Chapter 2998 - 2999: Acting Skills

Chapter 2998: Chapter 2999: Acting Skills

Yu Qiaoqiao had nowhere to go, so she sat by the roadside crying for a long time, and happened to see Wang Song’s caravan.

Just as she was about to hide, suddenly her eyes lit up. Wang Song’s procurement order was missing, but he couldn’t have just one. There might be a backup. If she returned to the caravan, there would still be a chance to steal it. If she left now, how could she explain to Young Master Du?

Yu Qiaoqiao at this moment seemed like a fool in love or someone who desperately wanted to become a noblewoman, completely devoid of reason.

In any case, she had made up her mind that if Wang Song discovered the procurement order was missing, she would die rather than admit it. At worst, she would agree to a body search.

"Isn’t that Yu Qiaoqiao?" Someone in the guards had sharp eyes and spotted her first.

Someone rushed over, and Yu Qiaoqiao quickly started thinking of how to explain. In just that brief moment, the caravan had already reached her.

"Qiaoqiao, where have you been these past few days?" Wang Song hurriedly asked.

Upon hearing the commotion, Yong Guang rushed forward, and when he saw it was Yu Qiaoqiao, his tears immediately came pouring down.

"Qiaoqiao, are you alright?" Yong Guang grabbed her and asked.

Yu Qiaoqiao looked ashamed. "Father, I worried you. I was too careless. I slipped and fell. It was dark, and I was scared, not knowing how I managed. Eventually, I luckily found the official road and waited until I met you all."

Wang Song showed a suspicious look, "Your clothes are clean, and you don’t look like you’ve suffered. How did you get by these past few days?"

If Yu Qiaoqiao had rolled down a slope and got lost, she would surely be in a terrible state. But now she had just been tossed from a carriage by Ao Song, and the clothes she wore were no longer the ones she previously had.

Additionally, Ao Song had given her luxurious clothes to put her at ease. Anyone who wasn’t blind could tell her clothes were not ordinary.

She was also lucky to have encountered the caravan shortly after, avoiding being sold by someone.

"Earlier, I met Lord Bai and the others. They gave me clean clothes and helped treat my injuries." Yu Qiaoqiao had no choice but to tell the truth, but she only revealed half of it.

Yong Guang sighed in relief, "When we see Lord Bai again, we must bow our heads in gratitude. She saved us father and daughter."

Wang Song’s wife, however, looked at Yu Qiaoqiao with a face of suspicion. "Why didn’t you mention Lord Bai and the others saving you earlier? If they helped you, why were you alone by the roadside?"

Scared at heart, Yu Qiaoqiao simply burst into tears. She was so skinny and looked very pitiful.

"Why are you crying? Just answer the question. It’s not like someone bullied you." A woman who couldn’t stand it said.

Yong Guang, feeling sorry for his daughter, quickly said, "Qiaoqiao must be frightened. Everyone, please be considerate. I apologize."

Everyone felt Yong Guang had a good temperament and gave him face, but many didn’t like Yu Qiaoqiao.

An unruly and unfilial daughter was hard to accept at this time.

Even today, she wouldn’t easily win people’s favor.

Wang Song’s wife was filled with anger, glaring at Yu Qiaoqiao. "My husband received a procurement order from a noble guest, promising to buy goods for them in the Western Regions, but the order went missing a few days ago, and Yu Qiaoqiao just happened to disappear. I want to ask what’s going on."

Her suspicion was confirmed, and Yu Qiaoqiao cried out in grievance, "I don’t know anything about the order. How could I even touch your things?"

"Everyone in the caravan knows each other and knows who’s who. Only after you got close to the Du Family caravan did you start acting strange, always trying to run away. Don’t you have any guilt?" Wang Song’s wife questioned.

Wang Song frowned and quickly pulled on his wife, "It’s not necessarily her. Stop talking so much."

"No way! I have to get to the bottom of this today!" Wang Song’s wife’s fiery temper flared, "We can’t just lose this thing for no reason. How do we explain it to that noble guest?"

Wang Song didn’t say anything, his gaze falling on Yu Qiaoqiao.

"It can’t be Qiaoqiao. She’s timid. How would she dare to steal anything?" Yong Guang hastily said.

"Timid? When she hit you, didn’t seem timid then." Wang Song’s wife disagreed, "Old Yong, you’re too indulgent with your daughter. You’re not helping her; you’re harming her. Look what she’s become. What daughter dares to hit her own father and repeatedly run away?"

"I really didn’t, I really didn’t," Yu Qiaoqiao said, crying and trembling.

Unfortunately, her pitiful appearance didn’t garner much sympathy anymore. No one spoke up for her except Yong Guang, whose explanations seemed especially powerless.

Finally, Wang Song’s wife suggested a body search. Yong Guang, though not in favor, could only agree for his daughter’s innocence.

The result of the search, naturally, was nothing. Wang Song’s wife felt a bit embarrassed and walked off with a wave of her hand.

Because of the incident, Wang Song felt somewhat indebted to Yong Guang and his daughter and took more care of them along the way.

The hostility of others toward Yu Qiaoqiao also diminished somewhat, though Wang Song’s wife still felt something was off about her.

"Dear, didn’t that gentleman instruct that the procurement order not be shown to others? Though you copied another one for me, if it’s leaked, won’t the person be unhappy?" Wang Song’s wife quietly asked him at an opportune moment.

Wang Song sighed, "Blame me for not keeping a good watch on the things. I don’t even know if it got lost on the rainy day or was already gone before."

"It’s not your fault. It’s not the procurement time yet. Why would you take it out and look at it for no reason? It’s someone with intentions who stole it, and Yu Qiaoqiao can’t be ruled out. During her disappearance, she could have handed the order to someone else." Wang Song’s wife suggested.

"Don’t talk nonsense. She was with Lord Bai. Why would Lord Bai need this order?" Wang Song frowned.

"I’m not speaking ill of Lord Bai. She said she was with Lord Bai, but who knows if before or after meeting Lord Bai, she didn’t encounter other people." Wang Song’s wife remarked.

Wang Song said nothing. He didn’t trust Yu Qiaoqiao, but he knew Yong Guang’s character. As the caravan leader, he couldn’t be unjust.

...

A few days later, Bai Ruozhu and the others had entered the Western Regions and arrived at Shengyao City, the largest city near the capital, Gaochang, with a thriving trade scene and a lot of merchant traffic.

"Send a message to Qingyan, see if he can come and meet us." Bai Ruozhu thought of an old friend. It’s been over a year since they parted.

If she hadn’t accidentally met Qingyan back then, she wouldn’t have formed a master-servant relationship with Xiaohei.

"We’ve already sent someone to deliver the message, thought of it earlier." Jiang Yichun said with a smile.

Bai Ruozhu felt relieved, "Then we’re not in a hurry to enter Gaochang. We’ll stay here for a couple of days to rest and wait for Sangta."

"Alright, then I’ll accompany you for a stroll around the city later." Jiang Yichun said thoughtfully.

Bai Ruozhu, however, laughed, "You take care of the children. I promised Ao Song I’d go shopping with him."