Zheng Xiu had managed to worm out just about all the intel Xiaotao had on Yunhe Village—everything short of what color undergarments she wore. Before long, Xiaotao was even recounting the story of how she came to be there.
Xiaotao was originally the daughter of a wealthy merchant in the city. She had been well-educated and sensible since childhood, skilled in the four arts. One day, mounted bandits ravaged their town. As the wealthiest family, Xiaotao's was the first to be targeted. Her entire family was massacred. Because Xiaotao was so pretty, the bandits planned to take her back to their mountain stronghold to be their chieftain's wife.
On the way, that gang of bandits was ambushed by the people of Yunhe Village in a classic case of dog-eat-dog. Xie Luohe had personally led a "foraging" party and, in the process, brought Xiaotao back to the mountain to be a maid.
