When Dani was mentioned, the aunt nodded with red eyes.
"This is all my fault. I'm sick all the time and have dragged down Dani. This girl took ten taels of silver from Mr. Li's family to pay for my medical treatment and couldn't pay it back. So she had no choice but to marry Mr. Li's son, but...but this guy has gone away and never came back. I don't dare to look for him even if I want to. Sigh!"
The son of a rich man?
This sentence made Luo Lan and the other two look at each other in surprise.
Luo Lan raised his hands and touched the hot cup of water, and continued to ask:
"Auntie, are you saying that your granddaughter Dani married the son of the wealthy Li family in Lijiazhuang?"
The old lady sighed and nodded.
"Yes! But after she got married, Dani hasn't come back for more than a year. I went to look for her, but the Li family said they had divorced her. They also beat me out and spread the word that if I went to look for her again, they would ask the government to arrest me. Oh! I heard that someone who went to the Li Mansion to cause trouble was really arrested by the government, and died in the prison. I thought that Dani must have been divorced and was too depressed to come back. My son and daughter-in-law are gone, and Dani is a filial child. She won't abandon me. One day she will come back. I, an old woman, can only wait at home."
Luo Lan was completely stunned by the old lady's words. These words were exactly the same as Shui Chunhua's.
It seems that there must be something wrong with the rich man Li's family.
Thinking of this, she stood up and said to Ah Cai and Ah Hong:
"Let's go to Lijiazhuang."
The confused old lady hurriedly stood up and asked cautiously,
"Are you girls leaving? Drink some water first!"
Looking at the old lady's sunken eyes and skinny figure, Luo Lan felt a pang of bitterness in his heart.
Although there are many pitiful people in this world, Luo Lan still feels sad to see an old man in his twilight years who doesn't even know where his granddaughter is or whether she is dead or alive, and who lives such a poor life.
She sat down again, picked up the dirty-looking enamel pot, gulped down a glass of water, then wiped the corner with her handkerchief, chuckled and said:
"Auntie, we are just passing by and have to hurry on our way. Thank you for the hot water. I feel much warmer after drinking it."
After saying this, she looked at Acai,
"A Cai, it's not right for us to drink Auntie's water for free. Let's leave some money for Auntie."
Hearing this, the old lady waved her hands hurriedly.
"No, no, young lady, it's really too polite for me to say that. It's just a bowl of water, how can I charge you for it?"
Luo Lan took a handful of silver from Ah Cai, placed it on the table in front of the old lady, and said with a bitter smile:
"Auntie, there's a rule in our hometown that you can't drink other people's water for free, otherwise it's unlucky, so you have to accept this money, otherwise we will feel taboo when we go out."
Hearing this, the old lady looked at her doubtfully, "Are you serious, young lady?"
Luo Lan nodded with a smile on his lips.
"Seriously, this is the custom in my hometown. Please accept it. We still have to hurry on our way. I'll come to see you again if we have the chance to pass by in the future."
Luo Lan is willing to tell such a white lie.
The old lady looked at the silver coins on the table, nodded with tears in her eyes, and choked with sobs.
"Look at your age, you're the same age as my Dani. Seeing you is like seeing my Dani back."
Having said that, the old lady raised her sleeve to wipe the turbid tears from the corners of her eyes, then smiled with her cracked lips. Her uneven row of teeth made her look particularly old.
Luo Lan couldn't help but bowed to her, "Auntie, we are leaving. I hope your Dani will come back soon."
Leaving these words behind, she took Acai and Ahong out of the simple courtyard. When they walked a long way, Luo Lan looked back and could still see the old lady standing at the gate of the courtyard, staring blankly at their backs, and occasionally raising her sleeve to wipe her eyes.
That's heartbreaking.
Luo Lan sighed as he walked, and said angrily:
"Now it's not as simple as just finding Shui Chunhua. I also want to find Dani and the other women. I hope they are all alive."
After saying this, she walked towards the carriage with a serious expression. A light breeze blew, causing the loose hair on her forehead to flutter in the wind, but she completely ignored it. Her mind was full of the expectant eyes and thin face of the old lady just now.
When they arrived at the entrance of Lijiazhuang village, Xiao Lingzi and others also arrived here one after another. After asking them, they learned that the other women had not returned home. They all tried to come to Li's house to look for them, but without exception, they were all beaten and thrown out. Some of them even came to look for them repeatedly and were finally sent to Minghua County Jail. It is unknown whether they are dead or alive in the end.
Hearing these replies, Luo Lan's face was suddenly filled with anger.
Standing at the entrance of the village, listening to the cheerful sounds of drums and whips coming from the Li Mansion, Luo Lan's expression became indifferent.
She glanced in the direction of Li's residence, gently lifted the loose hair on her forehead, and said to Xiao Lingzi with a firm look:
"The Li family is getting married today, so the security is definitely lax. Take Zhang Yuan and a few others to the backyard of the Li Mansion to check if there's anything unusual. I'll take Ah Cai and Ah Hong to the wedding banquet."
Xiao Lingzi frowned and asked worriedly:
"Princess, this isn't right. Let Zhang Yuan accompany you while we go check the backyard. I'm afraid you might be in danger."
A sharp look flashed in Luo Lan's eyes, and then he half-closed his eyes and shook his head.
"It's broad daylight. I don't believe they dare to do anything wrong. You go ahead. Ah Cai and Ah Hong are with me, so nothing will happen. Besides, you're in the backyard of the palace, so you'll know what's going on in front. Remember, at the critical moment, find two people to interrogate, and don't let anyone get killed."
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