Chapter 28: A Second Visit to the Palace

Bai Mianmian’s face was filled with resentment. “She didn’t support my mother remarrying, but the things she said to my mother were the key reason my mother decided to remarry.”

“What did my grandmother say?” the little girl felt wronged.

In any case, she trusted her own grandmother.

“She said that if my mother left, who would still care about us sisters?”

“Well… my grandmother wasn’t wrong!”

“But my mother thought that even if she stayed, the Bai family wouldn’t treat us well. If she remarried, maybe she could take us away and we’d have a better life.”

“Uh!”

“It was because she thought this way that she married into such a family and lived that kind of life…”

Along the way, Bai Mianmian kept emphasizing the point that it was Old Lady Zhang who caused the separation between their mother and daughter.

In the end, even Old Zhang gave in.

At first, Bai Mianmian spoke softly, and Zhang Sheng, who was driving the carriage, could still chat casually with Manager Chen.

By the end, even Manager Chen was drawn in by Bai Mianmian’s twisted reasoning and couldn’t help but want to hear if there was anything more explosive.

When the carriage stopped at the toll booth by the city gate, Bai Mianmian lifted the curtain and handed over a string of copper coins.

“Uncle, thank you for your hard work. My grandfather invites you to have some tea.”

There were only five of them.

The city entry fee was just twenty wen.

With a hundred wen on hand, the remaining eighty was really enough for a couple of pots of tea.

The city guards were quite familiar with Manager Chen.

Casting him a glance, one smiled and said, “Your little girl is quite sensible.”

“Children need to be taught,” Manager Chen replied without explanation. “Later, I’ll come find you brothers for a game.”

The city guard waved his hand dismissively.

Zhang Sheng stiffly pulled the reins.

Only after Bai Mianmian and Zhang Huilan got off and walked quite a distance did he relax.

“What’s wrong with Brother Zhang?”

“Probably drank too much soup,” Old Zhang helped explain.

Zhang Sheng gave a dry laugh to confirm.

“That meat, no wonder people rave about it…” Manager Chen reminisced.

Meat costing over a hundred wen per jin was something even villagers dared not eat in excess.

Those three who got the meat each kept a little before heading back to Chen’s homestead.

At that time, Brother Zhang Qiang had just settled a deal with Manager Chen to buy farmland; he had bought some meat along the way but didn’t bring it all into the city, keeping part for himself.

“I’ll say this now: if your relative gets this lucky again next time, you have to save the goods for me.”

“Yesterday was just a coincidence; who can be that lucky?” Old Zhang sighed.

Manager Chen naturally knew how tough tigers were to deal with and spoke casually about deer and antelope.

No one noticed that among the eight men and two women drinking tea under the tea stall near the city gate, six followed Bai Mianmian and the others’ footsteps silently.

No one imagined these people were so brazen as to dare start trouble in the bustling market.

—

This time, things were not as mild as before.

The others used a handkerchief soaked in anesthetic powder to directly drug and carry them away.

Of course, they never fully lost consciousness.

Bai Mianmian didn’t want to be taken back to the palace a second time, but several insisted!

From not far past the city gate, after targeting the two, they deliberately restricted their movements.

When she couldn’t help but part ways with the little chubby girl to shift the bamboo basket,

Four men suddenly swarmed, surrounding them, while two women swiftly pressed drug-soaked cloths over their noses and mouths.

Both struggled.

They also noticed curious glances from people nearby.

However, these people were seasoned.

The two women cursed, calling them lazy and stupid, always reluctant to carry the basket properly. The two men shouted for them to hurry up, complaining about how the women were lazy and blamed the kids.

In this world, scolding a child’s wife was normal; the women acted like they were disciplining their own children, and the men seemed like impatient fathers.

Their struggles didn’t attract attention, let alone any deeper interest.

Children getting beaten rarely stay quiet.

“Hurry up, try to get as many as possible today,” urged the woman carrying her, roughly handing her over to another.

“Big Sister Hong, thanks for your help these days. Without you, we wouldn’t have gotten enough goods,” said the woman carrying the little chubby girl.

Big Sister Hong said nothing, but the one rummaging through the basket was surprised.

“It’s meat, all meat!”

“It’s not strange to see meat; the two on the carriage look like they work for someone.”

“This meat seems odd, I’ve never seen fibers this coarse.”

“Looks like beef.”

“Beef?!”

Compared to other regions of Dayu Kingdom, the people of Tongming County were somewhat less unfamiliar with beef.

Neighboring Ling Kingdom was mainly nomadic; live animals were hard to transport, but dead ones were easier.

Caravans often brought meat along.

City dwellers saw beef from time to time.

“Seems not.”

“Definitely not.”

“Then what kind of meat is it?”

“Who knows.”

“Still eat it or not?”

“If there’s food, how can we refuse?”

They were truly bold, eating right there in the alley regardless of what it was.

Eating to their heart’s content, Big Sister Hong stuffed three pieces each into the two carrying the baskets and took the basket away.

—

“Damn, thinking they’re so great. If we weren’t short-handed, would we need their help?”

“Let’s hurry up, no more fuss. After all, they are helping.”

“Haven’t we helped them before? Actually, we’ve helped them more.”

“What kind of goods are these? Guaranteed to be lost halfway.”

Bai Mianmian still wore that coarse-mouthed, sickly ugly expression.

If it weren’t urgent, no one would look twice at her.

The men, slightly unhinged, took offense.

Zhang Huilan, perhaps worried she’d resist if she heard, quickly opened her eyelids a sliver.

The two men walked side by side.

When hoisting the baskets, they deliberately watched each other.

Just then, they came face to face.

Seeing her boldly wide-open eyes, one nearly jumped up in shock.

“This route is short; it won’t take long. They know what they’re doing and won’t let go.”

“The city’s been restless lately; goods are hard to get.”

“Damn, if that bastard falls into my hands, I’ll skin him and pull out his tendons.”

“It’s because those sons aren’t careful or we’d have caught him already… This meat doesn’t taste great, but it’s satisfying to chew, can’t break it down even after a long time.”

“Did you see how she moved? She wants it all for herself…”

Their temperaments clashed; one talked nonstop with dense points, the other initially tried to interject but gradually fell silent.

Zhang Huilan stared at her for a long moment, ensuring she wouldn’t move, then quietly relaxed.

Bai Mianmian didn’t know whether to say the heroine had luck or the kidnapper was just too accustomed to this.

At that moment, when the little chubby girl’s gaze met hers, she clearly saw a twitch in her figure.

After walking about twenty minutes, the two were carried from the west side of the city to the south, without encountering a single soul.

She just kept watching the little chubby girl’s eyelid battle.

*Bang, bang, bang.*

The narrow wooden door rattled.

After three sharp knocks, a voice asked from inside.

A man shouted, “Old Jiang Third.”

“Third Brother, what brings you here for leisure?” came the reply.

The man outside laughed, “Rare free time, just happened the kid was asleep, came to chat a bit.”