Sitting on her familiar bed, Xiang Wan looked around and felt comfortable everywhere. It had only been one night, but she felt like she had been through a lifetime.
After leaving the county government office, she and Xiang Xia were penniless, and the maids Xiao Zhu and Xiao Mei had long since lost their purses. The four of them were transported back by the county government's carriage. The man who had saved Xiang Wan did not appear, but Xiang Wan already knew his identity and thanked him before leaving.
Speaking of Xiaozhu and Xiaomei, Xiang Wan didn't know what to say about them. After waking Xiang Xia, Xiang Wan didn't notice the faces of the remaining women until they entered the county government office and the doctor examined them with acupuncture. Only then did she realize that the two maids had also been drugged by human traffickers.
Xiaozhu and Xiaomei, having survived their ordeal, wept with joy and recounted how they had been abducted.
After they went downstairs with Xiaolan, they didn't pay the bill immediately, because Xiaolan said the pastry shop wasn't far from the restaurant, and they could come back to pay after buying the pastries. After discussing it, the two of them felt that since their young mistress was here, nothing would happen, so they left the restaurant with Xiaolan.
They did buy pastries at first, but the last pastry shop was a bit far, and they wanted to come back early. However, Xiaolan said that taking a shortcut wouldn't take much time. They believed her and followed her down a less crowded alley. When they turned the corner, someone covered their mouth and nose from behind, and after that, they knew nothing more.
Xiao Lan wasn't among those abducted. Xiang Wan figured that since Qin Rong and Xiao Lan had deliberately set a trap, they wouldn't have left any maidservants as evidence. However, when the four of them returned to the mansion, they ran into the Queen Mother summoning the guards to go out and look for them, and Qin Rong and Xiao Lan were also there.
They framed them, and yet they have the audacity to come out and look for them. How can they still have the nerve to stand here?
Xiang Wan was furious. After getting off the carriage, she walked towards Qin Rong, wanting to expose her true colors to her face. Qin Rong was quite the actress. When she saw them, her eyes flickered, and then she put on an anxious look, ran up to her, and kept apologizing, tears streaming down her face.
The Queen Mother snorted coldly, dismissed the crowd, and gestured for the group to return to the living room with her.
After all that commotion, Xiang Wan's face was a little pale. Xiang Xia, Xiao Zhu, and Xiao Mei were a little better off and followed silently behind.
"You guys actually know how to come back? You've got some nerve, now you know how to stay out all night. Have all the rules I taught you gone to the dogs?"
The Queen Mother, though outwardly fierce, was inwardly weak. She slammed her hand on the table, startling Xiang Wan and the others.
“Mother, it’s all Rong’er’s fault. I shouldn’t have taken my two older sisters out. It’s so lively outside, and they probably lost track of time while playing. I promise I will never let them stay out all night again.”
Qin Rong's words were well-chosen. First, she took all the blame upon herself, and then she pointed out that Xiang Wan and Xiang Xia were not returning home at night. Regardless of the truth, once this was confirmed, her reputation would definitely be ruined.
When a woman is unmarried, her reputation is like her chastity; once ruined, there is no way to recover.
When Xiang Wan first arrived here, she didn't pay much attention to things like a woman's reputation. But during her time at the county government office, hearing the gossip of the nearby people made her feel ashamed. Since she was here to survive, she had to abide by the rules of survival here, otherwise she wouldn't even know how she died.
"I have no idea how Sister Rong'er knew all this?"
Xiang Wan knew that Qin Rong must have spoken to the Queen Mother before they returned to the manor, but it wasn't wise to make a sound at this moment. Xiang Wan knew perfectly well what Qin Rong was planning. She probably didn't know why they had returned, shattering her plans, and Qin Rong would definitely offer an explanation for her actions.
Xiang Wan stared at Qin Rong, wondering what kind of flowers she could weave.
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