"You're not a man treating me like this—"

“I bore you children, and you sold me! You beast! You are a beast! My mother was right, I, Wang Shufang, was blind to marry you, and now I've ended up like this. I regret it so much—”

Wang Shufang's eyes were bloodshot, and she screamed at the top of her lungs, but the carriage did not stop at all.

Until we turned a corner, and there was no trace of them.

"Take her back to rest. There's still some porridge in the pot. Xiaomei, serve it to her and take it to her room," the man said to his second daughter and wife.

Wang Shufang was taken inside.

On the other side, Deng Qiuzhi, hurrying along the night road, took out the indenture from his pocket and tore it to shreds.

Scraps of paper were scattered all over the ground by the night breeze.

The carriages trampled over their "corpses" as they sped toward the city.

The city's most bustling night market was teeming with people. Yan Xia strolled along, taking big bites of a meat pie in her right hand and carrying various snacks in her left, eating as she walked.

It was so awesome!

After having lunch at the Xu residence and returning home, she took a nap, then took a bath, changed into pretty clothes, and went out to stroll through the night market without applying makeup or styling her hair.

Squeezed in the crowd, from a distance, she looked like a pampered young lady who was naive and ignorant of the ways of the world.

"It's her—" Yan Xia stopped at a stall selling jade pendant cords. They came in all colors and the patterns were quite novel. She was attracted to them and squatted down to look at them carefully while eating a meat pie. She thought about choosing a few to buy and take home. However, she did not notice that five meters ahead, on the second-floor balcony of a teahouse, a man had been staring at her for several minutes.

"Brother Meng, who are you talking about?" Wan Heng, a friend who was traveling with him, noticed that Meng Zhangting was looking downstairs and also turned his gaze towards him.

A woman in her early twenties was seen squatting by the stall, picking out items while devouring her food. Her behavior was unlike that of a well-bred lady; rather, it resembled that of a free-spirited and unpretentious woman from the martial arts world.

The woman's clothes were made of the finest silk, and even the only jade hairpin in her hair was made of mutton fat jade.

She doesn't seem like a girl from an ordinary family. Could she be Brother Meng's lover?

Just as he was about to ask Meng Zhangting, he saw Meng Zhangting's aura suddenly change, like an eagle hunting, its eyes fixed on its prey downstairs.

"Shopkeeper Yan, are you shopping? Oh, I've had meat pies from this shop before, they're really good. I haven't had them in a long time, I'll go buy one later." Yan Xia had just paid and stood up when someone patted her arm. It was Meng Yu.

"Hey, I bought two pieces. You can have this one. They've already sold out and packed up. You'll just be wasting your time." Yan Xia held her left hand up to Meng Yu's face, letting him take it himself.

Meng Yu twitched his lips.

On those small hands, all five fingers were hooked with ropes holding food. How much food did Manager Yan buy? Doesn't she find it heavy?

"Um, which one is the meat pie?" Meng Yu asked her awkwardly.

"On my little finger," Yan Xia replied.

After listening, Meng Yu carefully removed the rope from her little finger, opened the oil paper package, and found that it was indeed a meat pie, but it was squeezed and deformed. However, he did not mind. He imitated Yan Xia, wrapped the bottom with oil paper, grabbed it in his hand, and ate it in big bites.

"Mmm, delicious. It tastes just like before. My mother loved this when I was little. Before I was seven, she would take me to eat it three or four times a month. But my father didn't like my mother showing her face in public, so every time she would dress up as a maid and sneak out the back door with me..."

Meng Yu's eyes were somewhat vacant.

Yan Xia leaned closer and smelled a hint of alcohol on him.

"You've been drinking?" No wonder you're so talkative. People tend to reminisce about the past when they drink.

"Yes, I had a few drinks. My friend is getting married today, and I just came from his house. Manager Yan, could you accompany me on a boat trip?" Meng Yu looked at Yan Xia's face, his eyes pleading.

"A boat?" Yan Xia had never been on one before. In modern times, she had only ever paddled a bathtub in her grandmother's village. But when she drifted to the middle of the river, the bathtub capsized, causing her to swallow a lot of water and almost die on the spot. Fortunately, she was rescued by an uncle in the village.

I also ate a meal of "stir-fried pork with bamboo poles" made by my grandmother.

"Okay, I'll go with you." Yan Xia immediately agreed.

On one hand, she wanted to play, and on the other hand, Meng Yu's eyes looked too pitiful.

Like a wronged big dog.

She couldn't refuse the dog's request.

Anyway, she's free tonight, so she'll go boating for a bit and then go home to sleep.

The two left the place side by side.

Meng Zhangting, who was on the second floor of the teahouse, exuded a cold aura and his expression became increasingly frightening.

"Brother Meng?" Wan Heng patted his shoulder somewhat fearfully.

"What is it!" Master Meng asked sternly.

Wan Heng shuddered in fright.

"No, it's nothing. I suddenly remembered that I have something to do at home, so I'll head back first. Brother Meng, let's reschedule for another day."

"Okay, you can go now." After saying that, Meng Zhangting fled in panic. Although he and Meng Zhangting were playmates, his Wan family only owned a restaurant, which was inferior to the Meng family. From the day they met, he had to flatter Meng Zhangting, so he naturally knew that Meng Zhangting was not as the outside world described.

All those so-called elegant gentlemen are fake.

In private, Meng Zhangting was extremely terrifying.

He had only seen that look in his eyes two years ago.

Two years ago, Meng Zhangting took a liking to Xu Man'er, the eldest daughter of the Xu family, but Xu Man'er liked Meng Yu. Because of this, Meng Zhangting and Meng Yu had a very unpleasant argument.

Xu Man'er was also kidnapped by thieves while shopping one day, her innocence was taken away, and she eventually hanged herself from a tree outside the city.

No one knew exactly what happened, but he did.

That thief was one of Meng Zhangting's men.

It was Meng Zhangting who took Xu Man'er's innocence. After forcing Xu Man'er to her death, he took her to the Wan Hua Lou that very night and talked at length about Xu Man'er's figure.

Just like last time, fearing being implicated, Wan Heng immediately took his leave.

That look sent chills down his spine.

But he dared not report it to the authorities, for everyone knew that the Meng and Xu families had a good relationship.

"Why do you always try to take what I want from you?" On the second floor of the teahouse, Meng Zhangting muttered to himself, looking down at the place where Yan Xia was no longer visible.

Meanwhile, Yan Xia and Meng Yu were already seated on the wooden boat.

The boatman stood at the stern rowing, while she and Meng Yu sat at the bow chatting and enjoying the scenery.

"Manager Yan, you look so young, you don't look like you're the same age as my mother at all. If my mother were still alive, she..." Meng Yu looked at Yan Xia's face through the moonlight and said with a hint of sadness.

"What, you miss your mother? Then I'll play your mother for free for a day, my eldest son. Come on, let me feed you some braised pork." Seeing his dejected expression, Yan Xia joked and gave Meng Yu the biggest piece of braised pork, stuffing it directly into his mouth.