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Zhang Yinyin thought to herself that it was a good thing she had been cautious, otherwise Cai Xia wouldn’t have given her anything.

"This is what Qingqing bought for me, how could I have the nerve to let Miss Cai Xia pay?"

Cai Xia held on tight, refusing to give in.

Left with no choice, Zhang Yinyin turned to Xun Qingqing and asked with a smile, "Qingqing, you tell me, is this not a gift for me?"

Xun Qingqing pointed to the pink dress and counter-questioned, "Yinyin, what do you think of this pink dress?"

Upon seeing the pink dress, Zhang Yinyin immediately wanted Xun Qingqing to buy it for her, "It looks very pretty, buying this one wouldn’t be bad either."

"I like it too." Xun Qingqing looked at Zhang Yinyin and said with a grin, "I’ve bought you so many clothes and accessories, it wouldn’t be too much for you to buy a dress in return for me, would it?"

Zhang Yinyin knew that to buy a dress from this shop would cost at least ten taels of silver, an amount she could earn only after selling handkerchiefs embroidered over two years.

"Qingqing, it’s not that I don’t want to buy for you, but I didn’t bring any silver on me, how can I buy for you?"

The shop owner said with a smile overflowing with good humor, "We’re all acquainted here; you can put it on a tab."

Zhang Yinyin glared at the shop owner – as if she would be so foolish as to shell out those ten taels of silver.

Xun Qingqing watched Zhang Yinyin with amusement, "Yinyin, you can put it on a tab."

"Qingqing, even if I put it on a tab, doesn’t it still need to be paid back? Where am I going to find so much silver? The little bit of money I make from my embroidery can hardly cover my basic food and clothing," Zhang Yinyin said before bursting into tears.

Xun Qingqing watched Zhang Yinyin cry on cue, trying to gain her sympathy just like she used to do.

"Alright, alright, let’s go eat at Fengxian Restaurant," she said.

Zhang Yinyin wiped her tears and said, "Qingqing, you’re really the best, and you’re my only friend."

Xun Qingqing: "..." Only friend, more like the only friend she used for withdrawals.

Having looked at modern scripts, Xun Qingqing had learned quite a few contemporary phrases; it seemed Zhang Yinyin thought of her as a human ATM, always taking, never giving.

Fengxian Restaurant was a place Xun Qingqing often frequented, and the manager knew her well.

Following the waiter into a private room, Zhang Yinyin sat down and began to order right away.

"Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Crystal Elbow, Steamed Abalone, Ginseng Black Chicken Soup..."

Xun Qingqing listened as Zhang Yinyin ordered all the signature and most expensive dishes, but she just watched silently, allowing her to order whatever she wanted.

After Zhang Yinyin finished ordering the dishes she wanted, she asked Xun Qingqing, "Qingqing, what would you like to eat?"

Xun Qingqing said, "Just these, I’m not picky."

Zhang Yinyin turned to the waiter and said, "Then bring us another portion of assorted steamed cured meats."

"Coming right up," the waiter left with the menu.

As the dishes were served one after another, Zhang Yinyin couldn’t wait to start eating and picked up her chopsticks to grab a piece of Crystal Elbow.

Xun Qingqing ate leisurely, looking up occasionally at Zhang Yinyin’s eager eating manner, devouring the food as if she hadn’t eaten for lifetimes.

But thinking about it, a family like Zhang Yinyin’s couldn’t afford a place like Fengxian Restaurant.

Having been to the palace for so many years, Zhang Yinyin probably had never set foot here before.

After Xun Qingqing had finished eating, she wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and stood up to leave.

Zhang Yinyin, seeing there was still a lot of food left, asked hastily, "Qingqing, aren’t you eating anymore?"

Xun Qingqing responded with a smile, "You keep eating; there’s no rush. You can take the leftovers home if you can’t finish."

Zhang Yinyin happily nodded, "You’re right, Qingqing. Then I will not stand on ceremony."

Xun Qingqing curved her lips in a smile and withdrew her gaze as she walked out.

Before leaving, Xun Qingqing said to the manager, "I’m leaving first. Let Zhang Yinyin settle the bill."

This move was still learned from the scripts. Thinking about how Zhang Yinyin would look when she had to pay so much silver, Xun Qingqing felt a sense of satisfaction.

The manager smiled as he saw off ’Miss Xun’ and then turned to go up to the private room on the second floor.

After clicking away on the abacus, the waiter said, "Miss Zhang, that will be eighteen taels of silver."

"You ask Miss Xun to settle the bill. Also, pack up these dishes," Zhang Yinyin pointed to the dishes still left untouched on the table – she planned to take them home for her husband to taste, as he had never eaten the food from Fengxian Restaurant before.

"Miss Xun said the bill is for you to settle."

The manager’s seemingly light words left Zhang Yinyin stunned on the spot.

"Impossible, how could Qingqing let me settle the bill? Whenever we ate here before, it was always Qingqing who treated," Zhang Yinyin said, standing up and walking out.

The manager shouted angrily, "Trying to dine and dash? Someone stop her!"

Two burly men at the door blocked Zhang Yinyin’s path.

Zhang Yinyin, having never seen such a sight, felt her legs go weak with fear. "What are you trying to do?" she asked.

The manager said, "Pay for your meal, and you can leave."

Zhang Yinyin immediately started to cry. "I’m just an ordinary woman, where would I get so much silver?"

The manager snorted, "That’s not my problem. If we go to the authorities, I’m in the right."

Upon hearing they might go to the authorities, Zhang Yinyin’s legs gave out, and she fell to the floor.

On the bustling street, Xun Qingqing walked with a light step.

Cai Xia exclaimed happily, "Miss, I’ve noticed you’re much smarter now."

Xun Qingqing touched the embroidered flower at her temple and said proudly, "I’ve always been smart, thank you very much."

Cai Xia hurriedly agreed, "Yes, yes, you’ve always been smart, it’s just that you’ve wasted a lot of silver coins, but it’s all been worth it."

Xun Qingqing sniffed, "I was just young and naive before. Now, those who want to take advantage of me will find it’s not that easy."

As they chatted and laughed, someone suddenly rushed toward them from the opposite direction and snatched the package from Cai Xia’s hands.

"To think someone would dare to rob in broad daylight right under the emperor’s nose, how audacious," Xun Qingqing, seeing her favorite dress being snatched away, immediately gave chase.

Cai Xia was bumped and, reacting after a moment, saw her mistress running off into the distance. She hurriedly followed, calling, "Miss, miss!"

Xun Qingqing chased the robber into an alley and, seeing him trapped with no way out, she picked up a stick from the ground. Although she didn’t know much about Kung Fu, it was more than enough to handle a petty hoodlum.

Just as Xun Qingqing was about to give the robber a beating with the stick, a sudden sharp pain shot through the back of her neck, and everything went black as she passed out.

Her teetering body was caught by a man behind her.

Mei Yisi strolled over, fanning himself, and looking at the now unconscious Xun Qingqing, he curved the corner of his lips into a wicked smile: "Take her away."

It was only a moment before Cai Xia could no longer see Xun Qingqing anywhere after searching around.

Standing amidst the crowds coming and going on the street, Cai Xia started crying in panic.

"Miss, miss, where have you gone?"

When Xun Qingqing came to, she found herself in a horse carriage, the sound of the wheels clattering in her ears.

Her neck still ached, indicating just how harshly she had been struck.

Gagged with a cloth in her mouth, she couldn’t make a sound.

She suddenly thought of abduction, human trafficking – none of it boded well.

Could it be her luck was that bad?

If only Wuxian were here.