Zhao Luoyu was born like an outcast.
Madam Zhao was so good - tempered that the concubine could even ride roughshod over her. Everyone in the eldest branch of the Zhao family from top to bottom was extremely docile.
Zhao Luochun was honest and easy to bully.
Although Zhao Luojing and Zhao Luoning had their tempers, they were the kind who always considered the overall situation and would never easily show their emotions.
But Zhao Luoyu was like a person with a rebellious bone. Different from her siblings, she had the worst temper in the Zhao family.
On the day when the eldest branch of the Zhao family was driven out by Lord Zhao, she directly found a big writing brush used for writing Spring Festival couplets and drew a huge pig's head on the door of Lord Zhao's study.
After that, she left a harsh warning.
"I'd rather become a beggar than take a single cent from the Zhao family!"
As a result...
She really became a little street - beggar.
Well, it wasn't quite right to call her a beggar.
Beggars didn't set up stalls in front of them.
She was just a little peddler who looked like a beggar.
What Zhao Luoyu sold were some wild vegetables she had picked on the mountain.
These wild vegetables, which seemed cheap to outsiders, were precious rations that the whole family had to save up for.
On a cold day, Zhao Luoyu sat on the roadside, hugging her knees and looking down at her shoes with the toes sticking out.
She had been going up the mountain to pick wild vegetables every day these days, and her shoes had long been worn out. But she didn't dare to change them.
If she changed them, her sister would have no shoes to wear.
Someone passed by her small vegetable stall. Seeing her shabby clothes and thin figure, he shook his head and threw a copper coin on her stall.
Zhao Luoyu looked up and stared straight at the man. There was no gratitude in her eyes. Instead, there was a bit of anger.
The big and tall man felt a bit guilty under her stare.
He cursed, "Crazy."
Then he flicked his sleeves and left.
Zhao Luoyu picked up the copper coin he left.
In the past few days, there had been people who threw copper coins at her, but she had scolded them back every time.
She had her pride.
The concubine and the illegitimate daughter of the Zhao family were still living as ladies at home. How could she, a legitimate young lady, be more humble than that mother - daughter pair?
This time, she held back.
The rice jar at home was almost empty. Her elder brother worked as a coolie at the dock and only got one copper coin for carrying three bags of rice.
She picked up the copper coin, blew off the snow on it, and carefully put it into her sleeve.
"Get out of here. Who allowed you to set up a stall here?" a voice came from above.
Zhao Luoyu looked up and saw three strong young beggars standing in front of her small stall with their walking sticks.
The leader asked again, "Who allowed you to set up a stall here? This is our territory."
"This is the street. Did you buy this land? How can it be your territory?" Zhao Luoyu stood up. She was even shorter than the beggar's walking stick, but her momentum was no weaker than that of the leading beggar.
"Get out, little beggar."
The leader stretched out his walking stick and scattered the wild vegetables in front of Zhao Luoyu everywhere.
Zhao Luoyu's eyes were red. Like an enraged little beast, she stared at him fiercely.
"Yo, you've got quite a temper. What, are you going to bite me?"
Zhao Luoyu really dared!
She pounced on the little beggar like a little tiger, hung on his arm, and opened her mouth to bite. No matter how the beggar shook, she just wouldn't let go.
The beggar cried out in pain. His companions reached out their sticks to beat Zhao Luoyu. They even pulled her hair and punched her in the stomach, but she still wouldn't let go.
She seemed determined to fight them to the death.
The harder Zhao Luoyu bit, the more vicious the beating she received.
No one knew how long the stalemate lasted. Suddenly, a voice came.
"Stop!"
The beggars stopped.
They all turned around and looked behind them.
A carriage stopped behind them. The coachman jumped down and said, "You three big men bullying such a little girl. Aren't you ashamed?"
"Ouch, sir, please judge. Who's bullying whom? Ouch, you little brat, stop biting."
The coachman said with a headache, "Little girl, you should let go too. Our master will stand up for you."
Hearing this, Zhao Luoyu let go. Her mouth was full of blood - the beggar's blood. But her hands and feet still tightly grabbed the beggar, showing no sign of letting go.
She was also seriously injured. Blood was seeping from the wound on her back.
She stared at the coachman and asked, "Can you be fair?"
"Our master is the eldest young master of the Ji family. Since he said he would take care of this matter, he will. Girl, please come here first."
"No, unless he compensates me."
At this time, the carriage curtain was lifted, and the handsome face of a young man appeared in front of everyone.
"How much are your wild vegetables? I'll compensate you on their behalf."
"No, I don't want your money. The debt has its debtor. It was them who smashed my wild - vegetable stall. Compensate me!" Zhao Luoyu stared fiercely at the beggar. "If you don't compensate, even if you beat me to death, I'll come and bite you every day as a ghost!"
The beggar was really scared. He felt around on his body for a long time and finally took out three copper coins from his pocket and threw them at Zhao Luoyu.
"Here. It's enough for your stall of wild vegetables."
"My wild vegetables are worth one copper coin. I won't give back the other two. They are the compensation for my medical expenses!" Only then did Zhao Luoyu let go of him.
As soon as she let go, the beggars immediately scattered.
Zhao Luoyu coughed twice, which made the coachman feel very sad.
"Girl, are you okay? How about we take you to the clinic?"
Zhao Luoyu shook her head. She didn't tell lies. "I'm poor. I can't afford to see a doctor."
The coachman was also in a dilemma. He looked back at his young master, who nodded. Only then did the coachman take out a money bag from his sleeve.
"This is from our young master. Take the silver and go back. It's so cold. Don't freeze outside."
Zhao Luoyu looked at the money bag in her hand.
It was very heavy.
She originally wanted to decline.
But thinking of her sister, after much hesitation, she took the money bag. She walked to the carriage and bowed respectfully to the young man in the carriage.
"Master Ji, thank you for lending me the money. I will pay you back."
"Hey... girl." The coachman was just about to say something.
Ji Shijun raised his hand to interrupt the coachman and asked, "How do you know I'm the eldest young master of the Ji family?"
Zhao Luoyu pointed at the coachman and said, "Your servant just said so."
Only then did Ji Shijun realize.
It seemed that his servant had indeed announced his identity.
"Then how are you going to pay me back? You're not going to pay me back with wild vegetables, are you?"
"A gentleman doesn't accept alms. I'm the same. Even if I sell wild vegetables for a hundred years, I'll pay back the debt to you, young master."
"You're really a girl with backbone. Since you want to pay me back, how about coming to work in my shop?"
Zhao Luoyu looked up, staring blankly at Ji Shijun and asked, "Work in your shop?"
"What? Scared?"
Zhao Luoyu shook her head.
Since she was born, she had never known how to write the word "fear".
"Okay, it's settled then."