I Got Rich in Period Fiction-Chapter 93: Young Enough, Pretty Enough!

Mr. Li didn’t ask Qiao Qingyu what He Xiuyu wanted him for; he wiped his hands and hastily made for Qiao Qingyu’s courtyard.

Sister-in-law Li was still busy. Qiao Qingyu walked over to her with a grin and said, "Sister-in-law Li, stop keeping yourself occupied. This is the time you should let Brother Li’s students show their stuff. You know we don’t move every day."

The few young men nearby nodded in agreement. Now Mr. Li was their teacher, well-liked and dedicated to teaching the students wholeheartedly. They referred to Sister-in-law Li as the teacher’s wife. "Teacher’s wife, you just take a rest over there. Leave this to us. Everything is packed already; we just need to tidy it up and get it on the truck."

"Look how willing these guys are. You don’t need to add to the chaos here."

Sister-in-law Li looked at Qiao Qingyu amusingly, finding sense in her hands-off attitude. Brother Zhiqiang has been so hardworking; it’s been nearly a month since he last went home. He oversees a small workshop and is also responsible for seven or eight students. Sometimes, he’s so busy he can’t even find time to eat.

Besides, she and her husband had pretty much finished organizing everything yesterday.

The most plentiful things at home were books and materials.

She planned to take Qiao Qingyu to stand in a shady spot nearby.

Then Xiao Hu ran out from the house, his little hands clean and his face just as much so, and he went to stand next to He Xuerong. His small fist slowly uncurling, revealed a bright-colored candy inside.

"Rongrong, this is the candy Aunt Chen just gave me; I saved it especially for you."

Sister-in-law Li’s smile faded slightly as she discreetly glanced over at Chen Dandan, who was talking to the young men on the other side. A girl stood next to her, yet the two seemed not to engage in conversation.

Seeing Sister-in-law Li looking her way, Dandan turned her head and smiled at them. Suddenly, Qiao Qingyu covered her mouth and uttered an "Ah!"

The sound wasn’t too loud or too soft but was enough to allow Dandan on the opposite side to see the shocked expression on her face and her previous motion of covering her mouth.

Dandan, of course, knew who this beautiful woman was. She was the person in charge of the base, Chief Engineer He’s newly wedded wife.

Indeed beautiful, and so young!

But why such an expression? Chen Dandan watched Qiao Qingyu, puzzled and uncertain.

Sister-in-law Li, too, looked on with a puzzled expression.

Then she heard Qiao Qingyu ask her in a low voice, "Sister-in-law Li, what’s the name of the girl with the ponytail?"

"Her name is Chen Dandan." Saying this, Sister-in-law Li lowered her voice even more, "She’s the female student your Brother Li always praises. Do you know her?"

"I don’t know her." Then Qiao Qingyu motioned with her hand and said with a smile, "Chen Dandan, come here a moment."

Even if the woman on the other side wasn’t Chief Engineer He’s wife, Dandan had no reason to refuse. She hesitated for a moment, then set down what she was holding and approached Qiao Qingyu and Sister-in-law Li by the mud wall.

She smiled politely at them both and then looked at Qiao Qingyu, and since she recognized her, she didn’t pretend not to. "You must be Chief Engineer He’s wife. Hello, may I know what you need me for?"

Qiao Qingyu squinted her eyes and glanced at the girl standing opposite her, who looked to be two or three years older than she was, with quite fair skin, speaking in a soft and gentle tone marked by a distinctive accent, markedly different from how people from the north or the northwest spoke.

It was indeed a refreshing change to the ears. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

She was also very pretty.

A smile hung on her face, just right.

Qiao Qingyu felt that Chen Dandan’s demeanor could mean one of two things: either she possibly came from a good family with proper upbringing and was thus not lacking in experience, which would explain her composed and graceful manner, or there was another possibility, that it might be the result of special training.

Qiao Qingyu still wore a smile on her face, but she began to look the girl up and down, and then her smile gradually faded. Suddenly, she leaned forward and lowered her voice, "Chen Dandan, do you have a sister or cousin who looks a lot like you, or maybe other relatives like second cousins or nieces?"

Chen Dandan was stunned, clearly not expecting Qiao Qingyu to ask such a question.

She wasn’t born out of stone; even if she was an only child at home, her parents would still have nieces and nephews.

She nodded, "I have an older sister at home, and yes, I have cousins as well."

"The ones I’m asking about are those who closely resemble you."

"My older sister and I look very much alike, and... a cousin from my third aunt’s family also looks quite similar to me."

In truth, Chen Dandan really didn’t want to answer these questions, but the person in front of her was no ordinary figure, and she didn’t want to offend her, so she patiently and softly responded.

"Is your sister in Xichuan?"

Qiao Qingyu was really asking more and more questions, which was almost like conducting a household investigation. Sister-in-law Li reached out and touched Qiao Qingyu, signaling her to stop asking as it seemed a bit inappropriate.

Chen Dandan’s face gradually grew cold, she bit her lip, turned her head away, and then seemed to take a deep breath. She then faced Qiao Qingyu again, still speaking softly, "My sister is not in Xichuan, she’s in Yun City."

Qiao Qingyu’s bright eyes blinked, and she let out a sigh, speaking slowly, "Oh, then I’m relieved. Actually, I wasn’t conducting a household check. I saw a woman with a child in Shangpo Village, about two or three years older than you, who really looked a lot like you.

If I hadn’t seen you, I wouldn’t have even thought of it. I was just asking out of curiosity. That Shangpo Village is a dumping ground for trafficked women; some of them were abducted from the Southern region.

At the time, she was running while carrying a little boy, crying. Your accents sounded quite similar too..."

As Qiao Qingyu described the scene, Sister-in-law Li was shocked to see that Chen Dandan suddenly widened her eyes, the color draining from her face, leaving her complexion terrifyingly pale. Her body trembled, and suddenly, she stepped forward and grasped Qiao Qingyu’s arm. Her voice, too, trembled, "Qiao Qingyu, are you telling the truth? Did you really see a woman who looks a lot like me?"

Qiao Qingyu had not expected such an intense reaction.

Her own heart thudded wildly for a few beats, but she quickly composed herself and nodded earnestly, for she did indeed see a woman who greatly resembled Chen Dandan. As she was running out of the village, that woman was also running out, holding a child. They had even made eye contact.

She was running and crying, and her accent sounded very much like Chen Dandan’s.

In reality, she was simply using the sight of Chen Dandan’s face to bluff her a bit. After all, that village was controlled by a single gang. Whether by choice or under duress, everyone had fallen into the same pit, and no one was clean.