"Have any shame?" The man grabbed Jiang Shichen by the collar and shouted angrily, "Who has no shame? It's clearly her! Alright, alright! You're just a kid, I'm an adult and won't hold a grudge. You'd better not meddle in other people's business."
Seeing that the other person was like an iron tower, Jiang Shichen was afraid that he would suffer greatly from such dry theory, so he had no choice but to approach his mother.
Zhou Wan said, "Who knows what kind of people they are? We're new here, it wouldn't be good if we got bullied."
"But doesn't Mother always say she enjoys helping others?"
Jiang Shichen looked at Zhou Wan.
Zhou Wan smiled and touched his face. "My Chen'er has grown up, but he's not fully grown up yet. When you can stand on your own two feet in the future, you can do whatever you want. Right now, you need to come back with me to find Grandma."
"Okay, I understand."
After being helped up, the old woman rested for a while before suddenly moving closer to Zhou Wan.
“My husband had a deposit in the bank before. I came here to withdraw the money. That person was in the gambling den. Now that my husband is gone, there is no way to verify the facts. Not only did they not give me the money, but they also lectured me. Oh, it’s really outrageous.”
Hearing this, Zhou Wan frowned.
"Where do you live? Shall I take you home?"
“Mother,” Jiang Shichen said hurriedly when he saw Zhou Wan preparing to help, “We still need to go find Grandma. She’s a local and can go back by herself.”
Zhou Wan made a choice and could only nod helplessly, "It's a pity, we have other things to do and are afraid we can't take you back. Please be careful."
"It's alright, it's alright."
The old man left.
The two young men who were standing guard at the gate spat in that direction.
Zhou Wan and Jiang Shichen walked forward hand in hand. "It's also our fault. We took their money and should have told Grandma Gao."
"It was Brother Qi who offered to lend us the money; it wasn't that I insisted on taking it."
Jiang Shichen muttered.
Zhou Wan nodded. "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's go find her first."
The two continued walking forward.
After walking for less than fifteen minutes, I ran into the same old woman again.
"Oh, what a surprise to run into you here." This time, the old woman greeted them with a beaming smile. "I just saw a few people looking for you and your son. It's just unfortunate that you came right after they left."
Hearing this, Zhou Wan became anxious, exclaimed "Oh dear!" and hurriedly asked, "Is it a beautiful young woman looking for me?"
The old woman nodded. "It's the eldest daughter. There are a few people behind her, shouting that they're looking for you. They've gone that way."
"Over there?"
Zhou Wan nodded, "Thank you."
“Actually,” the old woman followed behind the two, a smile appearing on her ugly face, “my home is over there too. I’ll go with you. If we meet Grandma on the way, we can go to my house to rest.”
"You're such a kind person."
"You're great too. These days, there are very few people as kind-hearted as you."
At this point, the three of them traveled together.
Zhou Wan had no idea how treacherous people could be.
She couldn't believe that the reason the ruthless man in the gambling den threw this old woman out was simply because she had too much gambling debt and was of low character.
In the hazy night, the three walked forward at a leisurely pace.
Jiang Shichen was still a young boy, and he was already exhausted after walking for only a short while.
Zhou Wan, on the other hand, would occasionally ask a question or two.
This wicked mother-in-law spouted a string of lies, which fooled Zhou Wan into believing them.
Finally, they arrived at a place where a faint halo could be seen. Although the old woman was exhausted, she pointed to the distance.
“That’s the City God Temple. I’ll find you some water; it’s not far from my house.”
"Grandma, you are such a kind and compassionate person."
"Oh, young lady, what are you saying? You are a stranger here, and you are a distinguished guest. Moreover, you have shown me great compassion. It is fate that we meet today."
The two waited for a while, and then the old woman came out from the thick steam and handed Zhou Wan a cup of water.
"Drink up, you're all exhausted."
Zhou Wan, panting heavily, took a sip and handed the cup to Jiang Shichen. The two finished drinking and then walked with difficulty toward the City God Temple.
Enter the temple.
The temple was filthy and had long been without incense; it was clearly deserted.
Zhou Wan felt dizzy and was still wondering what was going on when suddenly her head started to hurt.
It was as if he had been hit over the head with a blunt object.
Everything went black and he collapsed.
As for Jiang Shichen, he also sensed something was wrong and tried to escape, but his legs were as weak as noodles and he couldn't stand up no matter how hard he tried.
The old woman let out a sinister laugh. “Brother Zhang, I’ve now abducted a pair of orphans and a widow for you. The child will fetch a good price when sold in Yunnan and Guizhou! As for the woman, I think she’s got three colors. You can sell her to a brothel and make a fortune.”
"Grandma, you are really capable. We are counting on you."
The two of them chuckled.
Zhou Wan opened her eyes in a daze.
His breathing was heavy and labored. Although he reached out to support himself against the wall, it was extremely difficult for him to get up. "Grandma."
The old woman turned around, her eyes cold and sharp, like daggers.
From that look in his eyes, Zhou Wan also saw through his scheme. She scolded him, "I never thought you were a beggar. How could you do this? We've left our homes to make a living here, living in constant fear. How...how could you be so heartless?"
"Paohuazi" refers to human trafficking.
Whether in the capital or in remote, impoverished areas, the imperial court severely punished those who engaged in begging.
Jiang Shichen had only heard of this type of person in some folk tales before.
Now we've actually fallen into their trap.
"You shrew, I never thought you were a bad person."
The old woman sneered, "You can know a person's face but not their heart. Where are you going to find a way to undo your mistakes now? I love outsiders the most. If it weren't for the fact that you have no relatives or friends here, I wouldn't have taken you with me."
He added, “From now on, you won’t need to beg with your mother anymore. I will sell you and you will live a life of luxury.”
At this point, he pointed to Zhou Wan.
"As for you, young lady, hehe, you're pretty. As long as you serve your lover well, you'll live a life of luxury, hahaha."
"You! You!"
Zhou Wan was furious.
But she, who was usually gentle, kind, respectful, frugal and modest, couldn't utter a single swear word at this moment.
Jiang Shichen was furious and embarrassed. "You damned bastard, my grandma will be here soon. See if she doesn't teach you a lesson."
Zhou Wan prepared to play the emotional card, sobbing as she said, "Why are you making things difficult for us poor people? Now let me go. Turn yourself in, and the court won't do anything to you. Grandma, you can't go on like this."
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