Hong Dai glanced at her subordinates, who were still in pain, and raised an eyebrow. "Madam barged into Qingfeng Pavilion and injured my people. What do you think I will do?"
Her tone was soft but her demeanor was commanding.
Li Yue Shu looked at the few men and said with some helplessness, "This is all a misunderstanding. My son was kidnapped and brought to Qingfeng Pavilion. I was anxious to save him, so I had to resort to this."
Although she offered an apologetic explanation, Li Yue Shu's composure did not waver.
Hong Dai examined the person before her carefully, a hint of admiration flashing in her eyes. "What is your name?"
"Li Yue Shu."
Hong Dai raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Are you the owner of Heng De Pharmacy?"
Li Yue Shu nodded, somewhat surprised that she knew her.
"I've long heard that the owner of Heng De Pharmacy in the neighboring town is young, beautiful, and exceptionally skilled in medicine. I didn't expect to have the honor of meeting you on the street today."
Hong Dai smiled, but her expression turned cold. "But you and your companions broke into Qingfeng Pavilion, injured my people, and smashed my establishment. Shouldn't we settle this score?"
Hearing this, Li Yue Shu was stunned. "Is there some misunderstanding here?"
Hong Dai chuckled softly. "Shortly after you broke into Qingfeng Pavilion and left, two mysterious men barged in, specifically asking for a scholar named Shen Yi Min."
"They injured my people and smashed my Qingfeng Pavilion. Shouldn't I settle this score properly?"
Li Yue Shu truly hadn't expected such a thing. At the time, she was solely focused on saving her son and was completely unaware of what happened afterward.
But besides her, who else would be so desperate to find Shen Yi Min?
Moreover, in the original story, Shen Yi Min was never rescued and even became corrupted because of it.
Li Yue Shu felt that there was something she was overlooking, but now was clearly not the time to dwell on these thoughts.
She met Hong Dai's gaze directly and calmly said, "This matter truly has nothing to do with me. If I were in league with those two men, why would I go to the trouble of secretly kidnapping someone for questioning?"
Hong Dai also considered this point. However, the two men who broke into Qingfeng Pavilion were too mysterious. The only lead she had was the woman standing before her.
Sensing a moment of hesitation in Hong Dai's eyes, Li Yue Shu spoke up, "To be frank, the restaurant diagonally across from Qingfeng Pavilion will soon be under my ownership."
"If Madam is willing, there is an opportunity for mutual benefit. I would like to explore it with Madam."
Seeing Li Yue Shu's calm and collected demeanor from beginning to end, Hong Dai became more interested. "Tell me more."
Li Yue Shu had only just had this idea and didn't have a more detailed plan.
She glanced at the sky and said, "It's clearly not the time to discuss this now. I have a group of children waiting at home. How about I visit Qingfeng Pavilion personally at a later date?"
She paused and added, "Heng De Pharmacy is not far from Qingfeng Pavilion. If Madam fears I will run away, you can come to my place anytime."
Hong Dai looked at her thoughtfully, as if considering the credibility of her words.
After a long moment, she suddenly chuckled softly. "My name is Hong Dai. I will be waiting for Madam's arrival at Qingfeng Pavilion."
With that, she stepped aside, revealing the ox cart behind her.
Li Yue Shu was surprised that she had agreed so easily and began to regard the Qingfeng Pavilion owner, who called herself Hong Dai, with more importance.
Despite their brief conversation, she could tell that this woman was nothing like the proprietor of a small-town pleasure house.
Her demeanor and perceptiveness suggested she was a person of significant standing.
She nodded to Hong Dai and then slowly drove her ox cart home.
The attendant behind her looked incredulous. "Madam, you just believed her words? What if she's lying and we can't find her?"
Hong Dai tossed her hair, her movements as alluring as ever. "When have I ever misjudged someone?"
"Uh..." The attendant hesitated. "Don't you always say your only flaw is poor eyesight?"
Hong Dai gave him a displeased look. The attendant immediately realized he had said the wrong thing and shrunk back, feigning innocence.
...
Li Yue Shu drove back at a decent pace, but as she was using a slow ox cart, it was already late at night by the time she arrived home.
From a distance, she saw light emanating from her house, indicating someone was waiting.
She tied up the ox cart and pushed open the door with a gentle smile.
"Creak—"
At that moment, all eyes turned towards her.
Li Yue Shu was surprised, clearly not expecting everyone to be there, not even the ailing Mother Mo, who was staying up with them.
Seeing her, the anxiety and worry on everyone's faces turned into joy.
"Madam, you're finally back!"
"Are you alright? Why are you back so late? Did something happen?"
"A Shu, are you injured? Are you feeling unwell?"
...
Faced with their barrage of questions, Li Yue Shu was momentarily at a loss.
She had explicitly told them she would return after dark and not to wait up, yet they had still worried.
A warmth spread through Li Yue Shu's heart.
She smiled gently at everyone and reassured them, "It took some time to handle a matter, so I'm back late. I'm fine, I apologize for making you worry."
Everyone examined her carefully. Once they were certain she was unharmed, their heavy hearts finally relaxed.
Shen Wei had been secretly observing Li Yue Shu's every move. Due to the dim light, his expression was unreadable.
He had already received news from Xing He before Li Yue Shu's return.
He had previously checked and found that Li Yue Shu had no internal energy, only some basic martial skills.
Yet, without internal energy, she had managed to discover Xing He's whereabouts. How had she done it?
...
Li Yue Shu obtained the deed to the restaurant but did not rush to drive out the existing occupants.
She asked the county magistrate to handle all the necessary paperwork. Then, with money in hand, she sought out the woman who had snatched Wei Niang's husband.
Wei Niang's imprisonment was primarily due to her injuring this woman. If the woman was willing to drop the charges, Wei Niang would no longer have to remain in jail.
She had learned from the county magistrate that the woman's sole desire was Wei Niang's restaurant.
Now that the restaurant was in her possession, and with a little more money, she was confident the woman would agree.
Indeed, after a moment's hesitation, the woman agreed outright.
By the time the man realized what was happening, the woman had already taken the money and fled. Wei Niang was also released from the dungeon.
The man had no idea what had transpired and was still trying to make sense of it all when the restaurant suddenly had a new owner.
Naturally, the man was unwilling to accept this and went to the restaurant to cause a scene. It was at this moment that Li Yue Shu, along with Wei Niang, arrived to take a look at the restaurant.
She planned to renovate the entire establishment. Wei Niang, still having sentimental attachments to the place, naturally wanted to see it one last time.
"Wei Lian Yi, you wicked woman, are you trying to drive me to my death!"
The man suddenly appeared from somewhere, lunging at Wei Niang like a madman.