Xiaowan had suffered endlessly, and when she couldn't see the pity of others, she squatted down and said softly: "Auntie, please come and sit in the store, I will bring you water and food." ”

She stretched out her hand to support the mother and daughter, but they were curled up in a ball, Xiaowan saw the skin underneath the broken sleeve of the young woman, there was a scene she was very familiar with, she subconsciously grabbed the girl's arm, lifted the sleeve, and saw the whip marks shocking.

"What is this?" Xiaowan's heart suddenly pinched together.

"Girl, we just want to drink saliva, don't let others see us, okay, please, girl." The older woman pleaded with tears in her eyes as she protected her daughter, "Girl, don't let anyone find out where we are, please." ”

Xiao Wan was already distressed, with tears in her eyes, and said continuously: "I know, auntie, wait a minute, I'll go get you water." ”

"Just the well water, let's ......" The eldest lady saw Xiaowan walking to the store, and stopped her and said not to be too troublesome, but Xiaowan had already run away.

In the lobby of the inn, Ling Chaofeng was still talking with his father-in-law, and Foreman Mu was also a person who traveled from south to north, and he had a bit of vision, chatting about major projects in various places, and the atmosphere was good.

At this moment, Foreman Mu turned the topic back to his daughter, and said with a little guilt: "I don't know how Xiaowan told you about the past, but I understand that I have been sorry for this daughter for seventeen years." But I have to support my family, and I haven't been at home for many years, so it's really ...... Hey, it's useless to say anything, I just hope that Shopkeeper Ling can take care of her a little more, that kid is good-hearted and soft-hearted, and he will definitely serve you well. ”

When the father-in-law said these words, Ling Chaofeng's afterglow caught a glimpse of Xiaowan sneaking back, flashing to the kitchen while people were not paying attention, and sneaking out when he was young, filling a lot of things in a wooden basin, and walking in a hurry, it seemed that there was something strange about the back door.

But he still calmly dealt with Foreman Mu: "Please rest assured, the son-in-law will take good care of Xiaowan." ”

Next to the firewood pile at the back door, Xiaowan came with a big wooden basin, a pot of tea, two bowls, a few big meat buns, and two small dishes, she put down something and said: "Auntie, you eat first, and then I will go and get some for you to take on the road to eat, how long do you have to walk, you ......"

She asked, but the mother and son didn't care to answer, they hadn't eaten for several days, they had already been hungry and crazy, and the appearance of gobbling up was distressing to see.

Xiaowan ran back by herself, wanting to pack some more dry food, but happened to be seen by her father, Foreman Mu said angrily: "Girl, don't brush your shoes, you come and sit down and talk, how can you leave your aunt alone, and then ask your father to take a good look at you." ”

"I—I'll be here soon, and I'll be done soon." Xiao Wan excused herself like this, but ran away, wrapped up all the white flour steamed buns left in the kitchen, filled two bags of water, grabbed a few dried radish strips under the eaves and stuffed them into the baggage, and hurriedly ran back to the back door.

However, the pyrewood was empty, except for the wooden pots and dishes, the mother and son and those things to eat, all of which were gone.

Xiaowan looked at the two ends with her burden, and in the direction of the Baisha River wharf, two figures got into the bushes on the side of the road.

"What are you looking at?" Ling Chaofeng's voice suddenly came, Xiao Wan panicked, and the burden in his hand fell to the ground.

Ling Chaofeng walked slowly, picked up the burden, and untied it a little to look at it.

Xiaowan waved her hand and said, "I'm not going to run, and I didn't take it for my father, Xianggong, I'm ......"

Ling Chaofeng didn't care about it or asked, he just said, "Father-in-law is leaving, let's send it off." ”

When they entered the door, the burden was casually put aside, and the couple sent it to the door, and instructed Ershan to set up a carriage and send Foreman Mu back.

Foreman Mu thanked him repeatedly, looked at his daughter again when he left, and after hesitating again and again, he took out a piece of broken silver from his personal money bag, picked the big one and stuffed it to Xiaowan, and said: "Girl, my father is sorry for you, and I am sorry for your mother. ”

Speaking of her mother, Xiaowan couldn't help but burst into tears, after all, she agreed with tears, and told her father to be careful on the road, and put on clothes in the cold, Ershan drove a carriage and sent Foreman Mu away.

As the carriage drifted away, Ling Chaofeng stepped forward and put his arm around his wife's shoulder: "It's windy outside, let's go in." ”

"Hmm." Xiaowan held back her crying, wiped away her tears, and said softly, "Xianggong, thank you for entertaining my father and giving him so many things." ”

Ling Chaofeng didn't say anything, took her back to the store, and happened to hear Aunt Zhang wondering: "What is this burden for, but Foreman Mu forgot it?" Is it too late to chase it now? ”

Xiao Wan hurriedly ran and said, "Auntie, leave it to me." ”

She took the burden, turned around and saw Ling Chaofeng glance at herself lightly, Xiaowan's heart trembled, is it better for her to tell the truth, but the eldest lady begged her not to let others find out about their whereabouts.

After half a day was uneventful, Xiaowan followed Uncle Biao in the kitchen to pickle pickles, after Ershan sent Foreman Mu, he received an errand from Ling Chaofeng, and he didn't come back for a while, Aunt Zhang smiled and said: "I want to hear Ershan come back and talk about your family's situation, you have prepared so many things for your father, your stepmother should be happy this time." ”

Xiaowan shook her head: "I don't care about her. ”

Before the words fell, there was a neighing of horses outside the store, and I thought it was Ershan back.

Xiaowan poured a bowl of tea and wanted to send it to Ershan to drink, but she saw four or five well-dressed people breaking in in front of the door, not from the yamen, nor like those who walked the rivers and lakes, with their nostrils facing the sky, and they didn't take people seriously.

"Which one is the shopkeeper?" They said unceremoniously, and they could guess that it was not local, and the accent sounded like it was from the north.

Ling Chaofeng walked out with an indifferent expression, glanced at them slightly, and the person at the head was also stunned, he must not have imagined that he could meet such a character with an extraordinary temperament in this wilderness. He paused, then raised his arrogance and said: "We are from the capital, and we lost a maid in the house and chased them all the way here." Tell the shopkeeper, but if you see a mother and daughter fall here, if you tie them up and notify us to come and get someone, my lord will have a heavy reward. Or drive them away, we don't care, but if you take them in and hide them, my lord is not small, if the shopkeeper still wants to do business here, it's best to listen to me. ”

Ling Chaofeng was indifferent: "The small shop is open for business, and customers come and go, only for tea, rice and wine, regardless of idle things." ”

The man snorted, "That's the best." After thinking about it, he said, "Since you are here, bring some food, you are hungry." ”

They feasted and drank, threw down the money, and rode away, as if they were going to the docks, and rode away.

Night is coming, the outside can no longer see the distant scene, after Ling Chaofeng put away the silver, he didn't see Xiaowan in the store, Aunt Zhang was busy cleaning up and didn't care, he thought about it for a while, and then walked towards the back door, sure enough, in the twilight, Xiaowan carried the burden just now, and looked around.

"Where are you going?" Ling Chaofeng asked.

Xiaowan turned around in a panic and pursed her lips tightly, while her husband looked serious and said coldly: "Go back to the room." ”

Back in her room, Xiaowan was still holding the baggage, and she couldn't give these food to the two of them, she was so worried.

The few people who claimed to be from the capital just now, and the people they were looking for seemed to be them, the capital came here, such a long way, how did they come, and those few people, fierce and vicious, are not good people no matter how you look at them.

Soon, Ling Chaofeng also returned to the room, closed the door, the couple looked at each other, Xiaowan's expression was not weak, she had her reason. Ling Chaofeng didn't blame him with a face, and asked patiently first what was going on.

After listening to this, he sighed lightly: "There are all kinds of people coming and going here every day, the poor and the miserable begging for food, you can manage each one, can you manage it?" ”

Xiaowan lowered her head and didn't make a sound.

Ling Chaofeng said: "You don't know where people come from, so you can help them casually, if you get into trouble and you can't help them, what's the point?" ”

He stretched out his hand to pull out the burden of Xiao Wanhuai: "Give me something, don't worry about this matter." ”

"But ......" Xiaowan grabbed the burden and was angry, "Xianggong, that girl has a lot of scars on her body, and she must be beaten every day like me." Why, why do so many people like to beat people to death, what's the fun of beating people? ”

Ling Chaofeng frowned: "She's covered in injuries?" ”

Although he can understand why Xiaowan remembered the two strangers, Ling Chaofeng couldn't help for a while, and sending someone to find them would inevitably cause trouble, and might hurt them, so he could only wait tomorrow to inquire about what was going on, and then discuss.

Hearing that her husband was willing to save the mother and daughter, Xiaowan was relieved, and took the initiative to admit her mistake, she shouldn't hide it from her husband, Ling Chaofeng coaxed her in turn, and after dark, she went to bed early.

But more than ten years of abuse and torture made Xiaowan particularly sensitive to this kind of thing, the scars on the girl's body could not be dispersed in front of her eyes, and she couldn't sleep well all night, and woke up the next morning before dawn.

Ling Chaofeng watched her get up quietly, sitting in front of the mirror and dressing up, not as bright and lively as usual, holding the comb for a long time without moving, full of physical and mental troubles.

The sound of "bang ......" suddenly came, and there was a knock on the door of the store below, Xiao Wan came back to his senses and stood up suddenly, as if he had sensed something, but seeing that Ling Chaofeng also turned over, he took his robe and put it on, and the two hurriedly went downstairs, and Ershan also put on his clothes to see the movement.

Ershan stepped forward to open the door, the door opened, a soft body fell on him, panicked Ershan, and then followed by an elderly woman, covered in dust and mess, knelt on the ground and kowtowed, "Help us, shopkeeper, please save us......"

Ling Chaofeng's thick eyebrows were lightly locked, and he could vaguely hear the movement of the horse's hooves chasing after him, and he heard Xiaowan shouting there: "Girl, are you awake?" ”

He and Ershan looked at each other, Ershan hurriedly picked up the person and ran to the back, Ling Chaofeng helped the old woman up: "Auntie, follow me." ”