Translator: Storm in a Teacup
Immediately shaking her head, Zhao Xiaotao turned frantic and stopped saying a word just as her mum told her.It"s been a long time since Zhao Laoda went out to inquire about An Rushuang"s background, but there was no news coming back. If Zhao Laoda found out that they also failed to get the answer from An Rushuang, Zhao Xiaotao and her mum must be given a hard beat by him.
Although Zhao Laoda did not beat Xiaotao very often, since he considered her useful for the time being, her mum did not have such luck. Apart from her hands that could do some embroidery, scars of wounds strung together like beads all over her body.
“Tell us who you are!” said Zhao Xiaotao while biting her own lips.
She had to protect her mum.
Hearing this, An Rushuang finally figured out their intentions—all they wanted was ransom.
An Rushuang didn"t reply; instead she asked, “How much do you want? So the five taels of fine silver were just the bait, right?” She said in such a taunting manner that Xiaotao couldn"t help blus.h.i.+ng and was suddenly full of tears.
“I…I don"t know.” Saying so, Zhao Xiaotao rushed into the woman in black and cried out.
She was first scolded by An Rushuang and then sneered by others in public today. Zhao Xiaotao felt every inch of her body hurts. All she wanted was simply to survive and protected her mum…
“I just… just want to live. Without money, he will kill my mum and sell me…You don"t know…” Zhao Xiaotao shouted.
The woman in black cloak held Zhao Xiaotao in her arms, patting her on the shoulders with her tender hands. She comforted her in a hoa.r.s.e voice, “Don"t be scared, my dear… Xiaotao, it"s fine. Everything will be okay…”
Seeing this, An Rushuang was surprised and she looked at Zhao Xiaotao who was sobbing.
“Do you really think this would help you stop him from killing your mum and selling you?” asked An Rushuang. Looking at the two, An Rushuang said slowly, “Listen up. He won"t stop because he will be increasingly greedy. Once he realizes that you can make money for him, he will never get satisfied and eventually turn into a vampire who lives off you forever. How stupid and naive you are! How could you support this greedy vampire by your blood and even commit crimes together with him?”
She sneered, “Xiaotao, you are still young, but have you ever thought about who will bear the consequence in the end?” Staring at the woman in black cloak, An Rushuang saw her stiffened like a piece of wood as if she was like a fixed shadow.
“Today I happened to meet Xiaotao. Yes, she is beautiful, but do you know how others speak ill of her? I suppose you are not able to settle down at one place, aren"t you? Do you really want to live like a street rat? If you continue to do so, Xiaotao will always be a street rat despised by all throughout her life!” added An Rushuang.
“Stop it!”
The woman suddenly screamed as if she was a cat being stamped on the tail. Her fingers were curled up like claws. Meanwhile, Xiaotao looked up from her arms, whispering, “Mum…”
“Can you help her? Can you marry Xiaotao? If you can"t bring her out from this pit of h.e.l.l, she would fall into another and live in misery…” said the woman in black in a low voice. She held Xiaotao so tightly that her nails were almost cut into Xiaotao"s shoulders.
Although Zhao Xiaotao felt painful, she didn"t cry this time.
“I cannot save her, nor can I marry her,” said An Rushuang slowly, “But I can offer her an opportunity. As long as she seizes the opportunity, she could at least decide her own fate in the future.”
No one can change others" fate. People can only change their own fates. But sometimes it"s hard to grab the fleeting opportunity.
“Who are you on earth?” said the woman in black cloak with confusion. But at the same time, her heart was filled with hope and excitement. She kept asking herself how this kidnapped man could spare Big Zhao easily under this circ.u.mstance. How could he help Xiaotao live a normal life?
Despite all these questions, she was still hoping it to be true.If so, her daughter Xiaotao no longer needed to live such a horrible life; she could marry a good man and have her children in the future. If it"s true…if she was lucky enough to live longer, she could probably see her little grandson…
It was indeed hard for her to reject all these good intentions.
“I bet you know that the Royal Inspector has just arrived in the capital. I am…” coughed An Rushuang. She suddenly realized that she was dressed in man"s suit. “I am An Ruo, the nephew of the Royal Inspector.”
“I bet you are also aware of the consequences of kidnapping relatives of the Royal Inspector. However, I will not blame you this time as Xiaotao was a good girl in nature.”
Hearing this, Zhao Xiaotao stared at An Rushuang with eyes wide open. “Are… are…you really…” she stammered.
Nodding her head, An Rushuang thought at this time she couldn"t reveal she was actually a girl. It was fine to let An Ruo take the credit.
After a long while, the woman in black nodded and said in a hoa.r.s.e voice, “Ok, I agree…”
Before saying the full sentence, she was badly hit by a shoe on her scarred face. Suddenly she screamed out and the mask on her face fell down on the ground. A horrible face with burnt brown scars was revealed. Her mouth was open, with teeth outside. Realizing this, the woman quickly picked up the mask and covered her ferocious face.
“Humph, how dare you, b.i.t.c.h!”
Then a burly man strode inside with a repulsive smell of liquor. He shouted at Zhao Xiaotao, “Get me the shoe!”
Seeing this, An Rushuang was totally shocked. The woman did not dare to say a word, buckling towards the man while Zhao Xiaotao also knelt down crawling on the ground to grab the shoe.
They were not family members at all. It was like two menial servants serving a tyrant. No! Even servants would not be as humble as that.
The man looked exactly like a scoundrel. No peasant would be as vicious as he was.
Feeling An Rushuang"s gaze, the man turned to her all of a sudden, stared at her before moving his eyes to her fair neck, and laughed.
“But I heard that the Royal Inspector did not bring his nephew here! He only has a daughter living in the capital…”