Although Lu Ran was doubtful, he kept his sister’s gift carefully.
——
The next morning, Liang Ping came over to borrow a carriage.
Coincidentally, Lu Sheng also wanted to go to Hua Xiang Village. Hence, she sent Liang Ping to town before entering Hua Xiang Village.
Hua Xiang Village was very close to town. Merchants from all over the country would go over to stay or ask for directions. Hence, the villagers did not find it surprising when they saw the carriage.
“Grandma, do you know where’s Ah Tai’s house?”
Lu Sheng stopped the carriage and asked a grandma who was walking on the path, preparing to leave the village.
The grandma answered her question warmly. “Just two more houses ahead. However, he doesn’t live at home now.”
Then, Lu Sheng heard this grandma’s explanation.
It turned out that after the previous incident, Ah Tai’s uncle, Da Zhuang, came to fetch him away.
“Where’s his uncle’s house?”
The grandma said, “His uncle’s house is in another village. It’s not far from here. Coincidentally, I want to go there as well. If you don’t mind giving me a ride, I can show you the way.”
“Of course not. Sit here.”
Lu Sheng alighted from the carriage and helped the old woman onto it before leaving Hua Xiang Village.
After getting on the carriage, the grandma lifted the curtain and asked, “Miss, who are you to Ah Tai?”
Ah Tai’s mother was bought by Da Niu, so no one knew where her family was from.
It could be said that Ah Tai did not have any relatives other than Da Zhuang’s family.
Lu Sheng’s expression was calm as she said, “My father and Uncle Da Niu are good friends. This time, he heard about Aunt’s sudden death and told me to come and visit Ah Tai.”
“I see!”
Seeing how convincing she was, the grandma believed her.
After all, Da Niu was helpful back then and had a lot of friends.
However, once he was gone, many friends stopped interacting with them.
At the beginning, they would bring some items over to visit Ah Niu and his mother. However, after Ah Tai’s mother brought a man back, everyone stopped visiting to avoid arousing suspicion.
The grandma sighed softly. “Da Zhuang is an honest man. However, his wife is not an easy person to get along with. I’m afraid Ah Tai is having a hard time there too. It’s just that he can’t do anything about it for now.”
After all, after what had happened, the child would definitely be traumatized. If he was left alone at home, he would probably be scared.
“Is Ah Tai’s aunt difficult to get along with?”
As she had nothing to do on the way, Lu Sheng chatted casually with this grandma.
“Yes. She has a bad temper and Dazhuang married into her family. He can only be ordered around there. Da Zhuang’s in-laws are the same. They’re formidable characters in the village.”
Women were innately gossipy, regardless of their age. In fact, the older they were, the more they liked to talk about these things.
This was especially so in this feudal era where women had nothing to do. They liked to gather together and chat about other people’s affairs.
Along the way, this grandma kept saying how bad-tempered, lazy, and formidable Da Zhuang’s wife was.
Lu Sheng listened and smiled but did not speak.
She initially thought that it would take a long time. To her surprise, it only took fifteen minutes.
The grandma pointed Lu Sheng to Da Zhuang’s house before leaving.
“Is anyone there?”
Lu Sheng stopped the carriage outside the courtyard and asked loudly.
After a while, a skinny boy walked over. He stood in the courtyard and looked at her. “Everyone went to the wedding banquet. No one’s home.”