Chapter 70 Eldest Brother
Yu Tao exclaimed, lifted the curtain, jumped off the carriage, and chased after them.
After exchanging a few words, the two trotted back and climbed onto the carriage: "Miss, that young man said that my sister is lost and he wants to go to the temple outside the city to look for her."
The girl knocked on the wall of the carriage: "Uncle Huang, turn around and catch up with that young master."
Yu Tao's eyes widened suddenly: "Huh? Miss? What are you going to do?!"
As the carriage gradually caught up with Lin Changqing, the young girl lowered the curtain and called out, "Young master, are you going to the temple?"
Lin Changqing paused and bowed to the carriage: "Yes, Miss, my younger sister is missing, and I am on my way to the temple to investigate."
The young woman gently touched the pearl tassels on her head and said softly, "It takes at least three hours to walk from here to the temple. I happen to be going to worship Buddha. If you don't mind, I can give you a ride."
Lin Changqing glanced at the luxurious carriage and hesitated, saying, "Sharing a carriage with you, Miss, might damage your reputation. Thank you, Miss, but..."
The girl was a little anxious and stammered, "No, that's not what I meant. I, I meant that you could sit in the front with Uncle Huang and then go to the temple."
Yu Tao angrily lifted the curtain and said, "My young lady is kind-hearted and let you sit in the front of the carriage. Who told you to sit inside? How rude of you!!"
Lin Changqing hesitated for a moment, then lowered his hands to look at the ground before bowing again: "It was my presumption. Thank you, Miss. I will never forget your great kindness."
After saying that, he sat on the front of the carriage at Uncle Huang's signal.
A gentle breeze stirred and lifted the curtain in front of the carriage. Lin Changqing, sitting sideways in the carriage, seemed afraid of offending the people inside and turned his head away.
The girl held her head in her hands in the large carriage, not saying a word, and secretly peeked at the young man sitting at the front of the carriage through the gaps revealed when the curtains swayed.
After looking at it for a while, a blush crept onto her face.
Yu Tao turned her head to let the girl whisper in her ear, and the two chattered away, their laughter and playful banter disturbing Lin Changqing's peace of mind. After a while, the playful noise stopped, and the girl's melodious voice was reciting some poetry.
Lin Changqing shook his head and didn't say anything. These were just some melancholy verses from a young girl, not particularly exquisite.
After about an hour, it was completely dark. Lin Changqing thanked the people in the carriage and turned to run towards the temple.
Yu Huan pouted, "Miss! Look at him, he didn't even leave his name. It's a shame you kindly gave him a ride, and you'll still get scolded by the mistress when you get back!"
The girl sighed slightly with regret: "Helping people is fine as long as I don't expect anything in return."
Yu Huan snorted, but didn't say anything more.
The girl knocked on the carriage: "Uncle Huang, let's go back to the manor."
Huaihe River Center —
Fu Bao felt a dull pain in the back of her head, and a strange fragrance lingered in her nostrils. She seemed to be on a covered boat, with damp straw stalks spread out beneath her, and she could hear the rough laughter of a group of men.
"This batch of goods is really good. The little maid disguised as a page was caught today. She's a real beauty. Selling her to brothels will definitely make us a fortune!"
Just as Fu Bao was about to call for help, she realized something was wrong. In the dim light of the night, there were four or five people lying around her. Because it was so dark, Fu Bao couldn't even tell if they were men or women.
However, he wasn't completely stupid; he knew he had been captured by human traffickers.
The rough voice of a man, mixed with the sound of footsteps, grew closer and closer. His hands were tightly bound, and the rough ropes chafed his wrists painfully. Fu Bao remained motionless, not daring to move.
"Clang~" A door seemed to open behind them, and a man carrying a lantern entered. He kicked the children at the door and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the children were like dead fish. When he got to Fu Bao, he pinched Fu Bao's little face with his big hands and clicked his tongue: "Good color, but it's a pity that she is too small. If you touch her, she won't fetch a good price."
After saying that, he kicked Fu Bao twice and then went around her. Fu Bao endured the pain without making a sound. Once everyone confirmed that all the children in the warehouse were unconscious, they felt relieved and prepared to leave.
After the door creaked shut, Fu Bao suddenly opened her eyes and bit the hemp rope fiercely with her teeth until her gums bled. After biting the rope off her hands, Fu Bao hurriedly untied the rope on her feet and prepared to stand up, but her whole body felt weak.
Fu Bao bit her wrist, and the pain gave her some strength. She leaned against the wooden wall and walked towards the stern of the cabin, where a sliver of light shone through.
Fu Bao forcefully pried open the insect-corroded plank of the boat and actually managed to carve out a large hole. Fu Bao felt that she could crawl out, so she lay down and started to crawl out.
With the final, extra force, the splinter ripped Fu Bao's clothes, and the sound of tearing fabric jolted everyone on the boat awake. The sound of a group of people's footsteps rapidly approached the cabin.
Fu Bao got up and looked around. All he could see was darkness, with only a few stars twinkling in the distance.
They're already out of the provincial capital! Fu Bao's heart sank. Suddenly, a person leaned out from the deck behind him on the left: "One got away! She's here! Catch her!"
The sound startled Fu Bao, who suddenly trembled and turned to jump into the river. The person seemed to be in a hurry and threw a wooden stick at her.
"Thump"
It hit Fu Bao right on the back of the head. Fu Bao immediately felt dizzy and fell into the water...
"Oh no! Boss! The guy sank. He was in such a hurry that he threw the torch and it hit that little girl."
The water surface rippled quite a bit, and in the middle, bubbles started to bubble but then disappeared in a swirling motion, leaving the river surface as calm as if nothing had happened.
"The person sank, they probably won't survive. Forget it, let's keep going, third brother! Be more careful next time!"
"Boss, I checked, I kicked it several times but there was no reaction."
"Alright, alright, let's go back."
One day later
Huaihe River Flower Boats
"Young master, a little girl has been fished out of the pleasure boat."
Su Qingyan raised an eyebrow: "A little girl? Not a corpse?"
The attendant nodded: "The madam is at the bow of the boat with a few ladies."
Su Qingyan put away her fan and said with interest, "Let's go, let's join in the fun."
On the bow of the pleasure boat, a group of beautifully dressed girls surrounded the bewildered little girl in the middle, one touching her little hand and the other touching her little face.
The madam looked at the young girl's face with glee: "Oh my, top-quality goods, top-quality goods! In a few years, she'll probably be just as good as Yu'er!"
The little girl had clear, innocent eyes. She looked at the madam without speaking or crying, wearing a dress given to her by a young lady, and quietly observed the people on the boat.
Su Qingyan stepped forward, sizing up the pretty young woman and teasingly asked, "Why aren't you saying anything? Are you mute?"
Lin Chang'an suddenly felt a sense of familiarity upon seeing the young man in the blue brocade robe. The cloud patterns woven with silver thread on the wide sleeves shimmered under the lamplight. As the young man walked over, the group of people involuntarily made way for him. The jade-colored waist belt outlined his slender waist. The young man's appearance involuntarily overlapped with the image in Lin Chang'an's mind.
As the young man approached, Lin Chang'an tilted his head as if deep in thought.
Su Qingyan was bored and about to leave when the little girl's pale, bleached hand suddenly tugged at his sleeve.
"Big brother?"
Su Qingyan paused, turned around, and squatted down, pressing her face against the little girl's: "What did you call me?"
Lin Chang'an clung tightly to Su Qingyan's sleeve, stubbornly and firmly saying, "Big Brother."
Their eyes met, and Su Qingyan saw that the little girl's eyes were full of clarity and purity. Such a person should not lie.
Laughter erupted from the surrounding area.
"This little girl is really amusing. Doesn't she look at what she's wearing? The young master is wearing Shu brocade, while your tattered clothes don't even match his attire."
Su Qingyan glanced indifferently at the man who had spoken, and the man immediately fell silent.
Su Qingyan softened her tone and asked, "What's your name? Where do you live?"
Lin Chang'an shook her head: "I don't remember, I only remember that my older brother wanted to... wanted to escape, to test..."
Frustrated, Lin Chang'an pounded her head and spoke with a sob in her voice.
Su Qingyan took Lin Chang'an's hand and put it down, gently coaxing, "If you can't remember, then don't think about it."
The little girl looked up, her eyes brimming with tears and full of trust as she gazed at Su Qingyan. Su Qingyan looked into the little girl's misty eyes and said, "May I call you Hanyan?"
Lin Chang'an hesitated for a moment before nodding. Su Qingyan picked up the person and looked at the madam: "I've taken the person back. See how much money you want, and I'll have my servants settle it for you."
The madam's expression changed several times before she said, "This person isn't one of our Huyulou people. If the young master wants to take him away, then so be it. Just take good care of us in the future."
Su Qingyan nodded: "I'll take that person with me now."
After speaking, he nodded slightly and entered the room with his entourage.
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