Chapter 269 The Words Left by Hongxiu
The woodshed was quiet; the pimp who was guarding it had probably gone to find a place to slack off and take a nap.
Xiao Tao held her breath, leaned closer to the dilapidated wooden door, and peered inside through the crack in the door panel.
The room was dimly lit, and only a figure could be vaguely seen huddled in a pile of grass in the corner.
Her haggard appearance bore no resemblance to the courtesan's personal maid of yesteryear.
Xiao Tao lowered her voice, gently knocked on the door, and called out, "Sister Xiao Qiu? Sister Xiao Qiu, is that you?"
The figure inside stirred, slowly raising its head to reveal a pale and haggard face.
Xiao Qiu stared blankly at the doorway.
"Who are you?" Her voice was hoarse and dry.
"Sister Xiaoqiu, it's me, Xiaotao." Xiaotao responded in a low voice while cautiously looking around.
Xiao Qiu frowned and thought about it carefully.
It turned out to be Xiao Tao, the little maid I'd only met a few times.
"What are you doing here?" He had no connection with her, so what was she doing here?
"I was asked to come and see you."
Xiao Qiu's gaze did not soften in the slightest; instead, it grew even more suspicious and fearful.
"Your mother sent you? I already told you, I really had no idea."
Ever since Hongxiu disappeared, she has been locked in this woodshed. Her mother believes that she helped Hongxiu escape.
In the first few days, her mother tortured her a lot in order to force her to reveal Hongxiu's whereabouts.
Gradually, her mother seemed to have given up on her, and hadn't come to see her for the past few days.
Only the pimps come to deliver food every day.
"I'm not..." Xiao Tao knew that empty words were not enough to convince anyone.
She took a deep breath and carefully took something out of her bosom.
It was a white jade pendant of excellent quality, tied with a red cord, and carved in the shape of a crescent moon.
She slipped the jade pendant under the door.
"Sister Xiaoqiu, look at this."
Xiao Qiu looked at the jade pendant that had rolled to the edge of the haystack with a puzzled expression. At first, she didn't pay much attention to it, but when she saw the style of the jade pendant by the dim light coming through the crack in the door, her eyes widened suddenly!
She recognized the jade pendant!
She picked it out with Hongxiu when they went shopping before the New Year.
Originally, they were a pair; the two crescent moons together form a full moon, symbolizing reunion.
The girl said it had a good meaning, so she bought it.
Xiao Qiu thought she was going to give it to Young Master Fang. When she visited the general store before the New Year, the girl gave one of the coins to Miss Jiang.
The girl smiled and said, "These pendants, one for you and one for me, will symbolize our reunion wherever we go."
Xiao Qiu staggered to her feet. She hadn't eaten a proper meal in over ten days, and she was completely weak. Her legs gave way after only two steps.
She half-knelt and half-crawled to the door, picked up the jade pendant, and sure enough, it was the one she had given to Miss Jiang.
She looked up at Xiao Tao's blurry figure through the crack in the door and lowered her voice:
"This...this was sent by Miss Jiang?"
"Yes!" Xiao Tao felt a little relieved when she saw that she recognized the token. She kept looking left and right, afraid that someone would pass by.
He quickly said,
"Miss Jiang is very worried about Sister Hongxiu. She wants to know where Sister Hongxiu went and whether she encountered any danger. Sister Xiaoqiu, you must know something. Please tell me!"
"Sister Jiang said she will definitely find a chance to rescue you."
Xiao Qiu remained silent, as if considering whether or not to speak.
Xiao Tao couldn't help but urge, "Sister Xiao Qiu, stop thinking about it. I don't have that much time. If someone finds out, I won't be able to escape."
Xiao Qiu gripped the jade pendant tightly, as if making a difficult decision.
She choked back tears, speaking haltingly in a low voice, each word seemingly uttered with all her might:
“The girl…the girl left on her own…that night, she saw…she saw someone…”
"Who did you see?" Xiao Tao's heart jumped.
Xiao Qiu shook her head, tears streaming down her face: "I...I didn't see her face clearly...The young lady told me to stand guard outside the door...I only vaguely saw a person wearing a dark cloak, not very tall...They spoke in low voices, but I heard the young lady crying...I was very sad and scared..."
"Later, that person left... The girl was absent-minded all night, and she talked to me a lot... I knew she was going to leave..."
Actually, Hongxiu had asked her to go with her that night, but she knew that the trip was fraught with danger and that she couldn't persuade Hongxiu otherwise.
But in the end, she didn't have the courage to survive in a foreign land.
She was sold to Peony Garden when she was three years old, and all her parents and relatives died.
Once she was out of the peony garden, she didn't know where else she could go.
"Did she say where she was going?" Xiao Tao asked anxiously.
Xiao Qiu shook her head again: "The young lady didn't say... but she left a message for Miss Jiang, saying that Miss Jiang would definitely send someone to look for her. She guessed right..."
"What message did you leave?" Xiao Tao asked in a low voice.
"The young lady said... if Miss Jiang asks, she should say she went to find that scoundrel. She knows this journey is fraught with danger and is extremely foolish. If she disappears without a trace, please don't grieve, sister. If I ever see you again in my lifetime, I will do everything in my power to repay you..."
Xiao Tao focused her mind and memorized those words.
"Anything else? Sister Xiaoqiu, are there any other clues? For example, what are the characteristics of the person who came looking for her? Or does Sister Hongxiu usually associate with any special people?" Xiaotao asked quickly.
Xiaoqiu tried hard to recall, but finally shook her head: "It was dark that night... I couldn't see clearly..."
Just then, the faint sounds of footsteps and voices could be heard in the distance, as if the lazy pimp had returned!
Xiao Tao's heart tightened; she knew she couldn't stay any longer.
"Sister Xiaoqiu, I'm leaving! Take care! Miss Jiang will definitely find a solution as soon as possible!"
Xiao Tao finished speaking quickly, glanced one last time at Xiao Qiu inside the door, then immediately crouched down and quietly retreated along the way she had come.
She found out the news.
Although it's not complete yet, it at least confirms that Sister Hongxiu left voluntarily.
Xiao Tao's heart was still pounding. The pimp was following the route she had come from, which prevented her from returning the way she came. She had no choice but to carefully feel her way towards the back door.
If she manages to get out of the back door successfully, her perilous investigation will be more than half successful.
However, just as she was about to reach the small, dark door leading to freedom, a rough, hoarse voice sounded behind her:
"Stop! What are you doing, sneaking around like that?"
Xiao Tao froze, then slowly turned around. She saw Erhu, the cunning servant, standing with his hands on his hips, glancing at her with scrutiny and his usual disdain.
"Tiger...Brother Tiger," Xiao Tao tried to suppress her panic and forced a timid smile.
"I...I just came from my mother's place and I'm about to go back."
Erhu took a few steps closer, looking her up and down with a suspicious look in his eyes: "You came from Mom's? I didn't see you coming from the main courtyard. Where did you go just now?"
His gaze swept over Xiao Tao's slightly rapid breathing and the dusty hem of her skirt.
Xiao Tao's heart skipped a beat; she knew she couldn't panic.
"I...I had a really bad stomachache just now, and I couldn't hold it in anymore, so I went to the outhouse...and that's when I came out..."
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