They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 427 Qu Ling
Xu Zhichun nodded: "Okay, if she's willing, I'll take her away."

As for Aunt Wu, Xu Zhichun never intended to pay her any attention, let alone feel any pity for her.

She doesn't deserve it, and she doesn't deserve it.

The current outcome is simply the result of the seeds she sowed in the past.

This little girl named Qu Ling is only seven or eight years old, and she is so outstanding. Who knows what her future will be like if she stays with Aunt Wu?
Xu Zhichun felt a little reluctant.

Take her away and teach her well. Perhaps she will walk the right path, or perhaps one day she will repay kindness with enmity. But those are all unpredictable futures.

Xu Zhichun believed she could handle either outcome, so she didn't mind taking the child with her.

But if she is unwilling, then he cannot force her.

The saying "a forced relationship is never sweet" applies not only to relationships between men and women.

Mrs. Wu nodded quickly: "Yes, yes, she definitely wants to!"

She handed Qu Ling her indenture and pushed Qu Ling toward Xu Zhichun: "Go, follow Sister Zhichun, go."

Qu Ling burst into tears: "Grandma Wu, what about you? I...I..."

“I’m fine, you should go now. I can’t take care of you, and if you stay, you’ll only be a burden to me. I have somewhere else to stay, so go.”

Qu Ling kowtowed three times to her with tears in her eyes, silently wiped away her tears, stood up, glanced at Mother Wu with reluctance, walked up to Xu Zhichun, and looked up at her.

"Sister Zhichun, I can do anything. Could you... could you pay me some wages first? I... I..."

Xu Zhichun asked, "How much silver is written on the indenture?"

Mrs. Wu sighed: "Eight ounces."

Xu Zhichun took out a ten-tael silver note, "We're even."

With a wry smile, Madam Wu finally accepted the flimsy silver note from Qu Ling's hand, watching helplessly as Xu Zhichun took Qu Ling away.

After the heavy rain, the road became much muddy, and the waterlogged, potholed surface made it very difficult to walk, making it increasingly difficult for Xu Zhichun to drive the mule cart.

Fortunately, no one caught up with them.

It seems that this heavy rain not only caused trouble for her, but also for Zeng Mingzhu.

Once they reached the town, it became difficult for Zeng Mingzhu's people to find him.

Xu Zhichun and Qu Ling lied to each other, claiming to be siblings, and asked for a superior room. They then wrote a letter promising the innkeeper and the waiter very generous rewards, with half paid in advance. They asked the innkeeper to be lenient and have the waiter deliver the letter to Qingshan County.

When the shopkeeper and his assistants heard that it was a message to the head constable of Qingshan County, they subconsciously treated Xu Zhichun much better.

The lure of high pay is irresistible to anyone, and the shopkeeper agreed almost without hesitation, much to the delight of his employees.

A round trip can be completed in as little as three days, and he can earn five taels of silver. You can't find such a good deal even with a lantern.

Xu Zhichun made an excuse that he was not feeling well and needed to rest. He stayed in the guest room with Qu Ling and did not go out. The waiter brought in their three meals, tea, and water for washing.

Qu Ling was very diligent. Every time the shop assistant brought something, she would go to receive it and explain to the shop assistant with a worried look on her face: "Brother is really not feeling well. He must be tired from traveling recently."

The guy said, "I understand, I understand!" and politely and kindly comforted her, while also praising her for being so sensible at such a young age and for taking care of her brother.
Xu Zhichun was both amused and exasperated.

That's good, it saves her a lot of trouble, and she can now hide from the public eye without worry.

Zeng Mingzhu's servants did manage to track them down to this place, stopping to inquire whenever they encountered a village or town. However, they found nothing and missed their chance.

They were looking for the same person, Xu Zhichun, who was "traveling with his siblings," a completely unrelated situation. No one expected that they would be related.

Xu Zhichun's letter was cryptic, and even though she had spent a lot of money, she didn't dare to completely trust the shopkeeper.

Due to his professional instincts, Constable Yu quickly understood Xu Zhichun's letter. His expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly asked for leave from the yamen. He then took a few men and followed the assistant back to pick up Xu Zhichun.

They traveled almost overnight, and what would normally take a day and a half was covered in just one day.

"sister in law!"

"It's good that Officer Yu is here. I can finally rest easy."

Both sides breathed a sigh of relief.

With Constable Yu accompanying him, Xu Zhichun had no more worries and returned to the county town with Constable Yu. Xu Zhichun left Qu Ling with Manager Zhong and asked Manager Zhong to send someone back to the village to say that he was alright. He then went to the yamen (government office).

Xu Zhichun had been missing for several days, but she finally returned. Magistrate Lu and others breathed a sigh of relief, and Madam Lu also met with her.

"It's good that you're back safe and sound. Everyone has been so worried about you these past few days!"

Xu Zhichun felt a warmth in her heart. "Thank you for your concern, Madam. Fortunately, it was a close call, so we were lucky."

Madam Lu sighed, "Yes."

Lord Lu: "Madam Xu, do you know who did it?"

He will definitely deal with this matter thoroughly. It's not that easy to openly kidnap people from his territory.

Xu Zhichun said solemnly, "I was just about to report this to the lord. The one who took me away was Zeng Mingzhu, the eldest daughter of the Zeng family."

“Zeng Mingzhu?” Madam Lu thought for a moment and said in surprise, “I heard that she ran away from home. The Zeng family tried to keep the news a secret, but it still got out. How could it be her?”

Xu Zhichun: "She's in the provincial capital right now. Her maid, Cuiyue, along with several servants, conspired with Madam Zeng to kidnap me on the way to a banquet under the pretext of inviting me. Zeng Mingzhu was showing off in front of me triumphantly, saying that she's now working for Prefect Feng of Xiangzhou Prefecture and seems to be quite favored."

"Xiangzhou Prefecture!"

"Yes."

Magistrate Lu and his wife looked at each other in bewilderment.

Xiangzhou Prefecture is the territory of Prince Yuchang. The prefect of Xiangzhou Prefecture is Prince Yuchang's confidant. What is Zeng Mingzhu, the favorite concubine of the prefect of Xiangzhou Prefecture, planning to do after running to the provincial capital of Xijiang?
It doesn't make sense to say that she came back specifically to seek revenge on Xu Zhichun.

Even if Prefect Feng doted on her, he would never allow her to do such a thing at such a sensitive and critical moment.

Magistrate Lu could only think of one possibility: Zeng Mingzhu's trip was most likely related to Prefect Feng and his master.

"Madam Xu, please think back carefully and explain everything clearly, without missing a single detail."

Xu Zhichun nodded.

She didn't actually have much information to share. After all, Prefect Feng might not tell Zeng Mingzhu many things, and Zeng Mingzhu wouldn't know anything at all. She was just a tool to bring people into Xijiang Province inconspicuously.

As for Xu Zhichun, she wouldn't say anything else, she would only show off.

But Xu Zhichun had her own judgment: it was obvious that none of Zeng Mingzhu's men were easy to deal with.

Zeng Mingzhu didn't seem to have much control over them either.