Walking along the road, Zheng Yuanyuan felt a little more at ease. As she walked, she kept an eye on whether anyone was following her. Before she even reached the bamboo paper shop, she saw Zhou Erzhu's son, Gouwazi, walking towards her from a distance with his schoolbag on his back.

Zheng Yuanyuan hid to the side, and only called out to Gouwazi softly when he approached. Gouwazi heard someone calling him, looked closely, and saw it was Zheng Yuanyuan. He was about to speak when he saw Zheng Yuanyuan waving at him, so he quickly composed himself and casually walked over to her. There happened to be a small stall nearby, with some small wooden trinkets hanging on a wooden frame. Gouwazi pretended to be very interested and asked the stall owner how much they cost. Zheng Yuanyuan secretly sidled up to Gouwazi and whispered, "Gouwazi, I'm being chased. You should go tell your mother to wait for me at the back door. I'll try to sneak over there."

After Gouwazi came to the capital with his parents, he saw a lot and learned many things. In particular, after studying with the children of the Yongning Marquis's mansion for the past few months, he learned many things that he had never thought of before.

Hearing Zheng Yuanyuan's words, Gouwazi was very scared, but he also knew that his employer's aunt needed his help. If he didn't help her, who knew what might happen to her? His parents often told Gouwazi that their family was able to come to the capital from Luzhou, and that he was able to study in a place many people dreamed of, all thanks to the kindness of their employer. The employer was their family's benefactor, and now that their benefactor's aunt was in trouble, it was only natural that he had to help.

Gouwazi whispered, "Can you go by yourself right now?"

Zheng Yuanyuan said, "Yes, I can. I'm quite familiar with this area. You just need to go back and tell your mother. Someone has already sent a message to the Yongning Marquis's residence for me, and I expect someone will be able to come and meet me soon."

Upon hearing this, Gouwazi put down what he was holding, slung his schoolbag over his shoulder, and ran home.

Zhou Ersao is busy in her shop. Next year is the year of the imperial examination, and many candidates will gather in the capital. The bamboo paper sold in the shop is a popular item. Bamboo paper is tough, does not bleed ink, and most importantly, it is reasonably priced. Since Zhou Ersao opened her shop in the capital, Luzhou has already sent goods here several times.

Seeing Gouwazi run in, covered in sweat, Zhou Ersao quickly grabbed a handkerchief and whispered, "My little darling, it's so cold outside, what if you catch a cold from all this sweat?"

Gouwa grabbed Zhou Ersao's hand and whispered, "Mother, someone wants to harm the master's daughter, the Zheng family's daughter. The Zheng family's daughter said to have you guard the back door, and she will come to the back door from the street in a while."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhou's face changed instantly, and she asked anxiously, "Are you sure you saw clearly? Is it really a girl from the Zheng family?"

Gouwazi nodded and said, "She even talked to me, but I didn't see it clearly. Mother, you should go and guard the back door."

Zhou Ersao shoved the handkerchief in her hand into Gouwazi's hand and said, "You go and guard the back door. I'll go to the street and see where you saw the Zheng family girl."

Gouwazi said, "It's that pastry shop south of our house. There's a wood carving shop in front of the shop. That's where I saw her."

Zhou Ersao hurriedly went to the shop in front, said a few words to Zhou Erzhu, and seeing that no one was paying attention to her, she went out of the shop, hired a carriage nearby, and headed to the Yongning Marquis's residence.

Zhou Ersao thought about it and became more and more uneasy, so she came out of the shop and saw a few people guarding the wood carving stall in the distance. The Zheng family's daughter was standing by the stall. In the capital, those people wouldn't dare to rob someone in the street. They probably wanted to force the Zheng family's daughter into the nearby alley so that they could take action.

Aunt Zhou, quick-witted as ever, walked over with a smile from afar and called out loudly, "Oh my, little sister, I can see you from a distance! It really is you! Are you in town to buy something?"

When Zheng Yuanyuan saw Zhou Ersao coming over like this, she turned pale with fright. Zhou Ersao gave her a look, and Zheng Yuanyuan said stiffly, "Second sister-in-law, I came to buy some things. I saw these wood carvings and they look nice, so I was thinking of picking out a couple to take home and play with."

As Zhou Ersao came over, she greeted people she knew nearby with a smile. After Zhou Erzhu and his wife arrived, they got along very well with the people in the nearby shops. Zhou Ersao has always been a talkative and cheerful person, and she is generous and not stingy or mean. When someone saw Zhou Ersao coming over, they asked her with a smile. Zhou Ersao pointed to Zheng Yuanyuan and said with a smile that she was a relative of their employer.

When Zhou Ersao came over, Zheng Yuanyuan tugged at her sleeve and said anxiously, "Second Sister-in-law, if you just come over like this, won't they all know who saved me?"

Zhou Ersao secretly glanced around and saw those people staring at them menacingly. She laughed and said loudly, "When the master left, he made it clear that when the young lady came, he must greet her warmly and see her off properly. It's lucky that I came to the street to buy something and saw the young lady. Otherwise, if the master knew that I had neglected the young lady, wouldn't he say that my husband and I are both impolite people?"

Zhou Ersao whispered to Zheng Yuanyuan, "I've checked. There are several people around you. If you go into those alleys now, they can easily take you away. Listen to me, let's just wait here. I've already sent my husband to the Marquis's mansion to inform them, and someone will come to rescue you soon."

Hearing this, Zheng Yuanyuan's eyes immediately welled up with tears. Zhou Ersao was smiling and talking to the stall owner, speaking in Mandarin mixed with a few words of Luzhou dialect. The wood carving stall was run by a woman in her forties. Zhou Ersao chatted with her about everything from children to men, making quite a lively conversation. While talking, she also asked Zheng Yuanyuan to look at the items on the stall and see what she thought was good so that she could have them taken down for her. She picked out each item very carefully.

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