Noticing someone watching her, Su Xiaoqi turned and glanced at her.
Seeing the large red flower tied to her head, she immediately recognized her, Zhao Xiaohua.
The book mentioned that she had always liked Shen Yun.
Later, she even followed him to the capital and became his concubine.
In the carriage, everyone had their own thoughts, but only one person was purely sad and in pain—Zhao Xiaozhu.
The considerate Shen Xiaomei bravely hugged her and gently comforted her.
Su Xiaoqi felt a pang in her heart watching her.
She recalled the scene of Wang Ba and others bullying her in the main hall, separated by just a wall.
Her screams and cries lingered in her mind like surround sound.
Out of guilt, Su Xiaoqi also comforted her a few words and asked those in the carriage not to reveal what happened to her today.
“The days are long, just pretend it never happened.”
Although such a request was difficult, some things, once they happened, did not cease to exist just because you refused to think about them.
Su Xiaoqi felt she couldn't get past this for now, but it genuinely comforted Zhao Xiaozhu.
She looked at Su Xiaoqi with swollen eyes and asked in disbelief, "You, you really won't tell anyone?"
Su Xiaoqi nodded vigorously.
She wasn't a gossip; why would she talk about this unnecessarily?
Upon returning to the village, they took Zhao Xiaohua to her parents at the village entrance.
As for Zhao Xiaozhu, she was taken directly to the Shen family.
Su Xiaoqi and Shen Xiaomei bathed her together and gave her their fine cotton clothes to wear.
After dressing her neatly and cleanly, they sent her back.
Having done all this, she was truly exhausted and fell asleep.
Shen Yun saw Qi Yunwei out and apologized, saying that with so many things to handle today, he couldn't thank him properly and would visit again another day.
“Hahaha, no need to be polite, no need for thanks.
Anyone who encountered such a situation would have stepped in.” Qi Yunwei said, touching his nose somewhat unnaturally.
He had actually seen this sort of thing before and suspected they were child traffickers.
However, self-preservation was his usual principle, and he didn't want to stir up trouble, so he had never intended to intervene.
It was just a coincidence today.
He was standing by the window looking at the scenery when he saw Su Xiaoqi being pushed off the mule cart.
At that moment, he could no longer stand by and decided to take action.
Seeing Qi Yunwei's hesitant look, Shen Yun thought he was worried about the calligraphy and painting.
He explained that with the family’s troubles and his upcoming imperial examination, the delivery would likely be delayed.
Little did Shen Yun know that Qi Yunwei was actually thinking it was fortunate he hadn't painted today.
This way, he could find an excuse to visit again to eat Su Xiaoqi's cooking.
Her culinary skills were truly top-notch, making one crave more after tasting it!
As the carriage disappeared from the Shen family's doorstep, Shen Yun turned back into the room.
Su Xiaoqi had already woken up.
She was tired, but something weighed on her mind, preventing her from sleeping.
She didn't know whom to confide in.
Seeing the rare look of worry on her face, her delicate and slender willow brows slightly furrowed.
Shen Yun felt an inexplicable pang of heartache and grasped her hand, saying gently,
"I'm sorry, I was too late."
Su Xiaoqi shook her head, "We didn't discuss it beforehand, and for you to react so quickly.
And to follow the clues I left and arrive with the authorities in time, that's already very good."
Although she had left clues for Shen Yun in the mule cart, she hadn't really taken it to heart.
She believed in solving problems with her own abilities.
That was why she had hesitated when Zhao Xiaozhu was treated that way.
Her heart felt heavy, and she involuntarily described the scene at that time.
Including how wicked those people were, how helpless Zhao Xiaozhu was, and how agonizing her own internal struggle had been…
"What could you have done if you went out? You did your best.
If it weren't for you, let alone Xiaozhu, Xiaohua, even Xiaomei would have..." Shen Yun kept holding her hand; he could see clearly what she was thinking without her saying a word.
He was surprised by her kindness and vulnerability.
She was truly not the same person as the previous selfish Su Xiaoqi.
But who was she?
Shen Yun often wondered. However, he didn't dwell on it for too long, knowing that no amount of thinking would yield an answer.
After this incident, Shen Xiaomei became even more reliant on Su Xiaoqi.
When Madam Zhao heard about what happened from Shen Xiaomei, she was terribly frightened and told Old Madam Yu, patting her chest, that luckily Su Xiaoqi was there.
Otherwise, Xiaomei might have been sold.
Madam Zhao said this while shedding tears. She was a grateful person and found Su Xiaoqi increasingly likable.
Her attitude towards Su Xiaoqi visibly improved.
Only Old Madam Yu was still critical of Su Xiaoqi, constantly bringing up the unpleasant rumors from the village.
Fortunately, Su Xiaoqi was magnanimous and didn't hold any grudges.
The next morning, Zhao Xiaohua came to find her.
She gave Su Qingning a handkerchief embroidered with peonies, with a green background and bright red flowers, looking very vibrant.
Shen Xiaomei looked at it with envy, but Su Xiaoqi found it a bit too gaudy.
She thought to herself, red and green together, garish enough to make you cry.
But Zhao Xiaohua's intention was good, so she accepted it and thanked her.
As Zhao Xiaohua was leaving, she suddenly rested her hand on Su Xiaoqi's shoulder and uttered a sentence,
"We must agree not to say anything about Xiao Zhu's matter, otherwise she'll have no way to live."
Su Xiaoqi frowned. Hadn't they all discussed this on the carriage ride back?
Why bring it up specifically here?
Not long after sending Zhao Xiaohua away, Su Xiaoqi heard people outside spreading the news.
"It's bad, it's bad, someone jumped into the river."
Su Xiaoqi's heart trembled, and as if she sensed something, she hurried towards Yuanbao River.
Upon arriving, she saw that the person about to jump into the river was none other than the one Su Xiaoqi had in mind—Zhao Xiaozhu.
"No!" Su Xiaoqi shouted, but it was too late. Before she could rush over, the person had already jumped into the river.
There was a crowd of onlookers on the bank, but no one made a move to jump in and rescue her.
"Please, save Xiao Zhu, please."
Shen Xiaomei, who had followed Su Xiaoqi, knelt down, watching Zhao Xiaozhu's figure bobbing in the swift current.
But everyone backed away, clearly unwilling to help.
After all, the river was deep, and the current was strong, with hidden eddies that could easily claim a life.
Moreover, after a night, Zhao Xiaozhu's ordeal had spread throughout the village.
Everyone knew that she was not only no longer a maiden but had also been violated by several men.
Her body and mind were no longer pure.
Even if she were saved, her life would be ruined, so it was better for her to end it this way, in a state of purity.
Seeing that no one was acting, Su Xiaoqi took off her embroidered shoes and was about to jump in.
But Shen Yun, who had rushed over, caught her by the waist.
Su Xiaoqi became angry and yelled at him, "What are you doing? If you don't save her, she'll drown."
Setting aside the matter of the spatial upgrade, she couldn't bear to watch a life disappear before her eyes.
Shen Yun turned her head and pointed to the middle of the river.
A slender figure had already embraced Zhao Xiaozhu's neck and was forcefully pushing her towards the riverbank.
They were saved, and Su Xiaoqi's heart relaxed. She pointed to a long bamboo pole nearby and said, "Quick, give him the bamboo pole."
Shen Yun naturally complied.
The young couple worked together to pull her ashore.