Chapter 656 Stopped on the Road
Mianmian and Aruo rode in a carriage towards the neighboring county.
It takes at least two hours to get from Linxian to Zhuocheng'an County, but if the carriage travels fast, it only takes a little over an hour.
Mianmian pulled back the carriage curtain, looked at the scenery outside, and smiled broadly.
Although the capital city is nice, it doesn't offer the same comfort as being outside the palace.
She leaned against the window, and couldn't help but reminisce about her childhood.
Back then, she and Xiao Qing'er lived carefree lives, causing trouble every day without anyone interfering.
Unfortunately, the two are now in different positions and each has their own difficulties.
Mianmian pulled herself out of her thoughts, lowered the carriage curtain, and leaned against the carriage to take a nap.
After an unknown amount of time, the carriage suddenly stopped.
Mianmian slightly opened her eyes and sat up: "Have we arrived?"
Aruo got up, pulled back the carriage curtain, and looked outside. "We haven't arrived yet. You rest first, I'll go check."
He strode down from the carriage and saw a bridal sedan chair parked in front of him.
This bridal sedan chair was different from those of ordinary families; it was a small red sedan chair carried by only two people, with a plump matchmaker standing beside it.
The matchmaker waved her fan and said with a smile, "Young master, we are a wedding procession, please make way."
Aruo glanced at them, then turned to return to the carriage.
"Mianmian, there's a wedding procession ahead, I need to make way."
Mianmian heard the noise from inside the carriage, poked her head out, saw the big red sedan chair, and was about to respond with a smile.
At this moment, the bright red sedan chair suddenly began to shake.
The sound of a woman crying could be heard coming from inside.
Just as Mianmian was about to get back into the carriage, she heard something was wrong.
She said to the matchmaker, "The bride in your sedan chair seems to have something to say."
The matchmaker's expression changed drastically, and she bent down and whispered a few words into the sedan chair.
The bridal sedan chair immediately fell silent.
The matchmaker, having just been displeased, waved the handkerchief in her hand, her face contorted with grime, and smiled so wide her eyes narrowed into slits. "My young lady is a little nervous about her wedding today, but I've calmed her down now. Please make way, both of you."
Mianmian frowned slightly, stared at the bright red sedan chair for a moment, then turned her head and called to Aruo, "Let's get in the carriage."
Aruo followed behind her, secretly glancing at the bridal sedan chair.
Just as Mianmian was about to get into the carriage, the large red sedan chair suddenly collapsed with a thud.
Mianmian quickly turned around to look.
The bright red sedan chair overturned, and a woman in a red wedding dress struggled to crawl toward Mianmian.
Her hands and feet were bound with ropes, and her mouth was stuffed with a rag, so she couldn't speak at all.
Mianmian was shocked. "This isn't a wedding procession, it's a kidnapping of a young woman!"
The matchmaker hurriedly came over and shielded the bride on the ground behind her. "No, no, it's a proper marriage, but this girl is mentally ill. Her parents had no choice but to tie her up and put her in the bridal sedan chair."
Mianmian clearly didn't believe it. The woman was beautiful, and her clear eyes were full of tears. She didn't seem like a fool.
"I see." She pretended to believe the matchmaker and slowly walked up to the bride.
Although the bride had something stuffed in her mouth, upon closer inspection, it looked somewhat familiar.
Two sedan chair bearers strode forward, trying to pull Mianmian away.
Aruo, holding a long sword, shielded Mianmian behind him, saying, "Don't touch her, or I'll kill you both right here."
The matchmaker, being just a villager, had never seen anything like real swords before. She took a few steps back in fright and said in a trembling voice, "Young master, we are just people escorting the bride. This girl is really crazy. If we don't tie her up, she will not only run away but also hurt people."
The bride on the ground stared intently at Mianmian, shifting her body as she made muffled noises from her throat.
Mianmian sensed something was off about her expression and walked closer to her.
Aruo stopped her, "Be careful."
Mianmian raised her hand and gently grasped his wrist, smiling as she said, "Don't worry, nothing will happen."
After she finished speaking, she removed Aruo's hand, walked to the bride's side, squatted down, and swiftly removed the thing from her mouth with a wave of her hand.
As if she had found a lifeline, the bride cried out with all her might, "Mianmian! It's me! Help me! Mianmian!"
Mianmian and Aruo were both taken aback.
The bride knew Mianmian.
"You know me?" Mianmian asked in surprise.
The matchmaker strode over and said, "Young lady, as I told you, she's crazy. She doesn't know you at all. She probably just heard this young man call your name."
After hearing this, Mianmian also began to have doubts.
The bride struggled to say, "No, she's talking nonsense. I'm not crazy at all. Mianmian is me! Have you forgotten? My older brother and I used to ask you for money in the alley, have you forgotten?!"
Mianmian thought about it carefully in her mind, then was shocked, "You're Aunt Wei's daughter?"
The bride nodded emphatically.
The matchmaker's face was full of anxiety, but she was still trying to argue, "Girl, she really is crazy, you mustn't believe her."
The bride's face was full of anger as she yelled at the matchmaker, "Mianmian, she's a liar! They tied me up and wanted to hand me over to an old rich man in the next village!"
“You’re the liar!” the matchmaker retorted.
Aruo raised his longsword and pointed it at her, "Tell me, what exactly happened?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
