"Where were the smoke bombs burned?"
Danqiu looked doubtful and was unwilling to easily let go of any clues.
Hu Tingzhi raised his hand and beckoned to the servant, who pointed behind the counter, "Manager, it's being burned over there."
Seeing this, Sun Miao'er quickly asked, "Officer Shan, can we go back now?"
Dan Qiu lifted his foot to go over, but then hesitated. "You're all done here. Leave your address, and we'll call you if needed."
“Wang Shicheng, the wealthy man from the Wang family on West Street, is my father.”
When Wang Xueru announced her family name, she carried an air of arrogance; her slightly raised chin revealed the pride of her wealthy background.
Watching Shan Qiu disappear from sight, Sun Miao'er finally breathed a sigh of relief. The long street, which should have been so quiet, was now brightly lit.
"elder sister!"
When Wang Ziqian saw Wang Xueru emerge from the crowd under the escort of the constables, he rushed over to her, his face still wet with tears. "I was so scared, sister! There's so much blood here... Did someone kill someone...?"
This was the first time Wang Xueru had encountered something like this. She was terrified at first, but she forced herself to remain calm in front of her younger brother. "Don't be afraid, Ziqian. Let's go home now. Don't tell Dad about this. He's too old to handle it."
"Mmm." Wang Ziqian nodded repeatedly.
Sun Miao'er walked over to Xiao Ning's side. Seeing that he was relatively calm, she felt relieved and breathed a sigh of relief, "Xiao Ning, it's alright now."
"I knew my sister would be alright."
Xiao Ning stubbornly raised her head, her tone resolute, displaying the demeanor of a little warrior.
When they returned to the Wang family home, the front hall was brightly lit.
When news of the accident during the lantern-lighting ceremony reached the Wang family, Wang Shicheng immediately sent out servants to pick up Wang Xueru and her party on the way.
As soon as they stepped into the courtyard, Madam Wang Su anxiously went to greet them, hugged Wang Xueru and looked her over again, asking with concern, "Xueru, are you alright? Did those thugs hurt you?"
As Wang Sushi spoke, she wiped away her tears. Seeing that her daughter was unharmed, she wept with joy.
Aunt Qin went to bed early, but then heard from the maid that something had happened in the main house. She hurriedly put on her clothes, hoping to see what would happen, but Wang Xueru and her brother returned unharmed, which disappointed her.
"The Wang family is a prominent family in Pingnan City. If this gets out, it will not be good for the young lady's reputation."
Aunt Qin pulled her cloak tighter, covered her face, yawned, and lazily reclined on the rosewood official's hat chair, speaking languidly.
The grudge from earlier in the day hadn't been resolved when Aunt Qin deliberately stirred up trouble again. Wang Xueru glared at her resentfully, "What does my reputation have to do with you? Why are you, an aunt, being so nosy!"
“Miss, it seems I’ve made a fool of myself. Whether your reputation is good or bad is none of my business. It’s just that outsiders will mostly say that the master and mistress have failed to raise their daughter properly.”
Despite the chill of the autumn night, Aunt Qin knew to pull her cloak tighter and still waved her lady-in-waiting fan.
Master Wang glanced helplessly at Aunt Qin and said with a sigh, "Just say less!"
In the past, Madam Wang would have had to put on a show of authority as the mistress of the house. However, after so many years of fighting with Concubine Qin, she had long since become too lazy to speak and let her say whatever she wanted, completely disregarding her.
Wang Xueru was still young and headstrong. She didn't understand why her mother tolerated a maid who had climbed into her bed, nor did she understand how such a lowly person could remain in the Wang family. "Aunt Qin, you haven't even given birth to any children, nor have you ever raised any. What right do you have to make veiled accusations here?"
"you!"
Aunt Qin was hit where it hurt, and she suddenly straightened up from her chair. Not wanting to lash out in front of Wang Shicheng, she said with a forced smile, "I'm not destined for that. If I were lucky enough to give you a son or daughter, I wouldn't let you spend your days hanging out with those rough country bumpkins of unknown origin!"
Sun Miao'er knew that Aunt Qin was using her background as a whip to slap Wang Xueru in the face, and she could no longer tolerate it. She slowly said, "Young Madam, you are wrong. I am here on someone's behalf to help Miss Wang prepare birthday gifts for the Prefect's wife. I am not some rough person of unknown origin."
Her eyes flickered, and she smiled calmly, "Or perhaps, the young mistress cannot tolerate me and does not want me to stay in the Wang family, thus delaying the birthday gift for the prefect's wife. Can you bear this responsibility?"
When Aunt Qin heard the term "little mistress," she was furious. The addition of the word "little" was like a knife to the heart, a hundred times more painful than being called "aunt" directly.
The most unsatisfactory thing in her life was being a concubine under Wang Su. Whether it was her sincerity towards the master or her ability to manage the household, she believed that she was no less than Wang Su in the slightest, but the master just couldn't tolerate her!
Aunt Qin stood up, took a few steps to Sun Miao'er, and said sternly, "What a sharp-tongued girl! Master, I'm sleepy, I'll go back to rest first."
After Aunt Qin left, Madam Wang looked at Sun Miao'er in disbelief, then hugged her daughter and said, "Xue Ru, what you just said was true? You said this Miss Sun can help you with the birthday gift for the Prefect's wife?"
"That's just how it is."
Wei Jingnian witnessed the Wang family women's jealousy and rivalry from behind. He didn't expect that Miss Sun would be so ruthless when she stood up for others. "Aunt Wang, Miss Sun's cooking is excellent. Even my aunt praised it highly."
"Your aunt?" Wang Su nodded, looking at Sun Miao'er. "How has your aunt been lately?"
Wei Jingnian said, "My uncle treats my aunt very well, and Er Ya is about the same age as Zi Qian. They live a very fulfilling life."
As if remembering something, Wang Su sighed, "Your aunt is also someone who doesn't listen to advice."
Wang Xueru pulled Sun Miao'er's hand and brought her close to Wang Sushi, introducing her little sister affectionately, "Mother, Miss Sun is amazing! She protected my daughter during the lantern-lighting ceremony today. She's just like Xiao Ning in that respect!"
Xiao Ning? Sun Miao'er was taken aback. What was Xiao Ning doing at the Wang family's house?
"Miao'er, you don't know, Ziqian never loved reading as much as he does now. His previous page took him around catching insects and playing with birds all day long, which worried his master to no end. Ever since Xiao Ning came to accompany him, Ziqian is like a different person. Now he studies very diligently every day."
Wang Xueru whispered in Sun Miao'er's ear.
Sun Miao'er had no idea that her younger brother possessed such abilities; this was truly turning the rotten into the miraculous. No wonder the Wang family rewarded him with money so often; they had practically pulled the young master back from the path of becoming a spoiled brat.
Wang Ziqian, who was engrossed in eating his snacks, quickly retorted upon hearing his sister's words, "No, that's not true! I wanted to learn it myself! I can memorize much faster than Xiao Ning!"
Sun Miao'er smiled and said that Xiao Ning hadn't suffered in the Wang family, which eased her guilt a bit. "Good, good, young master is right!"
After saying that, she stopped smiling, turned around, and bowed respectfully to the Wang couple, saying, "Miao'er thanks you, sir and madam, for taking care of Xiao Ning all this time."
Before he could finish speaking, Wang Xueru suddenly collapsed behind him, landing squarely in Wei Jingnian's arms.
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