Yun Sanman raised an eyebrow and looked at the anxious Siya Kedun and Han Chieer, knowing they were looking for their daughter.
"Sanman, where is Jiaojiao?" Siya Kedun asked.
Yun Sanman shrugged, "I don't know either. She left me a letter and then left!"
"Do you know where she went?" Han Chieer pressed.
This crazy girl, it was time to teach her a lesson.
To actually do such a disgraceful thing, not even respecting her own mother, she was trying to ascend to heaven.
Yun Sanman shook her head, "I don't know either!"
Ten taels of silver, if spent sparingly, would be enough for Han Chijiao to live for several years.
But that girl spent money lavishly, and it would probably be gone in two days.
"Lord Kedun!" Rendula cupped his hands towards Siya Kedun and guessed, "Your subordinate believes that the Princess will not go far. After all, Young Master Kong is still in Dashui Village. We might as well go back and ask him if he has any clues."
As the saying goes, the monk can run, but the temple cannot. As long as Kong Xingzhuo did not leave Dashui Village, Han Chijiao would definitely not be able to run far.
Siya Kedun pondered for a moment and nodded gently, "Good. That fellow named Kong has been exchanging glances with Jiaojiao every day, acting like he has something to hide. He must know where Jiaojiao is hiding. Let's go back to Dashui Village."
Thus, the group turned around and galloped towards Dashui Village.
At the same time, in an inn in the capital.
Er Longzi bought a few large steamed buns and walked into the room to deliver them to the girl he had rescued from the brothel.
"You've been recuperating for two days, is your foot better?" Er Longzi handed over the buns.
The girl nodded, "Much... much better. Thank you, Big Brother, for saving me. This humble girl is penniless now and can only repay you in the future."
It seemed that there were still more good people than bad people in this world.
If Er Longzi hadn't carried her out of the brothel, she would have been ruined long ago.
Er Longzi scratched his head and chuckled, "Why are you being so polite with me? If it were anyone else, they wouldn't stand by and do nothing."
The girl had been recuperating in the inn for the past two days. Perhaps due to her weakness, she slept day and night, and Er Longzi hadn't had a proper chat with her.
"By the way, what's your name, and why were you captured and taken to the brothel by those bad guys?" Er Longzi asked.
Upon hearing this, a hint of complexity flashed in the girl's eyes. After a moment of hesitation, she said, "I... my name is Zhao Xiaojie. I was captured by those bad guys because my elder brother gambled and had no money to repay his debts."
To conceal her identity, she hoped this little lie would deceive Er Longzi.
Er Longzi was slightly surprised, "But... but looking at your appearance, you don't seem like a person from the Central Plains. Sister Xiaojie, are you from the grasslands?"
Having traveled extensively for many years, Er Longzi was quite knowledgeable. Therefore, at a glance, he could tell from Zhao Xiaojie's features that she was not a woman of the Central Plains.
Zhao Xiaojie turned her eyes and murmured, "I, I am from Suizhi. I came to the capital with my family many years ago and made a living by doing small businesses."
Er Longzi said "Oh" and asked again, "How many people are there in your family? Are your parents still in the capital? And, you..."
"Big Brother!" Before Er Longzi could finish speaking, Zhao Xiaojie interrupted him with a smile, picked up a large meat bun, and stuffed it into Er Longzi's hand, "Eat the bun quickly, or it will get cold!"
Er Longzi: "..."
Sister Xiaojie, you're trying to change the subject.
Alas, forget it. He wasn't interested in other people's backgrounds anyway.
They each ate two buns and chatted about other things.
"Just call me Er Longzi. I won't say my real name for now!" Er Longzi said with ać¨ smile.
He didn't know what his parents were thinking to give him such a peculiar name, so he had always called himself 'Er Longzi' all these years and never revealed his real name.
Zhao Xiaojie listened, becoming even more curious, "Brother Er Long, tell me, what is your real name? Only by knowing your real name can I repay you in the future!"
"It's just a name, why care so much!" Er Longzi twitched his lips.
"No, Brother Er Long must tell me!" Zhao Xiaojie insisted.
Er Longzi: "..."
It was really embarrassing.
After a long pause, Er Longzi turned his face away and murmured, "I, my surname is Luo, and my given name is Suiquan..."
Zhao Xiaojie heard this and mumbled, "Luo Suiquan, Luo Suiquan..."
Suddenly, Zhao Xiaojie reacted sharply, clasped her stomach, and burst into laughter, "Doesn't the homophone of these three characters sound like 'a drowning dog'? Hahahaha!"
Oh my, your parents are truly talented.
Er Longzi's cheeks turned red, and he felt extremely depressed. "Sister Xiaojie, stop laughing. The more you laugh, the more embarrassed I feel."
Zhao Xiaojie was laughing so hard her stomach hurt, "Brother Er, your name is indeed not very elegant. I'll still call you Brother Er Long from now on!"
How could she call someone 'a drowning dog' every time she spoke? It was so impolite.
Er Longzi nodded sheepishly and said nothing.
"Brother Er Long, where do you live? I see your Qinggong is so good, you must be a martial artist?" Zhao Xiaojie asked with a smile.
Er Longzi stood up, picked up the kettle, and poured hot water into the teacup. "My home is in Dashui Village. I came to the capital this time to help a friend find a maid!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiaojie's beautiful eyes instantly lit up, and she quickly asked, "Then, Brother Er Long, did you find one?"
"No... no!" Er Longzi sighed.
There were plenty of idle people in the capital, but very few who met the requirements and standards of the master.
Either they were too old, or they were lame and blind, or they were too weak. Even if such a maid was brought to Dashui Village, the master would not keep her.
Zhao Xiaojie put down her teacup and pointed to herself, "Brother Er Long, what do you think of me?"
Although she couldn't do chores like washing and cooking, serving tea and water, feeding pigs, or tending the stove, she could learn slowly.
Er Longzi: "???"
"What does Sister Xiaojie mean? You want to be a maid? Have you ever been a maid?" Er Longzi was completely confused.
Looking at her delicate hands, smooth and tender, with no calluses on her palms, it was clear she had never done manual labor.
Zhao Xiaojie nodded heavily, "Yes, I am sixteen years old. Although I haven't been a maid before, I am young and strong, and I never slack off when working. As long as you give me food, I won't ask for wages!"
As long as she could leave the capital and escape the entanglement of those people, let alone be a maid, she would be willing to serve them even if it meant cleaning up their excrement and urine every day.
"No!" Er Longzi pondered for a moment and directly refused.
Since she had never been a maid, bringing her back would be a burden.
Zhao Xiaojie: "..."