Yang Cui didn't rush back. Instead, she went to Pinxiangzhai to bring back some snacks for the children. Since You Xinyan said she would be coming to play tomorrow, Yang Cui also went to Washi to buy some vegetables for the guests tomorrow.
After buying the items, Su Yutang insisted on taking Yang Cui back.
"It's too much of a hassle for you to travel back and forth like this. In this hot weather, you're prone to heatstroke."
"Thank you for your consideration, Miss Yang, but I must ensure you get home safely." Su Yutang was very stubborn.
"At this critical juncture, those Lins won't dare to do anything to me. Besides, I'll be going back in an oxcart. There are plenty of people on the oxcart, so it'll be safe! Don't worry, I'll cook something delicious tomorrow, so come early."
Yang Cui bought some saltpeter today, thinking she can make some mung bean popsicles tomorrow. On such a hot day, eating something icy is so refreshing!
"But……"
"Alright, alright! No buts, it's settled then." After saying that, Yang Cui lifted her skirt, revealing a dagger strapped to her foot. "Look, I brought something for self-defense."
After saying that, Yang Cui got on the oxcart back to the village. The oxcart was already crowded and there was no room for anyone else, so Su Yutang had to give up.
The family had originally prepared a carriage for Yang Cui, but she declined because she needed to go shopping.
Yang Cui, dressed in exquisite clothes, sat on the oxcart, which seemed somewhat out of place. There were two adults and a child on the oxcart, and they were quite envious of Yang Cui's expensive clothes.
Seeing their intense gazes, Yang Cui was glad that she had taken off her jewelry beforehand and put it away safely.
"Xiao Cui, why are you dressed up so beautifully today?" The people on the oxcart were all from the vicinity of Anjia Village and had sold earthworms to Yang Cui's family before, so they knew each other.
"I'm visiting a friend's house today, so I dressed up a bit."
"Your clothes must be expensive." After saying that, the man reached out and touched Yang Cui's clothes, leaving several black marks in an instant.
Yang Cui felt so sorry for her!
"Oh, I'm sorry." The person smiled awkwardly. "How about I wash you?"
"No need, no need."
Yang Cui didn't want to complain or blame anyone, so she gathered her skirt up to her feet, a gesture that showed she didn't want anyone else to touch her clothes.
The woman looked somewhat embarrassed.
The oxcart clattered to the edge of the city when suddenly the wheels got stuck in a ditch, causing it to overturn. Yang Cui and the others fell off the oxcart.
"Ouch! How are you driving?"
"It hurts so much!"
"Waaah..." The child bumped his forehead on a stone, and blood immediately appeared. He burst into tears.
"I don't know how this pit appeared. It wasn't here this morning."
As soon as the driver finished speaking, Yang Cui suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck, her vision went black, and she knew nothing more.
The driver and the other passengers were stunned by what they saw and it took them a long time to recover.
"They kidnapped Xiao Cui and took her away!"
“We were all witnesses just now. We don’t know if they will come back to silence us. Quickly, let’s get out of here.”
At this point, they disregarded their pain, worked together to right the overturned oxcart, and then quickly left.
The oxcart driver was from the village next to Yang Cui's. Yang Cui often rode in his oxcart, and his family had also sold earthworms to Yang Cui, so he knew her. When he passed through Anjia Village, he happened to run into An Dafu.
"Dafu, Dafu, your niece has been kidnapped!"
"What did you say?"
The driver then told An Dafu what had just happened.
An Dafu panicked upon hearing this. He couldn't bear to imagine what would happen to Yang Cui, a woman, who had fallen into the hands of criminals.
An Dafu immediately found Cen Xiao and told him about it.
"This must have been done by those Lin guys! They're sons of bitches, I'll never forgive them!" An Dafu cursed Lin Shikang's ancestors for eighteen generations.
The three children in the family cried anxiously when they heard that their mother had been kidnapped by bad guys.
No matter how much An Dafu tried to coax him, he wouldn't listen. He kept insisting that he was going to Lin'an Village to settle scores with the man surnamed Lin.
"Who can you three little brats beat? And you're still trying to settle scores? Adults will handle this. Just behave yourselves and don't cause trouble."
"It's unlikely that Lin Shikang's side did this," Cen Xiao said.
"Who could it be?"
Cen Xiao thought of the woman in the shadows, wondering if this matter was related to her.
An Dafu then said, "Da Niu, you quickly call your two brothers to ride off and chase after them. I'll go into town to find Manager Yu and see if he can help."
"Uncle, you take good care of the children at home. I'll go with Dao San and Dao Ba. Don't worry, I'll definitely bring Xiao Cui back safely!"
Xiao Cui, please make sure nothing happens to you!
Cen Xiao was extremely worried.
After saying that, Cen Xiao, Dao Ba, and Dao San rode off in pursuit.
When Yang Cui woke up, she found herself in a carriage with her mouth gagged and her hands and feet bound. The carriage was moving very fast, and she was jolted all over.
She realized she had been kidnapped, but who had kidnapped her? Lin Shikang? Or that woman lurking in the shadows? Recalling the scene before she was knocked unconscious, it seemed these people were after her! Their purpose was crystal clear!
Yang Cui sighed inwardly, regretting that she hadn't asked Su Yutang to escort her. Otherwise, with Su Yutang's skills, how could she have been captured?
"Brother, this woman is quite attractive. It would be more profitable to sell her to a brothel."
"No, they said they're going to sell him to a poor widower in a remote mountain village to be his wife."
"What money could people from those remote mountain villages have? They struggle to even earn five taels of silver. With a woman's looks, she could sell herself to a brothel for at least twenty taels!"
Hearing the conversation between the two carriage drivers, Yang Cui became even more certain that this kidnapping was not an accident, but a premeditated act!
The difference between five taels of silver and twenty taels of silver was too great, and the other kidnapper was persuaded.
"Alright, let's sell brothels then!"
The two of them decided where Yang Cui would go in just a few words.
Listening to their conversation, Yang Cui felt that she still had a glimmer of hope.
Yang Cui gently nudged the carriage with her head. Soon, the people outside heard the noise, lifted the carriage curtain, and glared fiercely at Yang Cui: "Don't try anything funny, or don't blame me for being impolite!"
"Waaah..." Yang Cui struggled.
"What 'hmm'? Behave yourself!"
"Waaah..."
"Do you want to speak?"
Yang Cui nodded vigorously, and the man hesitated for a moment before taking the thing out of her mouth.
"Brothers, all you want is money. If you're willing to let me off the hook, I'll give you money—fifty taels each!"
The two men exchanged a glance without speaking, and Yang Cui knew they were interested.
Yang Cui immediately raised the stakes: "One hundred taels, one hundred taels each! One hundred taels of silver is enough for you to buy ten acres of land and build a big brick house. Even then, you'll still have money left over. If you sell me, you'll only get twenty taels at most. If you split it, the two of you will only have ten taels of silver each."
The difference between ten taels and one hundred taels is not small.
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