ATP Chapter 34

All the Protagonists I’ve Scummed Came To Me For Revenge Chapter 34: Abandoned Daughter of a Rich Family (5)

The main plot of this world takes place in Yunzhou, so when Xia Yu heard the name of this place, her first reaction was not to nod but to ponder.

Yunzhou was very large, comparable to the capital city, with a population of over 400,000. In ancient times, it was a very large city.

So Xia Yu agreed. She figured she wouldn’t run into Xiao Sanniang, and besides, Xiao Sanniang didn’t know what she looked like. Even if she did, what difference would it make?

She didn’t recognize herself.

Another thing is that she is no longer playing the role of the original person. She acts and behaves according to her own will, which makes Xiao Sanniang even less likely to recognize her.

Yunzhou is also a place she can go.

The next morning, Xia Yu accompanied Xin’er to the foot of Le’an Temple. They didn’t take the main road, but instead took a narrow, winding path.

“Grandpa, I’ve come to see you.”

There was a small mound of earth in front of it, without even a tombstone. No one would have guessed that a person was buried there, that it was a grave.

Xin’er knelt in front of the grave, her nose tingling and tears welling up in her eyes. She rambled on and on to Xia Yu, saying, “Seven years ago, Yunzhou suffered a severe drought, and my family became refugees because of it. My parents starved to death on the way. It was my grandfather who saved me, gave me food, and brought me to live until today.”

Xia Yu was slightly surprised, thinking to herself, “Is it the Six Years of Sino-Germany again?”

Indeed, during the Six Years of Sino-Germany, most of the country suffered from a severe drought, with no rain for half a year, rivers dried up, and the land cracked. It was because of this that she had a chance, but before she could even raise her fishing rod, she was betrayed by those around her, and ultimately ended up drowning herself in the river.

A righteous attack from someone close to her back—that person was none other than the female protagonist, Xiao Sanniang. Honestly, while Xiao Sanniang’s hatred wasn’t as intense or frenzied as Ye Yueru’s, she still harbored considerable resentment towards her, and this resentment remained within the bounds of normal human feelings.

Nobody likes to be manipulated like a puppet.

Since we’ve done this, we must accept the consequences: the pawns will turn against us, and the puppets will go berserk.

“When we have money, let’s build Grandpa a new grave, a grand new grave, shall we?”

“Um!”

There were no weeds on the grave, which shows that Xin’er must have come here often to check on things and weed.

Xin’er stood up, wiped away her tears, and smiled, “I’m all better, Sister Xia, shall we go?!”

Xia Yu smiled and patted her head: “Mmm.”

Xin’er had never been to Yunzhou before. She was excited on the way, but also afraid of the unknown. So she kept talking to Xia Yu to ease her nervousness.

“I’ve heard Grandpa say that Le’an County is not far from Yunzhou, but it would still take most of a day to walk there. Let’s go back to the city to buy some things first, and then we can set off.”

“Shall I buy you some clothes while I’m at it?”

Xin’er shook her head and said, “Let’s not. We don’t know what the situation is like in Yunzhou. What if we run out of money…”

“Don’t worry,” Xia Yu said. “Although I’ve never been to Yunzhou, I imagine it’s pretty much the same. I’m very familiar with big places like this, so you don’t need to worry about these things.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” Xia Yu nodded and said, “Yunzhou will definitely earn more than Le’an County. You can come with me and help out then.”

“Is there really anything I can do to help?” Xin’er asked uncertainly, her voice weak and clearly lacking confidence.

“Of course there is.” Xia Yu praised her, “You are very smart and you understand things very quickly. When the time comes, we will rent a place to stay and I will teach you to read and write. If Yunzhou and Yangzhou are very different, don’t worry. I am very good at arithmetic. If all else fails, I can find an accounting job to get by first.”

Reading and writing is a luxury. Xin’er opened her mouth wide and took a while to calm down before saying, “Really? Really? Sister Xia, are you really going to teach me to write?”

“Not only will I teach you to read, but I will also teach you arithmetic. How can you be a qualified businessman and help me make money if you don’t learn arithmetic?”

“Don’t worry, Sister Xia, I will study hard and become a qualified businesswoman who makes a lot of money!”

This was an opportunity that had fallen from the sky, and her heart was filled with excitement. In this era, only wealthy families had the opportunity to study and learn arithmetic. Children from ordinary families had to help make a living sooner or later, so they had neither the time nor the qualifications to study.

Education was not widespread; there was only one private school in the county town, and it was run by Confucian scholars who only taught reading, writing, and reciting scriptures.

The sound of a carriage slowly moving could be heard. Xin’er pulled Xia Yu to the very edge of the road. The sight of these wealthy people’s carriages driving recklessly left a deep impression on her.

A beautiful and expensive-looking carriage, with a coachman leading the horses and guards protecting the riders. This person must be someone important, and their presence here suggests they’re on their way to Le’an Temple to worship Buddha.

These people didn’t even glance at the women by the roadside, only listening to the footsteps and hooves, moving forward amidst a trail of dust.

Behind the carriage was a piece of cloth with the character “Xiao” embroidered on it. As the carriage moved, the cloth with the “Xiao” embroidered on it fluttered in the wind.

Xiao refers to the Xiao family of Yunzhou.

This is a very common surname with a profound influence. She is also very familiar with the Xiao family because they are one of her business partners.

There are seven great families in the world, and the Xiao family is one of the top seven. Their influence in Yunzhou is even greater than that of the emperor. Xiao Sanniang is a member of the Xiao family, but she is just a discarded pawn.

“After my death, the Xiao family was reshuffled again, and quite a few people must have died, right?” Xia Yu thought.

The Xiao family is a prestigious family. A large part of the reason why prestigious families can stand firm is because they are good at judging the situation and they will not put all their eggs in one basket.

Xin’er said longingly, “Who is that person? They look so impressive.”

“That’s the Xiao family’s carriage.”

Xiao Xin’er was a beggar and didn’t understand these things. Her grandfather had never told her about the Xiao family.

“There are seven top-tier families in the world, who consider themselves above the imperial family. Even the national treasury may not be as wealthy as theirs. The Xiao family is one of these seven families, and it is the largest family in Yunzhou. The Xiao character on that carriage means that. They are from the Xiao family of Yunzhou.”

“The Xiao family of Yunzhou!”

Xin’er was shocked by Xia Yu’s remarks. She had always thought that the emperor was the richest and most powerful, but she never expected that there were people from aristocratic families.

She never considered whether Xia Yu was just teasing her. She wouldn’t think that way about Xia Yu, and she believed almost everything Xia Yu said.

“You’ll understand when you get to Yunzhou.”

The profound influence of the Xiao family on Yunzhou is evident to all. If a wise and powerful emperor were to emerge in the future, these aristocratic families would be the first to be dealt with. No emperor can tolerate such a thing, but if the aristocratic families were to be targeted, the entire country could easily fall apart.

The powerful families don’t care who sits in that position; they only care about their own interests. Whoever gives them the most benefits, they will support.

This is the consistent practice of aristocratic families.

This is what the emperor found most intolerable about aristocratic families: when the old dynasty replaced the new, they either remained neutral or supported both sides.

Xin’er hesitated and asked, “Then, sister, are you also from a noble family?”

Xia Yu paused for a moment, then smiled: “I am not from a prominent family.”Sixty years ago, a new dynasty was established. She was a remnant of the old era, an orphan of the Xia Dynasty, who inherited many legacies to prepare for the restoration of the country.

Tsk, Xia Yu’s heart ached at the thought of the treasures she had buried; Xiao Sanniang must have taken them all.

That woman knows the location of the treasure.

The sounds of fighting could be faintly heard. Xia Yu stopped and frowned as she looked ahead.

She saw that the Xiao family’s carriage was destroyed not far away, and the guards were entangled with more than a dozen men in black.

Xin’er’s face was deathly pale. Several people were already dead over there, and the ground was covered in blood. “Sister Xia, let’s go quickly…”

She pulled Xia Yu along, wanting to leave quickly. Although she knew Xia Yu was skilled, the people in front of her were vicious thugs wielding sharp weapons, and she didn’t want to get involved.

“Okay.”

However, it’s not something you can simply choose not to get involved. This clandestine affair was discovered, and the leader of the black-clad ambush team gave a signal to one of the men in black, who then headed towards Xia Yu and Xin’er.

The guards themselves were in dire straits, so of course they wouldn’t go to rescue anyone. In fact, they felt a sense of relief, at least for the time being that one person was gone and the pressure wasn’t so great.

“Ah!”

A scream rang out. It turned out that a guard protecting the carriage had been slashed in the hand by a man in black. Although the hand was not severed, the deep wound caused him excruciating pain, making him pale and unable to fight.

“Protect the patriarch!!”

A chaotic battle raged over there, and the black-clad men who had been chasing Xia Yu to silence her also arrived. Without uttering a word, one of the black-clad men ruthlessly attacked, intending to take her life.

“Walk.”

Xia Yu pushed Xin’er aside, and as the man in black swung his sword, she nimbly dodged it, using the momentum to leap into the air and deliver a powerful kick to the man’s head.

Xia Yu knew the power of this kick. This man in black was just an ordinary person who was strong and had some martial arts skills. He would definitely be stunned for a while after such a kick.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xia Yu seized the knife and slashed it down on the man’s back.

“Ah!!”

The man in black screamed and was quickly subdued by Xia Yu. Xin’er, who had been pushed aside, rushed over and grabbed her clothes: “Sister, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Don’t worry, I’m fine.” Xia Yu glanced at the black-clad man who had lost his fighting ability, her eyes slightly cold, but ultimately she didn’t kill him.

Xia Yu’s skills were also seen by the people fighting nearby. The leader in black was shocked.

Killing these guards and breaking through the defenses would only take a short time. But if they provoked this troublesome guy, things could get complicated.

He didn’t send anyone to cause her any more trouble, but seeing her skill, the head guard of the Xiao family immediately shouted, “Heroine, we are from the Xiao family of Yunzhou! The person sitting in the carriage is our patriarch. Please lend us a hand. Once we kill the thieves and overcome this difficulty, the Xiao family will reward us handsomely!”

The person who came to worship Buddha was actually the head of the Xiao family.

Xia Yu was slightly startled.

Xin’er held her hand, clearly not wanting her to take any risks, after all, the scene before them was far too dangerous.

“Sister, shall we go?!”

Xia Yu knew that if she stood by and watched these people escape without dying, she would be unable to move an inch in Yunzhou. Moreover, although these men in black looked menacing, their chaotic fighting style posed no real threat to her.

Having made up her mind, she said unhurriedly, “Good idea, there will be a generous reward. Tell me how much you plan to give?”