PROOFREAD BY AFREANA

Chapter 40.2

Many customers in the private room were drinking tea and trying on clothes. But An Ruochen didn’t know any of them. Hearing them talk about the gossip from each family, An Ruochen confirmed that this place was perfect for collecting information. She drank several cups of tea and waited a long time but did not see Zhao Jiahua. She felt disappointed. Only Li Xiu’er came to serve snacks and tea during her busy times, so she thought she might get something from sitting down again.

The result was none.

An Ruochen decided to leave. She didn’t know if Li Xiu’er was playing her or whether Zhao Jiahua decided to leave her hanging  to whet her appetite. But she had waited here long enough today and felt she couldn’t be too aggressive.

An Ruochen thought about what to do next as she walked along. Li Xiu’er indeed colluded with Zhao Jiahua and they contacted each other. She felt that Zhao Jiahua was more dominant and supported Li Xiu’er, just like Xu Matchmaker.

She wondered what position Zhao Jiahua had in Mr. Xie’s organization. Could it be that she was a level higher than Xu Matchmaker, which was why Mr. Xie was comfortable letting her challenge her?

An Ruochen even made an audacious speculation that it was possible that Zhao Jiahua was of a higher level than Mr. Xie and that everything was just a cover. Xu Matchmaker didn’t control her or bring her from the outer county at all!

An Ruochen stood still. Then, she saw a child on the side of the road, about two years old with lovely eyes, clutching something in her hand, standing alone.

An Ruochen recognized the child. She was Liu Yin – Zhao Jiahua’s daughter. At this point, Liu Yin’s small face looked panicked, as if she wanted to cry but was scared and looking around.

An Ruochen also looked around but did not see Zhao Jiahua or any servant. Only little Liu Yin alone, as if they abandoned her on the street.

It was a trap. An Ruochen knew it in her heart. She looked at Liu Yin and thought of her fourth sister, An Ruofang.

The fourth sister was tricked by her mother when she was five years old to set up An Ruochen. An Ruochen was beaten severely and lost her mother’s treasures. After knowing the truth, An Ruofang’s face filled with horror, guilt, and tears, which An Ruochen still remembered to this day. She once hated the fourth sister and was wary of her, but the fourth sister always liked to stick to her, using all the childish ways she could think of to please her.

She intentionally made it difficult for the fourth sister and teased her. At that time, the fourth sister’s face looked like Liu Yin’s, panicked and wanting to cry but not daring. An Ruochen walked toward Liu Yin.

It was a trap, she said to herself. Yet, she decided to devour this bait. She wondered why Li Xiu’er deliberately kept her from leaving, but Zhao Jiahua did not appear. 

So this was it.

She did appear. It was just in another way.

An Ruochen didn’t understand her intention. But she would figure it out.

An Ruochen glanced at a corner of the street as she walked. Lu Zheng was standing there, nodding to her. It meant that there was no danger near Liu Yin, and she could go.

“Yin’er.” An Ruochen squatted down in front of Liu Yin.

Liu Yin blinked and looked at her, obviously not recognizing who she was. When she wanted to speak, the object in her left hand fell. An Ruochen looked down and saw it was a fruit candy.

Liu Yin also looked. She looked at the one on the ground and the one in her right hand. She had chewed the one in her hand but didn’t eat the one that fell.

Liu Yin looked up with tears in her eyes and turned her mouth as if she would cry at any moment. Her cute appearance amused An Ruochen, and she asked Chun Xiao to go to the candy store to buy another pack of candies. She asked Liu Yin, “Yin’er, where is your mother?”

Liu Yin shook her head, then looked down at the candies that fell on the ground, hesitated, and bent down to pick them up.

An Ruochen stopped her. She took a handkerchief and gently wiped her hands while asking. “Who brought you out? How come you are here by yourself?”

Liu Yin sniffed and looked around as if she was looking for someone, and only after a long time did she say, “Gone.”

“Your mother is gone?”

Liu Yin shook her head: “Ping’er.”

An Ruochen guessed it was a maid’s name.

“Did Ping’er bring you out?”

Liu Yin nodded, “And Granny Chen.”

“Where did Ping’er and Granny Chen go?”

“I don’t know.” Liu Yin shook her head, “They disappeared while walking.”

“Where is your mother?”

“Not coming.”

How could you feel comfortable letting two servants take your child out? 

An Ruochen smiled at Liu Yin and said, “Does Yin’er remember me? I’m your mother’s friend. We met last time at the clothes store.”

Liu Yin tilted her head and seriously looked at An Ruochen.

Chun Xiao brought the candies. An Ruochen opened the paper bag.

Liu Yin stared blankly and said back, “Remember.”

An Ruochen lost her smile. This child, when she wanted to eat candies, she said she remembered. She picked one and handed it to Liu Yin: “It’s okay if you don’t remember. Here, eat this one. Let’s not eat the dirty ones. There is a pack of them. I will give them all to Yin’er.”

Liu Yin took it and ate happily, smiling as she looked at the whole packet of candy.

An Ruochen gave her two pieces, then handed the paper bag to Chun Xiao and picked Liu Yin up: “Auntie will take you to your Mother, okay?”

Liu Yin glanced at the paper bag greedily, and Chun Xiao handed her another candy. Liu Yin nodded and said in a milky voice, “Yes.”

Little greedy cat. An Ruochen nuzzled her face and carried her toward the Zhaofu Restaurant.