Chapter 30: Xu Hao’s Sister Was Taken Away

After seeing there was no more excitement, the crowd hurried back to the village chief’s yard.

At this moment, Xu Xiaoxiao felt great—she had long wanted to hit that scumbag, and unexpectedly, he had come knocking on her door himself.

Da Ya asked Xu Xiaoxiao, “Why did Zhao Da suddenly come looking for you?”

If he really wanted to sincerely repent and take Xu Xiaoxiao back, he wouldn’t have waited several months to do so.

Xu Xiaoxiao scoffed, “What else could it be? I heard I’m working for the village chief now, earning two taels of silver a month and learning all kinds of cooking skills. Once they heard about the money and skills, those two just want to coax me back to be their family’s beast of burden.”

Indeed, today Zhao Da and his mother came because neighbors told them Xu Xiaoxiao was now earning two taels silver monthly and learning to cook. Zhao Da and his mother thought if they got her back, she could hand over her recipes and sell them to restaurants, making them a lot of money.

They just didn’t expect obedient Xu Xiaoxiao to be so tough—she fought back without hesitation.

“Scumbag!”

“Scumbag!”

“Scumbag!”

The kids shouted in unison.

Xu Xiaoxiao burst out laughing.

Right now, she felt warm inside. She thought her life was over, but meeting the village chief gave her a new hope and a purpose.

Studying cooking was her favorite thing now. Seeing everyone eat happily made her feel her life was meaningful and fulfilling.

Happy Xu Xiaoxiao then asked, “Should I make little cakes for everyone tomorrow?”

Xiaojiu’s eyes lit up and nodded vigorously.

Everyone saw Xiaojiu’s reaction and knew it would be delicious.

“Xiaoxiao sister, you’re so good! Can I be your son?” the chubby kid said, nearly making Xu Xiaoxiao stumble.

“You can’t say things like that! Got it?” Xu Xiaoxiao quickly covered the chubby kid’s mouth.

That little rascal!

“Oh!” The chubby kid didn’t know why it was forbidden but nodded.

He was thinking: If I can’t be her son, then I’ll be her brother—got to take Xiaoxiao sister home somehow.

One full meal or full meals every day?

The chubby kid chose full meals every day.

When the group returned to the village chief’s yard, they hadn’t entered yet when they saw Lin Qi and a few others sitting at the gate, battered and bruised.

Xiaojiu approached curiously, “What happened to you guys?”

Lin Qi and the others saw Xiaojiu and immediately acted like they’d found their leader.

The sharper Lin Chong began complaining, “Village chief, we were beaten up! You’ve got to do something for us!”

Others chimed in, “Village chief, please help us!”

This scene was quite comical—grown men whining to a five-year-old girl.

“What happened? Who hit you?” Xiaojiu squatted down, curious.

“The local gang leader, Biao Ge, and his dozens of men. We only had nine,” said one whose face looked like a pig’s head from the beating.

It wasn’t they couldn’t win—it was a classic case of overwhelming numbers.

“Why did they attack you for no reason?”

“It’s because of me. I haven’t been home for a long time, so I went back today to see my family. That damned Li Qiang took a fancy to my sister and tried to forcibly take her as a concubine while I wasn’t there. I naturally refused, and that led to the conflict. Then they called in gang leader Biao Ge, and since we were outnumbered, this is how we ended up.”

He quickly knelt before Xiaojiu and cried out, “Please, village chief, save my sister! That Li Qiang is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, a vicious hypocrite!”

This man, named Xu Hao, had grown up relying on his sister. Now that she had been taken away, he wanted to fight for her, but his side was outnumbered. Helpless, he had no choice but to return to the village and seek the village chief’s help.

“Let’s go to town,” Xiaojiu said urgently. The situation was critical—they had to rescue Xu Hao’s sister first.

Shen Zhiyuan angrily asked, “But Li Qiang is the youngest son of the Li family?”

“Yes, yes, that’s him! How do you know him, Miss Shen?” Xu Hao asked hurriedly.

Shen Zhiyuan’s face flushed red with anger.

“Scumbag! Damn scumbag! I’m going to tell my cousin!”

“What does your cousin have to do with this?” the chubby kid asked, confused.

“Hmph!” Shen Zhiyuan stomped her foot, explaining, “My cousin just got engaged to Li Qiang a few days ago, but who would have thought that Li Qiang, who looks so elegant and refined on the surface, would do such despicable things behind the scenes! If my cousin finds out, she’ll be heartbroken!”

Hearing this made everyone even angrier. They all knew Shen Zhiyuan’s cousin—a quiet, gentle girl. The thought of her marrying this scumbag stirred up even more fury.

“No time to waste, let’s set off immediately,” Xiaojiu ordered, telling the servant driving the carriage to speed up.

“We’ll first rescue Xu Hao’s sister. Shen Zhiyuan, you should either go back to notify your cousin or come with us.”

“I’m coming with you,” Shen Zhiyuan replied firmly. She was determined to witness this hypocrite’s true colors being exposed.

Night fell. The town’s lights were sparse. Under the cover of darkness, the group quietly approached the Li family mansion. Using her spiritual power, Xiaojiu scoped the area and discovered a young girl tied up in a remote small room in the backyard—that had to be Xu Hao’s sister. Elsewhere in the yard, a few young men were drinking and making merry.

Wait!

Why do these men look so familiar?

Aren’t these the same young scholars who mocked Wang Zhengyi last time when they were selling candy?

What a coincidence!

Xiaojiu told Shen Zhiyuan, “You and Wang Zherong pretend to come to Li’s house to look for Li Qiang. We’ll rescue the girl from the backyard.”

They happily agreed—this was far more exciting than their usual street antics.

The two, along with maids and servants, went forward to knock on the Li family’s main gate.

The gate slowly opened. The gatekeeper saw Miss Shen and the young master of the Wang family and was puzzled why the two had come together to the Li family.

Though confused, the gatekeeper didn’t dare delay and hurriedly asked, “What business do you have at the Li residence tonight?”

Shen Zhiyuan replied, “I was passing by and came to see my future cousin-in-law. Where is he? I want to find him now.”

The chubby kid quickly made an excuse: “My father said that Li Gongzi is very good at his studies. I came to ask him about my lessons.”

When did the Wang young master become so studious? Also, a younger sister-in-law visiting her brother-in-law late at night—does that seem right?

The gatekeeper, though baffled, didn’t dare delay and invited them to wait in the guest hall while running to inform the young master.