No Longer Escaping (ABO) - Chapter 51
Yang Lulong and Wan Niang entered the city before dark.
They had slept on the ground outside last night, which was cold and uncomfortable.
Today, they could finally sleep in a bed.
The two of them walked down the street, each looking at different things, but their hands remained tightly clasped.
Wan Niang’s eyes were sharp.
She immediately spotted a pharmacy not far ahead.
She tugged on Yang Lulong’s hand.
“Let’s go ask at that pharmacy.”
At that moment, Yang Lulong was staring intently at a tall figure in the distance.
The person was so tall, standing out from the moving crowd like a crane among chickens.
Her eyes followed the person until they entered a shop.
Only then did Yang Lulong look away.
When she saw the name of the shop—Chunxiang Pavilion—she quickly averted her gaze.
Coincidentally, Wan Niang’s voice came to her ears.
Following the direction Wan Niang was pointing, they walked over together.
“Shopkeeper, do you have estrus period pills?”
Wan Niang asked impatiently as soon as she stepped through the door.
“How many do you want?”
The shopkeeper was a young man who looked like he had just come of age.
He sat with his chin propped up on the counter.
“Where do you get your estrus period pills from?”
“Shanfu Hall.”
“Shanfu Hall? I thought only Liren Hall sold estrus period pills?”
“Shanfu Hall just started supplying them recently.
My shop was one of the first to buy them.
They’re a bit expensive, but I guarantee there’s no problem with them.”
“What’s the price?”
“I sell them by the pill.
It’s two hundred coppers a pill.”
“Two hundred coppers?!”
Wan Niang exclaimed.
“But Liren Hall sells them for only three hundred coppers a catty.
Why is there such a big difference?”
“How can something so precious be sold so cheap?
I said from the beginning that Liren Hall couldn’t be trusted.
Many of my colleagues bought from them, and look, now their customers are having problems.
You get what you pay for,” the shopkeeper said with a smirk, looking a bit smug.
The sudden appearance of Shanfu Hall added more mystery to the Liren Hall case.
Yang Lulong lowered her head and carefully thought about the clues: Liren Hall and Shanfu Hall.
Shanfu Hall started selling the estrus period pills later, so…
“Could it be… business rivalry?” Yang Lulong instinctively thought of this.
She had seen similar things many times in her years of being a working professional.
Co-workers against co-workers, companies against companies.
As long as there’s competition, there’s a possibility of unfair competition.
As long as they could win, they would do anything, no matter how immoral.
Wan Niang also frowned and said, “We’ll know when we get to the capital…”
She then pulled Yang Lulong’s hand and left the pharmacy.
“Miss! Miss!”
A person dressed as a servant walked anxiously down the street, shouting loudly, which drew the attention of the pedestrians.
He walked and shouted, stopping passersby to ask if they had seen his young lady.
Wan Niang and Yang Lulong happened to walk past him.
He immediately stopped them and asked, “Excuse me, have you seen a very tall woman in a white dress?
She’s about to turn fifteen.
She is my young lady.
If you two can help, you will be well rewarded.”
When he asked this, Yang Lulong’s mind suddenly brought up the person she had seen earlier.
She was also wearing a white dress.
“Is she very tall?” she asked.
“Yes, yes, about two heads taller than me,” the servant said eagerly, gesturing with his hands as he spoke.
“I think I saw her.
I saw her go into that… Chunxiang Pavilion…”
When the servant heard the name, his face immediately changed.
He said with a serious expression, “That’s impossible.
My young lady would never go to a place like that.”
“If you don’t believe me, go check for yourself.
I really did see her go in there.”
“Then would you two mind coming with me?” the servant said, looking a bit embarrassed.
“We need to find an inn quickly, or we won’t have a place to stay when the sun goes down,” Wan Niang said quickly.
“It’s… not good for me to go to a place like that…
How about you two accompany me on this trip?
I’ll talk to my master and mistress and have you two stay at our mansion?
What do you say?”
When he said this, Yang Lulong and Wan Niang looked at each other.
They exchanged glances and then agreed.
On the way, the servant told them about his young lady.
Her name was Li Wuyue, and she was the only daughter of Mr. Li.
Mr. Li had his only daughter when he was over forty.
For some reason, Miss Li, even though she was past her fifteenth birthday, was still like a child.
She was simple-minded and shy around strangers.
It was said that she had a major illness when she was young, and ever since then, her mind had stayed at that age.
This morning, Mr. Li insisted on taking his young lady out to let her learn.
However, she got lost, and they had been looking for her ever since.
He also told them where Mr. Li’s mansion was.
If they didn’t find the young lady on this trip, it would be easier for them to inform the family if they found any clues later.
••••
A while ago…
Li Wuyue, who had gotten separated from her father, was at a loss, seeing the people coming and going.
Although she was tall and big, her face still had a childish look to it.
She had a slightly chubby face, and a pair of bright eyes that looked very innocent.
If you only looked at her face, you would think she hadn’t reached the age of fifteen yet.
Her big eyes looked around anxiously, trying to find her father.
She wanted to shout for her father, but when she saw the looks from passersby, she was too scared to make a sound.
Her ears were filled with her own hurried breathing and heartbeats.
It felt like everyone was looking at her with a different kind of gaze.
Fear instantly surrounded her, driving her to escape the crowd and hide in a secluded corner.
Her tall body slowly curled into a small ball.
She nervously wrapped her arms around herself, burying her face between them.
“Are you okay?”
A soft voice sounded.
Li Wuyue didn’t dare to move.
She still had her face buried, unable to calm her rushed breathing and heartbeat.
“Are you alright?” the person asked again.
A soft and warm hand touched Li Wuyue’s head.
Only then did she slowly lift her head to see the person’s face.
It was a very beautiful woman.
She was charming and had a mole under her left eye.
She had a bit of makeup on, and her clothes were very gaudy.
She squatted in front of Li Wuyue and looked at her with enchanting eyes.
As soon as their eyes met, Li Wuyue immediately looked away, pulling back to avoid her touch as well.
“Don’t be scared.
I won’t do anything to you.
Did something happen?” she said patiently, retracting her hand.
Li Wuyue was silent for a while before she spoke.
Her voice was trembling, and she still looked very scared.
“Daddy… is gone… I’m so scared…”
“You got separated from your dad?”
She nodded timidly, her big eyes filled with a sense of being wronged.
The woman sized her up.
“It’s not safe here.
How about I, your big sister, take you somewhere safe?”
As she spoke, she reached out to hold Li Wuyue’s hand, but she dodged it.
Looking at her panicked big eyes, the woman’s red lips formed a smile.
She said gently, “I forgot to tell you, my name is Dujuan.
What’s your name?”
“Wuyue…”
“Are you hungry, Xiao Yue?
How about I, your big sister, take you to eat something good?” Dujuan continued to coax her.
When she heard the word “eat,” Li Wuyue, who was full of caution, immediately wavered.
She stared at Dujuan, hesitating.
After a mental struggle, she slowly nodded.
Dujuan took her hand again and helped her up.
When Li Wuyue stood up, she was a head taller than Dujuan.
Dujuan looked up at the young girl in surprise.
“Let’s… let’s go…” she said with an awkward smile, holding Li Wuyue’s hand and turning to leave.
All the way, Li Wuyue kept her head down, her gaze fixed on their clasped hands.
This big sister’s hand felt very warm.
Dujuan led Li Wuyue all the way to Chunxiang Pavilion.
When they entered, the madam of the house came up to them with a warm welcome.
“Oh~ Sister Jin~”
Dujuan didn’t even look at her.
She just left a message.
“Send some food to the second floor,” and then led Li Wuyue upstairs.
Not long after they entered the room, Yang Lulong and the others arrived at Chunxiang Pavilion.
The madam came up to them again.
“What brings you to my little shop?”
“We’re looking for someone.” Yang Lulong frowned.
The scents here were mixed.
Luckily, they had already bonded, so the influence of other people’s scents on them was much less.
“Everyone who comes to my little shop is looking for someone.
Who is it that you are looking for?”
The madam twisted her body, wanting to get closer to Yang Lulong.
“She’s not from here.
Do you have a tall female guest in a white dress?” Wan Niang pulled Yang Lulong away from the madam.
She looked at the heavily made-up woman with a wary expression.
The madam was about to answer but then paused.
She remembered the person was with Dujuan and changed her tune.
“It’s not my shop’s business to tell outsiders about our guests.”
“You just need to say if you have her or not.”
“I don’t know.”
“I clearly saw her go in here,” Yang Lulong insisted.
“Maybe you saw wrong?”
The madam was still unwilling to give any information.
She waved her handkerchief.
“If you’re not here to have a good time, then you should leave.
I don’t have time to waste with you.”
Just as she was about to shoo them away, the servant, who was looking around, suddenly saw a familiar figure on the second floor.
He immediately shouted, “Young lady!”
The madam saw what was happening and immediately interrupted him.
“What young lady?!
The person you’re looking for isn’t here.
Get out!”
A few of the big bouncers from the shop heard the madam’s shout and started walking toward them.
“My young lady is right here!
That’s my young lady!”
The servant eagerly tugged on Yang Lulong’s clothes and pointed to the second floor.
“If you don’t leave, don’t blame us for being rude!”
At this moment, the two bouncers were already standing behind the madam, looking at them menacingly.
The servant was so scared that he hid behind Yang Lulong.
He whispered to her, “Miss Yang, please help my young lady.
She has walked right into a tiger’s mouth…”
Yang Lulong sighed helplessly.
“You go back and tell your master first.
We’ll see how we can help her…”
“Thank you two so much.
Your kindness…”
“You should go back now, or you won’t get a chance later,” Wan Niang urged.
Seeing the servant run off, the two bouncers made a move to chase him.
Yang Lulong stopped them.
“We are here to… stay the night…”
“Stay the night?”
The madam looked at them in surprise.
Then, as if she had thought of something, she returned to normal.
“Okay, you two, take them to a room on the second floor.
Find a ‘good room’ for them.”
Yang Lulong and Wan Niang were led into a room by the two bouncers.
They were pushed inside, and as soon as they entered, the door was closed.
The lock made a “click” sound.
Yang Lulong quickly tried to push the door, but it was locked.
No matter how hard she pushed, the door didn’t move.
“My bag is gone.”
When Wan Niang said this, Yang Lulong immediately touched her chest.
The bag that was just there was gone.
A strange incense scent came from somewhere.
Wan Niang, who had been a doctor for many years, knew it was an aphrodisiac incense as soon as she smelled it.
She immediately covered her nose and mouth, frantically tugging on Yang Lulong’s clothes.
Yang Lulong frowned and looked around, but she couldn’t find the source of the incense.
Now all they could do was hope that the servant would be quick.
