The villagers in the fishing village all considered themselves elders of Mianmian. They had watched this cute little darling grow up bit by bit. How could they bear to see the treasure of their hearts crying with a flushed face? They rushed over in a hurry and tried every means to console her.
Li Ying frowned slightly again.
Since her precious daughter Jinli was born, she had been extremely sensible and well - behaved. She rarely cried so desperately that she almost choked.
The women in front of her were of unknown origin, and she had to be on guard.
With so many people around, she didn't have time to think carefully. She just said calmly, "You are all guests from afar. Since you've come, please rest in the guest rooms first. As for whether you'll stay or leave, we'll make a decision after I discuss it with everyone."
Seeing that she had softened her tone, the leading woman immediately showed a relieved look on her face. She quickly knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Li Ying twice.
"Thank you, Boss Li, for taking us in! I'm Qingliu. On behalf of all the sisters, I thank Boss Li for your kindness! Even if we were to sacrifice our lives, we would surely repay your great kindness!"
She spoke with such certainty and even eagerly reached out her hand to grab Li Ying's skirt.
Li Ying's face cooled down imperceptibly. Holding her daughter, she dodged out of the way without a trace.
The woman looked a bit embarrassed, but she still looked at Li Ying's figure submissively and curtsied deeply. She was really very polite.
Such a novel event spread quickly in the fishing village.
Li Ying was sitting on the couch, playing with her daughter, when A Man rushed in angrily.
"Sister! Are you too tired from all the hard work these days? How could you fall into such a trap!"
Li Ying looked up and saw her blushing and so angry that she seemed about to burst with rage. She couldn't help but find it a bit funny. She slowly poured a cup of hot jinhua fucha tea for her.
"Come, drink a cup of hot tea to calm down. You're such a grown - up girl, but you're still so impulsive and flighty."
Mianmian was at the age of babbling. She opened her little mouth, showing two crooked little teeth, and mumbled, "Auntie, angry."
A Man tilted her head back and gulped down the tea. Finally, she calmed down a bit. She frowned and sat beside Li Ying, looking rather disdainful.
"Sister, I know you're always kind - hearted, but this time, you've really been deceived by their sweet talk! In my opinion, those female musicians who came today are clearly not good people!"
"Just now, I clearly saw Qingliu leading a few people to the well. They said they were going to fetch some water to wash their clothes. Brother the basket - maker happened to be nearby. Seeing that they were weak - handed, he kindly helped them carry the buckets."
Li Ying raised her eyebrows. "Hm?"
"Sister, you don't know. Brother the basket - maker is a man of excellent character. But that Qingliu was like a boneless jellyfish. She almost stuck herself to Brother the basket - maker like a piece of sticky candy! Those women are clearly not good eggs!"
"Sister, you mustn't be deceived by their sweet talk! I know you invited them to accompany me in dancing, but I, A Man, definitely don't need such ill - intentioned companions. Even if I have to perform all the activities during the first lunar month alone, I'll be fine!"
A Man spoke eagerly, but Li Ying just nodded calmly.
Afraid that Li Ying hadn't taken her words to heart, A Man quickly gulped down another cup of tea. Just as she was about to speak again, Li Ying asked slowly.
"A Man, do you know what 'repay a kindness with devotion' means?"
A Man was stunned. She didn't understand why Li Ying asked such a question out of the blue. She blushed involuntarily.
"Sister knows that although I've been in the Central Plains for many years, I used to just disguise myself as a Kunlun slave. I naturally don't understand such refined words... Sister, don't try to change the subject by testing my knowledge. Those women must not be allowed to stay!"
Li Ying smiled again.
"A Man, that Qingliu kept saying that she was a girl from a poor family and was sold into a music workshop since childhood. You've read a few books by my side, but you still don't know the meaning of this phrase. How could she have the opportunity to understand the meaning of 'repay a kindness with devotion'?"
A Man's eyes suddenly lit up. Like a smart little animal, she looked at Li Ying eagerly and lowered her voice.
"Sister, so you've already discovered that those people have a shady background?"
Li Ying nodded.
The other party came with ill intentions.
She had always been kind to others. The only one who had an old grudge with her was probably Inspector Lin.
As if to confirm her suspicion, Maomao, who had been missing for half an hour, jumped onto Li Ying's lap with a crumpled letter in its mouth. It dropped the letter in front of her like a treasure.
Li Ying saw the deep and shallow little cat - tooth marks on the corner of the envelope and couldn't help but laugh.
Presumably, when those female musicians returned to their rooms to take a bath and freshen up, they didn't guard against this naughty little guy. Maomao took the opportunity to sneak into their luggage and stole this important document without anyone noticing.
She rubbed Maomao's head and fed it a piece of dried meat. She doted on it and said, "When this fishing village becomes a world - famous tourist attraction, I'll arrange a job for you as a ticket - checker at the scenic spot, okay?"
Maomao didn't understand what "scenic - spot ticket - checking" meant. It just growled and chewed the dried meat on its own.
Li Ying unfolded the letter. As expected, it clearly stated Inspector Lin's instructions to these women.
In general, they were to stir up trouble in the fishing village, sow discord, and must destroy all the careful preparations the fishing village had made to welcome the guests. By the way, they were also to find out the details of Li Ying's pearl - farming field.
A Man leaned over to take a look. Her just - calmed emotions immediately flared up again. She said angrily, "This corrupt official is really shameless! Sister, don't worry. I'll take people to drive them out right away!"
Seeing that she was about to rush out of the door, Li Ying quickly stopped her. "A Man, you mustn't!"
Inspector Lin was very suspicious. She had long suspected that the message she had sent by carrier pigeon was not enough to lure this old and cunning fox into the trap.
Now, he had deliberately sent his spies to her door. She really couldn't refuse. Instead, it would be a better strategy to turn a blind eye and turn the tables on him.
The grudge with this corrupt official had lasted for too long. It was time to clear up the old and new grudges all at once.
She burned the secret letter to ashes over the candle flame. Then she patted Maomao, the little hero who had stolen the letter, and said to A Man, "Tell them that the pearl - farming field is going to open a new pearl - farming area recently and is really short of manpower. Ask Qingliu and the others to go there and give a hand."
"Confide in Zhu'er secretly. Remember, don't let the news leak out. Let them see some of the pearl - farming harvest in a way that is both real and illusory. Only when they send the news back can I succeed."
A Man, rarely calm, nodded and then went out. Soon she came back to report that everything had been taken care of.