Seeing Mo Yan and Bai Cang leave one after another, Ye Ming looked at the woman in his arms who was drunk, and gently shook his head with a loving smile.
He was about to lift her up, but she waved her hand, "I'm fine, I can still walk. How about we go to the night market in Qixia City again? I heard it's very lively here."
Ye Ming sighed helplessly, looking at her eager eyes, finally gave in.
After all, with himself watching over her, nothing bad could happen.
He gently took her hand, and their figure gradually merged into the bustling crowd.
At night, the Qixia City was brightly lit and bustling with people's voices.
There were various stalls with a wide array of goods, some selling rare herbs, others exquisite jewelry, and performers doing all sorts of acrobatics, drawing cheers from the gathered crowd.
Yu Yaohua seemed to have returned to her childhood, filled with curiosity about everything. She grabbed Ye Ming's hand and ran around here and there, occasionally stopping to comment on the treasures on display at some stalls.
Ye Ming patiently followed behind her, buying the things she liked.
After many years of traveling, he had already learned that you had to pay for things. Because of this, he was laughed at by Yao'er for a long time.
To this day, thinking about it still makes him somewhat embarrassed.
Suddenly, Yu Yaohua stopped at a small stall selling sugar figures. Her eyes were glued to the lifelike sugar figures, and her lips curved slightly upward.
Seeing this, Ye Ming softly laughed and said, "If you like it, go ahead and buy it."
But she shook her head, a mischievous light flashing in her eyes, "No, I want you to draw one for me."
The surrounding people heard this and looked at Yu Yaohua curiously, all wondering how this gentleman could draw a sugar figure out of thin air.
This is a busy street; where on earth would he find ink and paper to draw with?
Is the young master going to borrow paper and ink from a nearby bookstore?
Ye Ming was startled, then realized that Yao'er was deliberately teasing him.
He laughed softly, drew out a delicate jade pen from his sleeve, and lightly waved it in the air. A streak of light flashed, and a finely crafted sugar figure appeared in his palm.
The sugar figure was exactly like Yu Yaohua, lifelike as if it would come to life at any moment.
The surrounding people rubbed their eyes, rubbed their eyes again, and for a moment, they thought they had gone blind.
"Oh my goodness, this young master actually drew a sugar figure! What's going on?"
"Is this really true? Couldn't the young master possibly be an acrobat?"
"Unclear. Suddenly creating sugar figures out of thin air is unusual, and I didn't expect this young master to have such a talent."
The surrounding people began to chatter among themselves, and soon, they all gathered around out of curiosity.
But no one associated Ye Ming with the figure of a deity.
They only thought he would perform tricks, as the streets often saw such performances like "magic" transformation, spitting fire from the mouth, or breaking big stones with their chests. The local people had witnessed many such acts.
Although they didn't know how he did it, such tricks were not rare.
Yu Yaohua smiled slightly and happily took the sugar figure that Ye Ming had given her. She couldn't stop smiling and said, "Ye, you are really amazing! This is the most beautiful sugar figure I've ever seen!"
Ye Ming looked at her affectionately, his eyes filled with tenderness: "As long as you like it, I can draw one for you every day in the future."
The two of them looked at each other and smiled, their understanding and warmth seemed to make the air around them sweeter.
The surrounding people were still talking in confusion, marveling at Ye Ming's ability to suddenly create a sugar figure.
Yu Yaohua pulled Ye Ming's hand and squeezed through the crowd to come out.
"Let's go, we'll see other things," Yu Yaohua said.
Ye Ming nodded, allowing her to lead him through the night market.
Their figures were illuminated by the light of the lamps, looking particularly warm. And this bustling night market was also enriched with a unique touch thanks to their presence.
At the same time, at the Wan Hua Building.
At this time, Rou Yan had already been carried back to her room. She had drunk the alcohol-clearing soup and slept for a while. When she woke up, she was feeling much better, but her head was still splitting with a headache.
It felt like a multitude of small hammers were pounding in her head.
It was evident that the effects of the strong liquor were still lingering and had not fully dissipated.
The madam saw that she had woken up and immediately came over, "Oh, my dear daughter, you've finally woken up. I've been so worried about you."
As she spoke, she gently wiped the fine sweat on Ruan Yan's forehead with a silk handkerchief, but her eyes flashed with sharpness.
Ruan Yan managed to sit up with difficulty, her head throbbing so intensely that she instinctively reached for the silver notes and gemstones on her body. Seeing that they were all still there, she silently heaved a sigh of relief.
These wealths would be enough for her to escape the red-light district and start a new life, finding a place where no one would recognize her and then getting married to someone.
The madam saw the actions in her eyes and smiled even more brightly, guessing a few of her plans in her mind.
If it were another girl, once she had saved up enough money for redemption, the madam would naturally let her go. But Ruan Yan was different.
This was her livelihood, her treasure trove. No matter how much silver she had, she wouldn't let her go easily.
Ruan Yan's brow slightly furrowed as she looked at the madam's fake smile, and a wave of repulsion rose in her heart.
She knew what the madam was thinking; it was just about the money she had on her.
"Madam, I'm tired, I want to rest for a while."
Ruan Yan spoke softly, trying to get rid of the madam.
The madam would not leave, speaking even more sweetly, "Ruan Yan, you made a big profit tonight, especially those few young masters. They keep throwing silver notes at you one stack after another, not to mention the gems. At my age, I've never seen a young master so generous with his spending."
Ruan Yan listened and knew that the madam was trying to take advantage of her silver notes and gems, her inner disgust growing even stronger.
She had planned to use these silver notes and gemstones to buy her freedom, and she certainly couldn't give them to her mother.
"Madam, those are just random bonuses given by the guests on a whim, and I got lucky enough to receive them."
She masked her inner repulsion and spoke.
The madam gave her a glance and her smile became even more insincere, "What do you mean not much? Just those few jars of strong wine, one jar costs ten thousand taels, and you had two jars, so that's twenty thousand taels. Then there's the silver notes and gems you threw on stage. That really is a considerable amount of wealth."
Ruan Yan's heart tightened, and her dislike and panic grew even stronger. She was afraid that the madam would take her silver notes and gemstones without a care.
"Madam, this money is earned with my life. I will take good care of it, and there's no need for you to worry."
The madam's face changed slightly, but she quickly regained her smile.
"Ruan Yan, you little girl, how could you be so careless? There are many people in the Wanhua Building, and it's not safe to keep so much money with you. Why don't you entrust it to me? I will keep it safe for you until you need it."
Ruan Yan chuckled coldly in her heart. How could she not know the madam's intentions? "Madam, I will take care of it myself. You can rest assured."
Seeing Ruan Yan's firm attitude, the madam could not press on any further and had to reluctantly say, "Alright, then take good care of yourself and rest well. If you need anything, call for me anytime."
After saying that, she turned to leave the room and began to scheme in her heart on how to get her hands on those funds from Ruan Yan.
In the night market, Yu Yaohua and Ye Ming continued their shopping.
Suddenly remembering something, Yu Yaohua said to Ye Ming beside her, "Night, I want to go back to Flower World."
She has never been back to Flower World since she was transported to this world.
In fact, as the ruler of Flower World, she is far from qualified. Fortunately, there is not much big trouble in Flower World, and it is managed by the Flower Grandmother.
Ye Ming nodded slightly, his eyes filled with tenderness. "Alright, if you want to go, then let's go."
Yu Yaohua smiled slightly and, after browsing the night market for a while, the two of them found a nearby inn to rest.
In the Wan Hua Building, after returning to her room, the madam was still thinking about how to get those funds from Ruan Yan.
She knew that Ruan Yan was stubborn and wouldn't give the money easily.
If the amount is not too big, she wouldn't be too insistent.
But such a huge fortune, if she doesn't get her hands on it, she can't sleep at night.
Even if she had to kill Ruan Yan and start over by raising a new girl, it would be worth it.
Not to mention the piles of silver notes, just those few gemstones are also priceless treasures that can't be bought with money.
The madam's heart itched more and more intensely.
She frowned, pacing back and forth in her room, thinking of various ways.
Maybe she could find an opportunity to have someone steal Ruan Yan's silver notes and gemstones? Or use some means to force Ruan Yan to give them up?
The madam isn't afraid of Ruan Yan causing a scene. An orphan with no one to rely on can do whatever she wants.
She thought about it for a long time and decided to first send someone to secretly monitor Ruan Yan's every move, looking for the right opportunity to strike.
She called a few of her trusted underlings and whispered instructions, "Keep a close eye on Ruan Yan. As soon as you get the chance, take her silver notes and gemstones. Remember, don't let her suspect anything."
The underlings received their orders and left.
The madam sat on the chair, her lips slightly curled, and a glint of greed flashed in her eyes.
Meanwhile, in the room, Ruan Yan was also filled with unease.
She knew that her mother wouldn't give up easily and would definitely find ways to take away her fortune.
She had considered taking her silver notes and gemstones and fleeing, but she was well aware of the strict management of the Wanhua Building.
As a child, she had tried to escape a few times, only to be beaten nearly to death each time. Afterward, she never dared to try again.
She hid the silver notes and gemstones in the most inconspicuous place in her room, thinking of finding an opportunity to discuss the matter of buying her freedom with her mother.
However, she did not know that her actions of hiding the silver notes and gemstones were secretly watched by someone.
