Having made up his mind, Xu Dongsheng declined the two taels of silver offered by the government for his wages. Without even having time to go to the county school to say goodbye to his father-in-law, he hired a carriage and hurried back to the village.
After entering the village, Xu Dongsheng went straight to Qingshan Xiaozhu.
After the gatekeeper announced the arrival, we waited a while and then saw Zhao Qingyan coming down from the mountain.
"It's so late, what's the matter? Oh, you're wearing a long robe today, have you come to the city?"
Zhao Qingyan circled around Xu Dongsheng and said.
Xu Dongsheng quickly grabbed his fiancée's sleeve, "Sweetie, stop wandering around, I need to talk to you about something important..."
When Zhao Qingyan learned that some of the missing girls resembled her in some way, she felt a chill run down her spine.
Frowning, he pondered what was going on. The only thing he could think of was that Madam Tu had drawn her own portrait and was searching for her all over the streets.
Unable to figure it out, she dragged Xu Dongsheng up the mountain to talk to her grandmother about it, hoping she could analyze it for her.
Mrs. Huang was surprised that Xu Dongsheng was at her house at this time.
After learning what Xu Dongsheng had seen and heard at the county government office that day, he took Xu Dongsheng into the study.
Ask him to make a copy of the portrait he painted today.
Xu Dongsheng truly deserves his reputation for making money by selling calligraphy and paintings; his painting skills are genuinely excellent.
The grandfather and grandson gazed at the portraits, lost in thought.
Xu Dongsheng couldn't figure out why either. Seeing that it was getting late, he quickly said goodbye to Zhao Qingyan and went back.
Zhao Qingyan had intended to escort him to the foot of the mountain, but Xu Dongsheng refused.
“I’ll go down myself. Take me down, but you’ll have to climb back up later.”
It's getting dark. You mustn't leave the village again for a while. I have a feeling that those bad guys are actually targeting you.
This terrifies me. Promise me you won't leave the village, okay? If you're really bored and want to go somewhere, be sure to call me.
Zhao Qingyan nodded and watched Xu Dongsheng descend the mountain.
The gatekeeper locked the main gate again before Zhao Qingyan returned to the living room of the main house.
At this moment, Madam Huang was sitting in the living room waiting for Zhao Qingyan.
"My dear daughter, what do you think of this matter?" Madam Huang asked.
Zhao Qingyan frowned.
"Dongsheng said it was probably aimed at me. What I don't understand is, didn't the Tu family members already leave Qingyang County?"
That young master of the Tu family knows where I live. Even if he's retaliating against me, it's pointless to arrest some unimportant people to vent his anger.
That would be incredibly perverted! Besides, I don't think I've reached that level of charm that makes people unforgettable.
But these missing girls do have many similarities to me, so perhaps the perpetrators were thinking it's better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free.
As she spoke, Zhao Qingyan brought out a small, round mirror, about the size of a palm, from her spatial dimension. Using the dim candlelight in the living room, she looked at her face.
"With my beautiful face, why do I attract so much trouble?"
Zhao Qingyan said, pinching her chin with one hand.
Mrs. Huang was quite helpless when she saw her granddaughter's boastful nature.
"My dear girl, be serious. What time is it? You've been targeted by bad guys, and you're still being vain."
Zhao Qingyan put the mirror away.
"So what if I'm being targeted? What can I do? If I can't fight them off, I'll kill them one by one; if two come, I'll kill them both."
What am I afraid of?
Huang was speechless; upon reflection, it made sense.
"That's right. Try to go out less in the future. If you want to go somewhere, be sure to call Grandma. Grandma will come with you."
Zhao Qingyan nodded in agreement.
"I'm just not sure why those people came to me, and I feel that the possibility of them being from the Tu family is extremely small."
Let me think... I think I know where the problem lies.
As Zhao Qingyan pondered, a sudden inspiration struck her.
Huang quickly asked, "Tell me quickly, where did the problem lie?"
Zhao Qingyan said resentfully,
"Grandma, do you remember what the Tu family said when they brought my portrait to look for me?"
They said I was a runaway slave from their household, a runaway slave who stole a huge sum of silver from their master.
What does this mean? It means I have money. Even if some people are smart enough not to believe it.
But can bad people think the same way as normal people?
They'll wonder how much money I actually have.
If you catch me, not only will you get a lot of money, but my appearance, while not exactly a celestial beauty, is not bad either, right?
It can at least fetch a considerable amount of silver.
This group of bad guys must have seen my portrait.
But my portrait has been removed from the city gate; all that remains is a glimpse of it on the street.
It's impossible to know exactly how much he can remember. He's not a very important person; usually, remembering even one or two facial features is considered good.
So when this group of criminals saw someone similar, they arrested them.
I reckon those girls were either severely tortured or sold. They certainly didn't end up well.
As for those girls who disappear while sleeping at home, there are probably many more.
The first thing that's certain is that the family was drugged. It's either a notorious womanizer or a traitor within the family.
It cannot be denied that the villain must have some skill.
The number of missing girls in the county was increasing daily, and everyone was on edge.
If the criminal commits further crimes, they can easily pin the blame on the group that arrested them and demanded money.
Mrs. Huang nodded as she listened.
"That's possible. If we look at it that way, the perpetrators might be part of several groups, and there might be more to the case than meets the eye in the story of the missing girl."
Zhao Qingyan nodded.
"Grandma, it seems I have to go to the county tomorrow. I can't let those innocent girls suffer because of me."
Mrs. Huang became anxious.
"My dear girl, don't scare your grandma. What can a little girl like you do? If other people encountered something like this, they would have already hidden away obediently."
What if something happens to you? What will Grandma do then?
Zhao Qingyan smiled and stepped forward to comfort Madam Huang.
"Grandma, don't worry, don't you believe in my fighting skills?"
Ordinary people can't beat me. Even if the opponent has high martial arts skills, I still have innate super strength.
Besides, if all else fails, I can hide.
Grandma knows that once I hide, no one can find me, so I can protect myself completely, Grandma, don't worry.
Besides, I don't want this to become a demon in my heart. Anything that arose because of me must be eliminated by me.
Huang was quite helpless. "Alright then, I'll go to the county with you tomorrow."
Zhao Qingyan shook her head.
"Grandma, you don't need to go. I'll have Xu Dongsheng come with me tomorrow."
Grandma, don't forget, besides me, there are several other beautiful girls in the family.
Besides, my second cousin's wife should be giving birth in the next couple of days, right?
Her due date has passed, so I need to ask my second cousin's wife to have a doctor check on her tomorrow. It's not good for the baby to stay in her belly too long.
It's time to go out and see the world.
Zhao Qingyan's witty remarks calmed Huang's tense mood considerably.
"Then when you go out tomorrow, you must take two guards with you," Madam Huang said, still worried.
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