Chapter 171 - 171 Shen Yao!

171 Shen Yao!

The next morning, when Zhao Lanhua pushed open Ji Zhao’s door, she found that there was no one in the room.

“Ah Tao?” Zhao Lanhua searched the entire courtyard but could not find Ji Zhao.

“Sister… went to Thunder Mountain County.”

Just as Zhao Lanhua was anxious and was about to ask Shen Dashan to get everyone to look for her, Ji Chen walked out of Ji Zhao’s room with a letter in his hand.

“Chenchen, what does this letter say? Where did your sister go?”

“Sister… went to look for… Brother-in-law… She told us… not to worry.” Ji Chen, who could read now, stuttered as he relayed the contents of the letter.

“This girl, how could she leave without saying goodbye?”

Zhao Lanhua stomped her feet anxiously. “No, I have to go find her!”

“Lanhua, don’t be anxious.” Shen Dashan quickly comforted her. “If you ask me, Third Brother and Ah Tao will come back safely.”

“Did you forget? Ah Tao is lucky!”

“That’s right, Mother. I agree with Father,” Second Sister-in-law Shen said seriously. “Actually, ever since that Young Master Qin came to our house yesterday morning, the atmosphere between Third Brother and Ah Tao has been strange. I feel that they must have fallen out.”

“But if this couple quarrels, they’ll get back together soon,” Second Sister-in-law Shen said quickly. “Mother, don’t be too anxious. They’ll definitely be fine.”

After their persuasion, Zhao Lanhua calmed down.

“But if you’re worried, why don’t you find someone to pass a message to Big Brother?” Second Sister-in-law Shen thought for a moment and suggested softly, “After all, Big Brother knows many people. Moreover, didn’t Eldest Sister-in-law say earlier that Big Brother has some connections with several shopkeepers in Thunder Mountain County?”

“Yes, yes, yes. Let Eldest Brother ask around.” Zhao Lanhua knocked her head and said, “Let Third Brother and Ah Tao come back early!”

On the other side, Ji Zhao had already boarded the ox cart to Thunder Mountain County.

The reason why she chose to leave before dawn was because she was afraid that Zhao Lanhua would stop her.

At the thought of that dream, Ji Zhao felt upset.

If Shen Yao really died…

No, that couldn’t be! Shen Yao was the protagonist of the book. Since ancient times, protagonists had the halo of a protagonist, so Shen Yao would definitely be fine.

Ji Zhao, who was sitting in the cart, let her imagination run wild.

Probably because of the heavy rain last night, the road was muddy. The old ox pulling the cart walked very slowly.

From Shanghe Village to Thunder Mountain County, the ox cart traveled for two and a half hours.

When Ji Zhao arrived, it was already close to noon.

Compared to the bustling Dingyuan County, the city gate of Thunder Mountain County looked very dilapidated.

The city wall was actually made of yellow mud. It looked very desolate.

After successfully entering the city, Ji Zhao immediately went to look for a ready-to-wear shop. In the end, she successfully changed into a grayish-blue male outfit.

She thought for a moment and went to the rouge shop again. She bought some deep-colored rouge and applied it to her face.

That heavy color hid her outstanding appearance.

Halfway through the afternoon, Ji Zhao found a noodle stall by the street and ordered a bowl of plain soup noodles. She took out a pair of chopsticks and started eating.

After all, she had only drunk one bag of water since this morning. She was really hungry.

“Have you heard? The Fan family’s private school suddenly caught fire last night! The fire was so big that it soared into the sky!”

“That old master from the Fan family is a stubborn old man who can’t take things seriously! The county magistrate wanted to marry his daughter as his second wife, but in the end, that old man directly crashed his own head in a pillar in front of the county magistrate! Although he survived, he completely offended the county magistrate!”

“That’s right! In my opinion, what’s wrong with being the county magistrate’s wife? She would live a good life, but in the end, Old Master Fan…”

Ji Zhao, who was eating noodles, listened carefully to their discussion. Her eyes flickered with confusion.

She remembered that her mother had said last night that Shen Yao used to study under Old Master Fan. It was only after he injured his leg that he gave up on studying.

“Brothers, may I ask if this Old Master Fan is a teacher?” Ji Zhao carried her noodles and turned to the table beside them, smiling.

“This little brother looks unfamiliar. You’re not a local of Thunder Mountain County, right?” One of the square-faced men curiously sized up Ji Zhao’s face and asked.

“No, no, I’m from Dingyuan County next door,” Ji Zhao explained with a smile. “I heard that there’s an old master in Thunder Mountain County who’s very good at teaching, so I wanted to come and broaden my horizons and ask for guidance.”

“Little brother, are you a scholar?”

Seeing Ji Zhao nod, the square-faced man’s face immediately revealed a trace of respect. “But little brother, you came at the wrong time. Old Master Fan has been captured.”

“Arrested? Why?” Ji Zhao pretended to be curious and asked. In the end, he hurriedly called out, “Owner, give these two big brothers another plate of meat with sauce and fragrance. Put it on my tab!”

When the two of them saw Ji Zhao being so ‘sensible’, they naturally knew that they had nothing to say.

Half an hour later, Ji Zhao finally sorted out the entire sequence of events.

“Actually, Old Master Fan is too stubborn. If he could agree to the county magistrate’s request, he wouldn’t have ended up like this, right? However, the most pitiful one is his student. I heard that he’s a cripple and was beaten half to death by the bailiffs.”

“Cripple?” Ji Zhao asked nervously. “What cripple?”

“Old Master Fan seemed to have stolen some treasure from the county magistrate, right? In the end, a large group of bailiffs rushed straight to the Fan family’s private school and arrested him. Coincidentally, a student of Old Master Fan was present at that time, right? He tried to stop those officials, but he was beaten half to death. I don’t know where he was thrown now!”

Ji Zhao’s heart ached, and her eyes turned red. “Brothers, can you tell me where the Fan family’s private school is?”

“Head east on this street. You’ll see it when you turn at the second alley. But little brother, now that the Fan family’s private school has been burned to ashes, it’s better if you don’t go.”

“Thank you for your reminder, but I have something very important to do. Goodbye!” Before leaving, Ji Zhao took out a tael of silver and placed it on the table.

“Brother, it’s too much!” The square-faced man saw the silver and shouted anxiously.

However, Ji Zhao had already run far away.

She walked towards the east and weaved through the bustling crowd. Finally, she found the entrance to the second alley. The moment she turned the corner, she saw a familiar figure.

“Shen Yao!” Ji Zhao rushed out and hugged him tightly.

“Ah Tao?” Shen Yao, who was caught off guard, widened his eyes in surprise. “Why are you here… Cough, cough, cough…”

Ji Zhao hurriedly let go of him and sized him up anxiously. “What’s wrong? Are you injured? Have you seen a doctor?”

“Ah Tao, don’t be nervous. I’m fine.”