Chapter 170 Lying in the same bed with the young mistress
Chen Chu pounced quickly, covered the other person's mouth, and whispered menacingly:
"Don't scream, or I'll kill you."
The girl she was covering was about fifteen or sixteen years old. She had an oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, and was very beautiful. Her beautiful eyes, no longer showing fear, were now curiously looking at her.
"Did you understand?"
"Mmm." The girl nodded.
Just then, a commotion of footsteps suddenly came from outside.
"Is the young mistress here?"
Young mistress?
Shen Chu looked at the girl in surprise.
So young, yet she's the wife of a bandit leader?
They randomly entered a room, only to find it was actually the bandit leader's backyard.
Shen Chu took out the dagger he always carried and pressed it against her waist.
She tightened her grip slightly and threatened the young mistress in a low voice, "You'd better not say anything out of line, hmm?"
The young lady's delicate body trembled slightly as she reached out and gripped the necklace she wore on her chest.
The necklace was actually a small silver abacus, about half the size of a palm, and it looked exquisite and unique.
Shen Chu glanced at her again, then held the dagger to her neck before letting go.
A voice called out again from outside, "Young Madam?"
The young lady asked, "Yes, I'm here. What is it?"
"A thief has broken into the village. Did you see any strangers come in, young lady?"
"No, I've been inside the house the whole time and haven't gone out."
"The chieftain has ordered that the thief be caught. Please open the door, young lady, so we can search inside."
Shen Chu's heart skipped a beat. She pressed the dagger down, signaling her to send the people outside away.
The young lady's breathing trembled slightly, and she feigned displeasure, saying, "I'm not feeling well and I'm lying down. It's inconvenient for you to come in."
But the people outside refused to leave.
“We are just following orders. If the thieves escape, we cannot bear the responsibility. Please open the door, madam.”
Shen Chu's heart sank; he hadn't expected the bandits of Leigong Village to be so well-trained.
Then, she said in a very low voice, "Go to bed."
The young lady looked at her with a puzzled expression.
Shen Chu pulled her quickly to the bedside and gestured for her to take off her shoes and lie down.
The young lady gave her a deep look, then shook off the covers and climbed into bed.
"Lie on your side," Shen Chu said.
The voices of bandits came from outside, "If you don't open the door, young lady, we'll break it down."
Shen Chu quickly jumped onto the bed and hid behind the young mistress.
The young lady lay on her side, with Chen Chu's dagger pressed against her lower back.
Bang.
The moment the door was flung open, the young mistress grabbed the blanket and covered the two of them.
Shen Chu was taken aback by her lightning speed.
Is she trying to help herself?
The blanket completely covered her, and the air was filled with the delicate fragrance of the young mistress.
The sound of something being rummaged through could be heard outside.
The young lady's voice was somewhat displeased, "I already said I didn't see any thieves. I'm not feeling well and need to rest. Please leave."
The bandit leader searched the room but found nothing, then turned his gaze to the bed.
"In broad daylight, why is the young mistress still lying in bed? Could there be someone hiding under the covers?"
The leader walked towards the bedside as he spoke.
"If the young mistress doesn't mind, could you please lift the covers and let the brothers take a look?"
Chen Chu's heart jumped instantly.
She gripped the dagger tightly, planning to strike first once the blanket was pulled back.
Although her martial arts skills were not as good as Pei Yuan's, they were more than enough to deal with a few bandits.
If she attracts other bandits, she will be outnumbered and it will be difficult for her to escape.
She left marks for Pei Yuan along the way; she wondered if he would see them.
A layer of cold sweat seeped from Chen Chu's palms.
The young mistress's cold voice rang out, "Let's see who dares to pull off my blanket!"
The leader paused for a moment, then snorted coldly.
"What's so smug about you? Still think you're some rich young lady? Ha, the chief will get tired of you sooner or later, and then he'll give you to the brothers to do with as they please."
The house was filled with the unrestrained and malicious laughter of the bandits.
The young lady was both angry and furious, and she swept the teacup off the bedside table.
Bang.
The teacup fell to the ground and shattered.
The bandits' laughter stopped abruptly.
The young lady sneered, "At least the chieftain isn't tired of me yet. If you dare to lift the covers and see something you shouldn't, the chieftain can kill you."
"If you don't believe me, try lifting the covers and see!"
The bandits looked at each other in bewilderment.
One of them whispered, "Forget it, she's still the chieftain's woman."
The foreman looked sullen. "Let's go."
The group turned and left.
The young mistress snorted coldly, "Close the door just the way you broke it open."
The foreman clenched his fists, but didn't dare say anything, and slammed the door shut behind him.
The room fell silent.
Shen Chu lifted the blanket and let out a long sigh.
"They're already far away, can you let me go now?"
Shen Chu sheathed her dagger. "The matter was urgent, and I apologize for any offense I may have caused. May I ask why you, young mistress, are helping me?"
The young lady sat up, staring intently at her, asking a question instead of answering.
"Who are you? What are you trying to do by sneaking into the village?"
Shen Chu said, "I am Lu Liu, a salt worker at the Zhang family's saltworks."
"Are you a salt worker at the Zhang family's saltworks?" the young lady asked urgently.
Shen Chu nodded.
The young lady clenched her hands. "If you're a salt worker, why did you secretly go to Leigong Village?"
Shen Chu noticed that her expression changed noticeably when she mentioned the Zhang family's saltworks.
She was puzzled, but didn't show it on her face.
"That's right. Master Jiang went to the saltworks today and said that he has been grieving the passing of his wife and daughter these days and has no time to spare, which is why the manager has been secretly mistreating the salt workers."
Master Jiang apologized to everyone, ordered a feast for them, and gave everyone a day off.
I left late and happened to see someone secretly hauling salt out of the salt field. Suspicious, I quietly followed them.
Upon hearing this, the young lady gritted her teeth and said, "What a hypocrite! So heartbroken over the passing of his wife and daughter, he has no time to spare? Bah! Utterly hypocritical."
Shen Chu looked surprised. "You know Master Jiang?"
The young lady sneered repeatedly, "Not only do we know each other, we're quite familiar with each other."
When Shen Chu saw her mention Jiang Hongzhi, her eyes were filled with both sorrow and hatred, and her slender hands gripped the corner of the quilt so tightly that she almost tore it to shreds.
Shen Chu's heart stirred slightly, "Young Madam..."
The young mistress suddenly interrupted her in a shrill voice, "Don't call me young mistress."
Chen Chu did not understand.
The young lady suddenly looked up and stared intently at her.
“You are not a salt worker at the salt field.”
Shen Chu raised an eyebrow. "I am indeed a salt worker at the salt field."
The young lady shook her head. "You're not. If you were a salt worker at the saltworks, how could you not recognize me?"
Shen Chu's eyes flickered slightly, and she had found her answer.
"Are you the eldest daughter of the Zhang family?"
The young lady's eyes reddened, and she said, word by word, "That's right, I am Zhang Lan."
Even though she had already guessed it, Shen Chu was still very surprised.
Rumors circulated that Zhao Bin colluded with bandits to kill Madam Zhang and her daughter.
Even Jiang Hongzhi kept saying that Madam Zhang and her daughter were dead.
But Zhang Lan was alive and well in Leigong Village.
Shen Chu quickly asked, "Miss Zhang, how is your mother, Madam Zhang?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a gruff voice came from outside, "Lan'er!"
Zhang Lan's face turned pale. "Oh no, Lei Ying is back! You'd better hide!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com