288 BARTER edited

"Young Miss Senja is very compassionate." The woman held Senja's hand with gratitude.

"No, no, I am not." Senja waved her free hand impatiently.

**Compassionate?! She will be shocked if she knows the real me! **

"What about your sister?"

Yoda and his mother looked to the floor when Senja mentioned the girl.

"My daughter was sold to a different City. The Zhao family in H city." Yoda's mother was crying again.

"We just returned from H city." Xun mumbled.

"You just came from there?" Senja asked, "Then, you know the Zhao family?"

"Of course!" Sheng nodded.

"The head of the current Zhao family is a local official."

"Hmm… but, the rumor around them isn't good at all."

"They are very cruel to their servants."

"The family even kills them just for fun."

"They cut those poor servants' hair, even turn them bald."

"They even cut their fingers."

And… they were at it again! The twin siblings and their nonsense ramblings, ignoring Yoda's mother who was crying a river and Yoda who had grown pale by now.

"Enough both of you!" Senja interrupted their unsolicited running commentary before it took a turn for worse.

"How long does it take from here to H city?"

"2 days."Pat came Xun's reply.

"And the both of you know the Zhao family, right?"

Sheng and Xun nodded in tandem.

"Now, go back to H city and bring back Yoda's sister."

"Why??!" They cried in unison.

"I don't want to go back there!"

"We need to find Uncle Su!"

"Right!" Sheng added.

"You won't find Uncle Su anyway." Senja said and then she turned to face Yoda and his mother. "Yoda, take your mother out of here. I have a way to bring back your sister."

Yoda agreed, he hadn't the slight clue as to how Senja would save his sister. However, Senja had every intention to help and he was very grateful for that. As for her plan, he would ask her later.

After Yoda had taken his mother from the restaurant, Senja turned to the twins.

"I think Uncle Su came here to look for me."

"I guess so." Sheng nodded in assent, "He insisted on coming to this city."

"He received a message yesterday saying you have returned."

The twins had been following Uncle Su even when Senja was still at the Roccaleaf Tea House. Thus, they'd a hunch that Uncle Su had the intention to meet her.

"Okay, for now the two of you have to help me bring Yoda's sister back from the Zhao family."

"Why should we help you?" Xun grumbled again.

But before Sheng contributed to Xun's complaints, Senja had cut him off.

"Simply because I have something that Uncle Su wants and I will trade it only with Yoda's sister."

"Then let Uncle Su be the one to bring her back!" Xun wasn't someone to budge easily.

"It's a waste your time if you wait for Uncle Su. Because I will tell him the same thing if he came looking for me."

With that she had hit the nail on the head.

They didn't know when they would find Uncle Su and if they had to wait until Uncle Su appeared, it would delay their return even further. The thing that Uncle Su wanted was in Senja's hand. Though they didn't know what it was, but knowing Uncle Su's personality sooner or later they would need to fulfill Senja's conditions.

As for Senja, Yoda couldn't possibly whisk away his sister from an official's household. With his status, of course it was near impossible. Thus, assigning this task to this bickering pair was a better solution.

As to how they would retrieve Yoda's sister, it was up to them of course. Senja cared a whit about what method they would use.

After giving it some thought, Sheng agreed, "Alright. But if Uncle Su finds you before we find him, you must ask him to come find us."

"Okay."

A miserable Xun, still unwilling to shoulder this extra burden asked, "At least give us the girl's name."

"Wait here!"Senja shot them two words before running out of the restaurant to ask Yoda.