After rebirth, she became the favorite of the powerful minister.

The man who turned around at that time had sunken eye sockets and dark circles under his eyes, which made his pupils look big and round. His face no longer looked thin, but almost emaciated.

Yuan Ge was startled by the other party's horrible appearance. He steadied himself and asked tentatively, "Goudan?"

"What else? You're standing in my house, how could you not know who I am?" The other party searched the empty stove and the cupboard, but he only found a bowl with a piece of cold meat in it. The weather was very cold and the soup was frozen, but he didn't care at all. He just picked up the piece of meat with his bare hands and chewed it, muttering nonchalantly, "This damn old man is so cruel. He really didn't leave me any food. He wanted to starve me to death..."

After saying that, he turned around belatedly and looked at the two people over there again, "Who are you?"

Xu Chengjin had been eating and drinking in the town for the past few days, but he had never seen the son of Zhang the Butcher. Goudan had never seen Xu Chengjin either, but he knew that these two were dressed more elegantly than anyone else he had ever seen. He still had some self-awareness, and there was no such person among his group of friends. He finished the meat slice, poured some water from the kettle and drank it, then asked, "Looking for me?"

Xu Chengjin handed the bundle of silver to Yuan Ge, and greeted him with a warm but insincere smile, "So you are Brother Goudan! I've heard a lot about you! I was drinking with Wang Erjie a few days ago, and he told me that you are his best brother. I passed by today, so I thought I'd come in and visit you."

Brother Goudan... Goudan racked his brains and thought that this should be the first time he had heard such a way of addressing. Most people just called him Goudan, Goudan, and a few like Wang Erjie usually called him Brother Zhang - although compared to the name "Brother Zhang" which reminded him all the time who his father was, he preferred the name Goudan, which sounded like a little beggar without parents.

But this "Brother Goudan"... he sounds very humble and polite at first, but somehow, the more I listen, the weirder he seems.

The other person threw the empty scoop of water into the bucket. Compared to Xu Chengjin's enthusiasm, he seemed particularly cold. When he looked over, there was always a bit of suspicion and tentativeness in his sunken pupils. "Erjiezi? There are not many decent people around him. I have seen them all, but I have never seen you."

Still quite cautious.

Xu Chengjin complained in his heart but explained fluently, "I heard from someone that Wang Erjie is a hunter, so I thought of buying a piece of leather to make a winter coat for my sister. That's why I came here, and it's only been a few days. It's normal that Brother Goudan hasn't seen me. I didn't see Wang Erjie today, so I thought of accompanying my sister around the town. Brother Goudan hasn't eaten yet? How about we eat together? I'll treat you, after all, we're not very familiar with this place."

It was long past mealtime, and only someone like Goudan, who had a reversed day and night schedule, would stand by the stove looking for food at this time.

However, Goudan almost blurred his mind in the repeated "Brother Goudan" that made him feel more and more comfortable. He had never seen such a bright and beautiful man, not to mention that this man was so humble and polite to him. So, the few doubts and temptations he had in the past disappeared instantly. He grinned, smiled, and waved his skinny big hand, "Let's go! I will take you to eat delicious food and drink spicy drinks! Really, you should have said it earlier..." If he had said it earlier, he wouldn't have to chew that piece of cold and greasy meat.

Very disgusting.

However, half an hour later, when Goudan woke up in a dark, empty room without having eaten a single hot meal, he heard the rumbling of his stomach and was glad that he had eaten a piece of meat... In his first thought, he was actually just glad for the piece of meat that he had once despised, until the sound of footsteps came, and he pulled himself out of the pang of hunger. He lifted his sunken eyelids and looked over, his bulging pupils staring straight at him, and there was a strange, creepy feeling in the dim light.

Yuan Ge, who was standing by, shuddered.

Xu Chengjin patted Yuan Ge's shoulder, still polite and enthusiastic, and called with a smile, "Brother Goudan?"

Goudan was not nervous at all. Instead, he looked around nonchalantly.

There were no windows, only a closed door in front. The door was old, with a big gap. Bright white light shone in from the gap, illuminating the thick dust on the ground. Apart from that, there was only a table in the room. On the table was a half-thumb-long candle. The candlelight was trembling and about to go out. The little girl was sitting at the table, holding her chin and looking here. Her expressionless face had a warm jade texture in the swaying candlelight. Goudan realized that this little girl should be the rich lady mentioned in the play. If she really wanted a piece of leather to make clothes, there would naturally be countless people offering it with both hands. Why would she need to travel through mountains and rivers to such a remote place to suffer hardships?

Goudan had already figured it out in his mind, but he was not in a hurry. He was just a ruffian who was not afraid of anything. He often stole chickens and started fights and offended many people, but he had never done anything serious like killing people, and he had no conflict with these young ladies and young masters... He thought quickly and turned his hands that were tied behind the chair. He didn't know how they were tied, and he didn't feel it was very tight at first, but when he twisted his body, he found that he couldn't get rid of it at all.

He simply stopped struggling and just lay down on the chair, looking at Xu Chengjin and said, "Although I am not a good person, I should not have offended you two, right? You said you would treat me to a meal, but you invited me here? Where is the food? Or are you rich people so stingy that you don't even give me a full meal?"

"I'll ask you a few questions first." Xu Chengjin shrugged, tapping his palm with his folding fan, looking rather heartless and indifferent. "If you answer well, I'll feed you. If I don't hear the answer I want... I'm afraid Brother Goudan will have to wait a little longer for this meal."

Goudan's eyes suddenly turned, shifting his gaze back and forth between the two of them, "You ask."

The folding fan paused for a moment, and Xu Chengjin took a step forward slowly and asked directly, "Did you bring Wang Erjie to the gambling house?"

The other party seemed a little shocked by this topic. After being stunned for a moment, he nodded honestly, "Yes, that's right. That guy found me and said he wanted to make some quick money... Funny, how would I know how to make some quick money? If I knew, would it be Wang Erjie's turn? But he didn't believe me. He pestered me every day. I was fed up with him, so I took him to the gambling house. Why? This doesn't work?"