Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 200 - 104 Kidnap_2

Chapter 200: Chapter 104 Kidnap_2
Lian Manman put on her old clothes again and climbed down from the kang bed.
"Sister, I’ll go with you," Xiao Qi said.
"I’ll go by myself, stay here and talk to Mom," Lian Manman refused to let Xiao Qi accompany her. Lian Duoduo’s demeanor just now definitely indicated that something was up, and it was something she couldn’t discuss in front of others. If Xiao Qi went with her, Lian Duoduo probably wouldn’t speak up. Well, Lian Manman was indeed very curious about what exactly Lian Duoduo needed her help with.
Lian Manman then headed towards the Upper Room, passed through the outer room, and walked into the backyard. In the garden of the backyard, only cabbage and spinach were left now, along with radishes on the stalks in the vegetable beds, while other areas were bare. It was approaching evening, and the chill in the wind already had a distinct late-autumn feel to it.
Lian Duoduo stood beside the spinach bed, seemingly a bit anxious from waiting, and the anger in her eyes was undisguised when she saw Lian Manman approaching.
"Why did you only come now? I’ve been waiting for ages," Lian Duoduo complained, staring at Lian Manman.
Lian Manman felt amused inside, not knowing how Lian Duoduo’s spoiled temperament had developed. All these days gone, and it seemed there was no change at all.
"Duoduo, is that the tone to use when speaking to me?" Lian Manman didn’t want to lower herself to Lian Duoduo’s level but also wanted to remind Lian Duoduo of some basic manners.
"Me?" Lian Duoduo then remembered that Lian Manman was no longer the weak Lian Manman of the past, and moreover, she needed Lian Manman’s help. "Sister Manman, you’re here."
Lian Manman looked at Lian Duoduo’s awkward manner and felt amused again, then said, "You know I have a lot of chores to do as well, don’t you?"
Lian Duoduo’s gaze then fell on Lian Manman’s feet. Lian Manman had big feet, having been destined to labour since childhood, and her future too was bound to be one of hard work. She, however, was different. Since she was little, she had bound her feet just like the pampered girls from big families in the city. It was because she had bound feet that Brother Qian had saved her and treated her like a treasure, not allowing her to do any work. If it had been Lian Manman, she would definitely have had to cook and work like a common servant girl.
She was born into privilege, while Lian Manman was born into a lowly life. Why should she bother herself with competing with Lian Manman? With these thoughts, Lian Duoduo’s anger subsided somewhat, and the look she gave Lian Manman gained a touch of disdain.
Lian Manman saw all the changes in Lian Duoduo’s expression and guessed that Lian Duoduo was proud of her small feet and looked down upon her big feet, without realizing that Lian Duoduo was actually thinking about Qian Huolang at the moment. Lian Manman did not feel there was anything wrong with having big feet, in fact, she was quite thankful for them and did not take Lian Duoduo’s disdain to heart.
"Duoduo, if you have something to say, just say it," Lian Manman urged.
"Sister Manman, are you going to the market again tomorrow?" Lian Duoduo asked.
"Yes, I am," Lian Manman nodded, "Do you have something for me to take?"
"No, it’s not that," Lian Duoduo shook her head, then looked around to make sure no one else was around before lowering her voice and saying, "Sister Manman, I’m asking you to give someone a message for me..."
"Eh?" Lian Manman was puzzled, "Pass on a message, to whom?"
"To Brother Qian," Lian Duoduo said.
"Brother Qian, which Brother Qian?" Lian Manman asked.
"It’s, it’s that Brother Qian," Lian Duoduo’s face took on a hint of Hong Xia.
"Do you mean Qian Huolang?" Lian Manman was genuinely surprised this time.
"Sister Manman, please, speak softly, don’t let anyone hear," Lian Duoduo hastily said.
Lian Manman couldn’t help but reassess Lian Duoduo from head to toe again.
Lian Duoduo’s face flushed even redder.
"I know what you’re thinking, you all think that Brother Qian bullied me." When she mentioned the word ’bullied,’ Lian Duoduo bit her lip. She remembered how, upon her return, Lady Gu stripped her of all her clothes to check her body in every possible way, the humiliation welling up inside her once more. "Brother Qian isn’t like that, he’s been very good to me."
Lian Manman nodded slightly. She really wanted to know how exactly Qian Huolang had been good to Lian Duoduo, that she still thought of him, yet at the time refused to say a word in Qian Huolang’s defense.
"...I was so scared, if I hadn’t run away, Sister Huahua would definitely have beaten me to death, or mother would have. As I walked out the door, none of you saw me," said Lian Duoduo, starting to cry again.
That day, everyone was busy with Huahua’s affairs and indeed neglected Lian Duoduo.
"...I couldn’t walk anymore, that’s when I met Brother Qian."
"How could you tell him you were a Child Bride?"
"If I told him I ran away from home, he would definitely have taken me back... Child Brides are pitiful, aren’t they? You didn’t want to become one at that time," Lian Duoduo said.
Lian Duoduo was only ten years old, and in her mind, Child Brides were the most pitiful of all. It was hard for her to fabricate such a story, deceiving Qian Huolang.
"...I was actually aiming to go to the town, which is my real home. It turned out that Brother Qian was staying in the very house we used to live in. It must have been heaven lending me a hand," Lian Duoduo continued, "...Brother Qian let me sleep on the bed while he slept on the trunk, he didn’t make me do anything, and every day after he made money, he brought back delicious food for me... No one has ever been kinder to me than Brother Qian."
Lian Duoduo seemed to be lost in some blissful memory, her face revealing a sweet expression. She’d kept all these words bottled up inside, unable to tell them to Lady Gu, nor to Sister Huahua or Lady Chiang, but today, she poured them all out to Sister Manman.
Lian Manman was struck as if by lightning. She stood there stunned. Had she misunderstood Lian Duoduo’s expression and tone? She was just a ten-year-old little girl, after all. Or could it be that young girls matured so early nowadays?
"Lian Duoduo, you, you couldn’t possibly be... fallen for that Huo Lang!"
*******
The additional Chapter for 460 votes in June has finally made up for last month’s backlog, clenched fist.
There will be another update tonight, continue to ask for pink. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to qidian.com to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)