Upon hearing the words "human traffickers," they immediately targeted Qiu Yan, shouting, "Grab that girl!"
As they spoke, two servants approached. One snatched the child, while the other attacked Qiu Yan, trying to subdue her.
The old woman felt a great sense of relief and, taking advantage of the visitor, hurried off to find her wife.
When Li Zheng saw Qiu Yan clashing with outsiders and discovered that it was Qiu Yan who had found Gu Xiaoran, he disregarded his surprise and forcefully whipped the donkey, forcing it to quicken its pace, which drew complaints from those around him.
"You brat, who gave you the audacity to kidnap the lady's child!"
As the first servant approached, Qiu Yan used her left hand to pull Gu Xiaoran closer.
He suddenly turned his body to protect Gu Xiaoran, and with a swift right palm strike, he struck the servant in the chest. Blood spilled from the servant's lips, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.
At the same moment, her right hand was firmly gripped by another servant: "You're courting death! The madam is nearby!"
In an instant, Qiu Yan used the servant's strength to kick him over.
The child is the priority now, so she should be careful; these people might have accomplices.
Otherwise, she might not only fail to save Gu Xiaoran, but also end up getting herself involved.
Gu Xiaoran stopped crying, blinked at the disheveled state of these people, and smiled through her tears.
"You brat, how can you still laugh at a time like this!" What kind of father could raise such a heartless child?
Just then, Li Zheng arrived. He had witnessed the entire process of Qiu Yan rescuing Gu Xiaoran.
Is the girl in front of him really Qiu Yan? Li Zheng had some doubts.
Qiu Yan may appear frail and unskilled in martial arts, but judging from her moves, she is no less fast or agile than any man.
"How dare you cause trouble here!" Just then, a noblewoman of about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, with a dignified and elegant appearance, walked over, accompanied by the old woman from before.
Seeing her servants beaten to a pulp, the noblewoman's imposing manner softened somewhat. "Why did you take my child away?"
Gu Xiaoran was gripped by fear once again. He clung tightly to Qiu Yan's neck, terrified that the woman would take him away again.
“I’m not your child, my mother is right here.” He said in a childish voice, once again using Qiu Yan as a shield.
After he finished speaking, he didn't forget to glance at Qiu Yan.
Gu Xiaoran's cleverness made Li Zheng chuckle. Seeing that Gu Xiaoran was safe and sound, he felt much more relaxed.
How could this be? The girl in front of her was actually the mother of this brat? After her initial surprise, the noblewoman was both ashamed and angry, and a hint of unease appeared on her face.
She didn't know the child's origins, but she had bought the child at a high price.
"You two thieves, how dare you snatch my child in broad daylight! This is outrageous!"
She looked at the two servants who had already stood up, "Take them with you!"
The two servants glanced at Li Zheng timidly, somewhat fearful.
If the girl in front of them was so formidable, the man beside her must be no pushover either. Nevertheless, they obeyed their mistress's orders and stepped forward to apprehend him.
However, they were no match for Li Zheng. Before they could even make a move, Li Zheng swiftly knocked them to the ground with two quick moves, leaving them groaning in pain.
"You say this child is yours? Do you have any proof? Do you dare to confront me in court!" Li Zheng was cold, and his voice was even colder.
Upon hearing about the confrontation in court, the noblewoman hesitated. It wasn't for any particular reason; she felt ashamed. What kind of situation was this?
The man in front of her looked like he had killed someone; he exuded a murderous aura, and she didn't want to offend him.
That's right, she mistook Li Zheng and Qiu Yan for an older man and a younger woman, and thought that the girl who was called "mother" by the bratty child must be a second wife.
The noblewoman's husband had died early, and she had hoped to raise a child to relieve her loneliness, but unexpectedly, the child's biological mother came looking for her.
How could someone of her status possibly confront two villagers in court over something like this?
Furthermore, she was unsure of herself; if she lost the case, she would lose face big time.
But this child is so cute and adorable, she really likes him.
That's it, she has no chance with this child.
She glared at Gu Xiaoran, "You brat, you eat and drink well at my house, but now you're so hostile towards me. I've raised you for nothing these past few days, you're such an ungrateful wretch!"
She gave Gu Xiaoran one last reproachful look, "Let's go!"
From the moment the noble lady arrived, Qiu Yan could tell that this person was a buyer, not a human trafficker.
She had been thinking that if they went to court and the magistrate made them pay to ransom the people, all the money she and Li Zheng had wouldn't be enough.
Now it seems that things are much simpler.
The old woman was unwilling to accept it. "Madam, are you really leaving like this?"
The lady glanced at the crowd around her and said, "Isn't this embarrassing enough already!" With that, she flicked her sleeves and walked away.
Once the people around understood what had happened, they realized they had wronged the girl in front of them. They couldn't help but feel apologetic and scattered like birds.
Soon, everything returned to calm.
Li Zheng started driving again, and the three of them began their journey back to the village.
Qiu Yan finally calmed down and asked Gu Xiaoran what had happened.
"Xiao Ran, tell me, what exactly happened?"
Gu Xiaoran tilted her dirty little head and timidly glanced at Li Zheng, only to meet his gaze. She then lowered her head weakly.
My master looks terrifying; he even fought with his father last time.
"Dad went downstairs to buy food, leaving me at the inn. I was hungry, so I went out to look for him and got lost..."
How could you leave a three-year-old child alone at an inn? What a careless father!
Qiu Yan tidied Gu Xiaoran's messy hair and listened attentively to Gu Xiaoran's ordeal. "Let's see if you dare to run around recklessly again. And then what?"
"Then an uncle came over and said he would take me to find my father. I didn't know him and refused to go with him, but he wouldn't listen to me and insisted on taking me to find my father..."
Qiu Yan felt that three-year-old Gu Xiaoran wasn't stupid, but she was too young and lacked the ability to protect herself.
"Later, he took me to a dark room. There were many children in the dark room. The bad uncle beat them, and he beat me too..."
Gu Xiaoran recounted her experiences, becoming increasingly aggrieved as she spoke.
"They took me to a very far place..."
Hearing this, Qiu Yan was puzzled. "How did we end up in Baiyang again?"
"Where is Baiyang? I don't know either. Anyway, I rode in a carriage all day, and my butt was killing me... I saw you then, but you disappeared in the blink of an eye..."
Gu Xiaoran spoke intermittently, but Qiu Yan only caught the gist of what she said.
It seems that Gu Xiaoran was transported to another place by human traffickers, and then sold back to Baiyang after going through many twists and turns.
Li Zheng didn't say a word to Gu Xiaoran from beginning to end, only looking straight ahead and driving the donkey cart, afraid that there would be pursuers behind him.
Fortunately, the rest of the journey went smoothly, and they arrived home safely without any major incidents.
When Qiu Ling'er saw Gu Xiaoran covered in dirt, she was both surprised and delighted. She was surprised that Gu Xiaoran had come back with her sister, but delighted that Gu Xiaoran had been found.
The same applies to the Ye family.
Li Zheng still didn't say another word to Gu Xiaoran, but he couldn't just ignore the child.
He frowned, picked up the child with one hand, and went to the stream to give the little rascal a good wash.
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