“If you keep scratching your head, it’ll be gone.” He pulled her to her feet. “Come on, let’s go to her house and ask her what happened! At least we need to know who she gave the raw materials to!”
Shen Qing thought of Su Lan's pretty face and hesitated, saying, "Su Lan is here, let's go another time!"
Cheng Zhiwen simply pulled her arms into his arms and forcefully dragged her away from the chair.
"Later? When? When you become a mother yourself?"
Shen Qing was forcibly dragged by Cheng Zhiwen to Er Hong's house.
She stood outside the courtyard, looking at the dilapidated wooden door, knowing that if she went in, she would definitely have a falling out with Erhong.
If it weren't for her relationship with Su Lan, she would have immediately gone in and interrogated Er Hong, but thinking of Su Lan, she hesitated.
She really liked Su Lan and wanted to keep Su Lan by her side to nurture her. Su Lan had saved her life, and she was grateful to Su Lan from the bottom of her heart.
But once she breaks ties with Erhong, will Erhong still be willing to let Sulan stay with her?
Shen Qing didn't know, and hesitated, unable to make up her mind.
"You good-for-nothing! Still eating!" the man roared rudely. "Why don't you just eat yourself to death? Go to hell!"
Then came the girl's helpless sobs.
It's Su Lan's voice!
Shen Qing understood what he was hearing, immediately pushed open the wooden door, and strode inside.
Inside the house, Erhong was feeding her son while Sulan knelt on the ground with a bowl of spilled brown porridge beside her.
I couldn't see what was inside, but it definitely wasn't anything good; it looked like something for cats and dogs.
The man, his face flushed and neck red, raised his hand, ready to slap Su Lan across the face.
"What are you doing?" Shen Qing roared.
Su Lan looked over when she heard the sound, and the moment she saw her, her big eyes immediately filled with tears.
Her little mouth trembled; she wanted to cry, but dared not, biting her lip tightly.
There was a clear red mark with five fingers on his cheek.
Seeing this scene, Shen Qing's heart broke.
She quickly stepped forward, picked up Su Lan's small body, handed her to Cheng Zhiwen, then walked over, raised her hand, and slapped the man across the face.
The man was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses, cursed "You bitch," and raised his hand to slap Shen Qing.
His hand was raised in the air when Cheng Zhiwen grabbed it.
He used a little force and almost broke the man's hand.
The man screamed, "Sir, spare me! Sir, spare me!"
Cheng Zhiwen flicked his hand, and he immediately knelt down on the ground with a thud.
Shen Qing coldly stared at Er Hong: "Why did you two steal my raw materials?"
Erhong's hand holding the spoon trembled, and some rice paste spilled onto the dark table.
She said nothing, calmly placed her son in the cradle, got up and walked to Shen Qing, kneeling down on both knees.
“Sulan’s father lost tens of thousands of taels of silver. If we don’t give them the raw materials, he’ll be beaten to death…” she cried. “The children can’t be without their father…”
Shen Qing sneered: "Tens of thousands of taels? With his shabby appearance, who would lend him tens of thousands of taels to gamble?"
“It’s true…” Erhong cried, “At first he only gambled a few taels at a time, but then the people at the gambling den offered to lend him money to gamble, and before long he had so much…”
Shen Qing and Cheng Zhiwen exchanged a glance.
Both of them understood that the owner of the gambling den had come for the raw materials.
Shen Qing coldly stared at Er Hong: "Which gambling den? Take us there!"
Erhong shoved the man and cried out in a shrill voice, "Which gambling den? Tell me now!"
"It's...it's the gambling den next to that pawnshop in the market..."
Where will you deliver the raw materials to them?
Erhong described the location at the foot of a mountain in Jiangzhou City.
The area is sparsely populated, and wild animals occasionally appear there. The reason they were asked to leave the raw material barrels there was to prevent them from discovering anything.
Shen Qing nodded with a cold smile, took out his purse, threw the few remaining pieces of silver onto the table, and said to Er Hong, "You don't need to come to the factory anymore! And don't go near the factory again! If I see you even once, I'll immediately report you to the authorities and have you arrested!"
She turned around and suddenly saw Su Lan hiding next to Cheng Zhiwen.
The girl, who was clean and tidy just a few days ago, now has disheveled hair, dark circles under her eyes, and red, swollen finger marks all over her cheeks.
Like a little beggar who has been badly beaten.
She stared at Shen Qing with her big, bright eyes, which were brimming with tears, and her lips were downturned.
Shen Qing squatted down in front of her, looking her in the eye, and gently stroked her swollen cheek, her heart breaking as she said, "Su Lan, thank you for running to the prefectural government office to save Master that day. Master is leaving now, you must take good care of yourself. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, come to Master, okay?"
Su Lan burst into tears.
The child, who had always stubbornly held back tears no matter how much he was beaten or scolded, could no longer hold back after hearing Shen Qing's words and burst into tears.
Shen Qing couldn't help but shed tears.
She hugged Su Lan's thin body briefly, then stood up coldly and walked out without looking back.
“Master…Master…” Su Lan cried as she chased after him.
Tears streamed down Shen Qing's face, but she dared not stop walking.
"Boss Shen! Boss Shen!" Er Hong chased after her and grabbed her.
He pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket, stuffed it into her hand, and said urgently, "Boss Shen, I'm so sorry! This is Sulan's indenture. I'm selling Sulan to you. From now on, you are Sulan's master!"
After saying that, he turned and ran back into the house, picked up Su Lan and placed her at Shen Qing's feet.
"Sulan, your mother has sold you to Boss Shen. From now on, Boss Shen is your master. If she wants you to live, you live; if she wants you to die..."
Before he could finish speaking, he was silenced by Shen Qing's "Shut up!"
Shen Qing gestured to Cheng Zhiwen to pick up Su Lan to prevent Er Hong's man from causing trouble again.
Cheng Zhiwen immediately pulled Su Lan into his arms.
Shen Qing unfolded the crumpled indenture, tore it up in front of everyone, and threw it at Er Hong's face.
“I am not Su Lan’s master, I am just her teacher! Neither I nor you, her mother, have the right to dictate Su Lan’s life or death! Her life is in her own hands, and she has the right to control her own destiny! All we can do is respect her!”
After saying that, Shen Qing turned around and left with Cheng Zhiwen, who was holding Su Lan in her arms.
As night fell, the two adults and one child walked along the village road toward the city.
Cheng Zhiwen carried Su Lan in front, while Su Lan hugged his neck, blinking her big eyes at Shen Qing walking behind.
Shen Qing smiled and touched her face: "Alright, it's alright now. Just follow your master from now on. Even if your master starves to death, he will make sure you have enough to eat."
Su Lan nodded, pouting.
Cheng Zhiwen glanced back at her and joked, "Your master is a shrewd businesswoman, she won't starve. If you follow her, you'll live a life of luxury."
Shen Qing smiled at him, touched her flattened purse, and sighed inwardly.
She originally planned to take Su Lan directly back to the Gao family, but Cheng Zhiwen took them to an inn instead.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com