Seeing the crowded crowd made Li Xin think of the Lantern Festival in Liuzhou. "Should we go back?"
Li Hui could see that Li Xin was still affected by the previous incident. "Under the emperor's feet, there won't be any trouble." Seeing a tea house nearby, he suggested, "Why don't we go to the tea house and sit for a while? We can listen to some storytelling."
Li Xin and Li Xia agreed, and the three of them walked towards the tea house. Unexpectedly, they ran into the three Miss Lus from the Lu family at the entrance, who had also come to the tea house.
The Third Miss Lu was also surprised to meet the three from the Li family here. "Cousin, Sister-in-law, what a coincidence! Are you also here to listen to 'Three-Smile Beauty'?"
"What a coincidence. I didn't expect to run into you all here," said Li Xin, taking a step forward to greet the Third Miss Lu, while also nodding at the Second Miss Lu and Fourth Miss Lu standing behind her.
After exchanging greetings, they entered the tea house. The Li family had decided to come on the spur of the moment, so there were no private rooms available, and only the main hall had seats. The Lu family had booked a private room in advance, but the room had only four seats, so either Li Xin or Li Xia could join them.
"Sister-in-law, Cousin Xia, why don't you join us in the private room?" Seeing Li Xia's slender figure, the Third Miss Lu decided to let her squeeze in with the Second and Fourth Miss Lus. She certainly couldn't squeeze with a concubine's daughter.
"No need, we'll sit in the main hall with Brother. You three go to the private room," Li Xin politely declined. The Second and Fourth Miss Lus showed satisfied smiles on their faces. They didn't want to squeeze with Li Xia either.
"The show is about to start. Third Sister, let's go to the private room," the Second Miss Lu urged impatiently, not wanting to stand with Li Xia for a moment longer. Without noticing anyone looking their way, her gaze once again swept over Li Xia's figure.
The Third Miss Lu was displeased with the Second Miss Lu's urging but couldn't say much in public. Carrying her displeasure with the Second Miss Lu, she headed to the private room.
Li Hui led Li Xin and Li Xia to an empty table and sat down. The waiter quickly brought tea and water. The storyteller took the stage, bowed to the audience, and struck the wooden block to begin the tale.
The story being told was a newly published novella from the Capital City called 'Three-Smile Beauty'. It told the story of a scholar named Tang Yin who took a fancy to a beautiful maid and sought to marry her. To pursue the beauty, he sold himself into servitude in his enemy's household, concealing his identity and courting the lady, leading to a series of events. Ultimately, Tang Yin helped his enemy's family overcome a great calamity, reconciled with them, and won the beauty's hand in a romantic tale.
The storyteller's modulated voice captivated the audience, especially the young ladies, for who wouldn't want someone wholly devoted to them? However, as Li Xia listened, she felt an increasing sense of familiarity with the story. It seemed similar to the story of Tang Monk and the Woman Basket Bearer that her teammate from her previous life had mentioned.
The author of this novella must also be a time-traveler. Li Xia's gaze drifted towards the private room. Although it was far away, the smug look in the Fourth Miss Lu's eyes was unmistakable. Could she be the author? This was interesting indeed. Including Li Yao and herself, there were now three people with memories from their previous lives. Who knew if there were more such individuals?
Without showing it on her face, Li Xia mentally marked the Fourth Miss Lu as someone to watch closely. Previously, she hadn't paid much attention, assuming that although the two families were related, they were not part of the same household.
But recently, after studying the legal books, she learned about the system of collective punishment in this era. The Li family and the Lu family were related by marriage, so while the Lu family's good fortune might not necessarily benefit the Li family, any misfortune would definitely implicate them.
The storyteller reached the point where Tang Yin's identity was exposed and left the audience with the line "Please listen to the next part," ending the session. The audience, still craving more, generously rewarded him with silver. Li Xin also gave a generous reward.
This was her first time sitting in the main hall to listen to a storytelling performance, and she found the experience quite enjoyable. As she listened to the discussions around her about the plot, she heard a commotion and then a thud, as if something or someone had bumped into Li Hui.
Li Hui steadied himself against the table to avoid falling. Looking down, he saw a panicked-looking child clinging to his waist.
"Let go," said Li Hui, examining the child who refused to release his tight embrace.
"Save me," the child pleaded hoarsely, only tightening the grip.
Li Xin and Li Xia also noticed the child and were about to say something when a shrill woman's voice rang out, "Little Treasure, come home with me now!" They then saw a plump woman in a grayish-blue cotton dress rushing towards them, trying to pull the child away. A similarly robust man followed close behind, also attempting to grab the child.
Judging from their physiques, the couple seemed quite strong, and Li Hui wouldn't be able to withstand their tugging. He tried to evade them, but the child's tight grip made it impossible. Fortunately, Zhang Hu and his men came forward to protect Li Hui, pushing the couple back. "What are you doing?"
The man was pushed away, and the woman, showing some restraint due to Zhang Hu's presence, stumbled but quickly lunged towards them again. Li Xia gave Qiu Chan a push from behind, and Qiu Chan understood, stepping forward to block the woman. Qiu Chan's stature was comparable to the woman's, but her strength was greater. No matter how the woman tried to push past her, Qiu Chan held her back firmly.
"What are you doing? Let me go! Little Treasure, don't throw a tantrum. Come to Mother now," the woman cried, clawing at Qiu Chan while reaching out to the child with her other hand.
Hearing the couple's calls, the child only clung tighter to Li Hui. Li Hui felt his waist might break and struggled to breathe. He tugged at the child, "Loosen your grip a bit. My waist is about to break."
The child's dirty face flashed with a hint of embarrassment, and she loosened her grip slightly but refused to let go, fearing that if she did, she would be captured by the bad people again, just like before. The child regretted not listening and sneaking out to play, slipping away from the maids.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is my little treasure. These nobles cannot simply take her away," the couple pleaded with the crowd, hoping to turn public opinion in their favor since they couldn't approach directly.
"They're not my parents!" the child cried hoarsely, though only Li Hui could hear her faint voice.
"Little Treasure, come home with Father and Mother. How can you be so cruel as to not recognize us? Your mother only slapped you once. How can you be so heartless?" The woman wept, and the man said helplessly, as if distressed by their child's disobedience.
But Li Hui sensed something odd about the couple, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. As he hesitated about handing the child over to them, he noticed Li Xia making a gesture.
Li Hui's hesitant expression turned serious as he extended his arm to shield the child, gently saying, "Don't be afraid. I won't let them take you away." Li Hui's words calmed the child's frantic heart, and she hugged him even tighter.
"You say this child is yours, and the child says otherwise. With conflicting claims, it's hard for us outsiders to judge. Why don't we go to the magistrate's office?" Li Hui said calmly.
"Heavens above, we only want our child back. Why is it so difficult? Young master, please have pity on us and return our child. I swear I will take good care of him. I will never beat him again." The woman suddenly knelt down and kowtowed before Li Hui.
"It's someone else's child. Why are you obstructing them like this?" a bystander who could not bear to watch spoke up.
"I merely gave him a beating. The child has too much temper. If it were my child, I would beat him to death!" someone else chimed in.
...
