Chapter 823: Chapter 823: The Money Tree Delivered to Our Door
Cui Sanniang’s tone softened, turned her head to Xiao Lian Hua, and said, "Xiao Hehe, don’t be afraid. Since you’re with us, we will definitely protect you and not let those bad people catch you."
The more Cui Sanniang looked at Xiao Lian Hua’s little face, the more satisfied she became.
The story of how this little girl came to travel with them is a long one. At the time, Cui Sanniang and Second Master Liu were waiting to leave the city at the gate when a sudden commotion broke out, causing many to retreat from the city gate for fear of being trampled by horses.
It was then that they discovered Xiao Lian Hua, the little brat who had thrown sand all over their faces.
Seeing this little brat stirred both old and new grudges in Cui Sanniang’s heart, and her eyes nearly spewed fire. Unluckily, Xiao Lian Hua ran right past their carriage, only to be grabbed by Second Master Liu.
Cui Sanniang was overjoyed, and in that instant, countless torturous ideas flashed through her mind.
They had thought that when the person was caught, they would be so frightened that they would struggle and scream. At that moment, they were prepared to knock the person unconscious while everyone’s attention was on the city gate, and discreetly load them into the carriage.
Who would have thought that when this little brat saw them, they acted as if they had seen a savior, not scared at all. Xiao Lian Hua nimbly hooked their foot onto the shaft of the carriage, slipped free from Second Master Liu’s grasp, and quickly darted into the carriage, leaving no time to stop them.
At that moment, Cui Sanniang and Second Master Liu were greatly alarmed. This was bad; the interior of their carriage could not withstand an inspection. If the person noticed something amiss inside and cried out, attracting the city guard soldiers, it would be a huge problem!
Cui Sanniang immediately climbed into the carriage, only to see the little brat’s face full of tension, signaling for her to be quiet with a shushing gesture.
Cui Sanniang narrowed her shaded eyes, puzzled, but she also understood that this little brat did not want to raise any alarm. She wasn’t confident in knocking them out immediately, so she had to hold her ground.
Her thoughts raced, and she secretly wondered if this little brat had stolen Silver and was being pursued, which was why they hid in their carriage.
This explanation made the most sense.
Thinking of this, she gradually calmed down. Since it was so, it was better to go with the flow. Once they reached a deserted place, wouldn’t the person be theirs to handle...
She started scheming, intently watching Xiao Lian Hua. As she looked, she discovered something different; the person was dirty, but their features seemed quite handsome.
This is excellent! A good-looking boy fetches a higher price!
While she secretly weighed how much Silver she could sell them for, she suddenly noticed that Xiao Lian Hua’s ear, still relatively clean, had a pierced hole that was easy to overlook.
She was taken aback and looked more carefully, noticing that Xiao Lian Hua’s clothing was actually made of fine material, with exquisite embroidery patterns hidden under the mud. If her eyes hadn’t been sharp enough, she would’ve missed it.
A bold guess floated into her mind: this was a wealthy young lady fallen into dire straits!
At the thought of this possibility, she grew eager, her shaded eyes openly scrutinizing Xiao Lian Hua.
The filth obscured the person’s eyebrows and face, and dressed like a boy, their mannerisms lacked any girlish bashfulness or constraint. At a glance, they seemed like a boy.
Only a closer look revealed the difference from a boy, with graceful mannerisms and an appearance that, upon close inspection, showed large, lively almond eyes, arched eyebrows, a neat, pointed nose, a sharp chin, and cheeks with a touch of baby fat—a face inherently innocent and charming.
When she saw a tiny section of snow-white arm exposed from Xiao Lian Hua’s sleeve, Cui Sanniang became more satisfied, fully confirming her guess in her heart. She mused to herself: What a beautiful young thing, I nearly missed it! At such a young age, already having the appearance of a freshly bloomed lotus, the most precious is that slight coquettish tilt at the corners of the eyes. With some nurturing and guidance, when grown a bit larger and understanding matters, that slight glance could exude nothing but allure.
The more she looked, the more excited she felt, picturing a grown-up Xiao Lian Hua becoming her gold mine, enchanting wealthy young gentlemen to the point of losing themselves, with Silver flowing from all directions to her, the mother, no longer needing to engage in those filthy dealings with Second Master Liu.
After sorting her thoughts, Cui Sanniang suddenly became amicable as if turning over a new leaf, "Little girl, what’s your name?"
Xiao Lian Hua kept all her attention outside, tightly focusing on the curtain of the carriage, listening intently to the noise outside.
She knew something was wrong with this carriage; she realized it at first glance upon entering. However, instinctively she felt that the person outside was much more dangerous than the carriage, and by hiding inside, she might still come up with a way to survive. If that person caught her, she would surely not survive.
The gaze from the woman with shaded eyes made her very uncomfortable, extremely displeased, but she had no time to deal with it now.
When asked, she casually responded, "He Hao."
Whenever Xiao Lian Hua did something bad or wanted to cause trouble, she would report the name of the He Family’s child. Facing Cui Sanniang, she didn’t think twice before doing so.
Cui Sanniang was stunned. Why was it a boy’s name? Was she mistaken, was it a boy with feminine features? That couldn’t be right; there were clearly ear holes?
After a moment of doubt, Cui Sanniang dismissed her suspicion and comforted herself. She had seen countless people and was certain she wasn’t wrong.
She scrutinized Xiao Lian Hua, thinking it was a bit interesting. It seemed this little girl was someone her family had high hopes for and was perhaps being groomed as a successor. No wonder her behavior was so poised; a child from small households or common folks wouldn’t exhibit such demeanor, let alone have such a grand name.
Thinking this, her confidence grew. A noble family’s training for a young lady is unusually strict. At four or five years old, they’re confined to the deep quarters for education, and by the age of ten, their skills in music, chess, calligraphy, needlework, and embroidery become presentable.
The girls bought into the brothel were divided into several ranks. Their appearance, figure, and age were, of course, the most crucial. Besides, their origin and age mattered; the least appealing were those with plain looks, older age, and low origin, only fit for the lowest class of flesh trade.
And the top-notch girls would be the Oiran of the brothel, cultivated from a young age. However, some things cannot be trained, namely, the innate grace and overall bearing of a noble family.
The brothel most loved to buy girls from noble families that had fallen on hard times, especially those around nine or ten years old, who had received strict education and after a few years of grooming, could perfectly fit in. Too young and with little to no upbringing and hard to sustain, resulted in too many uncertainties, making them a poor choice.
Right now, I’ve really scored a windfall, never thought such a noble young lady would land in my hands, one worth a whole carriage.
Inside the carriage, Cui Sanniang looked at Xiao Lian Hua, her gaze flickering with sharp intent, her thoughts racing.
Second Master Liu, who was driving outside, felt uneasy at the silence within, only relaxing when he heard Cui Sanniang’s questions. As they neared the city gate, he couldn’t resist lifting the curtain to sneak a peek inside.
Xiao Lian Hua noticed his action, immediately widened her eyes like facing a great enemy, looking extremely tense.