The next day, when Liu Huan woke up, Su Yi had already taken the recommendation letter personally written by the town's dean to the county school to register.
Changsheng was tidying up the grape trellis, removing all the dry leaves from the top and cleaning up the area underneath.
Liu Huan was in a good mood and called out with a smile, "Brother Changsheng, let's go buy groceries."
She was so eager to learn about Qingyang County that she didn't have a chance to explore it properly yesterday due to her busy schedule.
The county town is different; even the buildings are a step up in style, and the people on the street wear colorful clothes. You rarely see people in coarse cloth or blue clothes, which may be related to the location.
They sell a wide variety of goods, as well as pawnshops and money exchanges.
The vegetable stalls are all uniformly divided, and they have many things here, except for tofu. The chili peppers are also scarce, and they are sold at exorbitant prices.
She bought a few vegetables and meats and ended up spending more than in town, which gave her a general idea of prices.
Su Yi could smell the aroma of food as soon as he entered the door; it was the unique scent of Liu Huan's cooking.
The aroma is so enticing that it makes one's stomach rumble.
"Shitou's back! Dinner's ready, isn't that thoughtful?" Liu Huan said smugly again.
Watching Su Yi take his first bite, she held her chin with both hands, her eyebrows twitching, as if she would jump up and hit him if he said he didn't like it.
He deliberately made do with what he said.
Knowing his quirky sense of humor, Liu Huan turned to Changsheng with a bright smile: "Brother Changsheng, do you think it's delicious?"
Chang Sheng felt the atmosphere around him suddenly turn cold, and could only nod mechanically: "Mmm...it's delicious."
Liu Huan was satisfied: "Then eat more."
Because he had just arrived at the new academy, Su Yi was always very busy. Two days ago, Liu Huan had already sent a letter home, giving her the address, and was just waiting for the relief food from home to arrive.
Liu Huan would often wander around the entrance of the academy. Looking at the academy, which was twice the size of the one in town, and the passersby coming and going, he couldn't help but sigh that people should always strive for a better life.
On the way back, I passed by a high-end clothing store. Before I even touched the fabric, the shopkeeper was standing next to me, saying sarcastically, "These clothes are expensive. Don't touch them if you don't want to."
Liu Huan turned and left, almost bumping into a young lady wearing a pale yellow dress as she went out.
She was shoved aside by the maid next to her. "Where did this beggar come from? What if he bumps into my young lady?"
The shopkeeper, seeing the seriousness of the situation, pushed Liu Huan, who was still unsteady, again.
Changsheng quickly helped her up from outside the door, "Huanhuan, are you alright?"
The shopkeeper's eyes were full of disdain. "Tell me, what are you doing looking around if you can't afford it? What if you bump into Miss Guan?"
After glaring at her, he quickly went to fawn over that Miss Guan.
Chang Sheng was furious and wanted to go forward to argue, but Liu Huan stopped him, saying, "It's alright, Brother Chang Sheng, let's go back."
It would be a lie for Liu Huan to say she wasn't angry, but this was in ancient times, and reasoning with people wouldn't work.
Even in the civilized 21st century, discrimination still exists. The weak will be bullied; this is an unchanging law, let alone in the strict feudal hierarchy of ancient times.
If a county town is like this, it's even harder to imagine how arrogant the wealthy and powerful people in major cities like prefectures and the capital must be.
Compassion has never been her style; rather, getting down to earth and taking root is her true nature.
She even bought a candied hawthorn and strolled around the street in a good mood, since it was still early before cooking time.
As she was walking, she was suddenly grabbed.
Sometimes, ideas just just don't come through.
Before she could even see who had arrested her, a group of soldiers rushed towards her.
The voice behind him was deep and resonant: "Don't move. Isn't your magistrate supposed to love the people like his own children? If you don't want her to die, let me go."
Liu Huan had no idea why she was encountering such a dramatic plot; wasn't this something that only happened on TV?
She felt a cold touch on her neck, like a snake's tongue, which sent chills down her spine.
Hey bro, could you hold that sword a little further away? I'm afraid I might accidentally hurt myself.
Changsheng was so anxious that he was jumping up and down, wanting to go forward but afraid of angering the prisoner.
Sure enough, the officer commander dared not act rashly: "Wu Gang, release that little girl, and I can report to the magistrate for leniency."
The man behind Liu Huan ignored him completely: "Stop talking nonsense, make way for me, and prepare a horse, hurry up!"
The officer in charge waved his hand, and his men left, presumably to prepare the prisoner's demands.
After all, with so many people watching, the prisoner was important, but the magistrate's reputation was also crucial.
The prisoner grabbed Liu Huan by the collar and pulled her backward. Liu Huan felt the skin on her neck being cut.
Good heavens! If it were any lower, that would be a major artery! People would die.
The officer in charge of the troops saw this and kindly reminded him, "Wu Gang, keep your sword away. If you really hurt someone, you won't have a chance to escape."
Upon hearing this, Liu Huan felt the knife at his neck move further away.
The two sides remained deadlocked, waiting for the officers and soldiers to prepare the horses.
A group of scholars, all around fifteen or sixteen years old, came from another road. Some of them were carrying folding fans and were walking around with great ease.
A slightly chubby boy said, "Hey, Brother Su, look, it looks like there are soldiers arresting people over there!"
Lian Lou also looked over, craning his neck: "It really is! It looks like that prisoner is holding someone hostage."
Su Yi wasn't interested in this. If Lian Lou hadn't insisted on dragging him out, he would have already gone back.
Another thin man said, "She looks like a little girl. What a beast."
The chubby boy continued, "I remember my brother saying yesterday that they've been hunting down a murderer these past few days. I heard he's used inhumane methods, which has caused widespread panic."
That's why Su Yi looked over there as if by some strange impulse.
Upon seeing him, he felt as if his soul was about to fly away; the girl under the knife was unmistakably Liu Huan.
He took a deep breath, trying to stay calm: "Brother Guan, do you think the one leading over there is your brother?"
The chubby boy leaned closer: "It really is. I didn't even notice."
Su Yi saw that Liu Huan was trembling; she must be terrified.
"Could you tell your brother that he'll give that guy whatever he wants, as long as he doesn't hurt the girl?"
Lian Lou hurriedly asked, "Who is that little girl?"
Su Yi uttered two words from his throat, "My sister!"
Everyone was stunned. It turned out that the person who had been taken hostage was Su Yi's sister. What a coincidence!
The young man surnamed Guan quickly led them in that direction, saying, "I'll take you there right away, don't rush."
They bypassed the crowd, came to the back of the column, and pulled aside a soldier at the back to tell him what had happened. The soldier immediately stepped forward to report, and the commander's expression became even more complicated when he looked at Liu Huan.
Hiding in the crowd, Su Yi saw that Liu Huan's neck was covered in scarlet blood. He felt as if someone was choking him, making it difficult to breathe.
Suddenly he saw several people standing on the rooftops all around him, each holding an arrow.
He knew that the officers and soldiers would definitely prioritize the prisoners, and he couldn't just sit and wait to die.
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