Chapter 2: Can a beggar wear Suzhou embroidery brocade?
"mouse?"
A handsome man in tight clothes looked around and said, "It's spring now. Even if someone is taking care of the Guanyin Temple, there will inevitably be snakes, insects, rats and ants running around. This is normal."
Under the altar, the girl heard the sound of a mouse and felt a chill on her spine. Her thighs trembled and her beautiful black eyes looked around randomly, fearing that a mouse would approach.
Xiao Mingyi placed one hand on the edge of the altar, tapping the table with his slender fingers. His voice was cold and deep: "Didn't I tell you that when you're out, you can't let go of even a mouse."
“…”
The others heard the hidden meaning in his words and their expressions became serious.
The Guanyin Temple is not big and there is not much space to hide people.
Soon, everyone's eyes were focused on the altar.
The sudden silence made the girl extremely nervous. She lowered her head and bit her nails to relieve the stress.
Suddenly, the yellow curtain was lifted, and a large amount of light suddenly poured in from under the altar.
Song Lingyi was startled and looked up suddenly.
A young and handsome man was bending over to look at her. He was wearing black clothes and a jade belt, and there was a hint of coolness about him.
"Found it."
The man looked down at her condescendingly, his calm voice seemed to contain no emotion, but also had a hint of teasing.
The moment they looked at each other, Song Lingyi felt as if her heart was surging with waves, and her whole body was numb from the soles of her feet to her scalp.
The bandits outside the curtain looked at the rag covering the girl and were also a little surprised: "She is actually a beggar."
When she heard the word "beggar", Song Lingyi's frightened soul came back to her senses. She immediately lowered her head, wishing she could bury her entire face in the rag.
"Beggar?" Xiao Mingyi sneered with an ambiguous tone.
Before the girl could think of a response, a big hand suddenly reached out to her with such great force that she had no room to resist.
The bandit leader easily pulled the man out from under the altar.
As dusk approached, the sky became gloomy and dull.
Song Lingyi clutched the rags on her body, feeling extremely fortunate that she had the foresight to get her face dirty and pretend to be a vulnerable person.
As long as she begged for mercy quickly enough, a group of bandits would not bother a beggar.
The girl knelt on the ground, deliberately lowering her voice and kowtowed, begging for mercy: "My dear gentlemen, I am penniless and live by begging. Please be magnanimous and let me go."
"I didn't see or hear anything, and what happened today will never be spread."
The handsome man from before came up to Xiao Mingyi and whispered, "Boss, he's just a little beggar. He's no threat to us. Why don't you just let him go?"
The sound was not loud, but the girl heard it clearly.
Just when the girl thought she had escaped, she raised her eyes slightly and met the eyes of the man in black robe.
That heavy, sharp gaze, as if it were a substance, fell upon her, making her panic for no reason, and she briefly forgot to beg for mercy. Her tearful, dark eyes were filled with fear, flickering unsteadily.
In a trance, the man in black robe reached out to her again.
The next moment, Song Lingyi felt a chill on her body, and the rag covering her entire body was thrown aside.
Although her clothes were dirty, the fabric was of exquisite quality. It was the popular brocade in Huaizhou City, and the pattern was Suzhou embroidery. Even the buttons were intricately crafted phoenix buttons. It was definitely not the attire of an ordinary beggar.
Song Lingyi had traveled to this damn strange dynasty for about half a year, but the Song family was already on the verge of collapse half a year ago.
As far as she knew, Song's father had led troops to aid Danyang County, which was plagued by pirates, the previous year. Although he pacified the pirates, he was seriously injured and died. Song's father and mother had a deep relationship. Song's mother was originally the legitimate daughter of a Duke, but she was dissatisfied with the marriage arranged by her grandfather and resolutely married into the Song family. Her grandfather was furious and stopped communicating with Song's mother for many years.
Song's father was a lieutenant in Huaizhou City, a low position with a modest salary. The original owner was able to wear Su embroidery and brocade because the couple doted on their only daughter and granted her every request.
After Song's father passed away, Song's mother was heartbroken and died of illness three months ago.
Before Song's mother passed away, she dismissed the servants in the house, gave her a green jade pendant with a phoenix pattern as a token of trust, and allowed her to go to Beijing to live with her maternal grandparents.
She didn't enjoy any of the original owner's blessings, and had to endure all the suffering!
When she set out from Huaizhou City, there were three Kunlun slaves protecting her. Halfway through the journey, they encountered robbers and two of the Kunlun slaves were killed. She spent a lot of money to arrange for their funeral.
The situation was turbulent and without Kunlun slaves, she had no choice but to disguise herself as a beggar and travel in a low-key manner.
The girl couldn't bear to throw away the Suzhou embroidered brocade skirt and blouse inside, so she put on a dirty rag.
Xiao Mingyi looked at her and said coldly, "A beggar, can he wear Su embroidery brocade?"
Tsk~
A bandit can even recognize Suzhou embroidery and brocade!
The girl complained in her heart, but she was very honest and said tearfully, "To be honest, this dress... was picked up from the garbage dump!"
"I've been begging for a living, sleeping in the open air. The worst thing I've ever done is stealing offerings. I didn't expect to meet you all at the Guanyin Temple. I beg you to show some mercy and let me go..."
Seeing the miserable appearance of the 'little beggar' crying and sobbing, the others were inevitably moved, but Xiao Mingyi remained expressionless and showed no emotion at all.
Seeing that he didn't say anything, the handsome man couldn't help but persuade him: "Boss, we got what we wanted, this person..."
Xiao Mingyi raised his eyelids and gave him a faint sidelong glance. Then he looked at the trembling little beggar on the ground and said in a deep voice, "Your crying is so ugly, why don't you stop?"
"Hiccup..." The girl sobbed in her throat.
Is crying unpleasantly a sin?
This guy looks like a decent person, but his heart is really vicious! No wonder he became a bandit, with a ruthless appearance and a vicious heart!
After a moment of silence, the bandit leader spoke again, but not to her, "Go and get the clay pot filled with rainwater outside the door."
"yes."
Although the others didn't understand what their boss meant, they still did as he said. Their boss was a germaphobe, and the rainwater in the pot was muddy, so it was not even dirty to wash hands with, let alone quench thirst.
Song Lingyi watched the bandit leader take the pottery jar, cut a piece of yellow cloth with a knife, soak it with rain water, and then walk towards her.
She probably guessed what the bandit leader was going to do, and her expression changed immediately.
No, she must not let these bandits see her face clearly.
Song Lingyi's heart sank, and she shrank back, covering half of her face: "I am ugly, I am afraid that I have frightened you gentlemen..."
How could the girl's little thoughts be hidden from the eyes of the bandit leader?
The man's big hand grabbed her jaw with the same brutal force as before. She was forced to raise her face, and the yellow cloth gradually approached her.
Like a prey caught in a jungle trap, the girl instinctively struggled and suddenly broke free from the man's hand.
But before she could make the next move, the man stepped on the back of her knee, causing her excruciating pain.
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