Although the girl was dressed in rags, the material of her clothes was obviously expensive, especially the embroidery, which was definitely not something that ordinary people could afford. The girl in front of me should at least be the daughter of a merchant family.

Now is a year of abundant harvest, and even ordinary people, let alone merchants, would not push their daughters into a fire pit at this time.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ling guessed that the girl in front of her had most likely been tricked or kidnapped to the brothel.

"I...I was kidnapped to the brothel. Those people wanted to force me into prostitution, but I refused to submit. I took advantage of a moment when the guards weren't paying attention and jumped from the second floor of the brothel to escape! Aunt...Aunt, what I'm saying is true! You must believe me!" The girl started sobbing again at the end.

As the girl spoke, Jiang Ling kept glancing into her eyes. Her gaze was unwavering, and there were obvious abrasions on her arms and legs, suggesting that what the girl was saying was probably true.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ling got up and walked to the shop entrance. She took out one or two taels of silver from her pocket and said to Jiang Yaojie, "Go to the pastry shop and buy some good pastries! Use the rest of the money to buy a few yards of linen!"

"Mother, how many feet should we cut?" Jiang Yaojie carefully put away the silver and was about to run out when he immediately stopped and asked.

“You…you just said eleven or twelve-year-old girls!” Jiang Ling said.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yaojie ran towards the pastry shop.

Jiang Ling glanced at the doorway, turned back into the room, and said softly to the girl, "Continue!"

Hearing Jiang Ling's words seemed to give the girl a great deal of courage. She nodded and continued, "Auntie, don't ask me who I am. I can only tell you that my surname is Shen, and my father is a merchant from Guangping County."

“Guangping County? Under the jurisdiction of Magistrate Zhao?” Jiang Ling pondered, resting her chin on her hand.

“My stepmother has always been very hostile towards me. When she saw that my father was away doing business, she immediately started arranging a marriage for me. She always wanted to marry me off to Wang Xiu, a salt merchant from Pingxi County!”

"Wang Xiu? That name sounds familiar... Wait, Pingxi County? Salt merchant?!" Jiang Ling was stunned when she heard the name. She asked incredulously, "You mean Pingxi County? Salt merchant? Wang Xiu? Then what is Wang Tian'en's relationship to Wang Xiu?"

"Auntie, you...you know them?" The girl looked at Jiang Ling in fear, shifting her body slightly.

"I... I'm not familiar with him, I've only heard a little about him. Wang Tianen and my younger brother are from the same academy!" Jiang Ling quickly explained when she saw the girl's wary look.

The girl patted her chest as if relieved, but a hint of wariness still lingered in her eyes. She continued, "Wang Tianen is... is Wang Xiu's son!"

"What?" Hearing this, Jiang Ling couldn't sit still. Wang Tianen was about the same age as Jiang Zhishan. Even if his father was young, he would be at least thirty years old. The girl in front of her was only thirteen or fourteen years old. If it were a poor family, they could find an excuse to explain it. Such an absurd thing would never happen in a girl's family.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ling frowned and asked, "This is ridiculous! Your stepmother is completely pushing you into a fire pit!"

The girl shook her head helplessly, bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "I...I know, naturally, after my younger brother was born, my stepmother's attitude towards me changed a lot..."

As Jiang Ling spoke, she noticed the girl's shoulders trembling slightly, and her voice became choked with emotion.

Just then, Jiang Yaojie ran in from outside. When he saw the girl, he quickly turned around and shouted to Jiang Ling, "Mother, I brought everything!"

Jiang Ling got up and took the snacks and linen from Jiang Yaojie's hands, then tactfully went to the door to keep watch.

Jiang Ling gently placed the pastries on the table and said to the girl, "Are you hungry? Eat something first. I don't have much food left, but here are the best pastries from the pastry shop. Do you like them?"

The girl was overjoyed upon hearing this, but her joy was fleeting. She swallowed hard, her eyes glancing at the bag of pastries on the table every now and then.

"Auntie, I...I'm not hungry..." the girl replied in a voice barely audible.

But no sooner had she finished speaking than the girl's stomach began to rumble incessantly. Jiang Ling saw through the girl's thoughts, reached out and tore open the bag of snacks, placed it in front of the girl, and said softly, "Eat first, what could be more important than filling your stomach?"

Hearing this, the girl hesitated for a long time before finally reaching out her trembling hand to pick up a pastry. She ate it with some restraint at first, but soon she swallowed the pastry in big mouthfuls.

Jiang Ling placed a glass of water in front of the girl and said, "Eat slowly so you don't choke. If it's not enough, just tell me and I'll have my son go buy you some more!"

The girl gulped down the water in her cup, clearly relaxing a bit. She patted her stomach and suddenly knelt before Jiang Ling, saying, "Auntie, I will never forget your great kindness. Don't worry, when my father returns, he will definitely repay you!"

Jiang Ling was startled by the sudden action. She immediately helped the girl up and asked, "Then... what do you want to do now?"

"I..." The girl seemed to have never thought about this question before. She remained silent for a long time, then suddenly looked up at Jiang Ling and said, "Auntie, I... can I stay at your house for a while? Don't worry, my father will be back in a month at most, and he won't give you any money then! Please..."

With red-rimmed eyes, the girl held Jiang Ling's hand and pleaded desperately.

Looking at the girl's appearance, Jiang Ling felt pity for her. She nodded, took the linen that Jiang Yaojie had bought, and gently draped it over the girl's body, saying, "Alright, then you can come back to Lujia Village with me in a bit!"

“I am Jiang from Lujia Village. When you go back, you should introduce yourself as my eldest daughter Jiang Suihe’s distant cousin!” Jiang Ling reminded her.

Although Lu Bo was curious about the girl's sudden appearance, he didn't say anything, and the oxcart slowly made its way back to Lu Family Village.

It was afternoon, and most people were resting, so not many people saw the girl come in.

"Mother...eldest brother, you're back? And...who is this?" Jiang Suihe asked, looking at the trembling girl behind Jiang Ling with some curiosity.

"Go inside first! Yaojie, Nianci, and Zhishan, you three wait outside and don't come in!" Jiang Ling led the girl wrapped in burlap into the room.

"Please change into these first. These are my daughter's clothes, so please don't mind them!" Jiang Ling took out a piece of clothing with fewer patches and placed it in front of the girl.

"Auntie, my name is Shen Congxin, I'm fourteen years old. That's all the information I can give you! Please don't ask me any more questions, I won't answer them!" Shen Congxin said while changing her clothes.