Chapter 17
Looking at the crooked handwriting, Lin Xing had already imagined the scene of Sister Lian taking Yuanyuan to write. She opened the envelope, and Lin Huan came over to look at it together.
There was nothing important in the letter. It was just some insignificant little things, such as how many more chrysanthemums had bloomed in the yard and Yuanyuan had eaten a little more today. When Lin Xing finished reading, she felt that Liu Lian's voice was ringing in her mind, and both of them smiled unconsciously.
The sky gradually darkened and someone was calling on everyone to help with cooking. Lin Xing carefully put away the letter and went to boil medicine. There were fewer people gathering around the drum.
The drumbeats slowed down, and after everyone was busy, it was time for dinner. After Lin Xing and the others served their food, they squatted aside and ate together. None of the three spoke.
When they were almost done eating, Shen Ling suddenly spoke up: "Do you think Mr. Zhao will cause trouble for us? We treat his people like this." After he said that, he ignored everything else and continued to eat his meal.
"I didn't expect that Mr. Shen is afraid of Mr. Zhao?" Lin Xing didn't know why Shen Ling was so confused. In her opinion, the Zhao and Shen families were in cahoots.
"I'm not afraid, I'm just worried that Mr. Zhao will cause trouble for these people." At this point, he thought of the outrageous words those people said today and slammed his chopsticks on the bowl. "Those bastards are so careless about human lives. It's unreasonable."
Lin Xing, who was squatting next to him, rubbed her ears and said, "Be gentle, the bowl is cracked."
Lin Xing's expression scared Shen Ling. He looked at Yu Hang and found that Yu Hang nodded in agreement. He felt that it was over. Shen Ling stiffly examined the bowl in his hand, and after turning it around he couldn't find any cracks. When he heard Lin Xing's snickering, he knew he had been cheated.
"I didn't know that Shopkeeper Lin also had a hobby of bluffing like you?" Shen Ling asked angrily.
"I didn't, don't talk nonsense."
"Okay, let's eat." Yu Hang was afraid that the two of them would start arguing and the food would get cold by then, so he asked them to eat quickly.
The three of them quickly finished their meal and went to help clean up. When everything was finished, the drum beats became more frequent and everyone sat together.
One fire went out and the bonfire was lit again. At this moment, everyone seemed to have forgotten the plague and everyone was laughing and chatting.
"Little girl, go show everyone your skills." The lady next to Lin Xing suddenly spoke up and pushed a girl next to her.
Lin Xing recognized that this was the lady who was going to matchmake for the three of them, but the girl next to her looked unfamiliar. Seeing the old lady constantly urging the girl, Lin Xing wanted to dissuade her, but she noticed that there was no embarrassment in the girl's eyes.
She tried to read the girl's expression, but failed. The moonlight was so dim that she couldn't even tell whether the girl's blushing was due to shyness or the reflection of the bonfire.
The next second, the girl walked forward and prepared to dance, and the drum beats changed from random beating at the beginning to rhythmic beats. Lin Xing doesn't know how to dance, so she can't give a professional evaluation.
In her opinion, the girl dancing in front of her looked like she would fly into the air in the next second, perhaps because she was too thin. Lin Xing was also surprised that the gentle dance could blend so well with the passionate drum beats.
Yu Hang didn't understand either. He pretended to appreciate it so that others wouldn't notice anything unusual. Occasionally he would see Lin Xing enjoying herself from the corner of his eye, and he wondered in his heart, could Lin Xing understand?
The only one among the three who could understand this dance was Shen Ling. Unlike the other two, Shen Ling really understood it. After all, he was a famous playboy, so it would be hard for him not to understand it.
After the dance, there was silence at first, followed by thunderous applause, until the girl returned to her seat, and the grand praise ended.
Everyone returned to the lively state they had at the beginning. Lin Xing was chatting with Huan'er. Yu Hang pretended to be silent as usual, but Chen Ling was abnormally silent.
"Manager Lin, what do you think of the little girl's dance?" When everyone was having a great time, the old lady suddenly asked Lin Xing. This impromptu test scared Lin Xing, and she took a long time to come up with a perfect answer.
"It's wonderful. I've never seen such a wonderful dance. It really surprised me." This was not a lie. Lin Xing had never seen anyone dancing since she traveled through time. This was the first time.
The old lady heaved a sigh of relief when she heard the affirmative answer. She thought it would end like this, but the next second she fell to her knees.
"I have something I would like to ask Shopkeeper Lin for help."
Everyone was immersed in their own world, and no one except the few people around Lin Xing noticed what was happening here.
Lin Xing hurriedly helped her up, "Auntie, what are you doing? Just tell me what you have to say. As long as I can do it, I will never refuse."
The old lady wanted to say something but stopped herself, so Lin Xing took her away to a corner. Yu Hang and Shen Ling noticed their situation early on, and they followed Lin Xing as soon as she left. However, the little girl sitting next to the old lady also followed.
Seeing that there was no one else around, the old lady began to speak: "Manager Lin, even though I am a matchmaker, I am actually not married. My parents left long ago, and I am the only one left at home."
The old lady was silent for a moment, then continued: "I fled all the way north to here. If it weren't for Xiao Ya taking care of me, I would have died along the way. Now that I'm here, I don't want to go back. It doesn't matter if I'm old, Xiao Ya is still young."
The old lady held Xiaoya's hand and said, "I really treat her as my daughter, so I hope Manager Lin can give Xiaoya a job to make a living so that she can survive here."
After saying that, the old lady was about to kneel down with Xiaoya. Lin Xing held them both and promised the old lady, "Don't worry, I will take good care of Xiaoya. You don't have to worry about such trivial matters. It's getting late now. You should go back and rest early."
After Lin Xing finished speaking, she turned her gaze to Xiao Ya. Now she had the opportunity to observe her. She was a very distinctive person, but she was too thin. It was immediately obvious that she was malnourished. It’s hard to tell her age, but she’s probably about the same age as Lin Xing.
"I still have something to say to Xiaoya, Auntie, please go first."
Hearing Lin Xing's promise, the old lady agreed immediately. She handed Xiao Ya's hand to Lin Xing and turned away. After walking a few steps, she turned back and told Xiaoya: "You must drink well, Manager Lin said."
Seeing the little girl nod, she returned to her usual smile. Lin Xing held Xiaoya's hand and felt how thin she was. She hesitated for a long time and said, "I heard from Auntie that you are not her biological daughter. So you call me Xiaoya?"
Xiao Ya shook her head and said, "No, my name is Xun Huan."
"What can you do? What do you want to do in the restaurant?"
"I can't do anything, but don't worry, Manager Lin, I can do anything and learn anything." Lin Xing was just asking normally, but Xun Huan was frightened and said a series of words directly.
"you……"
"Were you a brothel worker before?"
Lin Xing was thinking about what question to ask next, but Yu Hang, who was standing beside her, spoke. When Lin Xing heard his question, her eyes widened in surprise. Can he speak?
It was just a small speculation, but it broke down Xunhuan's heart's defenses, and her tears fell on Lin Xing's hands. Seeing her crying, Lin Xing didn't know what to do. She secretly stepped on Shen Ling and asked a stupid question.
"Sir, you guessed right. I am indeed a prostitute." The crying voice made Lin Xing feel even more distressed.
"It's okay, it's all in the past. Now you work in our restaurant, so if you don't want to talk about it, then don't talk about it." Lin Xing raised her hand to wipe away Xun Huan's tears, hoping that she would not be sad.
Xunhuan shook his head and refused.
"When I was thirteen, my parents sold me to a brothel in exchange for rice. I spent three years being bullied by everyone. I thought it was a nightmare, but compared to the next four years, these three years were happy. At least I didn't have to do things I didn't like."
After a short silence, Xun Huan calmed down and continued, "I thought the flood would take away everything, but it failed. The brothel was not affected at all. Perhaps it was God's will that the plague suddenly broke out in the city, and people were in panic."
"My aunt fainted in front of the brothel, and I saved her and fled north with her. My aunt took good care of me along the way, and I already regarded her as my mother."
The story of seeking pleasure ends here. She is really strong and can brush off all the pain. Lin Xing knew that it was not easy for her to get to where she is today. Yu Hang also looked reluctant. Only Shen Ling looked accustomed to it, as if this incident had no effect on him.
"It's all over. The restaurant will be your home from now on." Lin Xing could only think of such words of comfort, but any words would sound pale at this moment.
Xunhuan was about to kneel down, but fortunately Lin Xing held her hand and stopped her in time. She really didn't understand why everyone liked to kneel down.
"Okay, don't be polite with me. You should go back and have a rest soon." Xun Huan heard that Lin Xing and the other two might have something to say, so he quickly took his leave and ran away.
"By the way, do you like this name?" Looking at Xunhuan's back, Lin Xing suddenly thought of something and called her.
Xun Huan turned around and smiled, "I like it, I like it very much."
Lin Xing waved her hand to indicate that she could leave. There were only three people left here.
"Master Yu, come over and help." Before Xun Huan left completely, he heard someone calling Yu Hang from a distance. Yu Hang had no choice but to go first. Now there were only two of them left.
"Chen Ling, have you seen a lot of things like this?" Thinking of Chen Ling's performance, Lin Xing felt a little uncomfortable and simply asked directly.
“There was a period of time when the streets were full of people selling children, lots and lots of them.” Unlike his usual informality, Shen Ling’s voice became serious, but gentle.
Lin Xing guessed that the late emperor died without leaving a will, and the three princes began to fight openly and secretly, and finally the current emperor won. The country was severely damaged at this point and is still recovering now. Xiao Xing was sold to a money house at that time.
In Lin Xing's silence, Shen Ling spoke again, but this time with a self-deprecating tone, "You also think that I am as bad as the rumors outside, and you definitely don't believe what I say."
"I believe it."
Hearing these two words, Shen Ling suddenly raised his head, looked at Lin Xing in disbelief and asked, "Why do you believe it?"
Lin Xing didn't look at him, but at the moon in the sky: "Do you need a reason to believe me? If I have to say it, it's that I think you are a good person."
The past few days of getting along have allowed everyone to get to know each other better. If Shen Ling gave her the fan at first because he thought it was unusual for a woman to be a shopkeeper, now the two of them really know each other.
Just like Lin Xing thought Shen Ling was a good person, Shen Ling also knew that Lin Xing was shy not looking at him now, and Shopkeeper Lin was a little tsundere.
There was an uncontrollable smile on Shen Ling's face, and he just kept laughing. Lin Xing thought he was crazy and his smile was as stupid as Yu Hang's.
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