two steamed buns to fill her stomach, and her stomach was almost bursting. Even with the pig's trotters in front of her, she found it difficult to swallow.

"I'll go and take a look." As soon as Luo Yan left, Hu Xin'er informed Mu Qing and followed closely behind, not too far away from Luo Yan.

There seems to be nothing wrong with Miss Luo’s story, but if the landlord really had two sons, why did the original owner have no memory of this?

After passing through the flower garden full of forsythia, Luo Yan walked into a wing room.

Hu Xiner squatted in the corner, imitating what was done in TV dramas, wetting her fingers with saliva and trying to poke a hole, but unexpectedly found that the window paper was made of silk paper and could not be poked open at all.

She had no choice but to prick up her ears, only to hear Luo Yan snort coldly in the room.

"They really thought they were members of our family. We'll treat them to good food and drink for a few days. Once they've let down their guard, we'll find an opportunity to kidnap that young man and sell him off for a good sum. The money that's right here at our doorstep shouldn't be wasted!"