Qiao Lian'er immediately became alert. Could it be that these two uncles were planning to kill her to cover their tracks?
They didn't kill her just now, perhaps out of momentary pity, or perhaps because the water in her hands was useful to them.
But now they realized that she might have overheard their secret, so they decided to nip it in the bud to prevent future trouble.
Thinking this, Qiao Lian'er's heart jumped, and she quickly turned back through the alley.
She ran very fast, and caught up with her third uncle and the others before they even reached the main street behind them.
"Lian'er, why are you in such a hurry? You're sweating." Qiao Yunni took a handkerchief and wiped the fine sweat from Qiao Lian'er's forehead.
"Everyone be careful, someone is following us."
Qiao Lian'er lowered her voice.
"Don't look around, so as not to arouse the other party's suspicion."
The faces of the Qiao family members immediately tightened.
They then realized that Qiao Lian'er had returned to check the situation, not to buy anything interesting.
"Lian'er, why are they following us? Have we offended someone?" Qiao Laosan asked, puzzled.
If we're talking about offending people, the Song and Shen families are prime examples; the two families are practically sworn enemies.
But they don't have the ability to hire someone to follow them, and even if they did come, Lian'er would recognize them. Could it be someone sent by the Shi family?
If the Shi family were to take action against them, it would be very dangerous, since they have plenty of money to bribe people.
They wouldn't offend the wealthy and powerful, but they also wouldn't sit idly by and wait to die.
"I overheard their secret in the abandoned house just now, and they found me. They initially let me go, but now they've followed me here."
"What? So you were in danger at home?" Qiao Yunni's heart clenched instantly, her face filled with anxiety, even though what had just happened was over.
"I'm such a terrible mother. If you hadn't come out for a while, I should have gone to check on you."
"It's all my fault for being incompetent. I thought you might be in there to relieve yourself, so I even told your brothers, Da Meng and Xiao Meng, to wait a while before going over."
Qiao Yunni was filled with remorse and gripped Qiao Lian'er's hand tightly; her hand was slightly cold.
"Are you alright, Lian'er? You look fine, but did they hit or scold you?"
Qiao Yunni said so much at once that Qiao Lian'er didn't have a chance to interrupt.
The boss walked briskly ahead, and the people whispering behind him couldn't help but turn around.
"Boss, we're following you." Qiao Laosan quickly gave a smile.
“Mother, they really didn’t make things difficult for me,” Qiao Lian’er said. “It’s just that they’re catching up with us now, so we need to be careful.”
“When necessary—” a cold glint flashed in Qiao Lian’er’s eyes: “we should strike first.”
"How can we strike first? How many of them are there?" Qiao Dameng asked.
“There are only two of them, but they are strong and skilled in martial arts. We can’t be careless. Let’s carry the logs first and see how things go,” Qiao Lian’er said.
Upon hearing that there were only two, the Qiao family members visibly relaxed.
Even if two people are skilled fighters, they wouldn't pose that much of a threat.
At this moment, Yang Lao Da and Yang Lao Er couldn't help but sneeze at the same time.
"Brother, we're strong and healthy, and it's sunny, how could we have sneezed?" Yang Lao Er asked in surprise.
"Could someone be saying bad things about us?" Old Yang touched his nose.
Upon arriving at the boss's warehouse, we found a large construction site outside where many craftsmen were busy cutting stones, firing bricks and tiles, and shaving wood. They offered a variety of services, providing everything needed for construction.
"Don't look around. The brick and tile making and stone cutting here are all done with exclusive techniques that cannot be revealed to outsiders," the owner said seriously as soon as we entered.
The reason he only needed so few people was because if he had brought in too many people to do the work before, the tile-making technique he had just figured out would have been leaked.
Therefore, for him, the fewer people, the better. He would rather raise the price than increase the risk.
Everyone quickly lowered their gaze.
The boss led them to several piles of processed timber.
These timbers, including purlins, rafters, beams, and pillars, are stacked together in different categories.
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