Yingxiang screamed anxiously, "Thief! Thief! Someone is robbing people in the street!"
However, the sun was blazing, and passersby were either hurrying along or seeking refuge in the shops lining the street. Looking around, not a single person was willing to lend a helping hand.
Yingxiang was extremely anxious and wanted to catch up, but she didn't dare to leave Jiang Huaiyu behind and act alone. She paced anxiously in circles, sweat pouring out like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
Jiang Huaiyu patted her arm gently and comforted her softly, "Never mind, we can't catch that thief."
Yingxiang's eyes were filled with tears, and her voice trembled, "But that hairpin was brand new, costing us one hundred and thirty taels of silver. Are we just going to watch it get lost like this?"
Jiang Huaiyu sighed, "It's all my fault for letting Deng Shen go to the shop to help. If he had come with us today, we would have been able to recover the stolen goods."
Yingxiang pondered for a moment and suggested, "Madam, why don't you go to the teahouse to rest first? I'll go and chase after that thief!"
Jiang Huaiyu gently shook his head, "Yingxiang, you don't need to take this risk. That thief is a man, and I'm worried you'll suffer."
"No, Madam, please rest assured, I know what I'm doing. Even if I can't recover the valuables after I catch up with him, I'll remember his appearance. Then I'll have Brother Zhao Zuo arrest him and hand him over to the authorities, eliminating this potential threat!"
Seeing her determination, Jiang Huaiyu stopped trying to stop her, but advised, "Then you must be careful. You can try to bribe someone, and only take action if someone is willing to help. Although the jewelry is priceless, compared to your safety, it is nothing but an inanimate object."
As the two were discussing, a voice suddenly came from ahead.
"Is this the treasure that was stolen from you?"
Jiang Huaiyu looked up and met the gaze of a middle-aged man with a thick beard. He was holding the brocade box tightly in one hand, while the other hand was ruthlessly grabbing the petty thief by the back of the neck, dragging him over like a chick.
A hint of joy flashed in Yingxiang's eyes. "This is indeed my mistress's beloved possession. We are extremely grateful for your kind assistance in returning it to its rightful owner!"
"It's a trivial matter, nothing to worry about."
The bearded man handed her the brocade box, then kicked the struggling thief on the ground with disgust. "This fellow is yours to deal with."
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around and prepared to leave.
Jiang Huaiyu quickly spoke up to stop him, "Hero, please wait."
The bearded man turned his head, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, his gaze questioning.
Jiang Huaiyu's eyes met his, and her heart tightened involuntarily. For some reason, she felt that this face was familiar, as if she had brushed past him in some time and space. She tried hard to recall, even searching through her memories of her past life, but still couldn't find any clues about this person.
Perhaps, this is just an illusion?
Perhaps it was just a coincidence.
However, despite his full beard, his face did not appear ferocious but rather kind. Furthermore, his act of stepping forward to help them retrieve their lost items clearly indicated that he was not a bad person.
The bearded man noticed her staring at him, yet remaining silent, and his eyes flickered slightly.
"If there is nothing else to ask, then I shall take my leave."
Jiang Huaiyu snapped out of his daze and quickly gave Yingxiang a wink. Yingxiang immediately understood, took out a small piece of silver from her purse, and handed it to the bearded man.
"Hero, I am grateful for your help in retrieving this item for my master. This is just a small token of my appreciation, and I hope you will accept it."
The bearded man shook his head, feigning indifference, "It was just a casual thing, no need to spend so much money."
After saying that, he turned around again, ready to leave.
Jiang Huaiyu spoke urgently: "Brave warrior, this silver is not only to thank you for your bravery, but I have another matter to ask of you."
"Oh? What is it?" the bearded man asked curiously.
Jiang Huaiyu pointed to the thief on the ground, his face covered in bruises, "This man dared to rob in broad daylight, which shows he's a repeat offender. The Dafu Restaurant is frequented by women, and they may not all have escorts. Countless women have already fallen victim to his cruelty. This kind of scoundrel deserves to be severely punished by law. We two women are afraid we can't subdue him. Now that you've captured him, could you please do us a favor and hand him over to the authorities? It would be a relief to rid the people of this scourge."
The bearded man thought there was some truth to this, but if they were to send it to the authorities…
A flicker of hesitation crossed his face, the complex expression hidden beneath his thick beard.
He looked up at the two women in front of him; one was pregnant, and the other appeared frail.
"Alright, then let me take this silver as payment and help you hand this villain over to the authorities."
The bearded man took the silver and was about to leave when he reminded him with concern, "Wusu City has been rather unsettled lately, with petty criminals taking advantage of the situation. If you two are going out, be sure to bring more attendants to prevent encountering similar dangers again."
Jiang Huaiyu nodded slightly and said gratefully, "Thank you for reminding us. We will definitely be more careful next time."
The bearded man nodded, gripped the petty thief tightly, and headed towards the government office.
Yingxiang breathed a sigh of relief. "We've really met some kind people today. Madam, ever since the prefect was murdered, the city has become strangely eerie. Perhaps we should postpone our trip to the teahouse for now?"
Jiang Huaiyu nodded in agreement, "Okay, let's go home first."
She gently stroked her slightly protruding belly, thinking that next time she went out, she would definitely have the Zhao brothers accompany her the whole time.
...
Three days later, the Hanyifang branch of Wusu City opened joyously.
Despite the widespread panic and bizarre events in the city caused by the prefect's murder, this did not affect Han Yi Fang's business in the slightest.
Luo Eryin has been a bestseller in Wanfu County for several months and has already become very famous. Now that it has appeared in Wusu City, it has attracted many customers.
Jiang Huaiyu had already arranged all the affairs of the shop in an orderly manner, so she didn't need to appear in person. However, for the opening of the new store, in case of any unforeseen circumstances, she still chose to stay in the store to oversee things, and at the same time dispatched Yingxiang and Deng Shen to come to Han Yi Fang to assist.
As everyone around her gradually got back to work, Jiang Huaiyu felt a little bored. Fortunately, Cao Shuwan's arrival brought her some company.
Although Cao Shuwan knew that Luo Eryin was highly regarded in Wanfu County, she had never witnessed such a bustling scene. Now, with the grand opening of Han Yi Fang in Wusu City, she stood by the window of the rest room on the second floor, which was specially prepared for Jiang Huaiyu, and stared in astonishment at the endless stream of customers.
"Wow... there are so many people!"
Jiang Huaiyu smiled slightly and walked to the window as well. "This is the fifth day already. The flow of people was even more overwhelming in the first three days."
Cao Shuwan was overwhelmed with excitement, words could not express it.
Unexpectedly, the rouge she made by hand actually won so much love?
Although I already knew that Luo Eryin's sales were impressive, witnessing it with my own eyes was a completely different experience from what I had imagined.
Looking back, when she first developed Luo Er Yin, she put it on the street to sell, but few people paid attention to it. Some even complained that her product was not hygienic enough, cursed her for bad luck, and even tried to smash her stall.
(End of this chapter)
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