Chapter 471: Just Seventeen
“When she came over in the past, she was skinny and small.”
Old Master Hua gestured and sighed. “It’s said that she owns a restaurant now. She earns a few hundred taels a day and doesn’t forget to buy land and plant vegetables. She’s really a hardworking and capable child.”
Leya was stunned.
She realized belatedly that her admiration for Lu Sheng was completely different from her father’s praise.
“A few hundred taels a day?”
Mdm Peng was dumbfounded. “How old is that girl?”
Old Master Hua took a sip of tea. “I heard from Li Zheng that she’s seventeen this year.”
“Seventeen? Oh my!”
Mdm Peng had always thought that the people in this small village were useless. She did not expect there to be such a G.o.dly person.
She could earn a few hundred taels a day, but the Hua family could only earn up to a hundred taels a day.
Leya blinked. “Didn’t Uncle Tao tell you anything else?”
“Other things?” Old Master Hua frowned. “What other things?”
“Ah… Nothing.”
Leya smiled. “Father, if there’s nothing else, I’ll go back to my room first.”
Old Master Hua nodded. “Go ahead.”
Mdm Peng looked at Leya and then outside. She frowned in confusion.
She remembered that Leya had brought Xiaofen out. Why did she not come back with Leya?
“Old Master, I’m a bit tired. I want to go back and lie down.”
She held her forehead and made a sleepy face.
Old Master Hua sighed softly and nodded. “You go ahead too.”
“Then, I’ll take my leave first!”
Mdm Peng stood up and nodded at Old Master Hua before letting Xiaolian help her back to her room.
“What happened?”
She could not help but ask when she returned to her room.
Xiaolian looked at her in confusion. Then, Mdm Peng asked, “You saw her today too, right?”
“Saw… what?”
This random question puzzled Xiaolian, who could only ask carefully.
“Xiaofen. Didn’t you see her go out with that hussy Hua Leya?”
“Oh, so that’s what you’re talking about!”
Only then did Xiaolian react. She nodded and said, “Yes.”
“Right? I knew I wasn’t wrong. I told her to follow Hua Leya, but Hua Leya came back alone. Where did Xiaofen go?”
After hearing Mdm Peng’s words, Xiaolian also found it strange.
“Could she have gone to do something for Miss?” Xiaolian guessed.
“Do something?”
Mdm Peng felt that it made sense.
“Then… Get someone to keep a lookout. When she comes back, ask her to come over.”
“Yes!”
However, although Mdm Peng asked someone to keep an eye out for her the whole night, she did not see Xiaofen even until the next morning.
During breakfast, she looked at Leya and probed. “Miss, I remember that Xiaofen went out with you yesterday, right? Why didn’t she come back with you?”
Leya stopped drinking her porridge and looked at her suspiciously. “Aunt, didn’t you ask her to do something?”
“Do… do something? She’s your servant. How can I order her around?”
Mdm Peng’s eyes darted around guiltily.
“But her deed is in Aunt’s hands. How can you not order her around?”
Leya put down the spoon and looked at her suspiciously. “Moreover, after she reached town yesterday, she said that you asked her to help buy things and told me to come back first. Why? Has she not returned yet?”
“Nonsense. When did I ask her to help me buy things?” Mdm Peng found it baffling.
“But she clearly said that. Ah Fu heard everything. If you don’t believe me, go and ask him.”
Mdm Peng suddenly reacted and widened her eyes. “That little hussy must have escaped!”
“What happened?”
Old Master Hua looked at the duo in confusion.
“It’s that servant, Xiaofen, whom Aunt sent over to me. After she came to town with me, I bought a book and told her to bring it back to the carriage to wait. When I returned, I saw that the book was there but she was missing. I only found out after asking Ah Fu that Aunt asked Xiaofen to buy something and even told us not to wait for her.”
Leya explained innocently.
Xiaofen’s escape did not affect her at all.
However, to Mdm Peng, it was not only ten taels of silver but also a spy. Of course, she would feel heartache if she lost her.
“Old Master, that b*tch must have escaped!” Madam Peng could not even finish her porridge anymore.
Old Master Hua disapproved. “Since she escaped, we can just buy another obedient one.”
“But… Are we going to let her off just like that?” Mdm Peng was very unhappy.
“What else?”
Old Master Hua wiped the corner of his lips and looked at her. “A day has pa.s.sed. If you chase after her now, do you think you can catch up?”
“Old Master, we can report this to the officials!”
Mdm Peng suggested, “If she dares to escape, get the officials to find her and execute her immediately.”
“If you want to report to the officials, go ahead.”
Old Master Hua stood up. “Leya, stay at home and take care of your brother today. I have something on.”
“Yes!”
After Old Master Hua left, Mdm Peng slammed the table and stood up. She waited and asked Leya, “Did you let that little hussy go on purpose?”
“On purpose?”
Leya smiled coldly. “Ah Fu saw it with his own eyes. If you don’t believe me, go and ask him.”
Ah Fu was her father’s man. No matter how bold Mdm Peng was, she did not dare to question Ah Fu.
Moreover, she was not the one who let her go. She escaped by herself. Leya could not be blamed.
“You…” Mdm Peng was speechless.
After a while, she gritted her teeth and asked, “In that case, why didn’t you report it to the officials when she escaped yesterday?”
“If this escaping slave is caught, she will be beaten to death.”
Leya snorted coldly. “My mother has just been buried. Blood cannot be seen at home.”
Mdm Peng knew that Leya deliberately let her go, but she could not do anything to her. She was so angry that she almost fainted.
Seeing her patting her chest, Xiaolian hurried to persuade her. “Mdm, don’t be angry. It’s not worth it for an escaped slave.”
“Help me back. I’m not eating anymore!”
She spoke to Xiaolian, but her eyes were glaring hatefully at Leya.
Leya smiled at her. “Oh right, Aunt, I don’t need a servant recently. You don’t have to buy me one anymore.”
If not for Mdm Peng’s power, she would not have bothered with her.
“Sister, I’m full.”
Letong put down the spoon and smiled at Leya.
Leya smiled. “Good Tong Tong. I’ll bring you to make new friends today.”
“New friends?”
Letong blinked. “Will anyone play with me?”
During his years in Yu Xi Town, no one played with him except his father and sister.
“Yes. Let’s go. I’ll bring you to meet your new friends now.”
After rinsing her mouth with tea, Leya held Letong’s hand and stood up to leave.
Without Xiaofen following her, she felt much more at ease.
However, compared to her freedom, Letong was much more restrained.
Everyone in the village knew that the Le family had moved back.
Letong was born after Mdm Hua left Liu Yue Village, so no one knew him.
However, Leya had once lived in Liu Yue Village for ten years. In addition, her appearance did not change much. The elders in the village recognized her immediately.
Mdm Fang naturally recognized her.
“Is that Leya?”
Even after eight years, Leya could recognize Mdm Fang immediately.
She smiled and nodded. “Aunt Tao, it’s me.”
“Oh, you’ve grown so big?”
Mdm Fang sized her up and smiled. “Back then, I wanted you to be my son’s wife. I didn’t expect you to move away.”
Leya smiled awkwardly. “Aunt, don’t say that. It won’t be good if sister-in-law hears it.”
Mdm Fang laughed heartily. “Your sister-in-law is in Yu Xi Town. She can’t hear you.”
“Oh right, I heard from your father yesterday that you’re not married yet. Could it be that you haven’t found someone you like?”
Leya nodded. “I guess so.”
“Oh, this will be difficult.”
Mdm Fang pondered for a moment before her eyes lit up. “Do you remember Lu Ran? You used to play together when you were young.”
When she heard Mdm Fang mention Lu Ran, Leya’s heart skipped a beat. She hurriedly nodded and said, “I remember.”
She had never forgotten him. Even in her dreams, it was him. How could she forget him?
“You remember, right?”
Mdm Fang looked around. When she saw that no one was looking in her direction, she smiled and said, “Although that brat has been with gangsters for a while, he has already turned over a new leaf. If you don’t mind, when he comes back, you can look at each other and see if you like him.”
Leya blushed. “Aunt!”
“Hahaha. Alright, I’ll stop talking.”
Only then did Mdm Fang turn her attention to Letong, who was following Leya.
“This is your brother, right? What’s his name?”
“Letong.”
Leya pulled Letong over and introduced him with a smile. “This is Aunt Tao, the mother of my friend. Quick, greet her.”
When Letong heard that, he hurriedly shouted obediently, “h.e.l.lo, Aunt Tao!”
“Oh, good child. How obedient!”
She patted Letong’s head and asked Leya, “Oh right, where are you siblings going? I didn’t waste your time, right?”
“No.”
Leya smiled and said, “I’m going to bring my brother to Lu Sheng.”
“So you’re going to find Lu Sheng? Then hurry up and go.”
Leya nodded and bade Mdm Fang farewell before continuing to the village with Letong.
In the vegetable field.
Lu Sheng was holding a plate of pastries. She squatted at the side and watched Lu Jiang and Lu Xin play with Three Colors.
“Sob—”
Three Colors, who was confused by Lu Xin’s movements, lay on the ground and whimpered.
“Sister, it’s tired. Let’s play later.”
When Lu Jiang saw Three Colors collapse, he hurriedly pulled Lu Xin aside to rest.
“Indeed, it’s still lively here.”
When Lu Sheng heard footsteps, she turned back and saw Leya walking in with a young boy.
“Sister Leya is here.”
Lu Sheng hurriedly stood up and looked at Letong. “This must be Letong?”
Leya smiled and nodded. “Letong, greet Sister Xiao Sheng quickly.”
“h.e.l.lo, Sister Xiao Sheng!”
Letong was already seven years old. He was one year older than Lu Jiang.
When Lu Jiang and Lu Xin saw guests, they habitually hid at the side.
Seeing Lu Sheng wave at them, the two of them stood up and walked over.
“Second Sister, what’s wrong?”
Lu Jiang held Lu Xin’s hand and stood behind Lu Sheng. He looked at Letong curiously.
“This is Sister Leya. She came to our house before. This is Brother Letong. Bring him along to play later.”
It was rare for Letong to see his peers. When he saw the duo opposite him, he could not help but look at them curiously.
“h.e.l.lo, Sister Leya and Brother Letong!”
The siblings shouted at the same time.
“h.e.l.lo!”
Leya reached out and patted their heads before saying to Letong, “Letong, Sister has something to say to Sister Xiao Sheng. Go and play with these younger siblings first.”
“Let’s go and play together!”
Seeing Letong’s hesitation, the siblings hurriedly held his hand and walked elsewhere.
The children had a lot of fun. Lu Sheng was quite carefree towards the siblings. Hence, they either went to the fields with the children in the village to dig mud or play with crickets in the gra.s.s.
Every time they came back, they were covered in mud. However, they looked happy.
“Letong seems to be afraid of strangers.”
Leya sighed softly. “Back in Yu Xi Town, he could only play in the courtyard most of the time due to his poor health. I was the only one who usually accompanied him. When Father returned, he would also chat with him.”
“There’s a reason why he’s not well.”
Lu Sheng looked in Letong’s direction and said lightly, “It’s right for you to move back. If you moved back earlier, Aunt Hua might not have lost her life.”
Leya was stunned. “Lu Sheng, what do you mean?”
Lu Sheng looked at her and said in a low voice, “The house in Yu Xi Town should be bought from someone else, right?”
“Yes.” Leya nodded. “At that time, we looked for a house the moment we reached Yu Xi Town. Coincidentally, that family said they were going back to their hometown and wanted to sell that house at a low price. My parents saw that the house was s.p.a.cious and not expensive, so they bought it directly.”
After speaking, Leya looked at her suspiciously. “Lu Sheng, how did you know?”
She did not seem to have told Lu Sheng about the house.
“That family didn’t sell the house because they wanted to return to their hometown. It’s because someone died in that house.”
“Someone died?”
Leya felt a chill run down her spine. “What… what do you mean?”
“If I’m not wrong, someone died not long ago in that house. Furthermore, it was someone who died with hatred. We don’t know if it was a man or a woman, but their bodies must have been buried in the courtyard.”
As to which corner it was buried, Lu Sheng did not know for the time being. However, the corpse must be buried in that courtyard.
“Lu Sheng, where did you hear this from?”
Seeing her serious expression, it seemed like she was not joking. Instantly, a hint of fear arose in Leya’s heart.
“Sister Leya, to be honest, my master catches ghosts. I’ve also learned some things.”
She looked at Leya and said, “The reason why Letong’s health is poor is that he has been plagued by unclean things for a long time.”
As children were young and those things had too much Yin energy, if those things pestered children for too long, their bodies’ resistance would gradually decrease, which was why they fell sick easily.
“You… You’re saying that Tong Tong was plagued by something unclean?”
Leya looked at Letong and saw him squatting beside a cute little puppy. He smiled faintly.
“That thing probably didn’t follow over. However, his body is still surrounded by remnant Yin energy.”
Lu Sheng took out an Exorcism Talisman and pa.s.sed it to Leya. “Take this back and make a small sachet for him to wear. After a while, he will recover.”