Chapter 1
There were two maids in the servant's room of Zhao's Money House, one was busy tidying up things, and the other was sitting there daydreaming.
"Come back to your senses. It's your turn to clean the accounting office today. Go quickly, don't be late." Xiao Tao patted Xiao Xing who was in a daze, and watched her come back to her senses before she left, looking back every few steps. Before leaving, she reminded him: "Be careful, don't make any mistakes, or you will be punished again."
"Okay." She responded instinctively, but in fact she didn't hear it in her heart at all, it just went from the left ear to the right ear.
Xiao Xing didn't stand up until Xiao Tao's figure completely disappeared. She rushed to the accounting office without stopping. However, she slowed down unconsciously after running a few steps and began to have wild thoughts. As a newly graduated student majoring in finance, Lin Xing had never committed any crime and never spit anywhere. Who could tell her why she had traveled through time?
Thinking of the moment when she was absorbed in thought, Lin Xing sighed deeply. Before she could breathe back in, she realized that she seemed to have stepped on a soft strip of object.
I was shocked and looked down, and it turned out to be a white snake!
Lin Xing quickly stepped back, wanting to scream but not daring to, for fear of disturbing others and being punished. The snake was disturbed and stood up, staring at her with its vertical pupils, but it had no intention of attacking. After a long time, it leisurely left, and she finally put her heart at ease.
After a pause, Lin Xing seemed to come back to life and said with emotion: "Oh my god! What era is this? The ecological environment is so good, and there are still wild white snakes?"
When she regained consciousness, Lin Xing remembered that she still had to clean the accounting office. This little episode delayed her for some time, so she had to leave in a hurry, the fallen leaves rustling under her quick steps.
A man was standing not far away and heard everything she said. His tall figure was completely blocked by the thick ginkgo trees of the bank, and the white snake was coiled docilely at his feet.
Lin Xing didn't take this matter to heart. After finishing her part as usual, she returned to her bedroom and sat in a daze.
Before she knew it, the sun was setting, leaving only the last ray of sunlight unwilling to leave through the crack in the door. Before she noticed, Xiao Tao had walked up to her, gently smoothed her frown, and said, "We have known each other for many years, but I didn't know you liked frowning so much. Do you like me more? Or do you like frowning more?"
The joking words brought Lin Xing out of her complicated thoughts. She smiled, held Xiao Tao's naughty hand, and glared at her in reproach.
"Smile, smile, that's all." Xiao Tao achieved her goal, went back to her bed, and took out the purse that was under her pillow. She looked at the purse and seemed to remember something. She asked Xiao Xing, "I remember you often took out your purse to check it before, but I haven't seen you take it out these days."
Lin Xing's heart trembled, but she didn't show it on her face. She replied calmly: "The copper coins won't increase as you count them. I can use this time to do some more work."
"That makes sense. This way we can get our indentures back faster. One day, you and I will open a restaurant and we will be together forever."
These words made Lin Xing feel fortunate in her heart. They were both orphans, working together in this money house and depending on each other for survival. Xiaotao might not be able to accept the news that the real Xiaoxing has disappeared.
The last ray of sunlight was taken away and the bell rang, signaling mealtime. At this time, the money house was locked and only some maids and servants were left. The two of them came out late, so they were the only ones left on the quiet path.
The wind blew up the fallen leaves on the ground, and the yard became lively. Xiaotao was frightened and grabbed Xiaoxing's clothes tightly.
Xiao Xinghui held her hand and comforted her silently. In the shadows, the white snake seemed to appear in front of her, but when she got there, there was nothing.
The door of a room suddenly opened, and the bustling house fell silent for a moment. Someone shouted, "Oh, why did the door blow open again?"
The atmosphere returned to normal. The person closest to the door stood up and closed it, but a hand reached in through the crack in the door. She was stunned for a moment, then looked up and smiled with relief, "Xiao Tao? Why are you so late?"
Everyone in the room naturally noticed the commotion here. A maid in the distance waved to them, "Come quickly, there's a seat reserved for you."
After nodding, the two sat in their seats. The food was already on the table, exactly the same as before. As soon as the two sat down, the maid next to them came over to talk to them.
"Just now the manager told us to be more obedient recently, saying that some inspector is coming to our bank."
Xiao Tao glanced at Xiao Xing and replied, "There are so many banks in the world, why did you choose ours?"
"Have you forgotten that our bank is the best bank, even better than the national treasury?"
Everyone burst into laughter and no one pursued the issue any further.
Based on the principle that the more you talk, the more mistakes you make, Lin Xing tried to speak less. I thought the plan was perfect, but after returning to the house, Xiao Tao suddenly asked: "Are you hiding something from me?"
Lin Xing instinctively wanted to shake her head, but Xiao Tao spoke first: "Don't say no, don't shake your head."
This made Lin Xing speechless. She was silent for a while. "I don't know how to start. You just need to know that I will always be Xiao Xing."
Xiao Xing stopped talking and packed her things silently. Xiao Tao just looked at her quietly.
When it was almost time to turn off the lights, Xiaotao suddenly walked out and specifically asked Xiaoxing not to look for her. Although she was confused, Xiao Xing did not chase after her, for fear that Xiao Tao would be angry with her again.
Even until the moonlight filled the ground, no figure appeared. Xiao Xing couldn't hold on any longer and fell asleep. Before going to bed, she decided to confess to Xiao Tao the next day.
The rooster crowed and Xiao Xing was woken up in the house. She got out of bed and looked for Xiaotao, but all she saw was neatly laid out bedding and a note on it.
"I've gone to clean the accounting office. I left early without calling you. You should go to work quickly. Remember to be less soft-tempered in the future so as not to be bullied. And eat well."
Xiao Xing smiled and shook her head, silently retorting in her heart that she was not a soft person and she was just pretending to be like this to avoid being exposed.
I ate and worked as usual. It was strange that I didn't see Xiaotao for a whole day. However, in Xiao Xing's memory, similar situations have occurred from time to time before, so she didn't take it too seriously.
But in the evening, Xiao Tao had not come back yet. I thought that there was too much work in the accounting office and Xiao Tao had not finished it yet. Lin Xing paced anxiously in the room, and the moon was jumping in the clouds. Finally, she decided to look for Xiaotao, after all, Xiaotao was most afraid of the dark.
But as soon as I went out, I heard the manager's voice coming from afar. It didn't sound clear, but it seemed like he was asking everyone to gather in the front yard. The manager was in a hurry, and for a while the backyard was filled with the sound of chaotic footsteps. Xiao Xing thought she could find Xiao Tao there too, so she decided to go to the front yard first.
She deliberately slowed down her pace and paid attention to Xiaotao's figure. Countless people passed by Xiaoxing, but Xiaotao was not one of them. An ominous premonition emerged and she unconsciously quickened her pace.
Closer and closer, she could see the manager's figure; but it was not enough, she had to get closer and closer. Xiao Xing squeezed to the front and finally saw the scene clearly. She was stunned where she was.
In the center of the crowd there is not only the person in charge, but also another person—Xiao Tao! Xiao Tao was kneeling beside the steward with her hands tied behind her back and her clothes in disarray. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that she had been tortured.
More and more people came, and the discussions became louder and louder. But there was only a buzzing sound in Xiao Xing's ears. All she could do was to look at Xiao Tao silently. What made her even more devastated was that she couldn't understand the emotions in Xiao Tao's eyes.
Xiao Xing didn't care about anything else. She only knew that her good friend was being bullied, and except for her, no one would dare to stand up for Xiao Tao.
"Why did you treat Xiao Tao like this? What did she do wrong? Please explain clearly." After these words were spoken, everyone fell silent. The people next to Xiao Xing didn't expect her to be so courageous, and hurriedly pulled her clothes, hoping that she would be careful with her words.
For one second, two seconds, the steward stared at Xiao Xing, and suddenly he laughed out loud, as if he heard a joke. Finally he had laughed enough, he looked at Xiao Xing and said word by word: "Explicit? Who do you think you are? And who is she? You are just a bunch of slaves, I can kill you if I want."
"Please explain clearly!"
Xiao Xing did not back down, but just repeated this sentence stubbornly and looked at the manager stubbornly.
The manager slapped Xiao Xing in the face, but Xiao Xing stood there motionless, looking at him stubbornly. He wanted to hit her again, but the person next to Xiao Xing knelt down and pleaded for her. She kowtowed until she started bleeding.
Xiao Xing tried to pull her, hoping that she would stop begging for mercy, but she failed. There was no choice but Xiao Xing knelt down with her.
Seeing this, the steward asked the two of them to stand up, looked at Xiao Tao and said coldly: "Don't you want to know what she did wrong? I'll let her speak for herself."
Xiao Xing stopped staring at the manager and turned to Xiao Tao.
Xiao Tao lowered her head and said in a hoarse voice: "I stole the bank's account book and hid the banknotes. I deserve to die."
Although the voice was small, it made everyone's heart tremble. No one spoke, and the front yard fell into dead silence.
The manager was very satisfied with the current situation and nodded with a smile. His eyes swept across everyone's faces one by one, finally looking at Xiao Xing, who was still as stubborn as before.
"I'm here today for this matter. I'm sure everyone has seen what Xiao Tao looks like now, right? If someone does something dirty again in the future, it won't be this simple anymore."
"And you, Xiao Xing, should have been implicated, but Xiao Tao pleaded for you, so I'll let you go this time. You'd better be obedient."
"Where's the evidence? Words are not enough, facts are the proof."
Xiao Xing didn't believe this statement. She felt that Xiao Tao was being tortured into confessing. She knew exactly what kind of person Xiaotao was.
The manager took out a bunch of letter paper and threw it in Xiao Xing's face. "Here is the evidence. Xiao Tao sent every penny she stole to her distant relatives and asked them to keep it for safekeeping. Every word on the paper is irrefutable evidence. Don't you believe it?"
"Xiao Tao simply..."
"That's enough, Xiao Xing. Go back and rest, and remember to take care of yourself."
Xiao Xing was about to refute the manager's words when she was interrupted by Xiao Tao. She looked at Xiao Tao in disbelief, only to see Xiao Tao shaking her head.
The manager didn't give Xiao Xing any chance to speak. He glared at her and dragged Xiao Tao away. Everyone dispersed, and Xiao Xing was pulled back to the dormitory by the people around her.
On the way back to the dormitory, Xiao Xing looked at the injured forehead of the person next to her, and thought of Xiao Tao who was taken away, and felt powerless.
"I'm sorry to have troubled you. There's some ointment in the bedroom. I'll give it to you later."
"What do you mean by implicate or not? We grew up together and this is nothing. But I never expected that you, with your glutinous personality, would say what you said today."
There was a brief pause followed by a long sigh.
"It's better this way. I don't have to worry about being bullied."
Both of them thought of Xiaotao, and no one spoke for a while.
As they were about to reach Xiao Xing's bedroom, the girl said, "Go to bed early. Don't take the ointment. I have some."
"Okay, you too."
She watched Xiao Xing go into the house and close the door before leaving. After entering the house, Xiao Xing leaned against the door until the night deepened. She wants to go find Xiaotao, but this is definitely not what Xiaotao really says, there must be some other hidden story behind it.
He opened the door quietly and left, heading for the woodshed. When she was young, Xiao Xing accidentally broke a dragon-ear vase, so the manager locked her up in the woodshed for two days and did not allow her to eat. It was only because Xiaotao secretly came to bring her food that she felt less miserable.
Thinking of this, Xiao Xing's pace quickened a lot. She thought silently in her heart: "Xiao Tao, you must wait for me."
Perhaps it was because the night was too quiet, she always felt that someone was following her. When she turned around, she couldn't find anyone, so she could only silently quicken her pace, hoping to get rid of the person behind her.
When they arrived at the woodshed, Xiao Xing pushed the door first, but it wouldn't open, as expected. But this also confirms that Xiaotao is inside. She secretly came to the window and called Xiaotao's name softly, but no one answered.
Xiao Xing stood up and looked at the window, and unexpectedly found that the window was not closed tightly. She pushed it gently and it opened. Before she could be happy, she saw the dead body hanging from the beam.
Xiaotao committed suicide.
Xiao Xing covered her mouth to prevent herself from making any sound, she still had a glimmer of hope in her heart. What if this person is not Xiaotao?
A breeze blew in through the window and blew the hair of the corpse up. Xiao Xing saw her sword clearly in the moonlight, and that person was Xiao Tao.
She couldn't bear to watch any longer, so she turned around and leaned against the wall, tears falling one by one, and she could only cry silently.
She couldn't cry for Xiaotao yet.
And now is not the time to be sad. The most urgent task is to avenge Xiaotao and find out the truth of the matter. Just as she was about to climb into the house, she heard a strange sound coming from the distance, like the sound of a snake spitting out its tongue.
Thinking of this, Xiao Xing was startled and looked up. It was the white snake.
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