20demayo Chapter 174 Du Wanru's Ordeal
Chapter 174 Du Wanru's Ordeal
"Jin-jie, tell Long Er later that you should train them to be secret guards."
With these two having such personalities, they're sure to do well in the future.
【Ruyi, can the Five Elements Spring heal their injuries?】
[Hey, let's remove the "ma" part. Although the Five Elements Spring has been reduced to its lowest level, it's more than enough for these mortal beings.]
That's good. As for learning martial arts, I think they'll tell us without us having to.
You can't force a sale; only when they express it themselves will they truly appreciate it and be more grateful.
She didn't miss the look of surprise and struggle in the eyes of several people when she told them that she was Caiwei's stepmother.
She knew they hated her stepmother, but she was gambling that they wouldn't instill any negative ideas in Caiwei.
She wouldn't take them in otherwise.
Du Wanru was bought when she was fourteen years old. Her father was from Liangzhou, Qingyun Prefecture. His family ran a grain shop. The shop was not big, but it had been passed down from his ancestors and the business was quite good.
She has three older brothers and two older sisters, all of whom are married.
She was the youngest in her family, so she was inevitably spoiled and pampered at home.
My older siblings all married into families of similar social standing. Although they weren't extremely wealthy, they lived quite comfortably.
When it came to her, she was too proud and wanted to find a cultured man, not marry into a merchant family.
As a result, she and a few of her girlfriends would often visit places where literati and scholars gathered.
So one day she took a fancy to a scholar who was a newly appointed student of the Imperial Academy that year, and he was seventeen years old.
After meeting twice, the two became acquainted. Du Wanru learned from others that he came from a poor family, but he was the type of man that Du Wanru liked.
Furthermore, students from well-off families would certainly look down on a girl like her, the daughter of a small merchant.
It must be said that Du Wanru was somewhat self-aware in this regard.
As they spent more time together, the two gradually began to express their feelings for each other.
The two met frequently, and Du Wanru paid for all their expenses when they were out.
During this time, Du Wanru bought quite a few things for the scholar.
Gradually, the young scholar got a taste of success with her and became bolder, starting to take the initiative to ask for things.
Today I need to buy Xuan paper, but I don't have enough money. Lin Duwanru will give me some.
If the ink runs out tomorrow, Du Wanru will give it to me.
When Du Wanru didn't have enough money for her classmate reunion, she gave it to her.
New books arrived at the study, but I didn't have money to buy them, so Du Wanru gave them to me.
Even when his elderly mother fell ill and needed money for medical treatment, Du Wanru provided it.
Over time, Du's parents, elder brother, and sister-in-law noticed something amiss. After making inquiries, they discovered that the man was a wealthy opportunist and tried their best to prevent Du Wanru from contacting that scholar.
But Du Wanru's mind was entirely on that student, and she couldn't listen to anything else.
So one night, when her family wasn't looking, she stole her own things and some silver from her parents, and ran away...
After finding the student and explaining the situation, the student took her home.
Du Wanru was stunned when she saw the state of his home, because the scholar's family was practically destitute.
The family of more than a dozen people lived in three very simple thatched huts.
Some of the thatched roofs were uneven and drooping haphazardly, and one was even on the verge of collapse.
This place is uninhabitable, and his family is struggling to make ends meet. He regretted it on the spot.
She wanted to go home, but the student discovered her intention and he and his brother knocked her unconscious.
When Du Wanru woke up, she found herself in an unfamiliar place, and her belongings, including her clothes, were not the same as before.
Later, she learned that she had been sold to human traffickers by that beast.
She cried and told him what had happened, begging the traffickers to take her home, saying her family would give them money.
The old woman was also annoyed by her commotion. Although she sympathized with her plight, she wouldn't listen to her. So she asked her how many days she had been away from home.
When the old woman asked that question, she was dumbfounded. Later, the old woman told her...
She had been unconscious for three days, during which time they had left Liangzhou.
Once they got here, fearing she would cause trouble again if she woke up, they drugged her again.
By the time she found out the date, she had run away from home and gone to that man's house. Seven days had passed since then.
Seven days! Her face was ashen. Even if she could go back, would her family tolerate her?
Even if the parents could, the three sisters-in-law couldn't.
She originally thought she had been sold to a wealthy family to be a maid, but she never expected to be sent to such a filthy place. How could she endure it?
Just as she was about to cry again, someone knocked her unconscious. When she woke up, she found herself in a carriage, where she encountered the crying Lin Panpan.
After hearing about her plight, Dongfang Jin and Jun Wenhui felt sympathy for her, but also thought she deserved it.
This person is not only love-struck, but also a brainless, arrogant individual.
It's obvious that the young scholar wasn't a good man; he was just a gold digger.
You said you ran away from home, and even if your family comes looking for you, they can deny everything.
What can you say if I've never seen you before?
At this moment, Lin Panpan also told them about her experience. She was from the city of Yanyang Prefecture in Liangzhou.
Her family ran a pastry shop. Her mother was an only child, gentle and prone to tears.
Lin Panpan's maternal grandfather was afraid that her mother would be mistreated after remarrying, so he arranged for her to marry the youngest son of the family's pastry chef.
Lin Panpan's maternal grandfather was the pastry chef's savior, and he was a grateful man.
Hearing that the Lin family made pastries, he brought his whole family to live with them.
The Lin family's pastry shop also saw its business gradually improve thanks to their arrival.
The pastry chef had three sons. When the family came to the Lin family, the youngest son was only twelve years old.
Lin Panpan's mother was ten years old, and the two could be considered childhood sweethearts.
Based on the principle of "two good things go together, one good thing goes together," the two families became one family, and the pastry chef became even more dedicated to making pastries.
The Lin family's business grew bigger and bigger, and soon they opened a branch store, which was managed by Lin Panpan's two uncles.
Her mother went to a temple to burn incense when she was five years old, hoping to have another son.
Because her mother hadn't conceived since giving birth to her.
On their way back, a heavy rain started, making it difficult to walk and forcing them to find shelter.
The driver then drove the cart to a large tree, saying that the tree was very tall with a dense canopy, and while it was raining heavily outside, it was relatively dry here.
Without any attempt, Lin Panpan's mother, two maids, and an old woman were struck by lightning and died on the spot.
Only the coachman and the horse remained...
When the news reached the Lin family, it spread like wildfire, with all sorts of rumors circulating.
Ancient times?
superstitious.
Her mother was struck by lightning and died; how can one not say anything about that?
Moreover, when we make oaths, the most common thing we say is: if I say such and such, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death.
Because of this, even the family's pastry shop was affected.
Lin Panpan's maternal grandfather fell ill as a result, and coincidentally, her great-aunt, who was also her grandfather's sister, came with her granddaughter to take care of her brother.
Under the care of her older sister, Lin Panpan's maternal grandfather's health also improved...
Before Lin Panpan's great-aunt had even left the Lin family, her youngest daughter, Sun Hao, was kicked out by her husband's family because her husband had an accident and the family said she was a jinx.
The aunt's son, Sun Sheng, came over with his sister, Sun Hao, and her six-year-old daughter, Zhao Cuicui.