"Are you guys okay? These people are really pushing it too far. Whoever owes the money should be responsible for repaying it. Why do they come after you!" Mei Qingxue stepped forward to help up the young woman and the child. Her anger still burned inside.
"Thank you, thank you, young master, for saving our lives."
"Who the hell are you guys? How dare you interfere with our business? We've got powerful backers! Just you wait and see!" The big man staggered to his feet. He was really unwilling to be subdued by these two brats. Before leaving, he didn't forget to throw out some tough words.
"Wait! Who said you could leave? Weren't you here to collect the debt? How can you go back and report without getting the money?" Mei Qingxue called out to the big man who was about to flee. This kind of thing couldn't be solved just by beating them back this time. The root of the problem had to be addressed. Her eyes casually glanced over the man cowering in the crowd. A glint of harshness flashed in her eyes. Such a man would never learn his lesson without a good lesson!
The big man frowned. He didn't know what Mei Qingxue meant. Didn't they stop them from collecting the debt by attacking them? "What do you mean?"
"It's very simple. Just take this man who owes the money back and make him work as a slave to pay off the debt! You can make him sign a deed of slavery right now." As she said this, Mei Qingxue stepped forward and dragged the man who had hidden in the crowd out.
"He's a man. He's much more capable of working than women and the elderly. Signing him and taking him back will definitely allow you to report back."
Hearing Mei Qingxue's words, the big man secretly cursed. Originally, he planned to come back and arrest the people after Mei Qingxue and the others left! Of course, he knew that a man was more useful than a woman, but it also depended on what kind of man! This Zhang Wansan was lazy and good-for-nothing. Even if they took him back, he wouldn't be of much use. It was far better to sell the woman and the child for money!
"What? Not willing? Or do you plan to let this matter go and clear the debt with him?" Seeing the big man hesitating, Mei Qingxue provoked him again.
"Fine. Bring the deed of slavery and take Zhang Wansan away!" The big man knew that if he didn't do this today, these two people wouldn't let it go. Moreover, judging from their clothes, although they didn't look very gorgeous, the materials were of the highest quality. It seemed that they were either rich or noble. It wasn't worth it to offend someone they shouldn't for a small matter, so he had to agree.
"No! Don't take me away! Wife, wife, please beg this young master to save me! I don't want to sell myself into slavery!" Seeing that the situation was not good, Zhang Wansan quickly knelt in front of his wife, who he had just wanted to sell, and kept pleading, hoping that Mei Qingxue would help him pay off the debt!
"You're simply shameless!" The woman was so angry that she pushed him away.
Amid Zhang Wansan's struggles, the big man took him away and left behind the IOU.
Mei Qingxue gave them some silver so that they could do some small business in the future. After all, the little money she had could only help them for a while, not a lifetime. Watching the backs of the woman and the others leaving, Mei Qingxue let out a soft sigh. In the future, she would still be a good person. Even if she would still be unlucky like before, looking at the looks in the eyes of the people she helped, she didn't have any more doubts.
"Will brother blame Xue'er for meddling in other people's business?" In an elegant private room in Xiangmanyuan, the best restaurant in the capital, Mei Qingxue looked at Mei Haoxuan and asked.
"How could brother blame Xue'er? Brother just didn't expect Xue'er to be so brave." Indeed, he never expected that such a thin and small woman like Mei Qingxue would dare to step forward and fight against the big men without fear. They had always regarded her as a delicate flower, but it seemed that wasn't the case.
"Brother must have had a great time punishing those bad guys!"
"Cough. What are you talking nonsense about, Xue'er? Brother just didn't expect that there would be such arrogant people under the nose of the Son of Heaven. It's really infuriating!" Mei Haoxuan, whose thoughts had been guessed, quickly changed the topic.
"Right! Those bastards who bully the weak by flaunting their powerful connections should be severely punished!" Mei Qingxue angrily clenched her small pink fist. But as soon as the dishes were served, she gorged herself, as if she had completely forgotten about this matter.
Next door to the private room where Mei Qingxue and the others were, a man wearing a jade mask, dressed in a moon-white long gown embroidered with strange totems in silver thread, with the cuffs and the front of the gown outlined in heavy gold thread, his long black hair fixed with a hair crown and a white jade hairpin inserted in it, was standing with his hands behind his back in front of the window. It was not clear where his gaze was fixed.
"Have the people been rescued?"
"Yes, young master. Two young masters have already rescued them. Now they're having lunch next door." The attendant in tight-fitting clothes quickly replied in a low voice.
The man secretly raised his eyebrows. He didn't expect that there were others who liked to meddle in other people's business just like him. "Go and tell the shopkeeper that I'll pay for their meals today."
"Yes, young master."
After the attendant left, the masked man suddenly started to cough violently. Judging from the sound, it seemed to be an old ailment.
The man's hands trembled a little as he took out a jade porcelain bottle from his bosom. He poured out a black pill and quickly put it into his mouth. After swallowing the pill, he drank all the water in the cup. It took quite a while for the violent coughing to gradually subside. His bent body slowly straightened up, his gaze gradually extending out of the window. His long and slender hands tightly clenched, the veins on the back of his hands clearly visible.
In the private room next door, Mei Qingxue, who had been enjoying her meal to the fullest, now happily threw down her chopsticks. Ruyue handed her a silk handkerchief, and she wiped off the remaining juice from the corner of her mouth. Her small hand contentedly patted her now round belly. After rinsing her mouth with tea, she leaned back on the chair without any grace, half-closing her beautiful eyes in comfort.
Mei Haoxuan was extremely surprised by his younger sister. He really didn't understand when her appetite had become so big. It wasn't like this when they were at home. But then he thought that being able to eat was a blessing. As long as Xue'er liked it, he would let her be.
"Brother will take you to the busiest street in the capital later. How about that?"
"Sure." It would be nice to have a look at the luxury street here. At least she could learn about the consumption level of the upper class in this country.
"Eldest young master." Just as Mei Qingxue was about to sit for a while longer before leaving, the voice of their attendant came from outside the door.
Hearing the sound, Mei Haoxuan frowned slightly and asked in a deep voice, "What's the matter?"
The attendant pushed the door open and walked in. He came to Mei Haoxuan's ear and whispered a few words.
Mei Qingxue seemed to be closing her eyes to aid digestion, but when the attendant came in, she opened her eyes and watched his every move, wondering if something had happened.
After the attendant finished speaking, he bowed and stepped back. Mei Haoxuan's tightly knitted eyebrows still didn't relax.