A ragged cub at the beginning

I expected to be found, but not so soon.

As soon as July woke up from his nap, there was a bang on the door and a man shouted to open it.

The rude voice and the aggressive tone made it clear that he was not a good person. Who would dare to open the door? Tang Xu did not make a sound in the house, but heard Dong Wanwan's voice: "Who are you? Why are you knocking on my door?" She did not expect Dong Wanwan to intervene, so she hurried to the back of the courtyard door to listen. If Dong Wanwan had any problems, she could rush out immediately.

"Is this your home?" the man asked.

"What's the matter?" Dong Wanwan asked.

"Isn't there a girl with a child living here?" the man asked.

"Who said that? This is my yard, no one lives there."

"Just you? Didn't I see you coming out from over there? Can you afford two yards?"

"Do you look down on people?"

"This door is clearly bolted from the inside! How did you get in?"

Dong Wanwan outside paused for a moment and continued, "I told you it's my yard. I opened the way in the back."

"Then let me go and have a look."

"You're dreaming. What right do you have to enter my yard? Who are you? I heard that there are human traffickers who specifically snatch women and children recently. You must be the ones!" Dong Wanwan suddenly shouted, "Someone come, human traffickers are coming to snatch children! Report to the police!"

"Bitch, what are you yelling about! Hey! I'm not a human trafficker! What are you going to do?!"

"Sister Fang, is this the person?"

"Yes! It's him! He even wanted to break into my house and steal my child! He's a human trafficker! He has absolutely no conscience!"

"Catch them! Send them to the authorities!"

"Don't let them get away!"

Listening to the chaotic shouting, Tang Xu breathed a sigh of relief. He was even more grateful to Dong Wanwan. How lucky he was to have such a neighbor.

"Mom? What's wrong? There are so many people making noise outside." July ran out of the house with a few drops of ink on her face.

"It's okay, just continue writing." Tang Xu wiped his face, but a drop of ink turned into a long streak of ink. He could only wash his face and take out some snacks to coax him to stay in the house.

She stood at the gate again, waiting for Dong Wanwan to come. Sure enough, not long after, Dong Wanwan's voice rang out from outside the door, "Xiao Xu, open the door, it's me."

"Sister Wan!" She quickly opened the door, and Dong Wanwan came in and locked the door behind her.

"Xiao Xu, why don't you go out and hide for a few days?" Dong Wanwan said worriedly, "Now it's rumored everywhere that the Zhu family made their fortune by selling women and children. I'm afraid he won't let you go."

What's the point of hiding for a few days? After all, she is in this town. There will always be a day when she meets him, and she still has to run a shop. Hiding is not a solution, she has to think of other ways. The last time she went to the county government, the clerks who handled the affairs were efficient and quick. The clerks who collected rent when setting up the stall did not make things difficult for her or hint at bribes. From these, the county magistrate should not be a confused official. Then why can the Zhu family rely on the power of others to act so unscrupulously?

She thought about it again and again, and suddenly realized that the county magistrate seemed not to be in the town. The county magistrate should be in the county town? Could it be that Zhu Tou was so domineering because the emperor was far away? Thinking of this, she asked, "Where is the county magistrate?"

"The county magistrate? In the county town." Dong Wanwan replied, and her thoughts started to turn. "Do you want to sue the officials?"

"Has anyone been there?" Tang Xu asked, and began to think about the feasibility of this method. If the county magistrate was a good official, then he could persuade the victimized families in the town to go to the county town to sue the officials, and it would surely work.

"There were some, but they didn't succeed. It was said that they were stopped by the Zhu family. Some of them bribed them, and some beat them so hard that they couldn't get out of bed. In the end, none of them succeeded." Dong Wanwan said, and she became even more worried, "Xiao Xu! It's not safe to go all the way to the county town! Don't be impulsive!"

If we are really forced to that point, we have to try it even if it is dangerous. But on the way there, we have to think of some ways. She said: "Since the Zhu family is trying their best to stop us, it proves that they are really afraid of being sued, so we can try this method."

Dong Wanwan thought it was too risky. "It's too dangerous! What would you do as a girl if you were stopped on the road? You'd better hide. Maybe they will forget about you after a while."

Tang Xu smiled and changed the subject, saying, "Let's not talk about this anymore. Sister Wan, you are also taking a risk today. If the Zhu family holds a grudge against you, what will happen to your family of three?"

Dong Wanwan is still a little scared now, but when it happened, she didn't think too much about it. "I didn't care about it at the time. I just wanted to make sure they didn't take you away."

Tang Xu couldn't help but reach out and hug Dong Wanwan, "Sister Wan, you are so good to me."

"What's the big deal?" Dong Wanwan patted her shoulder and teased her, "You're still acting like a spoiled child at this age. Aren't you ashamed? Look, July is laughing at you."

When Tang Xu heard this, he turned around and saw Qiyue covering her mouth and laughing.

The crisis was temporarily resolved, but Tang Xu now not only had to worry about the assassins from the Tang Clan, but also about the bastards from the Zhu family coming to visit him. The good mood he had after buying the shop disappeared completely.

She rubbed July's arms worriedly. The arms were plump, round, tender and smooth, and felt great to pinch and touch. It was a great way to relieve stress.

"Mom, are you unhappy?" July was a sensitive child. When he saw his mother was unhappy, he became cautious.

Seeing him like this, Tang Xu's heart tightened. Thinking back to the last time Qiyue was kicked away, she was still angry. "It's okay. When the enemy comes, the general will stop him. When the water comes, the earth will cover it. When the boat reaches the bridge, it will naturally straighten itself." She kissed Qiyue's arm hard several times, "Mom is fully charged!"

Seeing her mother smile again, July also curved her eyes. Just as she was about to speak, the door was knocked again.

Here it comes again! Tang Xu stood up suddenly, "Qiyue! Go back to your room, don't come out unless your mother calls you!"

Qiyue suddenly became nervous, and before he could say anything, his mother carried him into the room. He was a little scared, and hugged his mother's neck and didn't want to let go.

"Be good, mom will be back soon. Don't make any noise and don't come out." Tang Xu pulled his hand away, closed the door and went to the yard.

There was another knock on the door. The person seemed a little impatient and spoke after a while: "Miss Tang, are you there?" It was a woman's voice, which sounded familiar and hoarse.

Tang Xu hesitated and opened the door, and outside the door was Lu Huan. Her eyes looked like she had cried, red and swollen, and she was dressed in mourning. Suddenly, she felt uneasy.

"Miss Tang, the old lady..." Lu Huan choked up, tears welling up again, "The old lady is gone."

Tang Xu opened her eyes wide, unable to believe that the gentle and kind old lady had suddenly passed away. She asked anxiously, "How could it be? The old lady looked healthy! Why did she suddenly pass away? Was she sick?"

Luhuan shook her head and said, "The old lady went on her own." She wiped her tears and calmed herself down, then continued, "Since she got the portrait of the master, the old lady has kept it in her hand all day long, and even put it next to her pillow when she sleeps. At first, everyone thought that the old lady missed the master too much, and no one cared. But the day before yesterday, the old lady suddenly sent everyone away, and hanged herself." At the end, she couldn't hold back her tears anymore, and her voice was choked and hoarse.

How could it be? Tang Xu took two steps back and couldn't help thinking, the portrait, it was the portrait that aroused her longing. If she hadn't painted that portrait, the old lady might not have...

Luhuan supported her and explained her purpose, "Miss Tang, Miss Tang, I shouldn't have come to you for this matter. But the old lady left a letter, hoping that you would attend her funeral and see her off for the last time." Seeing Tang Xu's puzzled expression, Luhuan didn't know how to explain, because she also didn't understand why a painter was asked to attend the funeral.

Since Mrs. Zhou wanted her to go, she would naturally not refuse an old man's last wish. She was silent for a moment and asked, "When are you going?"

"Tomorrow morning." Luhuan wiped her tears. She couldn't help crying when she thought of the old lady these days. In order to find a wife for her brother, her parents sold her to a pimping shop. The pimping shop saw that she was pretty and wanted to sell her to a brothel. She was so scared that she wanted to escape. As a result, she was caught as soon as she walked out of the door. At that time, she thought that if she really went to a brothel, she might as well kill herself. She happened to be seen by an old lady who passed by. The old lady was kind and bought her back. She was said to be a maid, but the old lady had little trouble and was kind to them. She was happier than at home. The old lady saved her life, and now that her benefactor is gone, she felt like the sky had fallen.

"Okay, I'll go." Tang Xu looked at the wall blankly, remembering the last time she saw Madam Zhou. She was really a very kind old lady, very respectful to a painter like her, and helped take care of Qiyue. She was even more generous when giving money. If it weren't for the five hundred taels, she didn't know how long she would have to wait to buy a shop. If, she didn't paint that portrait... But there is no if, she didn't expect that Madam Zhou would commit suicide for love.

Lu Huan said goodbye and left, but Tang Xu still couldn't accept it. How could someone who was laughing and joking with her a few days ago just disappear? She thought of her mother. Could it be that love really couldn't survive without another person? Mr. Zhou had been dead for three years, and Mrs. Zhou had only seen a portrait. Why did she suddenly lose the desire to live? She couldn't figure it out.

After returning to the house, she was stunned for a while before she remembered Qiyue. She hurried into the house to see Qiyue sitting on the floor at the door, her little face full of tears and her eyes full of fear. When she saw Tang Xu, she pouted her mouth and called her mother before she dared to cry out loud.

Tang Xu was also in a bad mood. Seeing him like this, he couldn't help but shed tears. The mother and son hugged each other and cried bitterly.

"What are you doing?" A female voice suddenly sounded, and the two, one big and one small, raised their heads, revealing the same crying faces.

Tang Xu suddenly remembered the recognizable queen's voice. Wasn't this the female killer who saved her last time? "It's you. What are you doing here?"

"Come and see how pathetic you are." The visitor had a pair of narrow phoenix eyes, sharp eyebrows, and a straight nose. She looked cold and cool. She walked to the table and poured a glass of water. She turned her eyes and stared at Tang Xu without blinking, throwing a verbal bomb: "You are not Tang Xu, where is Tang Xu?"

Tang Xu just remembered who she was. She was the original owner's sister, Tang Ling. She was stunned by this question and didn't know how to explain it. They clearly shared the same body. Qi Yue was able to find out the abnormality because they were together day and night. Why could Tang Ling, who had only met her a few times, also find out? Was she trying to trick her? She blinked, pretending not to understand, and said, "Sister, am I not Tang Xu?"

Before Tang Xu finished speaking, and before she could even see Tang Ling's movements, the cold metal pressed against her neck. A hand touched her forehead, as if confirming something.

Tang Ling was very confused. There was a small dent on the bone of her sister's forehead. It was an injury she got during training. The skin and flesh had recovered, but the dent on the bone was still there. Tang Xu had never told anyone about this. She discovered this when she was secretly taking care of her injured sister. The face can be changed, the body shape can be changed, the words and deeds can be imitated, but the dent on the bone can never be imitated. But Tang Xu can't draw. Even if he learned it later, it wouldn't be so exquisite. She looked at the person in front of her who was trying hard to suppress the trembling and dared not move, "You are not Tang Xu, who are you?"

"I am Tang Xu!" Tang Xu pushed the trembling July behind him. She bet that Tang Ling would not hurt her. If he wanted to kill her, he would not have saved her last time. She should have been suspicious, but there was no evidence. She touched her forehead just now, probably to confirm whether this body was real. But even such solid evidence did not dispel her suspicion. She must not tell the truth, otherwise she might not live to see tomorrow. Tang Xu gritted his teeth, recalled the original owner's feelings for Tang Ling, and said: "Tang Ling, if you want to kill me, just kill me. Do you still need an excuse?"

Tang Ling stared into her eyes and found that she looked back at him angrily with a firm gaze, without fear or panic.

After an unknown amount of time, Tang Xu did not dare to retreat. A drop of sweat dripped down her eyebrow into her eyes. The stinging pain made her blink subconsciously. Tang Ling put away the knife and said, "I want to live here."

Just now he looked like he was going to kill someone, and now he wanted to live in her house. Tang Xu simply couldn't understand this crazy train of thought, but Tang Ling was obviously a time bomb, and she was about to refuse. She saw Tang Ling's fingers flexibly turning the knife, looking at her with a smile, as if to say: If you dare to refuse, I will make a hole in your body.

His life was at stake, so no matter how unhappy Tang Xu was, he could only say, "You can pick any empty room."

Tang Ling didn't say anything. He stood up and walked straight to the innermost room, then closed the door.

"Qiyue, mother, give me a hug." Tang Xu's legs softened and he sat on the ground, burying his head in Qiyue's neck and taking a deep breath. Qiyue had a faint smell on her body, not a fragrance, and it was hard to tell what it was. It was very faint, unique to children, and it made people relax when they smelled it.

There was one more person in the house, but it didn't seem like there was one more person. Tang Xu had never seen anyone come out. She called for dinner but there was no response. Didn't she need to drink water or eat? Didn't she need to go to the bathroom? There was not even a bed in the empty room. What was she doing in the room?

What a weird person. Tang Xu muttered. He didn't know how long she would stay here. Was she coming here to monitor him? But this body was indeed the original owner's. Was she reincarnating or taking over another body to be reborn?

After dinner, as usual, they waited for the students to come, but Fang Zijun brought Zhao Yunniang with him. Dong Wanwan wanted to take Zhao Yunniang back, but Tang Xu felt sorry for the little girl and kept her.

Today, Du Yun brought Du Jiarui here. The two exchanged a few words of greeting and didn't say much.

There were only three sets of tables and chairs in the room. Zhao Yunniang brought a small stool and sat in the corner.

Tang Xu didn't say anything and started the class as usual. While the children were practicing calligraphy, Tang Xu walked into the yard. She guessed that Du Yun had something to say.