In the crossroads where the wealthy family of Pingyang County is located, an elderly couple is sitting in front of their door enjoying the snow.

At this moment, a servant rushed in to report.

"Master, Miss Xiangxiang has arrived."

"What?" The old man seemed not to have heard clearly. His granddaughter was always brought by his daughter; when the servants announced it, they usually said...

—The eldest young lady has returned home with the young lady.

When did the messenger say that the young lady had arrived?

"Miss Xiangxiang has come to Pingyang County on her own."

"Where is he?" the old lady asked, reacting even faster than her husband.

"At...the county government office..."

The servant nodded. It must be at the county government office, otherwise why would it be a constable who came to deliver the message?

"The county government office?" The old lady felt a tightness in her chest and sat blankly on the stool.

"What are you doing at the county government office?"

"The constable who relayed the message said that the kidnapper they arrested a few days ago was..."

Before the servant could finish speaking, the two elderly people, supporting each other, hurriedly ran towards the door.

"Master and Madam, please get in the car."

A carriage had already been prepared outside the gate, and the steward of the Marquis's mansion was personally driving it. For such an important matter, even a servant like him had to make proper arrangements for his master.

"Thank you for taking me in, Madam. Where is my Xiangxiang now?"

Madam Hou's face was streaked with tears. Only she knew the worries she had endured along the way. The crossroads was not far from the county government office, only about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

The two elderly people sitting in the carriage felt like every minute was an eternity. What if something happened to their granddaughter? How would their daughter live?

Hua Luan had barely settled into her home when the Hou family elders came over to inquire about their granddaughter.

"Madam Hou, is Xiangxiang not with me?"

"And her?"

"Let's get on the carriage and talk."

Well, I still have to go to the brothel. This magistrate's wife is destined to be a worrywart. To be honest, half the credit for Wang Zheng's rise from an unknown scholar to a county magistrate with a name on the emperor's lips goes to Hua Luan.

Whether in terms of political views or interpersonal relationships, she was adept, never making a mistake in choosing sides. Although the county magistrate's position was not high, how many officials in the court could be remembered by the emperor, and how many could have their memorials directly submitted to the emperor's desk? Hua Luan wanted this honor; she wanted Wang Zheng to rise to the highest position in the court so that she could fight against those people.

"Xiangxiang is now staying at the brothel."

"A brothel?"

The old man of the Hou family gasped, only to be scolded by his wife.

"The pleasure quarters are alright..."

There's only one brothel left in the county now. Fanghua Tower has closed down, so only Fengyue Tower remains. Cen Mama has a good reputation for her work and character in the county. Madam Hou isn't worried about her granddaughter being mistreated there; she's just worried about whether she's been frightened.

"Was she bought by the brothel?"

Hua Luan shook her head and said

"You should know that all brokerage firms and brothels in Pingyang County are forbidden from doing business with human traffickers. Xiangxiang was rescued."

"By whom?"

"A child from the neighboring house of Fengyue Tower"

"That's alright..."

Upon hearing that it wasn't a brothel, Master Hou relaxed. It wasn't that he had no shame; he was just worried that if word got out that his child had gone to a brothel, it would be difficult to talk about him.

"That child is Cen Mama's goddaughter..."

Hua Luan said somewhat embarrassedly that she understood what Master Hou was thinking. He didn't have any objections to the brothel, but it was just that brothels were too far removed from the lives of these young ladies from wealthy families and weren't exactly good places.

"It's alright, it's nothing, as long as she's okay."

Lady Hou was completely relieved and slumped in the carriage, recovering for quite a while.

How could I not worry? The Hou family only has one daughter, and she is the apple of my eye. If something happens to Xiangxiang, how can she live? It would be the death of her.

Perhaps it was a case of loving someone because of their love for them, but the two elderly people regarded Cheng Xiangxiang as very important.

"Your grandparents have come to see you!"

Huo Xiaolong rushed back to the room, downed a cup of water, and then said to Cheng Xiangxiang, who was sitting on the edge of the bed embroidering.

Where is it?

"It's in the main room."

Cheng Xiangxiang put down what she was holding and ran into the main house of the Huo family with Huo Xiaolong.

"Grandma and Grandpa!"

The little girl threw herself into her grandparents' arms and started whimpering again.

Huo Xiaolong watched from the side, his teeth aching with envy. The little girl really had a lot of tears; she could cry on cue. While she herself needed to prepare herself, he didn't have to; he could just burst into tears whenever he wanted.

The Lady Hou kept calling the little girl her "darling" and stroking her hair.

"Thank you so much for taking care of Xiangxiang these past few days. We were in a hurry when we left and didn't bring any gifts. Please accept this. We'll definitely bring a generous gift tomorrow so the child can kowtow to you in gratitude."

Master Hou handed over a jade plaque from his bosom, on which were written the words "Hou Family Embroidery Workshop".

The Hou family made their fortune through embroidery. Unlike traditional crafts in Jiangnan, Hou family embroidery has a bold and unrestrained style and needlework from beyond the Great Wall. It stands out in Beining County because of its uniqueness.

With this jade token, the Hou family could take whatever they wanted from their embroidery workshops, cloth shops, and other items, and the money would be directly charged to the master's account.

"Absolutely not!" Huo Shuwen said.

He didn't save her, Long'er did. Why give it to him? Give it to my daughter.

Huo Shuwen wasn't good at polite conversation, and he was just muttering to himself.

He Yi glanced at him, knowing what the man was thinking, and then said...

“We can’t take this. The child has suffered a lot. I have a daughter about the same age who was also abducted, and she was just found this year.”

He Yi raised her head and looked at Huo Xiaolong.

The little girl gave her a flirtatious wink, grinning and not at all serious.

"We're all parents, let's put ourselves in each other's shoes," He Yi said, looking at her daughter's adorable face.

"Little girl, come here."

Master Hou waved his hand, gesturing for Huo Xiaolong to come to his side.

"This is for you."

Before she could refuse, the old man stuffed the jade pendant directly into her purse.

"That's so embarrassing," Huo Xiaolong said shyly, twisting his body a couple of times.

She didn't recognize what it was, and she didn't know the words on it either, so she just felt embarrassed.

"What's this for, Grandpa?"

This is the little girl's maternal grandfather, and she calls him "Grandpa" too, which makes sense!

"Take this jade token and go to the Hou family embroidery shop to buy things; you won't need to pay for anything."

Huo Xiaolong's eyes widened, and he asked...

Really?

"real"

After Cheng Xiangxiang finished crying, she took out some tissues from her purse, wiped her tears and snot, and said to Huo Xiaolong...

"You should go home with your grandparents today, right?"

"Are you coming back with me?" Cheng Xiangxiang asked in return.

"Why would I go back with you!" Huo Xiaolong couldn't understand this girl's thoughts. She was so unpredictable. It was fine for her to come and take food and gifts, but it wouldn't be right for her to bring a child home.

"I'll treat you to a meal, a good one."

"It definitely won't taste as good as my Aunt Zhang's!"

Indeed, when Cheng Xiangxiang thought about the food at Fengyue Tower, she felt a little reluctant to leave...