Tangtang, who had already run to the front gates, paused her steps, and the little hand she had reached out pulled back.
Aunt Wu is so fierce. If I open the door, won’t she jump up and take a bite out of Tangtang?
“Little bitch, I know you’re hiding inside. Stop playing dead and get your butt out here!” Wu yelled fiercely, hands on her hips.
She had no idea what kind of trick this little bitch had pulled, but last night her family’s front door kept making a noise. When she opened it to look, there was not a soul in sight.
Just as she dragged herself until dawn and wanted to sleep for a bit, she felt unable to breathe and was literally choked awake.
Tormented all night, Wu was furious. Recalling what Tangtang had said, she hadn’t even had time to eat breakfast before rushing over to Xixia Taoist Temple to settle accounts with her.
Not only was she going to demand those three copper coins back, but she was also going to make this little bitch pay dearly!
Thinking of this, Wu spat fiercely and banged even harder on the front door before her.
Unexpectedly, the door suddenly swung wide open, and her wrist was tightly grabbed by someone.
“Ah—” Wu let out a screech like a slaughtered pig, staring in terror at the pale-faced man.
There… there’s a ghost!
“Who are you calling a bitch?” Gu Yanzhao’s gaze was like a knife, the strength in his hand tightening further.
Trembling from the pain, Wu swallowed every bit of her cursing right back down into her stomach.
No! That’s not right!
The man in front of her has a shadow; he’s not a ghost!
The little swindler’s master has been dead for several days, so who is this man standing right in front of her?
Although his clothes were wrinkled, the fabric at a glance was something they ordinary commoners couldn’t afford to wear!
Wu’s heart skipped a beat. Could it be that this dead girl’s real father had come looking for her?
Her eyes rolled around twice as she frantically squeezed a flattering smile onto her face.
“Is Tangtang around? You must be her family’s adult, right? This child ate and drank for free at my house yesterday and even slipped away with three copper coins…”
“Tangtang did no such thing! Aunt Wu invited Tangtang to go mourn!” Tangtang poked her head out from behind Gu Yanzhao, her cheeks puffed out high like an angora milk cat.
She had knelt at Grandpa Gao’s shrine for hours on end, her knees were red and swollen, and her throat was hoarse. The ten copper coins that were agreed upon had only yielded three from Aunt Wu!
Now Aunt Wu was even going to Daddy to accuse her of stealing money and freeloading!
Before the dad she had managed to get her hands on could even warm up, was he going to fly away?
A layer of mist welled up in Tangtang’s dual pupils. She looked up at Gu Yanzhao and spoke timidly, “Daddy, Tangtang didn’t steal money! Aunt Wu agreed to ten copper coins for mourning, but Aunt only gave me three coins…”
So Daddy must not believe what Aunt Wu said; Tangtang is a well-behaved and obedient good child.
Looking at Tangtang’s cautious expression as she explained, Gu Yanzhao felt both heartache and anger.
This Wu’s eyes were darting around with a flattering expression; at a glance, she was no good!
Besides, his ears weren’t deaf; he had heard every single word of Wu’s insults toward Tangtang just now clearly.
Gu Yanzhao gently rubbed Tangtang’s head with his large hand, then turned to look at Wu and spoke coldly, “Our Tangtang has never lied. Hand over the seven copper coins you owe! Don’t blame me for being unpolite otherwise!”
From now on, he would be Tangtang’s backing, and whoever dared bully Tangtang by even a fraction again would certainly not be spared lightly by him!
Upon hearing this, Wu instantly grew unhappy. Seven copper coins were enough to buy a meat bun; why should she hand them over for free to this little bitch?
Thinking of this, Wu stamped both feet and wailed at the top of her lungs, “Oh heavens, there truly is no justice left in the world. Open your eyes and take a look… this is downright daylight robbery!”
Gu Yanzhao cast a cold glance at Wu, gathering his internal energy at his fingertips and flicking slightly. Wu instantly lost her voice.
“So noisy! If you don’t return the money, you can stay mute for the rest of your life!”
Wu widened her eyes in terror, her trembling hands reaching toward her throat.
What is going on!
She actually couldn’t make a sound anymore!
Unwilling to believe it, Wu opened her mouth once more, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t squeeze out a single shred of sound.
Terrified and furious, she realized the man in front of her was the one pulling strings!
Though she didn’t know how he managed it, Wu was incomparably certain in her heart that if this man wanted to kill her, it would be an effortless task.
At this thought, beads of sweat on Wu’s forehead slid down her pale cheeks.
In this desolate countryside, it was better not to butt heads with them directly!
Gritting her teeth, Wu fished seven copper coins out of her bosom and squeezed out a smile that looked uglier than crying.
A wise man doesn’t fight when the odds are against him; once she got back to town, she would definitely spread the word about the evil deeds done by this father-daughter pair and see whose family with a funeral would still dare hire this little girl!
Tangtang’s eyes lit up, and she ran happily up to Wu to take the copper coins.
She had thought those seven coins couldn’t be retrieved; Daddy was really Tangtang’s great savior, he was simply too amazing!
“Aunt Wu, go on back. We’re even now~” The little girl waved cheerfully at Wu with a smile.
Now Grandpa Gao wouldn’t have to work off debts in the netherworld and could safely go get reincarnated!
Wu pointed at her throat, gazing at Gu Yanzhao with a face full of entreaty.
She had already returned the seven copper coins she owed; she really didn’t want to be unable to speak for the rest of her life!
Gu Yanzhao let out a cold snort, pulling Tangtang back and shutting the Taoist temple doors with a backhand sweep.
Seeing this, Wu panicked and hurried forward a step: “You didn’t keep your word…”
Before she could finish the rest, Wu covered her mouth in pleasant surprise.
She could speak!
“Scram!” Gu Yanzhao’s reprimand rang out, and only then did Wu snap back to her senses, scurrying away in a hurried trot.
Bah! That dead girl’s dad is truly eerie!
Today not only did he make her lose seven copper coins, but he also almost turned her into a mute.
Hmph! She, Wu Guihua, had been offended, so this father-daughter pair shouldn’t expect to have an easy life from now on!
“Thank you, Daddy!” Tangtang thanked him sweetly. “If it weren’t for Daddy, Aunt Wu definitely wouldn’t have given the money back to me!”
Gu Yanzhao sighed softly, squatting down to look at the little girl earnestly. “Don’t be afraid when you encounter things like this in the future, just tell Daddy! Go pack your things, Daddy is taking you home!”
The matter of last night’s assassination attempt must already be known to his imperial father and mother; to keep them from worrying, he and Tangtang needed to return to the capital as soon as possible.
“Home?” Tangtang tilted her small head. “Is it a home with a dad and a mom?”
Her small hands clutched the corner of her clothes tightly, her shining eyes staring fixedly at Gu Yanzhao.
If she had a mom, would she also be able to act spoiled in her mom’s arms just like other little kids?
Gu Yanzhao’s gaze softened as he nodded gently: “Tangtang not only has a mom, but also brothers, a grandfather, a grandmother, aunts, uncles…”
Asking himself, in the twenty-odd years he had lived, he had seen many people living difficult lives, yet never had he wanted to protect a child quite like this.
So what if she wasn’t his biological daughter? He would prop up a slice of the sky for Tangtang and would absolutely never let her look at anyone’s face over a few copper coins ever again!
Tangtang blinked her eyes. So Master had gone out and caught a rich-family dad back for her!
Thinking of Master, Tangtang’s eye rims reddened and her little head lowered: “Master’s boards aren’t saved up yet, Tangtang can’t leave with Daddy…”