Having secured a shop, she began to look for housing nearby—this shop could not accommodate residents.
Fortunately, at this time, there were very few students renting outside, and the rents near the schools weren’t expensive, so it didn’t bleed her dry.
With everything settled, she quickly moved out of the hostel.
Frugality was a necessity; she was now impoverished.
Once she moved into her new place and notified Qian Qianqian to come to Capital City, she spent her days scampering through the streets and alleys of Capital City to get a grasp of the local market.
"Candied haw sticks, shaped like pagodas, buy one, bright and prosperous!"
"Dates—rice cakes—five spice—sunflower seeds—"
"Huge watermelons, big as a boat slices!"
She listened with interest to the various cries from the vendors and watched the lively bustle of people.
"Elder sister, why not buy a candied haw stick for your child?"
A middle-aged woman wearing a blue cloth shirt, holding a child who was sleeping so deeply that he was unaware of his surroundings, somewhat harshly rejected the hawker’s sales pitch.
Initially, Xia Chuyi didn’t pay much attention to this person, stepping to the side to let the hurried woman pass.
However, as the woman carrying the child passed by, she accidentally bumped into Xia Chuyi.
"I’m sorry!" the woman said dismissively, "My son is sick, and I’m in a hurry."
Then, the woman continued to hurry along, and due to her large movements, the head of the child, originally resting on her shoulder, lolled to the side.
The child had a cute, round face with an unusually bright redness to it.
Most importantly, Xia Chuyi recognized this child—Xiao Yi, the son of Du Hong, who had traveled to Capital City with her on the same carriage.
What did this woman just say? Xiao Yi was her son?
Xia Chuyi narrowed her eyes: Something was off!
She saw that the woman was about to vanish at the mouth of the alley, and without a second thought, Xia Chuyi immediately gave chase.
After a short pursuit, she saw the woman turn into another alley, relatively more secluded.
Without much time to think, Xia Chuyi followed her in.
No sooner had she entered a few steps into the alley than the woman in front stopped abruptly, turned, and fiercely confronted her, "Why are you following me?"
"I..." Just as Xia Chuyi began to speak, she noticed a middle-aged man appearing not far behind her.
She had been too impulsive!
It was a trap—the woman’s accomplice was lying in wait!
The middle-aged man approached her with a gloomy expression, getting closer and closer. The woman in front also looked unfriendly, continually making eye contact with the man.
Xia Chuyi’s brain quickly went into overdrive.
Soon, she thought of a strategy.
Suddenly, she put on a very simple smile, spoke with a rustic accent, and said to the woman, "Elder sister, hello, I’m from the countryside, not at all familiar with this place."
"I wanted to ask for directions because I’m afraid of bad people, and I thought you, elder sister, holding a child, must be a good person."
"So, I thought of asking you, do you know how to get to Xingxing Bun Shop?"
She looked at the woman very sincerely.
The air froze for a moment.
Quickly after, the woman shouted, "Don’t know!"
Her gaze still fixed on Xia Chuyi, she remained guarded.
"Ah, is that so?" Xia Chuyi showed a profoundly disappointed face and sighed, "You don’t know either, elder sister, alas."
Then, as if noticing the man’s sudden appearance, she exclaimed, "Hey, what do you want!"
She ran behind the woman and grabbed her sleeve, shouting, "Elder sister, save me, human traffickers!"
As soon as the words ’human traffickers’ were uttered, both the man’s and the woman’s faces changed dramatically.