There’s a saying, "Over eagerness to offer help is either a trap or a theft," so Gu Youyou had to be on guard.
She wasn’t sure if there was anything wrong with the mung bean drink Huang Xiangwen served, so she switched with Sanya, but she couldn’t let Sanya drink it either.
If there were indeed a problem with the drink, Huang Xiangwen surely wouldn’t give it to her own daughter to consume after Gu Youyou had left.
Gu Youyou watched Sanya, smiling as she finished the remaining half of her mung bean drink.
It had only a hint of sweetness and wasn’t very well made, still carrying the astringency of the beans, but the child drank it happily, thinking it was delicious.
Children of this era were worlds apart from the children of modern times; after all, Sanya was the child of Lotus Village’s richest family.
Of course, Gu Youyou knew that many children in the village couldn’t even dream of having dregs of tofu, let alone mung bean drink.
Seeing Gu Youyou finish her drink, Huang Xiangwen’s expression was indescribably strange, and Gu Youyou heard her mutter under her breath, "She actually drank it."
Before Gu Youyou could ponder the meaning of those words, she felt dizzy. She internally cursed, realizing too late that something was wrong.
The moment before she collapsed, Gu Youyou saw that Sanya had already slumped over the stone table, motionless.
How ruthless, it wasn’t a careless mistake by Gu Youyou, but her enemies were simply inhuman.
It might also be due to her being too kindhearted; some people have no humanity, no bottom line. She couldn’t comprehend people who would use their own children, especially a little five or six-year-old girl, as bait.
Unsure of how long she’d slept, Gu Youyou heard some voices in her groggy state.
Her head felt as heavy as if it was weighed down by a stone, and she couldn’t open her eyes, leaving her only to listen to those strange words with her ears.
"Hurry up, this is a big catch."
"Be careful, in broad daylight, have you squared things with the gatekeeper?"
"Don’t worry, I just said she’s my wife, sick with smallpox; the gatekeeper can’t wait for us to get her out of here."
"Did you bring the cinnabar used for fake smallpox marks?"
"Got it, got it, it’s on the old woman’s hands. She’s waiting for us at Shili Pavilion up front, once we pick her up we’ll hit the road."
Gu Youyou was alarmed yet again. Who were these people? The wife with smallpox they mentioned, it couldn’t possibly be her, could it?
Damn it, two men in the carriage, one man driving it outside, Gu Youyou didn’t recognize any of their voices.
She must have been drugged with Knockout Drug, which causes rapid unconsciousness, leaving one with a pounding head and a powerless body upon waking, but you recover after half an hour. Since she just woke up, the best thing would be to wait another half an hour before getting up; she should keep pretending to be asleep for now.
With a loud bang, and a long neigh from the horse, Gu Youyou felt the carriage come to a sudden halt, not very smooth, causing her head to hit the side of the carriage, the pain making her jerk, which in turn cleared her mind a little.
The man driving the carriage pulled hard on the reins, and one of the two men inside got out, cursing: "Who the hell, in broad daylight, litters rocks on the road, trying to kill people?"
There was rustling from the bushes by the road, and Gu Youyou recognized a familiar voice.
"Liu Dazhuang, what are you hauling in that carriage?"
It was Uncle’s voice.
Gu Youyou was startled.
Seeing that it was Gu San, the one called Liu Dazhuang felt somewhat sheepish.
He certainly knew who was in the carriage and also the relationship between Gu San and the person inside the carriage.
He shrank his neck but still blustered confrontationally, "What’s it to you? What I haul in my carriage is none of your business, is it? Move aside."