My Promotion Story Through Time Travel

Chapter 34 The Banquet (2)

Lin Ziping went over to see how they played the pitch-pot game.

The scene is similar to the descriptions in movies and TV dramas. Based on his observations, Lin Ziping believes that the underlying principle is similar to shooting a basketball on a basketball court or throwing trash into a trash can, with the key being accuracy.

Imagine having never played basketball before, and being unable to make nine out of ten shots when throwing trash, only to have to run back to pick up the trash and throw it back into the bin. Time travel isn't like being reincarnated; your body can be reconstructed, but your intellectual ceiling won't increase much just because you time travel. Games like pitch-pot, which test both physical and mental strength, aren't really suitable for you.

Lin Ziping left with little interest and went inside.

"Lin Ziping, come sit here."

As soon as I entered, I heard someone calling me again. I looked toward the source of the voice and the face and figure seemed somewhat familiar.

"Zhao Xiancheng?" Lin Ziping thought for a moment and tried to say a name.

"You still remember me? Come over here." Seeing that Lin Ziping didn't come over, Zhao Xiancheng got up and pulled Lin Ziping over.

Upon seeing Lin Ziping approach, the two who were sitting down stood up and bowed.

Lin Ziping recognized the two men's faces but couldn't recall their names. To avoid embarrassment, he pretended to know them and greeted them with a smile.

After everyone was seated, Zhao Xiancheng bowed again: "Lin Ziping thanks you for saving me that day."

The other two also stood up and bowed to Lin Ziping again: "Thank you for saving us that day, Young Master Ziping."

These were two unfortunate brothers who almost got kidnapped! It wasn't very clear inside the cave, but when they came out, the dozen or so of them were covered in dirt, a stark contrast to their current appearance.

“There’s no need for that. We’ve helped each other before, and the way we were rescued was something we came up with together. I just put it into practice first.” Lin Ziping helped the three of them up.

The group sat down again.

Since Zhao Xiancheng was with Ji Xun at the time, now is a good time to ask Zhao Xiancheng about his rescue.

“We got into another carriage, which had a hidden compartment. We were thrown in. Although we managed to loosen the ropes with stones, we couldn’t open the compartment. Later, the soldiers rescued us from inside, and that’s when I found out that you guys had been rescued and sent the soldiers.” Zhao Xiancheng said, still feeling a chill. If Lin Ziping and the others hadn’t told the soldiers, who would have known there was a hidden compartment in the carriage? The five of them might have been taken out of the city and their whereabouts would be unknown now.

Zhao Xiancheng bowed to Lin Zicheng again and said, "I really have to thank Brother Ziping."

Lin Ziping helped the people up again: "We are sworn brothers, and I believe that if you were rescued first, you would tell others. In fact, it was the government officials who rescued us. Without them, we would not have been able to escape no matter what."

The other three nodded in agreement.

The group exchanged information and learned that all three lived in Huaizhou and had suffered this undeserved misfortune while visiting Qingyang that day. All three families ran small businesses, and Zhao Xiancheng was a relative of a collateral branch of the Zhou family in the capital. Although not as capable as Ji Xun, he was still far more successful than the others.

Although he had been through thick and thin with these people, they were still not very familiar with each other. Awkward conversation was really boring, so Lin Ziping excused himself to go to the toilet and left. He went to the courtyard, where Ji Xun and his friends were having a great time, Fang Zhili was discussing poetry with several boys of similar age, and He Jinbao was also playing cricket fighting with a group of people.

The courtyard was bustling with activity, but Lin Ziping felt out of place in the scene.

After leaving the yard, I started wandering around.

Zhuangzi's servants, upon seeing this, said that the peach blossoms behind the mountain were in full bloom and suggested that Lin Ziping go and take a look.

Lin Ziping politely declined the servant's offer to personally lead the way, inquired about the direction, and prepared to go alone. The servant then informed him that the banquet would begin at 1:00 PM, and Lin Ziping promised not to go far.

As he slowly made his way towards the blooming peach blossoms, servants could be seen along the way, all bowing to Lin Ziping. Lin Ziping was a little annoyed by them, so he chose another path. This manor had somehow diverted water to create an artificial lake, and the road was built along the lake. Because of the trees, it was very quiet.

"Lin Ziping".

Looking in the direction of the sound, I saw a child with a little pigtail.

"Are your parents alive?" Lin Ziping asked.

The child walked towards Lin Ziping: "Don't you recognize me?"

Lin Ziping thought for a moment and was sure he didn't recognize her. Could it be that she knew the original owner of this body before?

Seeing that Lin Ziping didn't speak, the child said angrily, "I am Yang Xiaobao. My sister and I were kidnapped by abductors, and you saved us."

Oh, it's the brother and sister from the cave.

"Where is your sister?" Lin Ziping asked. Today, Magistrate Ji was hosting a banquet for Ji Xun's classmates and a dozen or so children who had gone through hardships together.

Yang Xiaobao said in a tearful voice, "My sister was sent to the countryside. They said she's lost her innocence, sob sob..."

Innocent? Lin Ziping was surprised. He hadn't heard this word in a long time since the fall of the Qing Dynasty, so it was quite a shock.

"Your sister didn't do anything?" Lin Ziping asked.

“People around said that Yang Daya was kidnapped for so many days and even shared a room with a boy, so she was no longer a clean girl.” Yang Xiaobao imitated others’ words, then started sobbing again, “When we went back, we weren’t very clean, but after changing our clothes and washing, we were clean. How was my sister not clean?”

While in the cave, Lin Ziping thought that girls would face greater danger than boys when they encountered abduction and trafficking. He was glad that he had dressed as a boy and caused the donkey cart to catch fire at the city gate. Apart from himself and Xiao Fuzi, everyone else was in the carriage. Moreover, Ji Xun said that women had once held power in this dynasty, so shouldn't we be more tolerant of such things? After all, the five girls who were abducted by human traffickers were also victims!

Looking into Yang Xiaobao's eyes, Lin Ziping couldn't explain the difference between people's definition of cleanliness and his own understanding of it, so he asked, "Do you know where your sister was sent to in the countryside?"

Yang Xiaobao thought for a moment and said, "Dad said he wanted to send my sister to a nunnery, but Mom disagreed. Later, they said they would send her to the countryside, but I don't know where the countryside is."

It seems Yang Xiaobao isn't quite sure either. I should probably find out about the other girls. I also haven't seen Xiao Fuzi today; I wonder if she came.

Lin Ziping led Yang Xiaobao to a stone bench, gave him a handful of sunflower seeds he had just taken out of his pocket, and asked, "Who did you come with today?"

Yang Xiaobao peeled sunflower seeds with his hands and said, "I came with my parents. My father and some uncles were in the front yard. My father told me to go find my mother, but my mother was with my aunts. One of my aunts asked a maid to take me to the yard you were in. I came out with you after I saw you come out."

"Then how did you know my name?" Lin Ziping thought for a moment, realizing that he hadn't told him his name.

Yang Xiaobao said, "My sister told me that she overheard your conversation with other people in the cave, and just now, didn't Master Ji's child say that you were Lin Ziping?"

Lin Ziping said nothing more, reached out and ruffled Yang Xiaobao's hair, then took out some sunflower seeds and started eating them.

"Here you go." Yang Xiaobao handed the melon seeds in his hand to Lin Ziping. "My sister said we should be grateful and repay kindness. Thank you."

Lin Ziping indicated that he had one, and Yang Xiaobao raised his hand and looked at him.

Lin Ziping smiled, reached out and took the melon seeds, then placed them in Yang Xiaobao's hand: "Continue."

They showed absolutely no awareness of exploiting child labor.