Chapter 251 The Candy Theft Scandal
In the evening, Xiao Tao had just finished her work.
Taking advantage of the fact that the building hadn't opened for business yet and she had a rare moment of peace, she secretly slipped away to a small corner in the backyard where miscellaneous items were piled up.
She leaned against the cold wall and carefully took out the candy, which had become slightly soft from being warmed by her body heat.
The colorful candy wrappers looked somewhat dull in the dim light, yet they remained the only bright color in her gloomy life.
This sweetness allows her to temporarily forget that she is in hell.
Xiao Ran gave her three candies last time, and this is the last one.
Once it's finished, there won't be any more.
However, perhaps there will be more in the future...
She carefully unwrapped the candy and put the orange-yellow candy with a sweet fruity aroma into her mouth.
Three candies, each with a different flavor.
Yet every single one was equally sweet, because they were given to me by Xiao Ran.
She closed her eyes, savoring this brief and luxurious tranquility.
However, this moment of peace was soon shattered.
"Hey! What delicious treat are you hiding here sneaking around eating?"
A sharp, somewhat sarcastic voice suddenly rang out, startling Xiao Tao so much that she opened her eyes abruptly and hurriedly tried to hide the candy, but it was too late.
A hand snatched the candy wrapper from her hand with lightning speed.
The sharp nails scratched the skin on her hand, leaving a thin trail of blood.
The visitor was Chunxing, the personal maid of Cuiyun, a popular girl in the brothel.
Chunxing, relying on Cuiyun's favor, always acted arrogantly among the maids.
In the past, I had to give Xiao Qiu a hard time because she was the personal maid of the courtesan Hong Xiu.
Now that Hongxiu has escaped, her personal maid Xiaoqiu has also been imprisoned.
Even if Hongxiu comes back in the future, after this experience, her mother will not treat her the same way as before.
From then on, the girls under the peony flower respected Cuiyun as the most important person, and her personal maid naturally rose in rank as well!
So now she cares even less about others.
She had always been jealous of Xiao Tao's looks, and today she finally got a hold of it!
She raised her voice, deliberately making sure that the maids who were hanging clothes to dry nearby could hear her:
"Well, well, Little Peach! I was wondering why a few of the new Western candies that Miss Cuiyun had received were missing! It turns out you, you little rascal, stole them! How dare you hide here and eat them!"
Xiao Tao was struck dumb, her face turning deathly pale instantly, and she hurriedly tried to explain:
"No! No! Sister Chunxing, I didn't steal anything!"
Chunxing scoffed, her face full of disbelief. "Not stolen? Then where did you get it? Look at this candy wrapper, it's clearly the kind from Cuiyun's room! Caught red-handed, and you still dare to deny it! Come on! Come with me to see Mother! See if Mother won't break your hands!"
As he spoke, he stepped forward to pull Xiao Tao away.
The surrounding maids stopped what they were doing and gathered around. Some looked on with sympathy, some watched the spectacle indifferently, and some even joined Chunxing in making a fuss.
"Exactly, look at how poor she is, where would she get the money to buy this kind of candy?"
"It must have been stolen!"
"Shameless!"
Xiaotao was pulled back by Chunxing, causing her to stumble, but she still defended herself: "I didn't... I really didn't steal..."
Chunxing persisted, holding up the candy wrapper: "Caught red-handed, you still dare to deny it!"
The noise from the two quickly alerted the mother, who was in the front hall, upset about Hongxiu's disappearance.
She walked over with a gloomy face, accompanied by several burly old women.
"What's all this noise about! Isn't it chaotic enough already?!" Mom shouted sternly, her gaze sweeping over the two arguing people like knives.
Chunxing immediately jumped in to accuse Xiaotao, adding fuel to the fire by saying that Xiaotao had stolen Western candy from Cuiyun's room and was caught red-handed.
Xiao Tao was speechless with anger, tears welling up in her eyes. She could only repeatedly say, "I didn't steal anything! This candy wasn't stolen!"
The mother was already furious. Hongxiu's escape had caused her great losses, and she had nowhere to vent her anger. Now, seeing Xiaotao caught red-handed, her anger surged even more.
"Good heavens! They've really gone too far! Not one or two of them will behave!" The mother's eyes were icy, her tone harsh.
"You little hussy, you dare to steal in this building? I won't tolerate anyone with dirty hands here! Men, tie her up and drag her out to beat her!"
The two old women stepped forward in response, ready to attack.
Xiao Tao was so frightened that she fell to her knees with a thud, crying and clinging to her mother's leg:
"Mommy! Mommy, have mercy! I didn't steal anything! This candy... this candy really wasn't stolen! It was... it was given to me by Brother Ran from the general store!"
"Xiao Ran?" The mother paused, her brows furrowing as she tried to shake her off.
"Which Xiao Ran? The shop assistant at Jixiang General Store?"
"Yes! It was him! We were old acquaintances. He saw I was all alone that day and gave me some candy. It's true, Mom. I really didn't steal anything!" Xiao Tao nodded repeatedly, as if grasping at the last straw.
Instead of softening, the mother's expression darkened further. She suddenly bent down, grabbed Xiaotao's chin, and forced her to look up, her gaze sharp as a knife.
"He gave it to you? Why would he give you candy for no reason? Tell me! Are you having an affair with him?!"
"I...I didn't..." Xiao Tao trembled with fear at her mother's imposing manner, and stammered incoherently.
Who is Mom? She's spent her whole life in this world of pleasure, and she's long seen through Xiao Tao's thoughts.
She slapped Xiaotao across the face:
"Well, you haven't even learned how to steal things yet, but you've already learned how to steal people! Since you like stealing people so much, it seems you can't stand being alone! Men, hang up her sign tonight and let her start soliciting! With this skill, don't let it go to someone else for nothing!"
Xiao Tao's face flushed red instantly. She was completely stunned, as if struck by lightning, and blurted out something inappropriate:
"No! Mom, I don't want to take customers! Brother Xiaoran... Brother Xiaoran promised to redeem me! Please! Please wait for him!"
These words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky, instantly silencing the surrounding area.
Chunxing and the other maids and servants all showed expressions of surprise.
The word "redemption" is like an obsession for them.
Looking at the entire world of brothels, how many girls can be redeemed before losing their virginity?
Although she had worked in a brothel, her reputation was not good.
But it's enough that your husband knows you're innocent.
Chunxing's jealousy burned even brighter!
She had been in the building for so many years and no one had ever offered to buy her freedom, but Xiao Tao had only been there for a short time before this happened!
She had seen Xiao Ran before; she was pretty and had a scholarly air about her.
Now I work as a shop assistant in a grocery store, and I earn about one tael a month just from my wages.
I heard that he is studying under a scholar, so he will definitely have a better future, and might even pass the imperial examination.
For women of low social status like them, finding such a husband was something they never even dared to dream of.
If Xiao Tao really followed him, wouldn't she become a scholar's wife?
No way! How can I let that scoundrel take advantage of me like this!
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