The place where Wang Xiuxiu was hiding was the home of Luo Qiyou's distant cousin.
Located in a remote area surrounded by mountains, the village is mostly inhabited by farmers. The villagers are simple and honest, and there is little interaction with outsiders.
At first, Wang Xiuxiu was always worried about being discovered, so she stayed indoors and dared not go out, and even dared not open the window too wide.
As time went by, she gradually let go of her worries and began to help Aunt Luo with some housework.
Aunt Luo was a kind middle-aged woman who treated Wang Xiuxiu like her own daughter. She not only prepared clean bedding for her, but also sewed several new clothes for her.
Wang Xiuxiu was extremely grateful, so she took the initiative to help with laundry and cooking, and even learned how to weave baskets with bamboo strips.
After living in the countryside for more than ten days, the time to leave, which had been agreed upon with Luo Qiyou, finally arrived.
That morning, Aunt Luo dressed Wang Xiuxiu up specially.
She braided Wang Xiuxiu's long hair into two thick braids, dressed her in coarse cloth clothes, and smeared some ash on her face, making her look like an ordinary farm girl.
"Xiuxiu, dressed like this, no one will recognize you." Aunt Luo nodded in satisfaction, then added, "Be careful on the road, don't let anyone notice anything amiss."
Wang Xiuxiu nodded and hugged her for a long time before leaving.
Uncle Luo carried a bamboo basket on his back, pretending to go up the mountain to collect herbs, and led Wang Xiuxiu away from the village along the path.
Along the way, we encountered some villagers who were picking mountain products.
To avoid attracting unnecessary attention, Uncle Luo took the initiative to greet them.
"Old Luo! Is this young lady a relative of yours?" a villager asked curiously.
"Yes, my wife's niece is visiting relatives here. Her grandmother wrote to say she misses her granddaughter and wants us to send her back as soon as possible. Are you going up the mountain?" Uncle Luo replied with a smile, his tone natural, as if it were true.
"Of course, it just rained, so I'm planning to go pick some mushrooms."
After exchanging a few pleasantries with the man, Uncle Luo wanted to take Wang Xiuxiu away.
However, the villager suddenly pulled Uncle Luo aside mysteriously and began to talk to him in hushed tones.
Wang Xiuxiu stood not far away and vaguely heard words like "Du family" and "search for people," which immediately made her panic.
When Uncle Luo returned, his expression was noticeably grave.
He hurriedly led Wang Xiuxiu on their way until they reached a deserted place. Wang Xiuxiu stopped and sat on a large rock, refusing to move.
Seeing this, Uncle Luo assumed she was tired and said, "You have indeed been walking for a while, so why don't you rest here for a bit?"
"Uncle Luo, has something happened to Brother Luo and the others?" Wang Xiuxiu asked directly, her eyes filled with unease.
Uncle Luo was a native farmer, honest and kind all his life. Faced with Wang Xiuxiu's interrogative gaze, which sounded like torture, he immediately panicked and stammered, "No...nothing happened."
Wang Xiuxiu persisted, asking, "Uncle, this matter concerns me, you can't hide it from me."
Uncle Luo felt a little guilty under her question and could only stammer, "I...I..."
Uncle Luo had never had children in his life, and during the ten-odd days that Wang Xiuxiu stayed at his house, he truly took a liking to this lovely little girl from the bottom of his heart.
But when he thought of Qi You's instructions, he felt conflicted and didn't know what to do.
"Uncle, please tell me. If something really happens to Brother Luo, I'll never have peace of mind for the rest of my life. Tell me, and we'll figure something out together!" Wang Xiuxiu said earnestly, tears welling up in her eyes.
Seeing her insistence, Uncle Luo finally sighed and told her the whole truth.
It turned out that after Wang Xiuxiu left, Du Rengou indeed found out about Luo Qiyou and Qi Ming.
Unexpectedly, Du Rengou couldn't find Wang Xiuxiu's hiding place for a long time, so he began to resent Luo Qiyou and Qi Ming, and finally vented his anger on the two of them.
Du Ren was incredibly audacious. He falsely accused Luo Qiyou of theft, kidnapped him at the academy, and threw him into prison.
As for Qi Ming, if it weren't for the Qi family's strong protection, he would probably have been captured as well.
After listening to Uncle Luo's story, Wang Xiuxiu felt both ashamed and anxious.
“Uncle, Brother Luo and Qi Ming are in danger because of me. I can’t just leave like this.”
"No, no, Brother You specifically instructed that you must be sent away safely..."
Wang Xiuxiu shook her head, a resolute glint in her eyes: "Uncle, don't worry, I won't act rashly, but I must go back, even if it's just to help secretly, I absolutely cannot just leave!"
Seeing her resolute attitude, Uncle Luo knew that further persuasion would be useless, so he could only sigh.
---
At this moment, a somber atmosphere pervaded the Qi residence.
The veins on Qi's father's forehead throbbed, and the ruler in his hand struck the ground from time to time, producing a dull thud.
The flickering candlelight in the hall illuminated his anxious face.
Qi Ming knelt upright before the ancestral tablets, his back as straight as a pine tree.
There was not a trace of regret on his face; his whole being was filled with stubbornness.
"You unfilial son! You're still not convinced, aren't you?!"
Qi's father abruptly stopped, his ruler pointing sharply at Qi Ming, his voice trembling slightly, "Do you know how much trouble you've caused the family! Who are the Du family now? Do you think we can afford to offend them? You're going against Du Rengou for some unrelated girl! Do you think our Qi family's life is too peaceful?!"
Qi Ming raised his head, his eyes blazing, and looked directly at his father without flinching: "Father, Xiu Xiu isn't an unrelated girl! She was targeted by Du Ren Gou because of me! If it weren't for me, she wouldn't have been targeted by Du Ren Gou! Since it's because of me, I have to save her! I can't just stand by and watch that beast Du Ren Gou defile her!"
"You!" Father Qi trembled with rage, raising the ruler high in his hand but hesitating to bring it down.
Father Qi sighed deeply, and the ruler finally fell limply to the ground. "How can you say it's because of you? It's that Du man who's blinded by lust! It's just that the girl's bad luck! Son, just tell me where she's hiding! Otherwise, the Du family won't let this go!"
"Fine, I won't quit if they don't want to! Do you think I'm afraid of them?!"
"You unfilial son! Do you know that times have changed? The Du family is no longer the same family as ours!" Qi's father's voice was filled with despair. "If the Du family dared to kidnap your classmate from the academy and imprison him today, they might break into our house tomorrow and take you away with them!"
"I'm not afraid!" Qi Ming said, his neck stiff, his eyes still showing unwavering stubbornness.
Upon hearing this, Qi's father staggered back two steps, and the ruler in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud".
"You...you're going to drive me crazy!"
The hall was deathly silent, with only the flickering candlelight illuminating the tense figures of the father and son.
Outside the window, the night was deep and oppressive, making it hard to breathe.
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