Chapter 127 The Real Culprit (2)

Li Zhong's eyes lit up, and he suddenly sat up from the bed, excitedly exclaiming, "Yan, this idea is brilliant! How come I didn't think of it before!"

Mo Yan smiled without saying a word, but she felt conflicted inside. She both hoped that the woman was Li Xiu and hoped that she wasn't.

The next morning, Li Zhong didn't even have breakfast. He eagerly went out, intending to put Mo Yan's plan into action.

Mo Yan didn't delay either. After breakfast, she also left the house. Beggars were everywhere, and she could easily arrange a few to lead Li Zhong to that brothel.

In just two days, Li Zhong obtained some information about his daughter from a young beggar and hurriedly went to verify it with hope.

Seeing everything under her control, Mo Yan focused her energy on the fruit seedlings. However, before she could find a suitable merchant to bring back apple, grape, and other fruit seedlings from the foreign lands, shopkeeper Xing, came with some extremely good news that delighted her.

"shopkeeper Xing, is what you said true? Can those fruit seedlings really be planted by me?" Mo Yan couldn't believe it; it was like a dream come true.

It turned out that not long ago, the court sent people to the foreign lands to bring back a batch of fruit seedlings. Originally, these seedlings were supposed to be cultivated by officials from the Agricultural Bureau. However, in recent years, despite the enormous efforts and resources the court spent on obtaining these excellent fruit seedlings, the Agricultural department failed to grow a single fruit, which greatly displeased Emperor Huian.

Upon hearing from shopkeeper Xing that Mo Yan wanted to plant fruit trees, Yan Junyu took notice. Using the pretext of paying respects to the Empress Dowager, Yan Junyu convinced Emperor Huian to place these seedlings under his jurisdiction for cultivation.

Emperor Huian was already dissatisfied with the Agricultural department. Knowing that they couldn't grow any fruit from this batch of seedlings, he readily agreed.

However, officials from the Agricultural department felt that Yan Junyu looked down on them and insisted on keeping the seedlings to prove themselves. This led to some heated arguments, but Emperor Huian ultimately intervened and decided to divide the seedlings equally between them.

"Miss Mo, this matter is absolutely true. However, the master said that you must ensure that these seedlings survive and preferably bear fruit. This way, the master can give those stubborn officials an explanation," shopkeeper Xing said with a smile.

Mo Yan was moved upon hearing this but also felt some worry. "Will this cause trouble for your master?"

shopkeeper Xing nodded discreetly. "It's just ordinary trouble. The master doesn't take it to heart. Miss Mo, rest assured."

Mo Yan thought of shopkeeper Xing's identity and nodded in reassurance.

Since the survival of the seedlings was not easy, and after a long journey, it was better to plant them sooner rather than later. After discussing with shopkeeper Xing, they arranged for Xiao Zhu to bring the seedlings over the next day.

Having received such a great favor from Lord Yan Junyu, Mo Yan decided to return the favor. Before shopkeeper Xing left, she packed him some vegetables from the space.

shopkeeper Xing looked helpless on the surface, but he was secretly delighted. The reason was simple: every time he brought these things back, his master treated him exceptionally well and often rewarded him with many valuable items.

With the biggest obstacle resolved, now it was time to clear the uncultivated land.

Seeing that spring was almost over, Mo Yan dared not delay any longer. She took two pounds of meat and went to Liu Yang Village to ask Yang Bao for help in finding people to clear the land.

Yang Bao readily agreed. Although it was the busy farming season, and every household was occupied, plus Mo's family had hired a group of laborers to build houses, there were still enough people left in the village to clear the land. The first step in clearing the land was to remove the weeds and trees from the mountain, a task that could be done by older children and women without much trouble.

After leaving Yang Bao's house, Mo Yan planned to go to the construction site. However, halfway there, she encountered two people she didn't want to see—Mo Yonglu and his daughter, Mo Erni.

"Second Uncle, Sister Erni!" Mo Yan greeted them coldly, stepping aside to let them pass.

At this moment, Mo Yonglu was struggling to carry a large bundle of firewood on his back, while Mo Erni also carried one. Their heads and bodies were covered in crushed leaves and grass, indicating they had just returned from chopping firewood on the mountain.

Seeing Mo Yan, Mo Yonglu felt somewhat embarrassed. He nodded and hurriedly walked past. However, Mo Erni gave Mo Yan a cold look. It was unclear whether it was jealousy or resentment in her eyes. As they brushed past each other, she deliberately bumped into Mo Yan with her shoulder.

Mo Yan reacted quickly, dodging the bump. However, her face was scratched by a protruding piece of firewood from Mo Erni's bundle. It didn't break the skin, but it stung a bit.

"Serves you right!" Mo Erni turned her head back, glaring at Mo Yan fiercely before walking away, her face full of gloominess.

Mo Yan touched the scratch on her face, watching the father and daughter walk away. A faint bitter smile appeared at the corner of her lips.

Mo Erni had always disliked the original owner, so it was normal for her to give Mo Yan a hard time. However, it was Mo Yonglu's attitude that puzzled her. Had thirty paddles and nearly a month in jail taught him a lesson? If so, it would be a rare stroke of luck!

Mo Yan had heard some news about the old Mo family's recent situation. It was said that in order to alleviate Mo Yongshou's guilt, the old patriarch had even paid the last bit of silver the family had to shopkeeper Xing. At that time, they were practically penniless.

Later, Mo Yongfu was too ashamed to work for the Mo family and went to the mountains to chop firewood to sell. However, a hundred catties of dry firewood didn't fetch much money. When old Mo fell ill and needed medicine, Mo Yan had Lin Meng deliver pork and chicken to their house, which was exchanged for money for medicine. When Mo Yonglu returned, he also spent his days chopping firewood on the mountain and selling it in the city.

Everyone had to pay the price for their actions! If this lesson could make Mo Yonglu mend his ways and stop scheming against others, the family would eventually live a good life together. If they continued to scheme against others, they would only bring ruin upon themselves.

Mo Yan didn't sympathize with them at all, but she couldn't help but feel sorry for the innocent children.

Meanwhile, as Mo Yonglu and Mo Erni walked away, Mo Yonglu suddenly turned back and admonished his daughter, "Erni, don't act like today when you see Yan'er. Understand?"

Mo Erni couldn't believe her ears. She stared at her father in disbelief, angrily threw the firewood on the ground, and shouted sharply, "Why should I listen to her? She's just a bastard without a mother! Don't forget, it was her family who didn't save us when we were in trouble, and made you go to jail and lose face!"

Mo Yonglu's face stiffened, pained as he looked at his daughter, who seemed somewhat crazy. He regretted deeply in his heart, "This matter was originally my and your third uncle's fault. If it were you, would you have saved us?"

But Mo Erni couldn't listen to any reasoning. She said darkly, "What right does a bastard have to compare herself with me? I want to see how long she can be arrogant!"

Mo Yonglu was shocked, suddenly associating this with the night when the wood caught fire. He desperately advised, "Erni, listen to me, don't mess around. Do you know that if what happened that night is known to others, our whole family will not be able to stay in Liu Yang Village anymore?"

Mo Erni's face changed drastically, and she screamed, "You know?"

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 Chapter 858: Solve Your Own Problems!

Shu Yu raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Sorry for not notifying you in advance when I came back. Did I startle you?"

The shopkeeper stammered, "..."

He had no way to respond to her words.

But Shu Yu didn't need him to respond. She simply pointed to Da Niu behind her and said, "But I didn't expect you to give me a shock as well. This is the shopkeeper of our ready-to-wear shop. I believe you know him. He came to pick up the goods today, but it hasn't been going smoothly."

The shopkeeper knew that Da Niu was here to settle accounts and was considering Shu Yu's current situation.

There had been rumors recently that she had committed a crime and was exiled to the southwest. At first, he didn't believe it. If she had truly been exiled, why would the county magistrate still be concerned about the ready-to-wear shop?

But the rumors seemed credible, and when people asked the Lu family, they vehemently denied it. However, the shopkeeper was shrewd and had been present at the time. He clearly saw their guilty expressions.

He believed that Shu Yu had indeed been exiled.

It was truly unexpected. Lu Shu Yu had been exiled, yet she still had the protection of County Magistrate Xiang.

The shopkeeper couldn't help but speculate on the relationship between Shu Yu and Xiang Wei Nan. They were of suitable age, and it was probably one of those illicit relationships, right?

The shopkeeper began to look down on Shu Yu. Although he didn't dare to do anything that would harm the ready-to-wear shop, he thought that for minor matters like troubling Da Niu, County Magistrate Xiang probably wouldn't bother getting involved.

However, he never expected that Lu Shu Yu would actually come back.

The shopkeeper felt that this was most likely due to County Magistrate Xiang's connections, bringing her back from the southwest.

But the shopkeeper had lost the respect he once had for her. While he could still maintain a polite smile when he first saw her, his expression fell after hearing her questioning.

"Shopkeeper Lu, you should understand. Our shop is the largest cloth market in Jiangyuan County, and we have many customers who come here to pick up and deliver goods. Occasionally, lacking a cart for transportation is normal, right? We should all understand each other. That's how we can maintain a long-lasting business relationship, isn't it?"

Shu Yu chuckled. "You're mistaken. If you want a long-lasting business relationship, you need to follow the terms clearly stated in the contract. Even close brothers settle their accounts clearly, so we naturally need to sort things out. When we signed the contract, one of the clauses stated that you are responsible for delivering the goods to our doorstep."

The shopkeeper smiled, "That's true, but we really don't have any carts available at the moment."

That excuse might work on Da Niu, but Shu Yu couldn't help but scoff, "That's your problem. If you don't have a cart, you should either rent one or buy one yourself. It's your responsibility to solve the problem. Why should you push it onto the customer? Is that how you do business? When you encounter difficulties, you let the customer handle it themselves? Are you all useless?"

The shopkeeper expression turned ugly, but fortunately, there weren't many people in the shop at the moment. Otherwise, if they heard this, it would damage the reputation of their shop.

He took a deep breath. "Shopkeeper Lu is right. I have learned my lesson. I will arrange for someone to rent a cart and personally deliver the goods to your shop."

As he spoke, he was about to call one of the assistants nearby. "Hurry up and make the arrangements."

However, Shu Yu raised her hand. "It's too late for that."

The shopkeeper furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

Shu Yu smiled amicably. "Originally, this bolt of fabric was urgently needed. We have a customer who urgently needs a piece of clothing. They offered a high price and requested that we deliver it by the beginning of the You hour today. Our shop's shopkeeper should have come over in the afternoon, right?"

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  Chapter 192 Bite Back

In the living room.

Li Yusha and Zhang Mama were carried in, lying on two sofas respectively, their expressions twisted in pain.

Song Qiaoying rushed over upon hearing the news. "What's going on? Someone, quickly go and get Dr. Zhang."

"Mom, I fell, and Zhang Mama fell while trying to help me..."

Because of stepping on oil, the inertia of the fall was greater and more painful.

"Let me see..." Song Qiaoying, seeing only women around, gently lifted Li Yusha's clothes from behind and saw that her entire back was bruised!

"It's my fault for not taking care of Miss properly. Please punish me, Madam!" Zhang Mama also burst into tears from the pain. Damn Ou Yan, how could the floor become so slippery without her noticing anything? Did she notice the oil on the floor from the beginning? Impossible! With those eyes of hers, how could she possibly notice?

Even if she did notice, how could she have perfectly avoided the oil stains on the floor and walked into the room with such swagger?

"Zhang Jie, Shasha said you fell while trying to help her. I am grateful beyond words; why would I punish you?"

"Madam is kind-hearted, protecting Miss is my duty, even if it means sacrificing everything..."

"But everything was fine, how could you fall? Where did you fall?"

"Madam, you don't know. Miss Ou Yan said Mr. Si was looking for Miss Yusha for something, and Miss Yusha was afraid Mr. Si would wait too long, so she wanted to hurry, but unexpectedly, she fell before she even reached the front door!"

As soon as Zhang Mama finished speaking, Xiaoqin added in a timely manner, "I just went to the place where Miss Yusha fell. I don't know when the ground was oiled..."

"Why would there be oil on the garden floor?" Song Qiaoying asked with a puzzled expression.

Xiaoqin tactfully hinted, "I also find it strange. When Miss Ou Yan asked Miss Yusha to come over, there Ou Yan to be oil on the ground..."

"Bold!" Song Qiaoying got angry. "Are you suggesting that all of this was set up by Yan Yan to frame her?"

"Madam, calm down, I didn't mean that, just speculating..." Xiaoqin quickly apologized, "Miss treated me like a sister, seeing her fall like this, I was just anxious for a moment..."

"What's going on?" Li Yuanfu rushed over upon hearing the news. After listening to what happened, and seeing the two of them fall like this, he hurriedly asked, "Why hasn't Dr. Zhang arrived yet?"

"He's on his way, said it'll take another fifteen minutes."

"Tell the driver to hurry."

"Yes!"

"Master, Madam, don't you find it strange?"

The speaker was Aunt Li, who usually got along well with Zhang Ou Yan and had been in this family for twelve years.

Relying on her seniority, she said coldly, "Young Master usually only looks for Miss Ou Yan, why did he suddenly look for Miss Yusha today? Moreover, when Miss Yusha went out, the ground was oily. Everything is too coincidental!"

Song Qiaoying gave her a displeased look. "Aunt Li, what do you mean by that?"

"Master, Madam, in order not to wrong the innocent and not let go of those who framed Miss Yusha, I dare to ask Miss Ou Yan to come down and explain the situation, and request to review the surveillance!"

"Nonsense!" Song Qiaoying didn't expect this servant to be so audacious as to make such a request. "I regard you as an elder in the family and won't argue with you, but I won't give you a second chance at the same opportunity. You'll have to take care of yourself!"

Dare to suspect Yan Yan, she's being too bold?

"Did someone ask for me?"

At this moment, Ou Yan came down the spiral staircase, accompanied by Aunt Lan.

Aunt Lan must have informed her of everything in the living room.

"Yan Yan, why did you come down?" Song Qiaoying looked at Aunt Lan again, "Who told you to bring Yan Yan down?"

"It was Aunt Li's loud voice." Ou Yan came to everyone, glanced casually, "Isn't there a need to review the surveillance?"

"Yan Yan..."

"Review it." Ou Yan's tone was calm, "I also want to see if someone is playing with fire and burning themselves, throwing stones at their own feet."

"You..." Aunt Li was quite dissatisfied with her, but still said, "Since it's Miss Ou Yan's own request, then I'll bring it out for everyone to see. I believe everyone has doubts about what's going on and how Yusha fell!"

"If the person who framed Miss Yusha can hide in the dark and see Miss Yusha fall like this without consequences, then in the future, wouldn't everyone be able to climb on top of Miss Yusha? How much more suffering does she have to endure? Does she still have any status in this family?"

Ou Yan leaned leisurely on the single sofa,Aunt Lan poured her a glass of lemon water, she took a sip, and casually said, "Stop talking nonsense."

"You..."

"Review it."

"Wait and see!" Aunt Li went to review the surveillance. Soon, the large TV screen began to play the surveillance footage from the afternoon.

Aunt Li fast-forwarded the footage at three times speed.

At five twenty in the afternoon, Xiaoqin was watering the garden. By five thirty, the screen suddenly turned into black and white bars. Then, the time jumped to six in the afternoon.

Ou Yan walked in through the gate, and not long after, Zhang Mama accompanied Li Yusha out of the main building. Before they even got close to the carved gate, Li Yusha slipped and fell, and Zhang Ma fell while trying to help her.

"It doesn't seem to be anyone's fault. Miss Ou Yan and Miss Yusha didn't do anything!"

"They both seem innocent!"

"Aunt Li, you misunderstood Miss Ou Yan. At this time, Miss Ou Yan had just finished work and returned home."

"Yeah."

Several maids spoke up for Ou Yan.

"No!" Aunt Li seemed to have grasped something and pointed to the screen with a cold smile. "Look carefully, it's right here. When Miss Ou Yan passed by, she didn't slip, but how did Miss Yusha fall!"

Everyone looked, and indeed, both Miss Yusha and Miss Ou Yan passed by this spot.

Aunt Li said decisively, "Miss Ou Yan must have known in advance that there was oil here, so she avoided it! But Miss Yusha didn't know, so she fell when she walked past!"

In other words, Ou Yan must have poured the oil!

"Nonsense! Miss Ou Yan didn't get off work and return home until six o'clock. How could she have time to commit the crime?" Aunt Lan stood up and accused, "Master and Madam are here, and you dare to slander Miss Ou Yan! You're so bold!"

"This surveillance was bought by Master and Madam at a high price from abroad. It hasn't been broken in the past five years, but just during the half-hour from five thirty to six, the surveillance was deleted, and then at six, Miss Ou Yan appeared in the footage! Isn't this trying to cover up the truth!"

"What do you mean!" Aunt Lan couldn't bear it anymore, stood in front of Ou Yan, and argued with Aunt Li, "Miss Ou Yan just arrived in this family. She doesn't even know where the oil is placed! You're talking nonsense!"

"It's also possible that you told her?"

"Nonsense!"

"I heard Xiaoqin say that when Miss Ou Yan returned home from work, she first sent Miss Yusha and Zhang Mama away and then went upstairs by herself!"

  Chapter 126 The Real Culprit (1)

After much deliberation, Mo Yan finally decided to tell Li Zhong about this matter.

If that person was really Li Xiu, she naturally couldn't just stand by and watch her fall into the mud. If it wasn't her, it might not necessarily be a bad thing. After all, in the eyes of the world, whether a woman falls into the dust voluntarily or is forced, it's a big deal that tarnishes the family's reputation. Once exposed, the Li family might not be able to bear it.

Therefore, for the sake of Grandpa Li's face, this matter couldn't be openly discussed. It needed some planning.

In the evening, Li Zhong returned exhausted from outside. After dinner, Mo Yan sent Xin'er to help Li Yan tidy up the dishes and then brewed a pot of tea and took it to the room.

Seeing Li Zhong sitting at the bedside, sighing as he held a silver hairpin that, although old-fashioned, was very exquisite, Mo Yan felt a pang in her heart. She knew that this silver hairpin was specially crafted by a skilled silversmith when Li Xiu came of age, and it was given to her as a coming-of-age gift by her father.

Later, when Li Xiu was divorced by the Zhang family and driven out, this silver hairpin was left behind at the Zhang family's residence. After Li Zhong recovered from his illness, he went to the Zhang family's house again. He didn't ask for anything else, just brought back this silver hairpin, as a keepsake.

Seeing Mo Yan, Li Zhong quickly put away the silver hairpin, wrapped it carefully in layers of fine cotton, and placed it in a wooden box before asking, "Yan'er, do you need something from Grandpa?"

Mo Yan placed the tray on the table, poured two cups of tea, and placed one in front of Li Zhong with a smile, saying, "This is the good tea Sister Liu brought over this morning. Knowing that Grandpa Li loves this, I made a pot of it myself. Please enjoy it, Grandpa Li."

Upon hearing this, a loving smile filled Li Zhong's aged face. "The tea brewed by Yan'er is naturally good. Grandpa Li is fortunate."

Li Zhong picked up the teacup, used the lid to brush aside the tea leaves, took a sip, savored it carefully, and praised, "The fragrance is refreshing, with a lingering aftertaste! Yan'er's tea brewing skills are getting better and better."

Mo Yan smiled modestly and said a few humble words. Seeing Li Grandpa finishing a cup of tea, seemingly in a better mood, she tentatively asked, "Grandpa Li, you've been searching for so long, have you heard any news about Aunt Li?"

Li Zhong put down the teacup, his mood low as he shook his head. "Some people claimed to have seen her, but every time I went to inquire, there was no further information."

Mo Yan poured him another cup of tea and took the opportunity to say, "Grandpa Li, you could invite more people to help keep an eye out. With so many people out there, how could you possibly search on your own?"

Li Zhong sighed. How could he not want to? However, he was short on funds. The three hundred taels of silver he had previously received had been mostly spent over the past few months. How could he afford to hire more people to help inquire about the news?

If he asked, the Mo family would surely lend them some, but they already owed the Mo family a lot. How could they continue to freeload off them? How could he have the face to ask for more silver?

Seeing this, Mo Yan changed the subject and tentatively proposed her plan, "Grandpa Li, I have an idea. Let me see if it's feasible."

Mo Yan was worried about her family's affairs, and Li Zhong naturally appreciated her, saying, "Yan, tell me!"

Mo Yan smiled and explained her plan that she had thought of in the afternoon, "There are many beggars and wanderers in the northern city. These people are on the streets all day, and they must have seen a lot of things. Maybe someone has seen Aunt Li. As long as they can provide useful information, you can verify it and then give them some reward. This method is more effective than you searching alone, and it won't cost much silver."

Later, she would bribe a few beggars, gradually passing the information to Grandpa Li's ears. If that woman really was Li Xiu, when Grandpa Li quietly brought her back home for a reunion, he wouldn't feel like he lost face. 

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 Chapter 857: Differential Treatment for Big Bull

Da Niu widened his eyes, his face filled with excitement and joy. "Really? You, you're back just like that?!"

Shu Yu nodded. "Yes, it's a complicated story. Let's talk about it when we get home."

"Yes, yes, let's go home. This is too sudden. Let's go..." Da Niu's words were cut off as he suddenly remembered the bolts of cloth behind him. He slapped his forehead. "Look at me, I almost forgot about these bolts of cloth."

As he spoke, Big Bull turned his head.

Following his gaze, Shu Yu also saw the stacks of cloth placed aside and furrowed her brow. "Big Brother, what's going on? Are these the bolts of cloth you were supposed to bring in today?"

"Yes."

"Why are they at the entrance of the cloth market? I remember the cloth market should help us transport the cloth back, right?"

Da Niu's expression became somewhat complicated, and he whispered, "The cloth market said they were busy today, and all the carts were out. I didn't bring in a lot of fabric, so they asked me to take care of it myself."

Even though it wasn't a large amount, there were still seven or eight bolts of cloth. He couldn't possibly carry them all back himself.

Moreover, some of them were high-quality fabric. If they accidentally got damaged, the loss would be significant.

Da Niu had argued with the shopkeeper of the cloth market, who had a decent attitude but insisted that they didn't have any carts available. Despite apologizing many times, they didn't solve the problem at all.

Da Niu had only been a shopkeeper for a few months and couldn't match the cunning manager. He could only consider renting a cart himself. However, there were no suitable rental agencies in the area, so if he wanted to leave, he would have to ask the shop assistant at the cloth market for help. However, that assistant used the excuse of being busy and refused to help.

Da Niu was about to give the assistant a few coins and ask the neighboring shop for help in renting a cart when Shu Yu and the others arrived.

Upon hearing this, Shu Yu narrowed her eyes. The change in attitude from the shopkeeper and the assistant at the cloth market seemed too drastic.

She had a guess about the reason. "Has this been happening since I was exiled?"

Big Bull shook his head hurriedly. "No, actually, their attitude changed a lot when our shop started ordering less and buying cheaper fabric."

Ever since Ah Yu and Da Ya left, their ready-to-wear shop began selling clothes that catered more to the common people, with lower prices.

In that case, the fabric they ordered naturally changed as well.

From that time on, the attitudes of the assistants and the manager at the cloth market became ambiguous.

Da Niu had wanted to switch to another cloth market for purchasing fabric, but the manager only displayed impatience in his tone, and there were no breaches of contract. They still delivered the goods, and when he went to purchase fabric, they did so without any fuss. The price and quality of the fabric hadn't changed, so it wouldn't be reasonable for him to switch to another market.

Who would have thought that after Ah Yu was exiled, this cloth market even refused to deliver the goods.

Shu Yu understood. "Da Niu, wait for me for a moment."

With a stern expression, she strode directly into the cloth market.

The shopkeeper of the cloth market was behind the counter, seemingly oblivious to what was happening outside, as he was engrossed in his bookkeeping.

Only when Shu Yu stood in front of him did he frown and raise his head.

His face immediately changed. "You, Shopkeeper Lu? Why have you come back?"

Shu Yu sneered. "Sorry to have made you uncomfortable here."

The shopkeeper hurriedly smiled. "No, no, Shopkeeper Lu, how can you say that? It's just that I heard you had gone to the southwest, so your sudden return surprised me."

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 Chapter 354: Do It Next Year

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 Chapter 353: Chu Ziluo's Thoughts

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 Chapter 191: Falling Four Feet Up

"Mom, are you okay, Mom!" Bai Muyao rushed over, wanting to help Xu Aiqin up.

"Pain, pain... don't move me... oh, this little wild child, not disciplined for a few days, has become so unruly?" Xu Aiqin lay in a sorry state on the grass, tears streaming from the pain.

"Ou Yan, you've gone too far!" Bai Muyao, seeing Ou Yan wanting to leave, caught up in three or two steps, grabbing her arm, wanting to reason with her.

Ou Yan was disgusted by the touch of this white lotus flower. As soon as she raised her hand to shake it off, Bai Muyao exaggeratedly fell to the ground, looking painfully distressed.

"Miss Yao, are you okay?" The servant nearby hurried forward to support her.

Tears fell from Bai Muyao's eyes, but she pretended stubbornly, "I'm fine... don't worry."

"Yan Yan, how can you treat your mother and sister like this!" Bai Zhenhai couldn't believe it. This girl had become so wild. Not only did she discipline the servants, but she also didn't care about her mother and sister.

How could it have gone this bad!

"It's your own words. I have nothing to do with this family." Ou Yan's gaze was cold to the extreme. "If I catch you stealing Grandma's things again, I'll cut off your hands and feed them to the dogs!"

"You, you brat... don't let her get away!" Xu Aiqin, in pain, burst into tears, ordering the servants around her, "Close the door and give her a good beating!"

Ou Yan easily paved a way and swaggered away from the Bai family villa.

The Bai family really opened their eyes. Was this still the previous Yan Yan? In less than a month, the change was too great...

"Mom, are you okay?" Bai Muyao hurriedly approached with concern.

Xu Aiqin hated it so much she was itching. "This brat, if we don't teach her a lesson, she really thinks we're easy to bully..."

Bai Zhenhai sighed. He thought Ou Yan had come to her senses and wanted to cooperate with them, but it turned out...

Ou Yan left the Bai family, delivered the items to Grandma Bai, and her phone suddenly vibrated.

\[Yan Yan, what are you busy with?\]

It was her big brother sending a WeChat message.

Ou Yan's fingers lightly touched the screen and quickly replied, "Dealing with something outside."

\[Will you come home for dinner tonight?\]

"Will."

\[Is there anything you want to eat?\]

"I'm not picky, anything is fine."

\[Okay.\]

Li Yihan had always been succinct in his words. After replying "Okay," he didn't see his sister reply again, so he started typing.

\[Don't be too busy, take care of yourself. See you tonight.\]

Ou Yan sent an OK emoji and put away her phone.

Li Yihan didn't expect his sister to be even more concise than him. He smiled and said to the nearby assistant Xu, "Try to finish the afternoon's work as soon as possible. I want to go home early to accompany Yan Yan."

assistant Xu widened his eyes. It seemed like he had just seen the Boss smile. he had been with the Boss for seven or eight years, and the Boss seemed a bit different when it came to this sister.

After accompanying Grandma Bai, Ou Yan had just taken a taxi back to the company when she saw Si Yechen's car parked nearby.

The man getting out of the car was tall and handsome, attracting the attention of several passersby...

There was still half an hour before off work. Ou Yan thought that if she came back early, he wouldn't find out.

But he came half an hour early.

"Where did you go?" Si Yechen approached, gently tidying her stray hair, "Next time, if you need a car, you can tell me."

He didn't want the girl to take a taxi outside.

"I went out to handle something. Why did you come so early?" Ou Yan looked him over, "Or do you come this early every day?"

"There's nothing much to do lately." Si Yechen looked at her indulgently.

Though he said so, only Qing Mu knew that Master Chen sped up his work every day just to come early and pick up Miss Ou Yan, to be closer to her...

At this time, Master Chen had freed up time for love, but his special assistant was still dealing with group affairs!

Bitter!

Want to cry!

"I'm going home for dinner tonight, so I can't accompany you."

"Okay." Si Yechen touched her head and opened the car door for her.

On the way, Ou Yan inquired about Grandma Si's condition and chatted about their work. In no time, they arrived at the Lakeside Villa.

Si Yechen helped her unfasten the seatbelt, opened the car door, and hugged her reluctantly, "Will you make time to accompany me another day?"

"Okay." Ou Yan turned around, about to enter the gate, when she suddenly noticed the shiny oil on the ground. Shouldn't it be oil?

Under the sunlight, the large area of oil looked like water...

Presumably, to cover up these oils, someone had washed the garden, and the ground was all wet...

If you didn't look carefully, you really couldn't tell...

Who poured oil here?

Trying to make her fall?

Inside one of the main house's windows, it seemed like there were eyes, peeping through the curtains, secretly watching the commotion here.

Ou Yan walked on the water stains on the ground, skillfully avoiding the oil, and walked straight in.

"She, she just came in like that?" Zhang Mama, hiding behind the curtains, seemed incredulous. "I deliberately spilled two buckets of oil. Why didn't she slip at all?"

Li Yusha felt sorry, "Was it washed away when Xiao Qin washed the garden?"

"No, Xiao Qin washed the garden first, and then I spilled the oil... logically, that Ou Yan should have fallen flat on her face!"

But she just came in so casually!

At this time, Ou Yan walked into the main house, frightening the two of them who quickly pretended to discuss the curtain style.

"Miss Yusha, do you want to change the curtains in your room to this style with flower patterns?"

"Yeah, don't you think it looks pretty?"

"Si Yechen is looking for you." Ou Yan, passing by Li Yusha, said casually, "He has something to tell you."

Si Yechen is looking for her??

Li Yusha was ecstatic and was about to rush out but was stopped by a glance from Zhang Mama!

Logically, Master Si wouldn't look for her!

Could it be that Ou Yan found the cooking oil on the ground and wanted to trick Miss Yusha into going out and falling?

Ou Yan climbed two steps and said casually, "He's over there. If you don't want to go, at least let someone notify him."

How could she not want to go!

Li Yusha dreamed of talking to Si Yechen!

She rushed out of the main house, Zhang Mama hurriedly followed, "Miss Yusha, be careful, there's oil on the ground."

"It's okay. Ou Yan came in just now and didn't slip. If you're worried, let's walk slowly!"

Before Li Yusha finished speaking, her feet slipped, and she fell backward.

"Miss Yusha!" Zhang Mama was about to help her but unexpectedly fell herself.

Ou Yan stood on the balcony of the room, watching the two of them fall flat on the ground, and called Si Yechen, "You can come in now."

She had sent a WeChat message to Si Yechen when she came in, asking him to wait for a while.

Si Yechen's lips curled up, "You said there was a good show to watch, is this it?"

"Yeah."

Si Yechen didn't expect these two venomous people to want Ou Yan to fall. "I'll go in and talk to Uncle."

"No need."

This little matter wasn't enough to disturb Dad.

  Chapter 125: Whereabouts (2)

"The execution is about to take place on the platform. Leave quickly!" At this moment, as noon approached, the bailiffs hurried over to urge the woman to leave.

The woman sobbed, clinging tightly to Fat boss and refusing to leave. Finally, the bailiffs, impatient, directly pulled her away.

"Xing'er, go back. Brother doesn't want you to see Brother's gruesome death. It's not good-looking, and it will frighten you." Fat boss forced a smile on his face and gently persuaded the woman to leave. As the bailiffs were about to forcibly take her away, he couldn't help but ask, "If there's another life, Xing'er, would you be willing to be with Brother?"

The woman suddenly turned her head, tears streaming down her face, disregarding the gazes of the onlookers as she loudly exclaimed, "I'm willing! I'm willing! Brother, if there's another life, you must find me early!"

After speaking, unable to bear seeing the man being executed, she sobbed, covering her mouth, pushed through the crowd, and rushed out without looking back.

Watching the woman's figure, with the executioner's announcement of "It's noon, time for the execution," Fat boss's happy smile froze instantly on his face.

And in that moment when the green-clad woman turned her head, Mo Yan finally remembered where that sense of familiarity came from. She hastily greeted Liu Tinglan and, ignoring her calls, quickly pushed through the crowd, chasing after the woman's departure.

The woman's pace was quick, and the two of them were separated by some distance. Mo Yan found it somewhat difficult to chase after her from behind. With many people coming and going on the street, she saw that the woman was about to disappear into the crowd. Thinking quickly, she shouted, "Li Xiu!"

The woman seemed not to hear, so Mo Yan shouted a few more times. On the fourth call, she clearly saw the woman pause her steps and glance back.

Mo Yan felt a sense of joy in her heart, hastening her pace to catch up, blocking the woman in a narrow alley.

The woman, with swollen eyes still teary, looked at Mo Yan with vigilance. "What do you want?"

Mo Yan patted her chest, breathing heavily, and asked, "May I ask if the young lady's name is Li Xiu?"

A flash of panic crossed the woman's eyes. She turned away coldly and said, "You've got the wrong person. I'm not Li Xiu!" With that, she turned to leave.

Mo Yan clearly saw the panic in her eyes. How could she believe her? But if she truly was Li Xiu— Grandfather Li's daughter, why wouldn't she admit it? If not, why this reaction? Could it be a coincidence?

Looking at the woman's facial features, which were seventy percent similar to Li Yan's, Mo Yan shook her head. Grandfather Li no had said that Li Xiu looked very much like Li Yan. Now, with the right age and appearance, there couldn't be so many coincidences coming together.

But the woman refused to admit it. Mo Yan didn't have evidence for the moment, and if she continued to press, it might scare the person away.

Thinking of this, Mo Yan smiled apologetically and said, "Please forgive me, I mistook you for someone else when I saw your back, who is a familiar acquaintance of mine. I'm truly sorry!"

With that, she stepped back, indicating that the woman could leave.

The woman glanced suspiciously at Mo Yan, only seeing an impeccable smile on her face, and believed it to be true. She said "It's okay" and hurried away.

While the woman wasn't paying attention, Mo Yan quietly followed behind, not daring to get too close, maintaining a certain distance.

This area was full of winding alleys, with mostly adobe houses, low and dilapidated. Some walls were cracked, and murky water flowed everywhere, emitting an unpleasant smell.

After following several narrow alleys, Mo Yan noticed that the surrounding houses were much better. Although still old, most were made of blue bricks and tiles. She saw the woman in front of a large house and knocked on the door.

Soon, the door opened, revealing a short and very unattractive-looking man inside. Not knowing what offensive words the man said, the woman suddenly raised her hand and slapped him hard, then turned and walked in without looking back.

The man held his face, looked in the direction of the woman, spat on the ground, cursed something, and then slammed the door shut with a bang.

Seeing this scene, Mo Yan had a bad feeling in her heart. After pondering for a moment, she stopped a passing auntie and pointed to the house, asking, "Auntie, do you know who lives in that big house? It's really huge!"

The auntie, looking in the direction she pointed, suddenly changed her expression, kindly advised, "Miss, that's not a good place to go. It's not where young ladies like you should go. Hurry home, and don't come here again, understand?"

With that, she urged Mo Yan to leave quickly.

Mo Yan felt even more uneasy upon hearing this. She thanked the auntie and left with a heavy heart.

At the vegetable market, Liu Tinglan anxiously waited. When she saw Mo Yan return, she hurriedly approached and slapped her on the back, "Yanyan, where did you go? I've been waiting for you for so long, and I was so worried when you didn't come back."

Mo Yan was touched in her heart and felt guilty. "Sorry, Sister Liu. I saw someone who looked like an old friend of mine just now, so I went after her. I ran far before coming back."

Liu Tinglan was only worried about her friend's safety and wasn't really angry. Upon hearing Mo Yan's explanation, she asked with concern, "Did you catch up? Was it really your old friend?"

This matter couldn't be explained clearly to her, so Mo Yan lied and glossed over it.

Liu Tinglan didn't ask further and just advised her to be careful next time, so as not to encounter bad people again. Mo Yan readily agreed.

After leaving the vegetable market by carriage, Liu Tinglan suggested going to the East Market to shop, but Mo Yan had something on her mind and couldn't muster the interest, so she declined.

Seeing her not looking well, Liu Tinglan didn't insist and, after sending her home, declined Mo Yan's offer of dinner and returned to her own home by carriage.

Mo Yan locked herself in her room, lost in thought for a long time. She couldn't decide whether to tell Grandpa Li and the others about this matter. If the woman was really Li Xiu, and now she had fallen into a dark brothel, would Grandpa Li be devastated if he found out? 

But if she didn't say anything, would she just stand by and watch Grandpa Li, at his age, running around looking for his daughter? But if it wasn't her, wouldn't it be a false alarm for Grandpa Li? Although she was eighty percent sure that the woman was Li Xiu!

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