Chapter 187: Rescued

At the head of the group was a square-faced old woman. She lunged toward Baozhu and grabbed the middle-aged woman by her hair. "You dare touch our Baozhu? See if I don't slap the life out of you, you wicked woman!"

Taking the initiative, the old woman seized the woman's hair and delivered over a dozen rapid-fire slaps. The woman was slapped into a daze, capable of nothing but piercing screams.

The pig-like screams quickly drew out the neighbors from the surrounding houses.

"What's going on?"

"Don't know. Looks like a man's been keeping a mistress on the side, and the wife brought people to storm the house."

"Surely not. Although this couple doesn't socialize much, they always looked like a real husband and wife to me. If he were keeping someone on the side, wouldn't he pick someone a bit more attractive?"

Hearing this, the onlookers looked at the burly woman and nodded repeatedly. "True."

By this time, the middle-aged man and his wife were both being restrained. The little maid, who had just been acting delicate, now stood with one hand on her hip, her face full of shrewishness. "How dare you! You actually have the audacity to kidnap our young lady's maid. Speak! Where have you hidden her?"

As soon as these words were uttered, the discussions grew louder.

"What? They're human traffickers?"

"Tsk tsk, you couldn't tell at all."

"I always felt there was something wrong with this family. They always keep their gates closed and don't interact with anyone..."

The restrained middle-aged man's expression changed drastically. "Who exactly are you people?"

Baozhu spat. "You're not worthy of asking! Hand Xiaohua over right now, or you'll regret it!"

"Don't spread false accusations! We are law-abiding, honest people—"

The square-faced old woman slapped the middle-aged man directly across the face. "Honest people, my ass! Someone saw our Xiaohua being dragged away by you while she was out buying rouge and powder for the young lady, and she entered this house. What are you all standing around for? Hurry inside and look for her!"

Aside from the servants restraining the three, the others rushed toward the various rooms.

The middle-aged woman was terrified out of her wits. She lowered her head, attempting to slam it against the wall. "Neighbors, look! Just because a few people show up and throw out an accusation, they can trespass, smash, and rob. Is there no law in this world? I can't go on living like this—"

Her words made the onlookers hesitate.

Indeed, these people had arrived with such aggression; who knew if they were telling the truth?

The square-faced old woman remained calm, gripping the woman's hair. "What's the rush? If you can't find Xiaohua here, you can report it to the officials."

The onlookers lost their desire to help intervene. Right, there was no rush.

"Over here!" a shout came from a side room that had been kicked open.

Baozhu ran inside like a flying arrow.

The side room was small, and the windows were boarded up. Even though the sun was shining brightly outside, no light could penetrate the interior. Several young girls were huddled together, staring at the intruders with faces full of terror.

Baozhu recognized Kou Wan at a glance.

Compared to the other three girls, who were disheveled and covered in dirt, Kou Wan's condition was much better.

Baozhu lunged forward, hugging Kou Wan and bursting into tears. "Xiaohua, we finally found you! The young lady was worried sick!"

Kou Wan, whose head was being held by Baozhu, felt her thoughts were somewhat sluggish.

Xiaohua?

"The young lady is still waiting for you outside. Let's go, quickly." Baozhu pulled Kou Wan up, half-dragging and half-supporting her as she walked out.

Being suddenly snatched by kidnappers and suffering during her struggle had left Kou Wan—a noble lady raised in pampered luxury—in a state of mental fog. She was dragged outside by Baozhu in a daze. As she caught sight of the middle-aged man's face in the sunlight, she let out a scream and tried to hide.

"Don't be afraid, Xiaohua, they can't hurt you anymore." Baozhu raised an arm to shield Kou Wan's face, shouting as she walked out, "There are several more girls inside! Go and check!"

With the cover of loose hair and Baozhu's intentional shielding, the onlookers never saw clearly what the kidnapped girl looked like before Baozhu led her away.

They could only turn their curious gazes toward the courtyard.

A carriage sat quietly by the roadside outside the alley. Baozhu ushered Kou Wan directly into the carriage.

As the curtain fell, the surroundings instantly darkened. Kou Wan woke as if from a dream, her face pale as she tried to run out.

"Second Miss Kou."

The gentle, faint voice caused Kou Wan to freeze. Looking at the young girl in the carriage, her eyes widened suddenly. "Lin Hao?"

Lin Hao gave a beautiful smile. "It's me."

"How could..." Kou Wan instinctively leaned closer, her eyes full of disbelief. "How are you here?"

Lin Hao's eyes flickered slightly as she smiled. "This is my carriage, after all."

"I know, I mean—I mean—" Kou Wan's words became incoherent. Perhaps seeing Lin Hao made her realize she was truly safe, and she suddenly broke down into heavy sobs.

The sound of her muffled weeping drifted from inside the carriage to the outside, unrestrained.

Lin Hao did not interrupt Kou Wan's venting; she merely gave a soft command to the driver to start the carriage. The carriage quickly carried them away from the scene of the commotion, heading toward the General's Manor.

Kou Wan cried the entire way, until the carriage finally came to a stop.

"Where is this?" Her eyes were red and swollen as she looked around blankly.

"I had the driver pull the carriage directly into the back courtyard. Luoying Residence is my place." As Lin Hao spoke, she led Kou Wan into the residence and instructed a maid to take her to bathe and change.

In a daze, Kou Wan followed two young maids to the bathing room. It wasn't until her entire body was immersed in a large tub filled with hot water that she finally felt a sense of reality.

She was truly saved!

Lin Hao waited for about half an hour before the refreshed Kou Wan was led in by the maid.

Only then did Kou Wan truly calm down. With reddened eyes, she gave Lin Hao a deep bow. "Second Miss Lin, words cannot express my gratitude. I... I don't know what to say..."

Lin Hao pulled her down to sit. "Anyone would help in such a situation. Don't worry, Second Miss Kou. The people outside believe that a maid of a prominent lady went missing; they won't suspect you. In a moment, I will arrange for a carriage to send you back to your manor, and then this matter will be over..."

As for whether to confess today's ordeal to her family, that was Kou Wan's own decision.

Listening to this, Kou Wan's tears began to fall again.

She knew it wasn't quite like that. Many people would be too lazy to get involved for fear of trouble; being able to mention it to the patrolling officers was already an act of kindness. Yet, Second Miss Lin had not only personally led people to rescue her but had also arranged everything so meticulously that she wouldn't be caught up in rumors of a noble lady being kidnapped.

"Your clothes are damaged and cannot be worn again. I have instructed the maids to dispose of them quietly." Lin Hao pointed to the clothes Kou Wan was wearing. "I haven't worn this set of robes yet; the color and style are similar to yours, so it shouldn't draw attention. If anyone asks, you can say they are new clothes you bought while shopping."

"I know, I know." Kou Wan nodded repeatedly, wishing she could hug Lin Hao and cry once more.

She eventually held it back and asked her doubt: "Second Miss Lin, how did you know I had fallen into the hands of kidnappers?"

Seeing Lin Hao hesitate, Kou Wan realized the truth.

Second Miss Lin must have calculated it!

(End of Chapter)