Pei Xia pondered for a moment, then softened his tone. "I see you're a newbie. You probably don't come here often. Well, forget about the hundred taels. I'll give you a 50% discount. Fifty taels will do."
After saying that, Pei Xia took back his own stake and distributed the dozens of taels he won from gambling to the supervisor of the gambling house and the brothers he knew. He told them to go and buy wine with it.
He scattered the remaining silver pieces and copper coins to the beggars outside, which won him many cheers. "Big Brother is so generous. Thanks, bro!"
Of course, Qi Hao, who was also present, was given five taels.
Pei Xia turned his face and looked at Qi Hao with a smile.
Qi Hao clutched the silver tightly. His face quickly flushed red, and he said in a hurry, "Little Brother thanks Big Brother. I'll go home now to raise the silver."
The next day, Pei Xia waited for Qi Hao in the gambling house.
Qi Hao ransacked his home and then went to the Pang family to make a scene. He managed to get eight taels of silver.
Pei Xia smiled and said, "Since you're here, why not try your luck?"
As a result, Qi Hao owed Pei Xia another two hundred and fifty taels.
Adding the discounted fifty taels from yesterday, it came to a total of three hundred taels of silver.
Pei Xia sat on the side drinking tea. In the June heat, Qi Hao was sweating profusely with cold sweat.
He finally woke up.
Three hundred taels!
Where could he find so much silver?
The eight taels he got from home yesterday was already the limit.
The betrothal gift that Second Master Pang gave his sister had all been used to pay off the debts in the brothel.
Qi Hao wished his mother could give birth to another sister for him!
He saw Pei Xia sitting there with a gloomy face, wearing silk clothes and a jade crown on his head. He wondered which wealthy young master he was.
Qi Hao thought to himself that this situation was really bad. This matter definitely couldn't end well. He rolled his eyes and was about to slip away.
Pei Xia's money wasn't spent in vain.
Several of his familiar brothers in the gambling house saw Qi Hao trying to run away. A few big and strong men blocked the door and pushed him back.
Qi Hao's legs went weak. He knelt in front of Pei Xia and cried, "Big Brother, I really don't have any money. My family is a fishing family. We're as poor as church mice. Where can I get so much money?"
Pei Xia leaned forward, grabbed his collar, and said gravely, "No money? If you don't have money, why did you come to gamble? Since you don't have money, then sell yourself."
Qi Hao stammered, "There aren't any other sisters in my family..."
Under several pressures, Qi Hao suddenly remembered that he had a little aunt.
Her name seemed to be Jiaoniang. He still remembered that last year, his parents had married his little aunt off to Eldest Master Pei of the Pei family in Baiyun Village as if she were his elder sister.
Qi Hao's eyes lit up. "Big Brother, don't be in a hurry. I still have an aunt. Her husband's family is in Baiyun Village, Yinwan... By the way, she also opened a restaurant in the county. I heard it's very profitable."
Following this train of thought, Qi Hao remembered what he had heard his mother complaining about when he went home to get money yesterday.
She said that Jiaoniang had snatched her elder sister's good fortune and had managed to make it all the way to the county town. It was really a pity and a pain to let go of such a big money - making tree...
Qi Hao had always been hanging around the red - light district. He only went home when he was out of money, so he didn't know much about these things.
Now that he knew Jiaoniang had opened a shop in the city, he immediately felt as if he had discovered a gold mine.
"My aunt's name is Jiaoniang. She has money! Big Brother, you go and ask her for it. She will definitely give it to you."
As soon as Qi Hao said this, Pei Xia's anger was completely ignited. He kicked Qi Hao hard in the lower back.
"What a thing!"
Qi Hao fell to the ground, sweating profusely from the pain.
What did he say wrong?
Pei Xia sneered. "Alright, stop thinking about how many people in your family you can sell. When I said sell yourself, I meant you."
Qi Hao covered his stomach and looked shocked. "Me?" He stared at Pei Xia, speechless. He never thought that this big brother was into men.
Pei Xia felt extremely disgusted by his look. "Don't worry. I'm not blind enough to want you. The Nanfeng Courtyard in the prefectural city is recruiting a batch of young male prostitutes. I think you'll do in a pinch."
Qi Hao's tongue got tied. "No... no... I still have to go home to carry on the family line."
Pei Xia sneered. "Carry on the family line? Don't forget you owe me three hundred taels. Do you still want to have a son to inherit your debt? Or, shall we go to the yamen?"
Qi Hao was just an ordinary commoner. At the mention of the yamen, his legs went weak. "No, no, no. There's no need."
Going to the yamen wouldn't help either. The officials only protected the rich and powerful.
What could he use to fight them?
Pei Xia glanced at him. "Stop talking nonsense. Are you going to sell yourself or not?"
Qi Hao looked as if he had lost his parents. "I'll sell. I'll sell."
Pei Xia said okay. Immediately, he took out a contract from his sleeve and asked the gambling - house owner for a pen, paper, and inkpad.
Qi Hao was held by the people around him. He trembled as he signed two chicken - scratch - like characters and pressed his fingerprint.
After Qi Hao signed the voluntary self - selling contract, Pei Xia immediately stuffed him into a carriage going to the prefectural city.
The matter of recruiting young male prostitutes was real.
Pei Xia had inquired about it from his underworld brothers yesterday.
The middleman who was recruiting young male prostitutes inspected the goods and immediately paid Pei Xia ten taels of silver.
When Qi Hao saw that he was only worth ten taels, he immediately fainted.
Pei Xia didn't amass ill - gotten wealth. Just as he was actually good at gambling but didn't make a living from it.
As long as he could take revenge on the Qi family and achieve his goal, that was enough.
He directly donated the ten taels he got from selling Qi Hao to the temple.
The self - selling contract was only for ten years, not for a lifetime. Pei Xia was already being merciful.
As for whether Qi Hao would live or die from then on, that was his fate.
Now, Qi Hao hadn't been home for many days. Mrs. Qian saw that he had taken so much money out last time. She felt very uneasy and came out with Old Master Qi at night to look for him.
The two searched all the places where Qi Hao used to hang out, but they couldn't find him.
Finally, Mrs. Qian came to the Pang family crying. She roared in a hoarse voice, "Furong, your younger brother is missing..."
Qi Furong had been feeling unwell these days. She felt nauseous at the smell of fish. She was annoyed when she heard her mother's voice.
"He's such a big man. How could he be missing? Wasn't he fine a few days ago? He even came to ask me for money. What? Did he die in a woman's bed?"
Qi Furong sat on the chair, crossing her legs and sneering.
Mrs. Qian jumped up. "This time he's really missing! Good for you, Qi Furong. You don't wish Hao'er well. You're even cursing him. I'll tear your mouth!"
Qi Furong's eyebrows shot up in anger. She immediately threw a cup.
The fragments splashed all over Mrs. Qian.
Qi Furong scolded with red eyes, "If you want to find your son, don't come to me! He was born by you. I might as well have been picked up for free! From childhood to adulthood, all the best food, drink, clothes, and things were for your son. What about me? I've become like this because of you! Since the day you tied me up and married me off, I've had nothing to do with you. Get out!"
Mrs. Qian was stunned at first. When she came to her senses, she launched into a string of curses.
"... You're rebelling! I raised you from infancy. Now that you've grown your wings, I'll teach you a good lesson today!"
Qi Furong stood up immediately and retorted defiantly, "Hit me! If you have the guts, hit me! Come on! Hit me in the face!"
Mrs. Qian was burning with anger. Without thinking, she raised her hand and slapped Qi Furong hard.
In pain, Qi Furong staggered and fell to the side. Her forehead hit the sharp corner of the square table directly.