When Lin Wanwan opened her eyes again, the light had dissipated. In front of her were retro-styled houses, and a little bun had rushed up and was running around her to avoid a weird old woman in an ancient costume.
No, that's not right. Look at this skinny thing. Her buttocks were bare and exposed. There's only a tattered cloth draped over her. She's not a little bun, she's clearly a little beggar.
"Little wretch, how dare you bite me? I'll beat you to death." The old lady in the ancient costume chased after the child, wanting to hit her.
This can't be a filming process, right? They couldn't have had a child method-act this far, right? She looked just like one those starving refugee children in the photo, so pitiful.
"Are you guys filming a movie?" Lin Wanwan asked in her native language.
The old woman in the ancient costume spoke in the local dialect of Yong city. Was this a local movie?
"What movie? It's a mess..." The old woman panted and tried to catch up with the little child for a long time, but she couldn't, so she vented her anger and scolded her. When she saw Lin Wanwan clearly, she suddenly stopped breathing as if she was being strangled. She looked up and down at Lin Wanwan and asked, "You, which family are you from? Why aren't there any servants with you?"
Lin Wanwan didn't answer her. Instead, she suddenly froze and looked around blankly. She looked at the unfamiliar, bustling street and rows of low houses. The shock in her heart couldn't be greater.
Just a moment ago, she was still at the sales center.
Lin Wanwan subconsciously rubbed her eyes, but when she put down her hand and looked again, she still saw the same scene.
On the bluestone road, there were people driving donkey carts, shouting as they passed by.
The hot weather made Lin Wanwan sweat all the more. She didn't sweat easily. "Did I transmigrate?!"
The old woman saw Lin Wanwan's dazed look, rolled her eyes, and said with a smile, "Dear dear, young lady, did you come here to visit the bride? Come, come, come, I'm most familiar with this place. Come with me. I'll get you sorted out."
As she spoke, she stretched out a large yellow hand to grab her.
Those who were unaccountably solicitous were either evil or thieving.
Lin Wanwan took a step back and looked warily at the old woman in the ancient costume in front of her. She said coldly, "Impudent! Do you know who I am?"
Hmph, this old woman did not look like a good person at first glance. She was already unfamiliar with this place, so how could Lin Wanwan just follow her?
When she was in University, she and Chen Jinyu had acted as extras for the film crew in Xiang City many times. They never got any roles beyond that, but they had been allowed to spectate the stars doing their craft. They had picked up a few tricks from watching them. At that moment, she had to pretend to be a noble lady to scare the other party.
Sure enough, the old woman hesitated a little. She looked at the affluent Lin Wanwan again, put away her bad thoughts, and continued to catch the child. She had picked up this child from the market. With just a pair of innocent big eyes, she could tell that she was a beauty. If she were to sell her to that place, she would get at least three to four strings of cash.
"Little brat, come back here. Why are you running around? I'll break your legs!"
"You're a bad person, you're a bad person! I don't know you!" The little refugee screamed and regarded Lin Wanwan as a life-saving straw. She circled around her, not letting the old woman catch her.
When Lin Wanwan heard this, she was immediately filled with righteous indignation. Wasn't this a human trafficker?
She had actually encountered a scene of human trafficking as soon as she transmigrated! How dare they? Human traffickers deserved to be killed! This must be a homeless little child. This old witch had evil intentions when she saw her! That's right, she just only attempted to trick me. Now she wants to kidnap this little one!
How detestable!
Lin Wanwan immediately grabbed the old woman's arm and said coldly, "You're a kidnapper? This little girl doesn't even know you. Why are you after her?"
"What does it have to do with you, whether she knows me or not? You're just some inexperienced canary flying out of her cage. No curtains or veils to protect your face, and not a single servant around you! I can tell with one look that you're not from a good family. Are you from the Yanhong family?" The old woman desperately tried to pull back her hand and curse, while her other hand tried to scratch Lin Wanwan's face.
The "Yanhong family" that the old lady mentioned was the famous courtesan house in the city.
Although Lin Wanwan didn't know about the Yanhong family, she could guess that it was a brothel from the old woman's words.
She quickly scanned her surroundings and saw that a few onlookers had already gathered. Most of the pedestrians on the road looked like they were in very poor conditions. As far as the eye could see, there was not a single piece of brightly colored clothing.
She lowered her head and looked at herself again. Although she was a little frazzled and dusty, she still looked like a crane standing among chickens.
The ancient costume she was wearing was a work uniform gifted by the organizer. It was the same style of clothing worn by the female lead in a very popular ancient costume drama. It was made of silk and yarn. The workmanship and embroidery were extremely exquisite. Together with the improved embroidered shoes, it didn't look out of place on this ancient street.
If there was one problem, it was far too luxurious and did not fit in with the impoverished around her. However, it was actually period-accurate.
If the heat had gotten to her just now, she would have changed into her short-sleeved T-shirt and denim shorts. That would be the end of her. She would definitely be entangled by this arrogant walking stick.
As a newcomer, Lin Wanwan didn't have any status or know the situation except for being dressed in luxurious clothes. She couldn't make a big deal out of it. The old woman in front of her was not an easy person to deal with. Since she dared to do something like robbing a child on the street, even if she was not a local tyrant, she must be involved in the underworld.
Since that was the case, she had to get out of this mess as soon as possible.
Lin Wanwan tapped into her Aikido and instantly threw the old woman on her back, making her cry out in pain. Then, Lin Wanwan picked up the little beggar and ran into the alley ahead without stopping.
The best plan was to leave. No matter what, she had to find a place with fewer people and figure out the current situation first.
After running for a while, Lin Wanwan saw a sign in front of her with a Traditional Chinese character, "Dang." She immediately put down the little child, then tidied her clothes and asked the little escapee, "Where are your parents?"
The little escapee raised her head and looked at her with a pair of bright eyes. "I don't have parents. It was my aunt who brought me to town."
She was actually an orphan!
Lin Wanwan's heart was hit by this pair of innocent eyes in an instant. She seemed to see herself in the past. Because of the death of her parents, her young self was pushed around by her grandparents and uncles, helplessly.
Her aunt had taken this girl here, but she was nowhere to be seen. Did she leave her behind on purpose?
Lin Wanwan asked again, "What about your aunt?" I'll take you to her?"
The little fellow lowered her head and twiddled two black fingers together. She said softly, "I don't know. Auntie said she's going to throw me away."
"Throw you away? As expected!" Lin Wanwan was angry. After calming herself down, she asked, "Little one, how old are you?"
"I'm four years old, and I'll grow up very soon!"
"Four years old ... Even younger than I was back then." Lin Wanwan thought to herself.