"Yes, Mother, don't worry, I will stay with Miss Shen!" Jiang Suihe replied.
"Yaojie, come here!" Jiang Ling said, her gaze falling on Jiang Yaojie.
Perhaps it was because Jiang Ling's expression was somewhat serious that Jiang Yaojie became a little nervous. He walked to Jiang Ling's side and tentatively asked, "Mother...you...what do you want to see me about?"
Jiang Ling glanced at Jiang Suihe, who was learning from Jiang Zhishan beside her, and then asked in a low voice, "What exactly did you hear when you went shopping today?"
"Ah! Mother, you mean this!" Jiang Yaojie stroked his chin and pondered for a moment before speaking, "When I went to buy some pastries, I heard the people at the pastry shop say that a girl ran away from Yihong Courtyard today, saying she was an untrained virgin! By the way, Mother, what does 'untrained virgin' mean?" At this point, Jiang Yaojie looked at Jiang Ling with a puzzled expression.
"You..." Jiang Ling was about to scold him when she quickly turned to look at Jiang Suihe and Jiang Zhishan. Fortunately, they weren't talking loudly, otherwise, if they had heard her filthy words, it would have been terrible.
"This... well, you're just a kid, you don't need to know so much, go on!" Jiang Ling said coldly.
Although Jiang Yaojie was curious, he didn't dare to ask any further questions when he saw his mother's cold face. He could only stick out his tongue and continue, "She said that the madam spent a lot of money to buy this girl, and it would be a pity if she ran away like this. She also said that they should all keep an eye on her, and if they found her, they should go to the brothel to inform her. If the news is true, they will receive a reward of ten taels of silver."
"That's it?" Jiang Ling asked casually after hearing that Jiang Yaojie hadn't spoken for a while.
"Hmm...that's all, that's all. Is something wrong, Mother?" Jiang Yaojie asked, somewhat puzzled.
Jiang Ling glanced at Jiang Yaojie. After all, Jiang Yaojie was just a child and wouldn't think about things in such a complicated way. But what Jiang Yaojie was hearing was completely contrary to what Shen Congxin had said.
Although Shen Congxin was pitiful, it didn't mean she wouldn't lie. Who knew if she had changed her clothes at the brothel? You couldn't trust the madam's words either; who knew if she was forcing a woman into prostitution? Thinking of this, Jiang Ling felt like she had borrowed a hot potato that she couldn't get rid of!
Jiang Ling sighed helplessly, and just then, Zhao Qianyu's face suddenly appeared in her mind.
"That's right! Zhao Qianyu's father is Zhao Tianqi. Zhao Qianyu is probably studying at the academy right now. I'll go to the academy tomorrow and see if Shen Congxin is lying! Besides, Wang Tianen and Zhao Tianqi are classmates. This way, I should be able to figure things out pretty much!" Thinking of this, Jiang Ling was in a great mood.
The next morning, Jiang Ling took Jiang Yaojie to sit on Uncle Lu's oxcart. At this time, Uncle Lu's oxcart had been contracted to Jiang Ling for five hundred copper coins a month.
Jiang Ling sat on Uncle Lu's oxcart, lost in thought. If Shen Congxin had lied, what should she do? She couldn't just drive Shen Congxin away and push her into a fire pit!
Thinking of this, Jiang Ling's mood became very low again, and she sat in the car sullenly the whole time, which startled Jiang Yaojie.
The oxcart slowly pulled up in front of Jiang Ling's shop. Jiang Yaojie skillfully delivered the base ingredients first, and then went to buy vegetables. Jiang Ling asked Uncle Lu to watch the shop for a while, and then walked towards Ningfu Academy.
The old man at the gate had a deep impression of Jiang Ling. When he saw her, he asked, "What's wrong? Here to discuss business again?"
Jiang Ling shook her head, took out ten copper coins from her pocket and said, "Sir, could you please go and call Zhao Qianyu for me? Tell him that the Jiang family is looking for him. This is a small token of my appreciation!"
The gatekeeper's eyes lit up when he saw the ten copper coins in Jiang Ling's hand. He took the coins and walked into Ningfu Academy.
Soon, Zhao Qianyu appeared in front of Jiang Ling. He was very excited to see Jiang Ling, waved vigorously at her, and ran towards her.
Jiang Ling hadn't seen Zhao Qianyu for some time. During this period, Zhao Qianyu seemed to have become much stronger, and his skin had become a bit darker.
"You finally decided to come see me?" Zhao Qianyu pouted and said arrogantly when he saw Jiang Ling.
Jiang Ling couldn't help but chuckle at the scene before her. She patted Zhao Qianyu on the shoulder and said, "I've been busy lately! But I recently opened a small shop in Pingxi County. Come over for lunch if you're free!"
"Then... that spicy hot pot beauty wouldn't happen to be you, would it?" Zhao Qianyu asked in surprise.
"Of course, you can eat for free!" Jiang Ling said, deliberately lowering her voice.
“You can’t lie to me! My classmate told me that there’s always a queue!” Zhao Qianyu said.
"Don't worry, how could I possibly make you wait in line! When have I ever lied to you!" Jiang Ling felt that the pleasantries were over and quickly got to the point. She coughed lightly and led Zhao Qianyu to a deserted alley, saying with a serious expression, "Qianyu, I have something I want to ask you."
Jiang Ling's serious expression startled Zhao Qianyu, who nodded blankly, waiting for her question.
"Is there a family surnamed Shen in your Guangping County?" Jiang Ling asked.
“Yes, their family runs a cloth shop and is considered a prominent family in Guangping County!” Zhao Qianyu said after thinking for a moment.
"Do they have a daughter?" Jiang Ling continued to ask.
Zhao Qianyu rolled his eyes, rested his chin on his hand, and thought for a long time before saying, "Yes, I have a daughter, her name is Chen Xin! She's about fourteen or fifteen years old this year!"
"What's wrong? Why are you suddenly asking about their family? Are you trying to set up a marriage for your precious little brother?" Zhao Qianyu suddenly said with a mischievous grin!
"What's on this child's mind?" Jiang Ling tapped Zhao Qianyu's forehead and said.
"Hey, wait a minute, isn't that Chen Xin supposed to marry Wang Tianen's father? Your hopes are going to be dashed!" Zhao Qianyu suddenly slapped his forehead and said to Jiang Ling.
"What?" Jiang Ling was a little surprised when she heard this, but then she breathed a long sigh of relief. Zhao Qianyu would definitely not lie. His words were highly credible, which proved that Shen Congxin was not lying. Then this matter could be easily resolved.
"Alright, you can go back now. Remember to come over for spicy hot pot at noon!" Jiang Ling said, having finished asking her questions, and then dismissed Zhao Qianyu with a few words.
Back in the shop, Jiang Ling finally felt relieved and worked with extra effort.
At lunchtime, Jiang Ling's shop was packed with people, and while she was busy cooking, she listened intently to the gossip.
"Hey, you've heard about the Shen family in Guangping County next door!"
These words immediately made Jiang Ling's heart tighten, and she subtly moved her body towards the direction of the voice.
"You mean that little girl from the Shen family? Oh dear, what a mess! I heard that she was disobedient, and when her father went out on business, she ran off with some random man, who then sold her to a brothel! Her stepmother is quite something, though; I hear she's going to put a reward on her!"
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