Xiao Yunying lifted Luo Xin, whom she was holding, up a little and looked back.
Why does she feel like someone is watching her?
Cheng Yue placed two velvet flowers on her hands: "Are you tired? Let me hug Xin'er."
Finding nothing amiss behind her, Xiao Yunying looked away and said, "It's nothing. Have you finished choosing?"
"She's finished picking them out. Xin'er chose them herself; she has excellent taste."
Xiao Yunying felt a little uneasy. Her intuition was usually very accurate, so she was sure she hadn't been mistaken. She casually grabbed two wooden hairpins and paid the bill.
After shopping, Luo Xin said, "Mom, put me down."
"No rush, wait until you see your father before coming down."
Cheng Yue sensed something was wrong: "What's wrong?"
Xiao Yunying lowered her voice: "I feel like someone is watching me. Let's walk faster."
"Ah!" Cheng Yue didn't question it and quickened her pace to follow her.
She hadn't gone far when she heard the sound of a carriage speeding towards her from behind. Xiao Yunying turned her head slightly to look, then moved to the side of the road to avoid the carriage brushing against her.
Cheng Yue also looked back and pulled her further inside, casually complaining, "Horses are not allowed to run fast on the main roads of the city. I wonder whose coachman is so rude. What if he hits someone?"
"Someone must have had an emergency..."
Before Xiao Yunying could finish her reply, as the carriage passed by, a man with his face covered by a black cloth crouched behind the carriage and reached out to grab her chest.
Before she could react, she felt a strong pulling sensation in her arms.
Xiao Yunying reacted extremely quickly, realizing almost instantly that the other party's target was Luo Xin, whom she was holding. She immediately grabbed Luo Xin's clothes and held her tightly in her arms.
But she was no match for the strength of a strong man, and the incident happened so suddenly that she couldn't break free. The momentum of the carriage pulled her body into the air, and Luo Xin slipped from her arms and fell heavily to the ground.
"Ah!" The sudden turn of events threw Cheng Yue into a panic. She looked at Xiao Yunying, who was still conscious on the ground, and then at the carriage speeding ahead. She gritted her teeth and decided to chase after the carriage first.
She lifted her skirt and ran after the carriage, shouting, "Help! Someone's trying to steal my child!"
Luo Xin only realized she had been captured after being grabbed by the collar and dragged onto the carriage. She cried out and scratched at the other person, accidentally pulling off the black cloth covering their face.
The man, with a fierce expression, snatched back the black cloth, threw Luo Xin into the carriage, and then climbed in himself.
No one expected that someone would dare to snatch a child in broad daylight, and the people around stood still without stepping forward.
Cheng Yue couldn't catch up with the carriage and her eyes reddened with anxiety. Suddenly, she heard Xiao Yunying's voice behind her: "I am the owner of Huiweilou and Shijinfang. Whoever helps me stop the carriage will be rewarded with one thousand taels of silver! If the child is saved, each person will be rewarded with five thousand taels of silver!"
Despite the pain, Xiao Yunying walked forward as fast as she could, repeating these words at the top of her lungs.
She shouted until she was hoarse, but the people in front either didn't hear her clearly or refused to believe her, and no one was willing to step forward to stop the carriage.
Only one man, carrying a shoulder pole and dressed in tattered clothes, gritted his teeth and rushed forward.
But how could he possibly stop the speeding carriage by himself? He was whipped twice by the man driving the carriage and was knocked down by the carriage.
Xiao Yunying could only watch helplessly as the carriage drove further and further away, turning into an alley and disappearing from sight.
She bit her lip, watching the direction the carriage had left in, then turned her gaze to the man who had just gotten up from the ground.
Cheng Yue returned, panting heavily, her voice anxious: "What should we do, Yun Ying? Let's go report this to the authorities right away!"
"Sister Cheng Yue, help me up."
Despite the sharp pain in her ankle, Xiao Yunying called out to the man who was about to leave with his carrying pole: "Brother, brother, please wait."
The man put down his carrying pole, looking guilty: "I'm sorry, young lady, I couldn't stop the carriage for you."
A crowd gradually gathered around, discussing the matter animatedly. Many offered words of comfort and suggestions.
Some people are asking if it's really true that they'll give a thousand taels of silver as a thank you.
Xiao Yunying ignored the person who asked the question and said to the man, "In any case, thank you for your help, brother. Sister Cheng Yue, could you please take this man to Shijinfang and ask the shopkeeper for a thousand taels of silver?"
Her shop was doing well, and the exquisite and novel foods were expensive. She deposited silver notes every five days and settled accounts every half month. It was no problem for her to get a thousand taels of silver notes from the shopkeeper.
The crowd gasped in astonishment. Was there really a thousand taels?
Cheng Yue asked worriedly, "What about you?"
"Sister Cheng Yue, take him first, don't worry about me."
Cheng Yue had no choice but to take the man to Shijinfang first.
Many curious people followed, wanting to see if they could really get a thousand taels for free.
Most people remained there, skeptical, but Xiao Yunying offered no explanation. She continued, "From now on, anyone who can provide information about those two people or that carriage, or who saw them, or who they contacted—anything related to them—can go to Huiweilou or Shijinfang and inform the manager. As long as the information is true and useful, every single piece will be rewarded with one hundred taels of silver. And if anyone can help me find my child safely, I will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of silver!"
The crowd gasped again. Judging from the woman's clothes, she didn't seem like someone who could afford ten thousand taels of silver.
Among the onlookers were many kind-hearted people who went to find the patrolling officials.
The leading officer had dealt with Xiao Yunying several times before, and seeing that she was covered in injuries, he asked, "Miss Xiao, what happened to you?"
Seeing how polite the officials were to her, the crowd began to believe her words.
Xiao Yunying recounted what had just happened in an orderly manner: "I would like to trouble you, sir, if you could discuss with the magistrate whether to send more people to help me find my child."
"Yun Ying? You're injured?"
When Xiao Yunying turned around and saw Luo Sheng, a feeling of grievance welled up in her heart, and her voice was filled with unease: "Luo Sheng, Xin'er has been taken away."
The three Luo brothers surrounded her: "Mother, are you alright?"
Xiao Yunying shook her head to indicate that she was alright. She looked at Luo Sheng and said, "The person who took Xin'er away is not an ordinary kidnapper. The way he looked at me was cold and numb, like... like a bandit who has killed countless people. Luo Sheng, I'm afraid they will hurt Xin'er."
Just then, someone ran back and shouted, "The shopkeeper of Shijinfang really did give that man a thousand taels of silver."
Now everyone was about 60% convinced. Intending to make this windfall, they stopped watching the spectacle and went to look for clues in the direction the carriage had left.
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