Chapter 822: Chapter 822: The Little Girl Named He Hao
Xiao Lian Hua didn’t respond, still leaning forward to search, her expression somewhat anxious.
Cui Sanniang’s expression slowly turned to suspicion: "What are you looking for? Do you feel that something is amiss?" Could there be pursuers?
Strangely enough, this little rascal in front of her, no, the little girl, who is also her future money-maker, always slightly confuses her.
It seems that she trusted them not to be kidnappers, maybe she didn’t; anyway, throughout the journey, she never thought of escaping, and even reminded them to be cautious and hide when they were near the ferry at Guxi River Town, close to Xuanzhou Prefecture City.
Fortunately, due to this little girl’s warning, they managed to avoid the special arrangement of guards by the Prefect of Xuanzhou to welcome some mysterious figure, who dispatched many soldiers to patrol everywhere, driving away ordinary folks and arresting suspicious individuals, fearing the mysterious figure might witness anything out of place.
Unable to board a ship at Guxi River Town’s ferry, they had to proceed to the next location to catch a boat, as their destination was Yangzhou.
Indeed, this girl named He Hao was extraordinary. Half a day ago, when they were resting at an inn planning to stop and replenish some fodder so the horse could rest, distant sounds of horse riding approached. The girl, with a face full of terror, urged them not to stop but to continue as if they were traveling normally.
When asked why, she only uttered "Capture", just these two words made their scalp numb, adhering to the principle of better safe than sorry, they didn’t stop.
They had just left, and that team of horsemen stopped at the inn.
As the carriage turned, the two glanced at the resting inn, unable to see clearly from afar, but they felt something unusual. The people entered the inn and began searching as if looking for someone, quite similar to undercover constables, startling them with a cold sweat.
So now seeing Xiao Lian Hua’s expression, Cui Sanniang feels uneasy.
Second Master Liu, driving the carriage, saw Xiao Lian Hua extending her little head, eyes bright and sticky with an indecent look.
Swallowing his saliva, his face with sores pulled into a smile he thought was friendly, he followed up, "Xiao Hehe, what are you looking for? Tell Second Master?"
Cui Sanniang glanced at him sharply with her Shaded Eyes, secretly warning him, knowing what he was thinking, but this little girl wouldn’t do. She was the treasure she recognized, her future gold mine.
Second Master Liu showed impatience, thinking he had done nothing wrong, this woman watched people more closely than anything.
"There is someone," Xiao Lian Hua said softly, someone very important.
For the first time, Xiao Lian Hua realized she vaguely forgot someone, someone who would give her warmth, lull her to sleep, and tell her many, many things.
From previously very vague sounds to now clearer and clearer, yet she couldn’t recall what that person said after waking up. She only knew that person felt very, very sad, making her feel extremely uncomfortable, different from the discomfort of leaving her parents and brother, a different kind of discomfort.
Someone! Second Master Liu and Cui Sanniang exchanged glances, immediately taking serious note.
They assumed the meaning was someone tracking them, hence cautiously patrolling around, finding nothing unusual, even stopping the carriage to check front and rear and the roof, still discovering no one following.
Cui Sanniang continued questioning Xiao Lian Hua, getting nothing useful, her heart swung up and down.
Just when they thought it was a false alarm, rumbling hoofbeats came from the official road behind.
Xiao Lian Hua’s ears moved slightly, one horse, two horses...
She immediately retracted back into the carriage, heart pounding like a drum, unable to discern whether it was them, but she counted the hoofbeats and they matched the number seen both inside and outside the city.
At the Guxi River Town ferry, she felt a strong heart palpitation, sensing that person would go by boat, because back in Xuanzhou Prefecture City, that person rode north.
Afraid of being recognized by that person, she had the two kidnappers outside avoid them, remembering that person once said ’even a mistaken kill won’t be spared’.
Later, outside the resting inn, she heard the same number of hoofbeats as now, thus she was scared.
Seeing Xiao Lian Hua’s reaction, Second Master Liu and Cui Sanniang immediately became alert, suppressing their panic to straighten their expressions, pretending to stop for carriage repairs.
Second Master Liu pretended to fix the carriage wheel, secretly glancing towards the incoming people, after seeing clearly, his heart shuddered, quickly ducking his head, yet his whole body was on guard.
Cui Sanniang leaned against the carriage, fiddling with her fingernails.
Soon the hoofbeats from behind grew louder, a group of fast riders brushed past them, with the leader glancing at them.
After they passed, Cui Sanniang lifted her eyes, instantly recognizing them as the group met at the resting inn, not good people.
Second Master Liu stood up, the two exchanged a glance, their expressions turning grave.
They mixed in the road, naturally have some insight, from looking afar unclear earlier to now seeing that this group was more fierce than imagined, quite like powerful and ferocious individuals they dared not offend.
The two harbored some suspicion but did not speak out, sitting back in the front of the carriage.
Cui Sanniang casually inquired inwardly, "Xiao Hehe, a group of riders just passed by, do you recognize them?" She described those people’s outfits.
She had also inquired about this little girl’s family, but the girl spoke few words, immediately turning silent once asked about home, only staring blankly in silence.
But a little girl being a beggar so long with no one seeking her, itself speaks volumes, this is a girl unshielded, surely from a family fell into misfortune and wandered away.
Their business inherently involved risking their lives, if scared wouldn’t do this line of work, thus Cui Sanniang and others didn’t much care about Xiao Lian Hua’s origin, as long as she has value to them.
Inside, no response.
Cui Sanniang lifted the curtain, her gaze somewhat stern, casually smiling, yet the smile did not reach her eyes: "Xiao Hehe, do you know where they are from?"
Xiao Lian Hua lifted her eyes to look straight, very seriously said: "Yamen." She first saw that person at the county government office...
Cui Sanniang and Second Master Liu were simultaneously startled.
Xiao Lian Hua added: "Will capture people."
The two exchanged a glance, could it really be undercover constables? No no no, must be official figures far higher than constables, secretly handling a case, no wonder their mere sight instilled fear.
Recalling previous encounters, at the city gate meeting the city guard soldiers, at Guxi River Town encountering officials, and twice meeting those people, simultaneously a suspicion arose within them, this little girl must be a fugitive, no wonder she was more afraid of officials than them.
Thus... very well!
The two silently smiled knowingly, completely dismissing doubts, where to find such an ideally matching girl who presents herself, truly a treasure.