vstars Chapter 480: Catching Little Ghosts by the Stream
Chapter 480: Catching Little Ghosts by the Stream
And so, the three of them spent a month quietly at Fuxiang Pavilion. Fang Xiaoxiao and Li Wan'er, with their outstanding talents, gradually gained some fame at Fuxiang Pavilion. Many literati, officials, and dignitaries were attracted to them and enjoyed their performances. Because the two sold their art but not their bodies, these people became even more curious and devoted, willing to spend large sums of money to support them.
As the saying goes, some are happy while others are sad. The more famous Fang Xiaoxiao and Li Wan'er become, the more the other girls in Fuxiang Pavilion hate them to the bone.
Just as Fang Xiaoxiao and Li Wan'er returned to the courtyard, a woman named Liu Mei, accompanied by her maid, arrogantly approached them. Liu Mei was dressed in brightly colored silks and satins, and her makeup was exquisite, but she could not hide the jealousy and resentment in her eyes.
She showed no malice, but instead took out a packet of white powder from her bosom and handed it to the two girls with a fake smile on her face, saying, "My two sisters, this is a good thing. It can make people feel happy and full of energy." In her opinion, Fang Xiaoxiao and her sister were just country bumpkins who had never seen the world and certainly didn't know that Five-Stone Powder was such a valuable thing.
Fang Xiaoxiao stared at the packet of white powder, her alarm bells ringing. She knew exactly what it was. Li Wan'er, on the other hand, looked bewildered and was about to reach for it when Fang Xiaoxiao stopped her in time.
Fang Xiaoxiao looked at Liu Mei with a cold gaze and said, "Sister Liu Mei, we dare not accept this."
Liu Mei's expression changed, and she said, "Hmph, don't be ungrateful. This is a treasure that many people would kill for."
Fang Xiaoxiao replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Thank you for your kindness, sister, but we are not worthy of such a thing."
Liu Mei sneered, "Don't pretend to be high and mighty here. In this Floating Fragrance Pavilion, who doesn't want to have some fun?"
Hongxiu said from the side, "Miss Liumei, we really don't need it."
Liu Mei glared fiercely at Hong Xiu: "Who do you think you are, daring to interrupt?"
Fang Xiaoxiao said, "Sister Liu Mei, we just want to perform honestly. You should keep this stuff for yourself."
Liu Mei, enraged and embarrassed, said, "Fine, you just wait and see, you'll see!" With that, she stormed off with her maid.
Li Wan'er said with lingering fear, "Xiao Xiao, what should we do? If we offend her, we're afraid we won't have a good life from now on."
Fang Xiaoxiao comforted her, "Don't be afraid, we'll handle it carefully."
Back in the hut, Hongxiu frowned and muttered to herself, "Why would that woman Liu Mei give us something as valuable as Five-Stone Powder? It's really strange."
Li Wan'er asked with curiosity, "Xiao Xiao, is Wushi Powder really that terrifying?"
Fang Xiaoxiao sat at the square table, eating pastries, but her mind was preoccupied with how to deal with the jealous women. In her mind, the most common scenes in palace dramas from her past life were women tearing each other apart. Those women would stop at nothing to achieve their own interests, using every dirty trick in the book. When women get ruthless, men are nothing. If a man is unhappy with someone, at most he'll challenge them to a duel, but women are something else entirely. They'll not only kill you, but they'll also ruin your reputation, ensuring you're cursed hundreds of times even after you're dead.
Thinking of this, Fang Xiaoxiao couldn't help but shiver. Seeing this, Li Wan'er stepped forward with concern and asked, "Xiaoxiao, what's wrong? I thought you had caught a cold."
Fang Xiaoxiao waved her hand and said, "It's nothing, I just thought of some bad things."
Hongxiu then said, "We all need to be careful from now on. That woman Liu Mei won't let this go easily, otherwise we could easily be framed."
The three female protagonists lay on the same bed, chatting and planning what they should pay attention to in the future.
The next morning, Fang Xiaoxiao and Li Wan'er had nothing to do, so they decided to take Hongxiu for a walk by the stream. Now that they had a good reputation and brought a lot of revenue to Fuxiang Pavilion, Jin Sanniang didn't make things difficult for them anymore, but she still sent people to monitor their every move.
Although the Jiaofangsi was a place, it covered a vast area, roughly the size of a small county town. Fang Xiaoxiao and her two companions arrived at their destination in a carriage, which swayed gently.
As soon as they got out of the car, a breath of fresh air filled the air, a babbling brook flowed gently, and lush green grass and blooming flowers lined the banks. The three of them immediately felt much more relaxed.
Fang Xiaoxiao took a deep breath and said, "This place is so beautiful, much better than Fuxiang Pavilion."
Li Wan'er ran happily to the stream, squatted down, splashed the water with her hands, and laughed, "Yes, I wish I could stay here forever."
Hongxiu looked at them, and a long-lost smile appeared on her face.
Just then, a commotion arose from not far away. Fang Xiaoxiao and her two companions exchanged glances and curiously went to investigate. They found a group of people gathered together, seemingly arguing about something.
Fang Xiaoxiao squeezed in and saw that two vendors were arguing over a piece of land.
One of the vendors said, "I've always had this spot for my stall, what right do you have to steal it?"
Another vendor retorted, "Who said it's yours? Show me your proof!"
Fang Xiaoxiao shook her head, thinking: There is truly no place for conflict in this world.
Fang Xiaoxiao and her two companions stood in the crowd watching the commotion when, at that moment, a clever little girl took advantage of Hongxiu's inattention and stole her purse. Fortunately, Fang Xiaoxiao reacted quickly and caught the little girl in an instant.
When the little girl realized she had been caught red-handed, she immediately started crying and screaming. Her shrill cries instantly drew the attention of everyone around her. A crowd gathered around and began pointing and whispering about Fang Xiaoxiao.
"This girl looks pretty, how can such a grown woman bully a child? She's shameless!" an older woman said, shaking her head.
"That's right, that's right. What bad intentions could a child have? It must be a misunderstanding," someone chimed in.
Li Wan'er didn't understand why she was so fixated on a child, and asked with a puzzled look, "Xiao Xiao, what's going on? Why are you getting so worked up over a child?"
Hongxiu asked Fang Xiaoxiao curiously, "Miss Fang, what's wrong?"
Fang Xiaoxiao shook the embroidered bag in her hand and said, "Look what this is?"
Hongxiu asked, puzzled, "Fang Xiaoxiao, why are you taking your own wallet?"
Fang Xiaoxiao nearly vomited blood in anger, and shouted, "I got this from the little girl!"
The little girl immediately retorted, "You're talking nonsense! You stole the wallet! You're framing an innocent person!"
Fang Xiaoxiao glared at her and said, "You're so young and you're already doing bad things, stealing and lying!"
People around started talking. Some believed Fang Xiaoxiao, while others felt sorry for the little girl and thought she couldn't be a thief.
Fang Xiaoxiao calmed down and said, "Everyone, please stop arguing. Let's search this little girl to see if there are any other stolen items, and then we'll know the truth."
Upon hearing this, a flicker of panic crossed the little girl's eyes, but she still stubbornly insisted, "You can't search me, this is bullying!"
At this moment, an old man stepped out from the crowd and said, "Young lady, why don't you report this to the authorities and let the officials judge the case? That would be fairer."
Fang Xiaoxiao thought for a moment and nodded, "Alright, then let's report it to the authorities!"
When the little girl heard that the authorities would be notified, she turned pale with fright and finally confessed to stealing the wallet.
"I'm sorry, sister, I was wrong, I won't do it again," the little girl said, crying.
Fang Xiaoxiao's heart softened when she saw her pitiful appearance, and she said, "It's good that you know you were wrong. You can't steal things again in the future."
The commotion subsided, and Fang Xiaoxiao and her two companions continued their stroll along the stream.
As they walked, Li Wan'er suddenly said, "Xiao Xiao, we really owe you a lot just now, otherwise Hongxiu's purse would never have been found."
Fang Xiaoxiao smiled and said, "Why talk about these things between us sisters?"
Hongxiu also said, "Yes, thank you so much, Miss Fang, this time."
Just then, the sky suddenly darkened, and it looked like it was about to rain.
"Oh no, it's going to rain! Let's hurry back," Fang Xiaoxiao said.
The three of them hurriedly ran towards the carriage...