Chapter 34: Little Brother
When Jiang Lili heard Madam Yuan’s question, her eyes darted around, and an idea suddenly came to her—she could scare Madam Yuan a little to put an end to her curiosity about the basket.
With a sigh, Jiang Lili said, “Since my marriage, my husband and I haven’t had any children, but when I carry this basket, I feel like there’s a child resting on my shoulder, and it gives me a sense of peace.”
As she spoke, she took the basket off her back and held it in her arms, gently shaking it.
Jiang Lili’s strange gesture made Madam Yuan’s face turn pale.
Madam Yuan stared at Jiang Lili’s shoulder for a long time, still in shock, and stammered, “Oh, I see… Well then, I wish you would have a child soon.”
Jiang Lili saw that Madam Yuan no longer dared to look her way and let out a breath of relief.
The Xin family had guessed that the basket contained something important from Jiang Lili’s maternal grandfather, which was why she kept it close at all times. However, hearing Jiang Lili’s excuse, they couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
Sister-in-law Chen mumbled, “Big sister-in-law, that’s a bit scary.”
Only Xin Che noticed Jiang Lili’s abnormal reaction after she returned to the main hall. He observed that Jiang Lili’s hand was trembling under the table.
He quietly took her left hand beneath the table. Her hand was cold, and she was sweating in the palm.
Jiang Lili’s mind was still occupied with the message Guan Yue had sent. This village didn’t seem like a safe place at all—was it a den of tigers and dragons? Would they be able to make it through the night peacefully?
Suddenly, her hand was gripped by a warm, large hand.
Jiang Lili noticed that Xin Che had written the words “What’s wrong?” on her palm.
She forced a smile, covering her face as she whispered to Xin Che, “There have been cases of outsiders staying here in Lanyang Village and disappearing.”
Xin Che remained calm, gently squeezing Jiang Lili’s hand as he reassured her, “Don’t be afraid. I haven’t really eaten the food on the table, and I’ll protect you.”
Xin Che had spent his childhood on the mountain, undergoing various forms of training with his master, including learning from outstanding spies how to avoid tampered food and drinks.
Jiang Lili felt calmer. She had almost forgotten who she was with—a person who had experienced all sorts of dangers and threats.
The two of them whispered to each other, and the atmosphere seemed quite pleasant. Madam Yuan didn’t seem to notice.
At the dinner table, Madam Yuan continued chatting with Jiang Lili and the others about Linzhou, and she kindly advised, “When you get to Linzhou, be sure to prepare well. The Qinglin Mountain Range is full of poisonous insects.”
Madam Yuan then had one of her maids give Jiang Lili and the others sachets of herbs.
“These pouches are for repelling mosquitoes and insects. If you don’t mind, please take them.”
Xin Che exchanged a glance with his younger brother, Xin Cheng. Xin Cheng took the sachets and carefully examined them, finding that they contained the same insect-repelling herbs used in the border regions, with no sign of anything unusual.
Everyone felt reassured and put the sachets on.
Once it seemed like everyone had finished eating, Madam Yuan stood up to arrange the rooms. “I’ll show you to your rooms now.”
Madam Yuan assigned the rooms: Jiang Lili and Xin Che would share one, Xin Cheng, Chen Fulan, and little Xin Yan, would have another, and the Marquis and his wife would have their own.
Madam Yuan’s face still wore a warm smile. “It’s getting late, so you should all rest early. We’ve already prepared hot water in your rooms.”
Chen Fulan spoke up to thank her. “Thank you for your kindness today, Madam Yuan.”
“It’s no trouble at all. Talking with you all about the northern regions has expanded my horizons,” Madam Yuan replied with a smile.
Madam Yuan waved her hand, signaling for the maid to leave with her.
When she returned to her room, her once kind and gentle face turned cold and harsh.
The kindly old maid beside her now wore a sinister grin. “They’re very cautious. They didn’t even drink the perilla water in the ancestral hall.”
Madam Yuan rubbed her aching head and sipped some tea. “Hmph, once they’re in Lanyang Village, there’s no way for them to escape.”
To ensure they fell into her trap, she had even eaten the food laced with a soporific dr*g herself. Now, she quickly took the antidote with the tea.
The prepared sachets were just a distraction; the insect-repelling sachets were merely to make them believe that she meant them no harm.
If Jiang Lili and the others hadn’t fallen for her trick and refused to eat in her home, she would have had to resort to more forceful measures.
But fortunately, they were cooperative, sparing her the trouble of acting.
The old maid eagerly calculated their plans. “The young ones will be sold as sl*ves to Nanzhao, and the older ones will be maimed and sent to beg in the streets of Nanzhao.”
“As for the three men and three women, the two young ones are quite good-looking. Especially the one named Jiang—she’ll fetch a good price in Nanzhao. The older one has an extraordinary demeanor. She’d make an excellent wet nurse in a wealthy family.”
“This is truly a fortune!”
Madam Yuan smiled as well. “The villagers should be making their moves by now. We’re just waiting for Old Yan to report back.”
At that moment, a faint noise came from outside the window. Madam Yuan immediately became alert and quickly opened the window, but saw no one.
She then carefully checked every nook and cranny where someone might be hiding, before relaxing and continuing the conversation.
Jiang Lili and Xin Che returned to their room, and Jiang Lili received a message from the class leader confirming that the food had been laced with soporific dr*gs.
The class leader had already sent the prescription to Xiaopang and instructed him to go to the traditional medicine pharmacy to get the ingredients, asking Jiang Lili to hold on for a little longer.
Jiang Lili, feeling lightheaded and dizzy, lay on the bed. She reminded Xin Che to keep an eye on her backpack. If a bowl of medicine appeared in it, it would be the antidote.
Her eyelids were heavy, but she still tried to stay awake.
Xin Che glanced at her and adjusted the blanket over her. “Sleep, it’ll be fine.”
Only then did Jiang Lili relax enough to close her eyes.
Half an hour later, Jiang Lili had fallen into a deep sleep.
Suddenly, Xin Che heard a noise—the door was being locked from the outside.
He steadied his nerves, planning to wait until Jiang Lili had taken the medicine before sneaking out through the roof to assess the situation.
However, strangely, about a quarter of an hour later, he heard the faint sound of a key turning in the door.
Xin Che narrowed his eyes, quietly approaching the door, ready to act at a moment’s notice.
Then came the sound of the door unlocking with a soft “clink.”
The door was quietly opened just a crack, but the person pushing it seemed to be moving very slowly, as if it took a lot of effort.
Xin Che couldn’t see anyone at first, but when his gaze dropped, he noticed a small figure—one that was barely taller than his knee!
The little figure struggled to push the door open and crawled inside.
Using the moonlight, Xin Che was able to clearly see the child’s face, and he froze in shock.
It was none other than Yin Zhen’s Dabao!
As Xin Che was wondering how to avoid startling the child, Dabao noticed him. The two of them locked eyes.
On Dabao’s small, childish face was a calm and mature expression that didn’t match his age at all.
The sight of a child trying to act like an adult was somewhat comical.
Dabao handed Xin Che a set of keys, each one larger than his face, and then placed his hands behind his back. He spoke in a tone that resembled a little adult’s: “Brother, these keys were stolen from the cook.”
“The other two rooms—just open those doors yourself. This job is too tiring for me.”
Xin Che was left in a daze after being called “brother” by a child barely reaching his knees. Was this kid really only a year and a half old?
“I almost tripped and fell on my butt just trying to reach the lock.”
Dabao didn’t seem to notice how stunned Xin Che was. He peeked into the room and asked, “Where’s Sister Li? Is she okay?”