Chapter 815: Chapter 815: Her Hawk Friends
Xiao Lian Hua bid a farewell to the big bird, wishing the big bird and its eggs all the best, and even agreed to visit the big bird when there was an opportunity in the future.
Regarding the future, Xiao Lian Hua was confused. Every time she thought of her family being shackled, she didn’t dare to think further, fearing something might happen to them.
She desperately wanted to cry. She understood why her parents and brother didn’t want her with them, but she wanted to be with them. With family, she feared nothing; she only feared being on her own...
After their parting, Xiao Lian Hua continued her journey forward. The big bird kept circling in the sky, accompanying her. As she approached the city, there were more people on the road, and someone with sharp eyes noticed the big bird in the sky, exclaiming, "Huh? Is that an eagle?"
Another person looked up and identified it, "It’s a sparrowhawk, a bit smaller than an eagle, but still an eagle. It’s rare to see one in Xuanzhou City."
Xiao Lian Hua also looked up at the majestic bird soaring in the vast sky, this image deeply etched in her mind. She realized that her two big bird friends were sparrowhawks, they were eagles indeed~
Soon, Xiao Lian Hua merged into the flow of people entering the city like a little beggar. The big bird in the sky let out a cry, circled a few times, and flew away into the distance. She understood that it was a farewell, and once again, she was on the road alone...
There is no banquet that does not end; everyone has their own responsibilities. Xiao Lian Hua had hers, and the big bird had its own. Their brief encounter ended as they parted for their different goals. This time, Xiao Lian Hua learned the meaning of goodbye.
After a great change in her family, Xiao Lian Hua had been forced to part, whether with neighbors or classmates, and she had not even had a chance to say goodbye to anyone, particularly not to her family.
She had clearly reunited with her family, but upon waking in the boundless darkness of night, she found herself alone, embarking on a solitary journey across the vast world, engulfed by overwhelming loneliness, fear, and despair.
From the two big birds, Xiao Lian Hua found some solace, and so, in later years when Nanny Qi asked what kind of bird she wanted to raise, her first thought was to raise an eagle.
She forgot her two sparrowhawk friends, but at the mere mention, the image surfaced in her subconscious: the majestic bird soaring in the blue sky, that was her friend...
Xiao Lian Hua followed the flow of people into the city, embarking on a new journey, meeting different people.
"You little beggar, blind as a bat! Get out, out, out, or else I’ll break your legs!" A still charming old woman cursed from her mouth, waving a bamboo whip in her hand, almost hitting Xiao Lian Hua, who managed to dodge.
The old woman’s eyes were very noticeable, with corners that turned outward and upward. They appeared reverse Y-shaped from a direct view. Her cheekbones were prominent, forming a very mean face.
She sat at the front of the carriage, her legs hanging to one side, holding a slender bamboo whip that gleamed orange all over, looking like a frequently used item.
A man with squinty little eyes, a reddish bulbous nose, and pockmarked cheeks sat in front of the carriage. He had some pustules on his forehead and cheeks, his appearance extremely vulgar.
The carriage they drove looked very luxurious, with colorful silk curtains, embossed and painted roof, and tassels hanging from the canopy edge, appearing extremely vibrant.
It was market day, and the Xuanzhou Prefecture City was bustling with people and traffic. A vendor crashed into Xiao Lian Hua with two large baskets of vegetables, nearly causing her to bump into the old woman’s carriage, provoking her curses and expulsion.
Xiao Lian Hua’s heart was pounding, not because she almost got hit—people like her, dressed as a little beggar, were the most despised, and she had endured countless scornful stares along the way, not caring for such cold remarks—but for something else, a feeling that was unclear and indescribable.
A surging hostility inexplicably welled up inside her after dodging the old woman’s bamboo whip. She grabbed a handful of sand from the ground and abruptly flung it at the old woman and the vulgar man’s faces.
She didn’t even look back to check if she hit them; she simply dashed away, her small body nimbly weaving through the crowd, while vicious curses trailed behind her, quickly fading from her ears.
After running far, she stopped to catch her breath, turning to look behind her in extreme unease. That carriage seemed familiar...
A voice in her heart vaguely urged her to stay away from that carriage, it’s dangerous, yet something attracted her, compelling her to want to follow the carriage and do something.
Xiao Lian Hua couldn’t figure out her thoughts. After looking back for a while and not seeing the carriage coming, she continued forward.
All around her people were talking about the upcoming Oiran selection in Yangzhou City a month later, speculating whether Miss Yinyin or Miss Yu Lan would take the title. Xuanzhou was close to Yangzhou, with many people and goods passing through en route to Yangzhou.
On the carriage, the old woman with shaded eyes wiped her eyes, filled with anger, continuing her curses: "Little brat, born by a mother and raised by none! If I catch you, I’ll surely sell you, sell you to the South Wind Pavilion as a little servant, clean you up for the Noble Ladies’ amusement. If not, sell you to a wealthy family to be a lifelong servant..."
The old woman’s face was harsh, her curses becoming more heinous, filled with venomous words threatening to catch Xiao Lian Hua, sell her miserably, preferably to those with peculiar tastes or infamous households where servants frequently die.
The vulgar man’s face didn’t look any better. The little brat’s aim was too accurate, the sand thrown right into their faces, with quite a bit splattering into their eyes.
He was fortunate enough to be further away and dodge in time, suffering less. But Cui Sanniang wasn’t as lucky, caught off guard, a lot splattered, her eyes stinging and tearing endlessly, making them stop the carriage to find a place to wash her eyes before feeling somewhat better.
Cui Sanniang cursed the entire way, drawing the attention of many onlookers. He reminded, "Keep it down, don’t be too conspicuous. Let’s not forget there’s important business to do."
Cui Sanniang paused, looked around, restrained her words, but still cursed through gritted teeth, "That little brat, if I see him again, I will..." Her gaze was filled with sinister malice.
The vulgar man chuckled, "If we see that little brat again, I’ll take care of him for you."
Cui Sanniang gave a glance at the vulgar man with her handkerchief, recalling his fetish, flicked a glance at the carriage interior suggestively, "Second Master Liu, aren’t you?"
Second Master Liu squinted his lustful little eyes, chuckling as if he thought of something delightful, "For Sanniang, doing a trial would be worth it. Hehehe..." As he laughed, the pus-filled boils on his face jiggled repulsively and hideously.
Cui Sanniang felt a bit nauseous seeing this, yet she raised her shaded eyes flirtatiously and waved her handkerchief coquettishly, "I must first thank Second Master."
The two exchanged a smile, each corner of their mouths curling into a knowing, bizarre grin.