bullyxtreme Chapter 280 She came to save them!
Chapter 280 She came to save them!
After chatting for a while, Yang Jianwu paid Tian Zhong's bill and said goodbye.
Cai Tou led the group away, taking the same route they had come by, except that Hong Feng was now leading four more vegetable vendors by the hand.
The guards at the village gate saw that Yang Jianwu and his two companions had bought four vegetables in one go, and they knew they were wealthy, so they treated them with extra courtesy.
"Hey Cai, where are these customers from? They're certainly generous!"
Cai Tou accepted Yang Jianwu's money but didn't learn much about the group or where they were from. He only mentioned the important details.
"Yes, not only is he generous, but this young man has also become sworn brothers with Manager Tian! Keep your eyes peeled, so you don't stop the wrong person next time they come to the village!"
Manager Tian is the highest-ranking person in the village besides the village chief; he can be considered the second-in-command.
"Oh, we must take good care of Manager Tian's brother. We brothers will remember this. Next time they come, we'll let them through directly."
Yang Jianwu promptly pulled out a large bag of silver coins and handed it to the guard who had spoken earlier. "Thank you, brother. These small coins are for the brothers to have some wine. I hope you won't mind!"
The guard quietly weighed the silver in his hand. Good heavens, there was quite a lot! Each of his brothers on guard duty would have a piece left over.
The guard bowed and thanked him, "On behalf of my brothers, thank you, young master!"
Yang Jianwu waved his hand generously, "You're too kind, there's a long road ahead!"
After leaving the village and bidding farewell to Cai Tou, the three mounted their horses and departed.
Hongfeng held the rope in his hand, and the four "vegetarians" ran behind him. The Shi siblings had suffered since childhood and were still able to keep up, but the scholar and another person were in a worse state. They staggered along and were about to fall down because they didn't pay attention to their footing.
The scholar's clothes were barely enough to cover his shame, and now they were battered and bruised, making him look like a beggar.
"Uuuuuuu~"
The scholar whined and begged for death, but Hongfeng ignored him completely. Those who lack common sense deserve to suffer.
After leaving Cai Tou's sight, they traveled for a while longer, making sure no one had noticed them, before the three of them stopped their horses.
Hongfeng untied the ropes from the four men. Once the scholar was free, he started cursing and swearing. Hongfeng couldn't hold back and slapped the scholar twice across the face.
They kindly saved him from dire straits, and he still has the nerve to curse them? Who gave him the audacity?!
The scholar glared at Hongfeng defiantly, still muttering under his breath.
The man, who didn't know the group, stood there bewildered, looking lost. He didn't want to become a slave, but since he had been bought by these people, he had no say in the matter. He could only ask them to let him live a few more days.
"Miss Yang!"
Shi Rong had always called Yang Jianwu "Sister Yang" because she felt there was little difference between them. Now that she had been sold off like a vegetable, her status was naturally not what it used to be.
The title was changed from "Sister Yang" to "Miss Yang".
Shi Rong pulled Shi Yao to Yang Jianwu's side, and made her younger brother kneel down to kowtow to Yang Jianwu.
"Thank you, Miss Yang, for saving my brother and me! We are so grateful to you, Miss Yang, we are willing to serve you like an ox or a horse to repay your kindness!"
"girl?!"
The scholar immediately fell silent upon hearing Shi Rong's words, and then took a closer look at Yang Jianwu's features.
Um... I can't see where the girl is. Since the brother and sister are certain that she is a girl and she hasn't refused, then it must be true.
So...she came to save them!
Yang Jianwu ignored the scholar and quickly helped Shi Rong and Shi Yao up. She couldn't stand others kneeling before her, for no other reason than that she was afraid of shortening her lifespan.
"Get up, get up! Tell me what happened? Weren't you and Yao'er looking for relatives? How come you're here again?"
Perhaps it was because something sad had been brought up, because Shi Rong's tears started falling like they were free.
“Miss Yang, my brother and I have found our uncle, but he doesn’t manage the household; it’s all up to our aunt. She thinks Yao’er can’t work and wants extra food, so she beats and scolds him all the time. I stood up for my brother and said a few words in rebuttal, which made my aunt hold a grudge.”
Hongfeng curled his lips, "Your aunt is really vicious. She'll sell people like meat if she's unhappy?"
“My aunt initially wanted to sell me to a brothel, but an epidemic broke out in Guning City, and the brothel had no business. The madam was unwilling to take me in, so she contacted a human trafficker!”
Shi Rong wiped away her tears and continued, "My aunt heard from the slave trader that they would take both men and women as slaves. If she sold me to the Red Chamber, she would only get one share of the money. But if we were sold as slaves, she could get two shares and solve the problem of my brother and me at the same time. So she sold us both as slaves!"
With Hongfeng around, Yang Jianwu didn't need to ask any more questions; someone else would ask them for her.
Doesn't your uncle object?
"My uncle was unwilling, but there was nothing he could do. The family didn't have much savings to begin with, and since it was my aunt who made the decision, he could only let it go."
"Hmph! You're utterly useless!"
After learning about the Shi siblings' situation, Yang Jianwu looked at the stranger and the scholar.
The scholar realized he had misunderstood several people, and his earlier outburst of insults and beatings were entirely his own fault.
"I'm sorry, everyone. I misunderstood! Please forgive me, sirs."
The scholar had his head shaved, his clothes were tattered, his face was covered in bruises, and he spoke in a refined manner, but his voice trembled slightly from the cold, making him look particularly comical.