“I really don’t know,” Qiao Xihe said seriously. “And there’s no way I’d ever do something so heartless.”
“Haven’t you done enough already?” Auntie Liu said, unsparing.
Qiao Xihe took a deep breath and said, each word deliberate, “Auntie Liu, I know you care a lot about the children, that’s why you’re acting this way toward me. But I swear, from now on I’ll treat them well, and I’ll never let a single hair on their heads be harmed. So I hope you won’t go saying wild things in front of the children again without any proof.”
Auntie Liu froze for a moment.
Qiao Xihe really was different from before.
But how could a person change this much, this suddenly?
Once Qiao Xihe finished speaking, she didn’t look at Auntie Liu again and strode off.
So that was why Shen Wanzhou’s attitude toward her had suddenly turned so hostile again!
It turned out he’d made the same mistake as Auntie Liu, thinking she meant to sell them off.
She needed to hurry home.
What if the traffickers had already come to their village!
Just because she wouldn’t sell the children didn’t mean Tang Yifang wouldn’t!
And besides, she was also afraid the two silly little sisters might get kidnapped by traffickers.
She remembered that when she’d read the book, there didn’t seem to be any storyline involving traffickers.
But then again, since she’d transmigrated here, and had already somewhat altered the direction of the plot, it was entirely possible new developments could show up.
Just as she got close to home, Qiao Xihe saw a sight that sent her blood pressure soaring.
Two men were standing there talking to her four little ones, one very tall and burly, the other short and thin, but with a sly, cunning look on his face.
The short man was currently bent over, showing his big yellow teeth in a grin at Shen Wanyin. “Little sister, want some candy? Uncle has lots of good candy at home, why don’t you come along with uncle?”
“I don’t…” Shen Wanyin looked frightened. Shen Wanzhou quickly stepped in front of her protectively, saying coldly, “We don’t know you. Please move aside, we’re going home.”
“Tch.” The man sneered, not taking Shen Wanzhou seriously at all.
He had a strong man with him, after all, why would he be afraid of four little brats?
Still, with all four children together, it wouldn’t be easy to grab them.
In a moment, they’d each grab one of the little girls and run.
Girls sold for more, through more channels, most went to brothels outside the area, and could fetch dozens of taels each!
They hadn’t managed to snatch a child in several days. This time, with no adults around, they had to make it happen.
The two men exchanged a glance, and just as they were about to make their move, they suddenly heard an angry shout: “Get away from them!”
Both men flinched, startled, and looked up to see a girl of about thirteen or fourteen running toward them.
They relaxed at once, they’d thought it was someone important, but it was just a young girl.
Maybe, they could even take this bigger one along too… what a stroke of luck that would be!
This girl was quite a looker!
Both men’s eyes filled with greed.
Seeing Qiao Xihe running toward them, Shen Wanzhou’s heart tightened.
He knew these two men in front of them had to be the traffickers Auntie Liu had mentioned, so he’d been trying to figure out how to get his siblings away.
But now Qiao Xihe had arrived, what if she really was working with these two men, planning to sell them all off?
He watched as Qiao Xihe ran up in a few big strides, planting herself in front of the four children, glaring furiously at the two traffickers. “What are you trying to do!”
“Listen to you, what could we possibly be trying to do?” the short man smirked slyly. “We just wanted to chat with these kids, take them to get some candy, that’s all. What about it, little miss, do you want some too?”
At this, the tall man, apparently thinking of something, gave a filthy grin too.
Disgust rose in Qiao Xihe’s chest, and she shouted fiercely, “Get lost!”
“Ooh, you tell us to get lost and we’re just supposed to leave?” The tall man stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. “No need to look so fierce, little miss, the five of you together aren’t even a match for one of my fingers.”
Qiao Xihe’s pupils contracted slightly.
Indeed, even if all five of them combined forces, they probably wouldn’t be a match for this tall man, let alone with the other one standing beside him, small and thin, sure, but still a grown adult.
Their house was in a fairly out-of-the-way part of the village, and most of the adults were out in the fields right now, even if she screamed for help, no one might hear.
“Don’t waste time talking to her, someone might show up,” the short man urged. “Hurry up and grab them! Get as many as we can, girls first!”
Shen Wanjin immediately burst into terrified tears. “Big brother, second brother, I’m scared!”
Unexpectedly, Shen Wanyin didn’t cry at all. Her little face had gone deathly pale, and she was trembling nonstop, but she still glared at the two traffickers, her small fists clenched tight.
Shen Wanzhou and Shen Wanmu did everything they could to shield their two sisters behind them.
The tall man gave a cold laugh, and then suddenly lunged straight at them!
“Ah!” Shen Wanjin screamed, and Shen Wanzhou braced himself, ready to fight to the death.
But just as the tall man reached out to grab Qiao Xihe’s arm, she suddenly drove her hand hard into his stomach.
The tall man had assumed she was trying to hit him, but he didn’t take her soft little fist seriously at all, his face twisted into a savage grin, as if Qiao Xihe and the four children behind her were already in the bag.
But in the very next instant, the tall man suddenly convulsed violently a few times, then crashed to the ground!
Everyone except Qiao Xihe stared in shock.
“Hey! What did you do!” the short man shouted, furious. “Get up! What kind of joke is this?”
His partner could really fight! Three ordinary grown men together might not even be a match for him!
How had he just been knocked out by a little girl?
He assumed the tall man was pretending, playing some kind of joke, but after waiting a while, he still didn’t get up.
That bastard was really unconscious!
“What’s going on! What did you do to him!” The short man’s face had gone livid, and he roared at Qiao Xihe.
At this point, he suddenly noticed Qiao Xihe was holding some strange, oddly-shaped object, it looked like some kind of rod, but unlike anything he’d ever seen before.
“Heh heh, this thing really works well,” Qiao Xihe said, weighing the anti-wolf stun baton in her hand, satisfied.
When the tall man had charged at her a moment ago, she had pulled the anti-wolf stun baton out of the system, flipped the switch, and jammed it right into him.
The tall man had underestimated her, and combined with the excellent charge on this stun baton, it had knocked him out cold instantly.
“You’re next,” Qiao Xihe said, holding the stun baton, with a chillingly cold smile.
The short man was still a little dazed, but at that smile, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
Before the short man could react, she lunged forward and jammed the stun baton straight into him!