Chapter 162 Miaoling is Deceived
"It's alright, it'll be fine after some rest."
Tao Tao looked up at her and smiled reassuringly.
Xi Xin pouted. Seeing that she didn't care at all, she felt helpless and dissatisfied. Looking down, she suddenly realized that the wound looked like a tooth mark.
She bent down to examine it closely, and the more she looked, the more it resembled the teeth marks. But how did these teeth marks come about?
"Boss, this tooth mark..." she said hesitantly.
Tao Tao noticed her unusual behavior and said with a faint smile, "You were bitten by a dog, don't worry."
"Bited by a dog?!" Xi Xin's eyes widened instantly, quite surprised.
Seeing that she was still struggling with this issue, Tao Tao quickly asked, "How's the shop been lately? With Ji Xian around, no one's come looking for trouble, right?"
While changing her dressing, she replied, "No, everything is fine, boss, don't worry, we're here."
"Oh right, Miss Tu came to see you this morning. She wouldn't say what it was about, and she didn't look well. After I told her you weren't here, she left."
Tu Miaoling came by? Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I've seen her. I even thought of inviting her over when I moved last time, but I completely forgot about her.
"I'll go find her later. She probably hasn't seen me in a long time and is coming to visit me."
Before going to the Tu family, Tao Tao changed into ordinary people's clothes and removed all the jewelry from her hair.
She hadn't had a chance to tell her about the things that had happened these past few days, including her being granted the title of county princess.
If she were to meet Tu Miaoling now without any warning, as the county princess, she feared that it might create some misunderstandings between them, and their relationship might become impure as a result.
Rong'er and Granny Wu saw her go out, but they didn't understand why she was dressed like that, but they still followed behind her.
Seeing that they were going with her, Tao Tao said, "I'm going to see someone, you don't have to come."
The two women exchanged a glance. Granny Wu frowned slightly and said gently, "Princess, it would be better if we servants followed you. It wouldn't be good if something happened to you."
"What could possibly happen to me? Just have Leng Qiao follow me secretly. That's how it's always been done before, so don't worry."
After saying that, she smiled, turned around and left directly. Her tone was decisive, and although she smiled, she wasn't discussing things with them at all; she was just informing them.
Upon leaving, she first went to the butcher's pork shop and found that the person standing at the stall was Tu Miaoling's father.
Tao Tao frowned. Miao Ling used to be there, but why isn't she here now? Could something have happened to Miao Ling?
Thinking this, she quickly ran forward, "Uncle Tu, do you remember me? I'm Tao Tao?"
The butcher, who was chopping meat with a cleaver, looked up when he heard the sound, and his originally fierce face suddenly softened.
"I remember, I remember. It's been a long time since I've seen you, Miss Tao. How have you been? Are you here to buy meat?"
"Why haven't I seen Miaoling today? Is she home?"
Upon hearing his daughter's name, his face immediately fell. With a dark expression, he said in a deep voice, "She's perfectly fine, no need for you to worry about her. If you're not going to buy meat, then hurry up and leave."
She frowned and asked, puzzled, "What's wrong, Uncle Tu? Has something happened? Perhaps I can help."
Boss Tu slammed the knife on the cutting board and looked at her impatiently: "It's nothing! You should mind your own business. Young ladies your age should be betrothed by now. You shouldn't be so easily fooled that you've lost your mind!"
Tao Tao immediately noticed something was off about his words.
"Who deceived her? Did they report it to the authorities?"
"In the end, she's just a young girl. Even if she was deceived, it's someone else's fault. The important thing is to report it to the authorities and have them arrested. As her father, why are you blaming her?"
She looked displeased, listening to his words, which still sounded like victim-blaming.
Boss Tu said angrily, "Tell me, how could a young lady like her take money to a place like Chu Feng Pavilion? So shameless and immoral! If the neighbors find out, how can she ever find a good husband?!"
She was speechless and facepalmed when she heard this. She thought it was something serious, but it turned out to be just going to Chu Feng Pavilion. She was about to say goodbye to him when she heard what he said the next second.
“That pretty boy has been swindling money from my daughter. The two of them even meet secretly, trying to get my daughter to buy him out of his servitude and support him. A man with hands and feet, yet he insists on doing such despicable things. He's utterly shameless!”
"No way?!" Tao Tao exclaimed in surprise.
"How could I not! That bastard had my daughter completely bewitched, and she gave him all her wealth! If he hadn't run away so fast, I would have killed that son of a bitch with one blow!"
Boss Tu glared angrily, his face contorted with rage, and spoke as if the rib beneath him were that male prostitute. With a thud, he chopped it in half instantly.
"Uh... then you go ahead and do your work, I have to go now."
After Tao Tao finished speaking, she turned around and ran away in a hurry.
She didn't go home, but went directly to the Tu family's house. Logically speaking, Tu Miaoling should be at home right now.
Not long after, she appeared at the Tu family's door and was surprised to find it locked.
Her brow furrowed, and she leaned over to peek through the crack in the doorway. "Miaoling? Miaoling, are you there?"
Suddenly, there was a thud on the wall to the side, followed by a cry of pain.
Tao Tao turned around and went inside. She saw Tu Miaoling lying on the ground, wincing in pain. She was wearing a pink dress and looked different from before.
"Wonderful Spirit!"
Hearing the voice, Tu Miaoling looked up in surprise and saw that it was Tao Tao, whom she hadn't seen for a long time. She immediately exclaimed with joy.
"Peach!! Quick! Come and help me up."
Tao Tao quickly stepped forward, reached out and gently helped her up by placing her on her shoulder.
"Oh my god, it hurts so much..."
"You dared to jump from that height? Aren't you afraid of breaking your leg?"
Seeing her cry out in pain, Tao Tao shook her head helplessly.
"You know what, I think I twisted my ankle. My right ankle hurts so much."
Upon hearing this, Tao Tao quickly helped her sit down on a nearby rock and squatted down to check how serious it was.
Fortunately, it was just a little red and swollen. I touched it and the bone wasn't broken. It will get better soon after applying some medicine.
“I went to the butcher shop to find you, and your father told me that you went to Chu Feng Pavilion again? That costs a lot of money. You can’t go there often if the men are handsome, especially since your father found out.”
"I think he was really angry; he threatened to chop that kid up."
Tu Miaoling immediately raised her eyebrows and said, "He wouldn't dare! Hasn't he always wanted me to get married? Can't I find someone myself?"
"Although it's not good for me to say this, I still want to say it. A marriage arranged by parents and matchmakers is unacceptable. You'll be the subject of gossip and slander. Can you tolerate all that gossip?"
Although I don't really want to admit it, that's how this era is. But if they eloped to a place where no one knew them, there probably wouldn't be any major problems.
But can she let go of her father? And is the man she likes reliable?
Tao Tao calmly analyzed the situation for her, noticing her troubled expression as she tried to appear composed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com