flstandardbreds Chapter 174 'Trick'
Chapter 174 'Trick'
Upon finding the two carriages in the forest, the white wolf carefully concealed itself, and when the opportunity arose, it suddenly darted out and bit one of the men's thighs.
With a single, forceful movement, it tore a chunk of flesh from the man's body.
The other two were terrified by their companion's screams and lost their composure. They tried to escape but found themselves surrounded and with nowhere to run.
They easily subdued the three people, and the children in the car were also rescued.
After the ropes binding Meng Ali were untied, she ran towards Meng Fuqing without hesitation, tears streaming down her face, crying, "Big sister—waaaaaah!"
"I knew you'd bring Little White to rescue me, waaaaaah!"
Meng Fuqing was startled by his sudden bump and took two steps back. Seeing that he was unharmed, she was finally relieved.
He raised his hand and ruffled Meng Ali's hair. "Well done. It's all thanks to your crumbs, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to find you so quickly."
Upon being praised like that, Meng Ali immediately became happy. After crying and laughing, he remembered the kidnapper who had abducted him. He wiped away his tears, walked proudly to the three people who were tied up, and waved his little hand.
"Little White, bite them to death!"
The white wolf understood and pounced to bite, which scared Meng Ali so much that she ran back.
"Take a small bite, take a small bite..."
On the other side, Han Ling'er had already been scolded by Han San.
Han Ling'er's face turned red with anger. "They kidnapped me! Third Brother, why are you scolding me instead of them? You're being unreasonable!"
Han San had long known that his younger sister had been spoiled by her grandmother and parents. Now, being accused by her like this, he had the illusion that he was like a scholar encountering a soldier, unable to reason with her.
“Our Han family has everything. Do we need you to dress up as a refugee and go out begging for food?”
Han Ling'er turned her head away defiantly, her little face pointing to the sky, "Grandmother said I can do whatever I want. Third Brother, if you're so capable, go and reason with Grandmother!"
She only dressed up as a refugee to queue for things because she thought it would be fun, but who knew she would be kidnapped!
The screams drew her attention, and she saw a white wolf biting three crutches not far away. Her eyes widened instantly, and she could no longer hear what her brother was saying above her.
Han San: ...
Meng Fuqing wasn't interested in the Han family's affairs. Seeing Xie Jin questioning the human traffickers, she called out "Xiaobai" to stop it from causing trouble.
After asking around, Xie Jin walked up to Meng Fuqing and said, “They come from Zhannan. Compared to Qingzhou, Jing’an Prefecture is much richer. Therefore, they would sell the children they abducted from Qingzhou to Jing’an Prefecture as slaves or to brothels.”
"They specifically target refugees?" Meng Fuqing asked.
Xie Jin scoffed, "They were afraid that kidnapping people outside the city would spread the plague, so they sneaked into the city and targeted refugees who had already been examined by doctors."
The government won't pay much attention to the lost children of refugees, since they aren't from Qingzhou City.
Meng Fuqing glanced at Han San not far away, raised his hand to shield his eyes, and asked, "The soldiers at the city gate check people entering and leaving the city very strictly. How come they were able to take the child out of the city so easily?"
There are ten children in the two carriages. With so many children, where can they hide in the carriages?
Xie Jin, mimicking her manner, lowered his voice and whispered, "Just as you suspected, something's fishy."
After saying that, he shook his head, "The Han family must send those people back to Qingzhou City for the crimes they committed. Otherwise, I can think of a way."
As the two were talking, they suddenly heard children arguing nearby.
"Xiaobai is mine, I won't give it to anyone!"
"I'll buy it with my own money..."
"I wouldn't sell it even if you offered ten million dollars! You...you can forget about it!"
……
People looked in the direction of the sound and saw two little radish heads facing off.
Han Ling'er saw Meng Fuqing not far away and immediately said, "Hmph, isn't that your eldest sister? I'll go talk to her!"
Meng Ali retorted without backing down: "Go ahead! See if my older sister doesn't beat you to a pulp!"
Han Ling'er had never encountered such a child who wouldn't give in to her before. Remembering how Meng Ali had used her as a pillow in the car, but now turned his back on her, she felt she had been wronged and her face turned red with anger.
Stubbornly determined, I had to snatch Xiaobai away!
Before she could reach Meng Fuqing, her third brother spoke first: "Miss Meng, you heard it too. My younger sister has been spoiled by her elders. As her older brother, I have to shamelessly ask if it is possible to sell the white wolf to her. Just name your price, Miss."
Han Ling'er glanced at her third brother with a puzzled look. Her third brother wasn't like this before!
However, she couldn't care less about anything else. Her big eyes blinked as she stared expectantly at Meng Fuqing.
Meng Ali also kept a close eye on his older sister, fearing that she might bend over backwards for money and sell Xiao Bai.
Under the gaze of several pairs of eyes, Meng Fuqing coughed lightly and shook his head, "I'm sorry, Young Master Han, the white wolf and I are destined to be together. Since it has followed me, I will not sell it."
Han Ling'er instantly became dejected, while Meng Ali walked to Xiao Bai's side with a smug look on her face and rubbed her cheek against its fur.
Before Han San could say anything more, Xie Jin interrupted, "After a long night of travel, Miss Meng and I are exhausted and sleepy, so we'll take our leave first. As for these children, your father, as the Prefect of Qingzhou, will surely not stand idly by. We'll have to trouble you, Young Master Han."
After saying that, he raised an eyebrow at Meng Fuqing, "Shall we go?"
Meng Fuqing nodded, cupped his hands in greeting to Han San, turned and walked to his horse. Just as he was about to call Meng Ali, Xie Jin picked Meng Ali up like a human trafficker and said "Let's go" to the white wolf. The white wolf actually followed him.
Anyone who didn't know better would think they were a family.
Meng Fuqing felt complicated as she watched.
The faces of Han San and Han Ling'er behind Xie Jin were drawn longer than the other.
Han San was used to being flattered in Qingzhou City and rarely encountered people who didn't take him seriously, let alone two vagrants with no family background or connections.
But he knew he couldn't do anything to them, after all, his sister was someone they had found.
Just then, someone next to him burst into tears, instantly shattering his gloomy expression. Han San frantically tried to comfort his sister, not even noticing when Meng Fuqing, the other two, and the wolf had left.
It was already past midnight when they returned to the outskirts of Qingzhou City. Meng Fuqing and the other two found the group outside the city and reported that they were safe.
Knowing that Meng Ali had been found and brought back safely, everyone immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Meng Fuqing then said to Du Zhong and Meng Bochang, "The caravan can stay outside the city for a day. Tonight we have done the Han family a favor. I would like to ask the Han family for their opinion on the matter of accommodation."
Knowing that Meng Fuqing was doing this not only for his own family but also for everyone in the caravan, the group didn't want to say anything more, but simply kept this kindness in their hearts.
Du Zhong was more direct, immediately cupping his hands in thanks, "I won't thank you for your great kindness. If Miss Meng ever needs my help in the future, just ask. I'll go through fire and water for you without hesitation!"
Meng Bochang simply said, "You don't need to worry about things outside the city. Go back and get some rest."
Leaving the white wolf behind, the three bid farewell to the group and entered Qingzhou City again.
The safe return of the three relieved Shan Qiyu, who had been up all night. After hearing Meng Ali recount his experience, she realized how difficult it was to guard against flower thieves. She felt both fearful and relieved.
After exchanging a few words, Meng Fuqing returned to her room and began meditating instead of sleeping—something she had been doing for days. She didn't feel tired when she woke up anyway.
However, there was still no internal energy in his dantian.
After washing up, she took Meng Ali to her room and asked, "Ali, could you repeat what those people said last night?"
If we can find some clues, it won't be too late to take revenge before leaving; if not, then so be it.