"Little comrade, hello, I want to go to Huobei Lane number thirty-six, can you point me the way?" A woman approached, grabbed Su Xiaotian's sleeve, and said with a naive expression.
Su Xiaotian was talking animatedly with Chen Xiuyuan, the siblings engrossed in their conversation.
Suddenly having her sleeve grabbed, Su Xiaotian was first startled, then pulled her sleeve free from the stranger's hand.
She frowned. Although the woman appeared honest and simple, Su Xiaotian instinctively felt that her demeanor was incongruous!
Her eyes were very sharp, clashing with the honest and simple appearance she projected.
Seeing Su Xiaotian remain silent, the woman quickly added, "I just want you to point me the way, I have no other intentions!"
Su Xiaotian scanned her surroundings. Many people were coming and going, yet this woman specifically approached her.
"I'm not from here either, I don't know where the Huobei Lane you're talking about is!"
Su Xiaotian instinctively refused directly.
At this moment, a man walked over and said, "How can you be so heartless, little girl? It's not easy for us to come to the city from the countryside to find relatives. We're just asking you to help us find the way, why can't you?"
After the middle-aged man's words, several people around looked at Su Xiaotian, their gazes filled with blame.
Su Xiaotian understood now.
This was moral blackmail.
If she fell for it, she would be a true fool.
"I already said, I'm from out of town, I don't know where Huobei Lane number thirty-six is. Look, there are so many people around, why don't you ask someone else for help?"
Su Xiaotian spoke, glancing around the vicinity, her meaning as clear as day.
Although Chen Xiuyuan was young, he could tell something was definitely amiss.
"Sister, let's go."
Hearing Chen Xiuyuan, Su Xiaotian immediately took his hand and started walking forward.
However, after only two steps, they were blocked.
The woman said tearfully, "Just for the sake of us being from the countryside and so pitiful, help us. On this street, only you, this little girl, looks kind. You're a good person, you can't refuse me!"
Su Xiaotian sneered, "I am indeed a good person, but I don't know if you are."
As Su Xiaotian spoke, she crossed her arms, exuding a strong aura.
The woman beside her couldn't help but shrink back.
But she still wiped her tears and said, "How can young people these days not respect the old and love the young, not pity the poor and cherish the weak? Pity me, a poor person, who can't even ask for directions without being accused of not being a good person..."
The woman's words were delivered with such skill, portraying her as someone who had suffered immense hardship.
She repeatedly emphasized that she was a poor person.
Su Xiaotian and Chen Xiuyuan were both wearing new clothes, which clearly weren't cheap.
Compared to the woman's patched clothing, people were more inclined to sympathize with the weaker party.
Even the onlookers' gazes towards Su Xiaotian and Chen Xiuyuan turned unfavorable.
It was as if they were all accusing Su Xiaotian of being unfeeling.
Su Xiaotian understood. This was a classic case of "I'm weak, therefore I'm right."
She hated people like this the most.
Moreover, this woman was suspicious.
She and the man from earlier must be in cahoots.
Su Xiaotian glanced at the man who had spoken earlier and indeed saw excitement and a gleam in his eyes.
She felt that the way the man looked at her was like seeing a lamb ready for slaughter.
Su Xiaotian guessed that these two were likely traffickers.
They intended to abduct her, or Chen Xiuyuan, or both of them.
The woman cautiously glanced at the people around her, noticing the unfavorable looks directed at Su Xiaotian, and was secretly pleased.
A young girl, thin-skinned, would surely be too embarrassed to refuse and would eventually lead her to Huobei Lane as she wished.
Huobei Lane was a remote place. Once they got there, with just these two little ones, it would be easy to deal with them.
She hadn't intended to resort to coercion.
However, these two specimens she saw today were too high-quality.
Once obtained, they could be sold for a good price. She couldn't bear to give up such a large piece of fat meat.
"Little girl, just help us find the way, it won't take much time," a plump aunt nearby chimed in, advising Su Xiaotian. "I think she's quite pitiful."
The woman's clothes were very thin, and she shivered in the cold wind, her face red with cold.
"Auntie, are you a local?" Su Xiaotian knew that anything she said now was useless; only when others figured it out for themselves would it matter.
So, she directly questioned the aunt who was speaking up for the bad guys.
The plump aunt didn't understand what Su Xiaotian meant by her question, but she nodded, "I am a local!"
Su Xiaotian said, "Since Auntie is a local, you should know where Huobei Lane number thirty-six is, right?"
Su Xiaotian wasn't too familiar with Huobei Lane, but she knew of it. Fortunately, she had a photographic memory, so she naturally knew the general situation of Huobei Lane.
"Of course I know Huobei Lane..." The plump aunt stopped mid-sentence, staring at the stranger woman with shock.
Huobei Lane had only about twenty households, and the last one was numbered twenty-one.
Huobei Lane number thirty-six, there didn't seem to be such a place.
These few sentences made the people around them instantly realize something.
The stranger woman and man clearly hadn't expected things to be exposed so easily.
It was only because they saw such high-quality goods today that their hearts were blinded by greed, and they were determined to take these two away.
But they hadn't expected this little girl, who looked like a young lady, to not fall for their trap.
They were indeed human traffickers and not locals, so they only knew that there was a Huobei Lane in the county town, but they truly didn't know the specifics of Huobei Lane.
Now it seemed that Huobei Lane either had no numbering, or the numbering was problematic.
"Uncle, this person is suspicious. Why don't we arrest him and send him to the Public Security Bureau?"
Su Xiaotian was watching Chen Zi'an and Su Manxiu closely and saw that Chen Zi'an had been alerted by the commotion and had returned.
"I am from Huobei Lane, and I've never heard of Huobei Lane having a number thirty-six. This person is a liar!"
As soon as Su Xiaotian said this, someone else immediately shouted.
Chen Zi'an was very familiar with the county town; he had been to many places when he worked there.
He also knew Huobei Lane was just a small alley, and there definitely couldn't be a number thirty-six.
This woman was highly suspicious.
The woman beside her was now completely flustered.
She wanted to escape, but she was surrounded by people.
The man, who was clearly in league with the woman, saw that the situation was not going well and immediately turned to run.
He thought he could escape, but he didn't expect Su Xiaotian to pursue him swiftly.
Chen Xiuyuan stood in place, watching the agile and incredibly cool Su Xiaotian chase, clapping his hands.
"Sister, go, Sister, you're amazing."
The little fellow used to think his dad was amazing, but he didn't expect his sister to be even more so.
Seeing Su Xiaotian chasing the man, the woman immediately tried to get up and follow.
However, Chen Zi'an grabbed her.
After Chen Zi'an skillfully grabbed the woman, he didn't hold her himself but handed her over to Su Manxiu beside him.
"Manxiu, hold her tight!"
The woman was about to cry out about being molested, but then she realized she had been handed over to a woman, and shouting about molestation now would be inappropriate.
But the woman was unwilling to be held like this.
"Heaven above, is there any justice in this world? Are the poor to be bullied? We just wanted to ask for directions, and if you don't tell us, fine, but why be treated like this? Do we poor people have no way out!"