Chapter 88 A Group of Bad Guys 1
It was precisely because Xie Wanniang had brought Xie Daoheng so many surprises and unexpected events that Xie Daoheng, despite searching for Xie Wanniang in vain, was still unwilling to hold a funeral for her or erect a cenotaph as some members of the clan had advised.
He wrote letters to his relatives, friends, and classmates living along the Tang River and in the surrounding villages, towns, and counties, asking them to keep an eye out for him.
The person Xie Wanniang and Jiang Yuan had casually helped when they stayed at the inn was one of his classmates who had received his letter.
The two did not interact frequently. In the more than ten years since Xie Wanniang returned to Xiejia Village, that man had only visited the Xie family three times. This is why he did not recognize Xie Wanniang at first glance.
But after returning home safely, the man immediately wrote a letter to Xie Daoheng, telling him everything about his accidental encounter with Xie Wanniang.
After receiving the letter from his classmate, Xie Daoheng secretly sent several reliable and discreet younger members of the clan to inquire about Xie Wanniang's whereabouts.
He didn't make a big fuss about it or search for her in a big way for two reasons. First, he had already learned from his classmates that Xie Wanniang was currently in a pretty good situation. At the very least, she was well-fed and clothed and had freedom of movement. Second, he didn't want Xie Wanniang to be pushed into the fire pit of the Nanyang Prince's Mansion by his muddle-headed sister.
To ensure that the news wouldn't leak out and that the Nanyang Prince's family wouldn't come looking for him again, he even refrained from asking someone at the county government to check the household registration records.
He thought that he would hear news about Xie Wanniang again from the clansmen he had sent out, but unexpectedly, his wife and daughter discovered Xie Wanniang visiting the lantern festival.
"I understand about this matter. I will handle the follow-up. You can go back and continue watching the lanterns." After giving his wife these instructions, Xie Daoheng personally escorted Madam Hu to the door of the women's private room.
After receiving his words, Madam Hu nodded and went back to entertain the women of the clan as instructed.
She was an adoptive mother, not a biological mother, and her feelings for Xie Wanniang were far less profound than those for her own biological daughter.
In addition, although Xie Wanniang's mother had left the child to be raised by her own brother and sister-in-law, she still wanted to make her own decisions on important matters. Hu Shi did not want to have any conflicts with her, so she naturally paid more and more attention to her behavior when it came to Xie Wanniang.
She would not withhold any of the treatment Xie Wanniang was entitled to, and as her aunt and foster mother, she would also pay attention to Xie Wanniang's health and academic progress.
Now that Xie Wanniang has disappeared, she will rush out to tell Xie Daoheng as soon as she gets news about Xie Wanniang. But she cannot be tormented day and night because of Xie Wanniang's disappearance, nor can she be overjoyed because Xie Wanniang has been found.
Fortunately, her husband never asked her to treat Xie Wanniang as his own daughter, and the couple never had any disagreements about Xie Wanniang.
After sending Madam Hu back, Xie Daoheng called over the old steward who had just come out of the private room with him and was now standing to the side waiting for instructions, "You go..."
He gave these instructions, and the old butler nodded in agreement before quietly going downstairs.
Unaware that she had been exposed, Xie Wanniang was standing below the stage, watching the scholars and talented women on stage guessing riddles with great interest.
Hao Yu and Jiang Yuan weren't interested in any of this, while Xiao Yang listened without understanding a word and had no idea what the people on stage were talking about.
The three of them simultaneously focused their attention on the lanterns that were being hung up as prizes.
They watched the lanterns, while Xie Wanniang watched the energetic young people competing in a riddle-guessing game (peacock spreading its tail). The four of them were enjoying themselves, and none of them mentioned leaving.
However, the Xie clan members that Xie Daoheng sent his old steward to look for still couldn't find Xie Wanniang and the others at tonight's lantern festival.
The large number of people looking at the lanterns is only one aspect; on the other hand, thieves, kidnappers, and thugs tend to become more active during such special times.
Although the county government also sent out yamen runners to patrol the streets, the number of yamen runners was ultimately limited, and their small number simply couldn't keep an eye on such a large area.
Perhaps it was because Xie Wanniang had shown her face at the mask stall, or perhaps it was because of her slender figure and cloud-like hair that people thought she was probably a beauty even though they couldn't see her face. In any case, while she was watching others compete to guess lantern riddles, she was also targeted by a young man with ulterior motives.
The man mingled in the crowd, and whenever he saw a woman he liked, he would squeeze next to her, hoping to take advantage of the surging crowd.
He rarely had a chance to take advantage of young women who were protected by elders or brothers, but he could take advantage of the chaos to do something to those who accidentally got separated from their families.
With this in mind, he kept looking around the crowd with a furtive and shifty expression, searching for a suitable candidate.
Xie Wanniang was targeted by him at this time. Although she was not alone, she kept a proper distance from Jiang Yuan and Hao Yu because she was not related to them by blood.
In addition, she was quite skilled and carried some medicinal powder with her, so Jiang Yuan and Hao Yu didn't keep a close eye on her. Instead, they only used the corner of their eyes to see if she was following them.
The scoundrel observed Xie Wanniang for a while and noticed that she was watching the young men and women on the stage guessing riddles with great interest. She not only did not actively communicate with anyone, but no one also turned to look at her or talk to her. He immediately became excited.
After struggling through the crowd, he arrived at Xie Wanniang's side. The thug pretended to lose his balance and leaned to the side, about to fall on Xie Wanniang.
At that very moment, Xie Wanniang swiftly stepped to the side and stood perfectly in front of Jiang Yuan.
The young man who wanted to take advantage of her was tripped by Jiang Yuan and fell to the ground.
With a thud, he fell face down, startling everyone else who was standing around Xie Wanniang, who all turned to him with bewildered and intense gazes.
The man cried out in pain, grimacing as he staggered to his feet.
He was looking for trouble and trying to extort money from Xie Wanniang, but before he could even open his mouth, Jiang Yuan and Hao Yu's cold gazes silenced his foul mouth.
Only then did the man belatedly realize—so these two grown men came with this girl?
He gave an embarrassed smile, slunk out of the crowd, and planned to slip away as fast as he could.
However, Xie Wanniang had no intention of letting him off so easily. Since this scumbag dared to make a move on her, he would certainly dare to make a move on other girls as well.
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