Chapter 365 Selling Oneself into Slavery

They saw someone running towards them in a panic. It was a beautiful young girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old, with delicate features. Even though she was wearing a faded and patched dress, her beauty was still undeniable.

A middle-aged couple was chasing after the girl. The woman's face was full of anger as she shouted, "You brat, stop right there! Are you going to jump into the river or something?"

Upon seeing this, Gu Jingxi instinctively pulled his wife aside to avoid being bumped into by the girl and suffering an undeserved misfortune.

The girl ran to the railing, glanced at the river below the boat, and turned pale with fright. She then turned to look at the middle-aged couple behind her. Seeing them approaching step by step, she had a sudden inspiration and asked the richly dressed couple beside her for help. She knelt down with a thud: "Kind young master, kind lady, please have mercy and save me."

Seeing the girl kneeling pitifully before her with tears in her eyes, and glancing at the middle-aged couple not far away, along with a few onlookers, Meng Jinyao decided not to immediately pay attention to the girl and instead choose to observe the situation first.

Gu Jingxi ignored the girl.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man and woman breathed a sigh of relief. The woman took two steps at a time, bent down, and tried to pull the girl up, cursing as she did so: "You little slut, we pity you and are taking care of you according to the wishes of our elders, but you want to elope with someone else? Are you that desperate to get married?"

The girl struggled violently, trying to hide next to Meng Jinyao as if seeking protection. She cried and pleaded, "No, it's not what she said! Young master, madam, please have mercy on me and save me. I will serve you both like a slave for the rest of my life."

Seeing this, the woman was also furious. She pinched the girl's arm hard, making the girl gasp in pain. The woman said to Gu Jingxi and his wife, "You two don't need to worry about her. This slut is desperate to get married and insists on eloping with someone. We, as her uncle and aunt, have no choice but to intervene for her own good."

The man stepped forward and apologized: "We're sorry to have disturbed you both. We'll take this wicked creature away right away."

The girl struggled even more fiercely, tears streaming down her face like broken beads: "You're talking nonsense, slandering my innocence, it's not like that at all."

The onlookers whispered among themselves. Some felt sorry for the beautiful young girl who was crying her eyes out, but it was someone else's family matter and related to elopement. Who knew what the truth was? They should just watch the show and not interfere too much.

Meng Jinyao looked up at Gu Jingxi, seeking his opinion. Seeing him smile faintly, she said, "Auntie, I think you've probably misunderstood this young lady. Perhaps there's some misunderstanding. Why don't you let the young lady explain things so you can clear up the misunderstanding?"

The woman's expression was not good: "What misunderstanding could there be? I saw it with my own eyes, how could it be false?"

The girl hurriedly shook her head and explained, "Madam, she's talking nonsense. I just chatted with someone else for a bit. He's the neighbor's brother, someone I grew up with. My uncle and aunt came to the capital and tricked me into thinking my maternal grandmother was seriously ill. They took me to visit her. This morning, I overheard them saying they wanted to trick me into going back to marry my cousin because he's disabled and can't find a wife. That's when I realized what they were up to."

These words caused an uproar among the crowd, and their gazes towards the middle-aged couple changed. They all condemned the couple for their inhuman behavior, for even trying to harm their own niece.

Meng Jinyao, however, remained doubtful: "Young lady, your uncle and aunt tricked you into going to your maternal grandparents' house, intending to marry you off to your cousin. Aren't they afraid that your parents and elders will come and cause trouble if they find out?"

The girl sobbed, "My parents have passed away, and even my grandmother passed away at the beginning of this year. I have no other relatives left. I never thought that I would be deceived by my uncle and aunt. They just took advantage of me, an orphan with no one to rely on."

Meng Jinyao nodded knowingly, then turned to the middle-aged couple and rebuked them, "Uncle, Aunt, how could you do such a thing?"

Other spectators also condemned the performance.

The man's face was extremely ugly. He said in a deep voice, "Madam, I advise you not to meddle in other people's business. You believe whatever this girl says? It was clearly this brat's grandmother who sent us a message before she died, asking us to help take care of her. We took pity on her and thought of bringing her home. We never expected her to spout such nonsense and slander us."

The girl hurriedly denied it, saying, "Madam, he's talking nonsense. My grandmother didn't ask them to take care of me before she passed away. She only asked the neighbors to look after me for a while." As she spoke, her tears fell even more fiercely. "Madam, please save me. Don't let them take me away. I'm willing to sell myself into slavery and spend the rest of my life as a beast of burden to repay your great kindness."

As soon as she finished speaking, the woman immediately cursed, "You wretched girl, why did you sell yourself into slavery? You'd rather be a good citizen than a slave, you're such a lowly wretch!"

The girl said resolutely, "I would rather be a slave or a maid than be taken back and forced into marriage."

The woman was furious: "You..."

At this moment, Meng Jinyao readily agreed: "In that case, stay by my side as a maid and don't go back with them."

Upon hearing this, the girl's face lit up with joy, and she quickly kowtowed to express her gratitude: "This servant thanks you, Madam!"

The middle-aged couple seemed surprised by this outcome and were both stunned.

Meng Jinyao continued, "Uncle, Aunt, from now on she will be my maid, and you have no right to interfere. As for her selling herself into slavery, you have even less right to interfere. Although you are her relatives, you are not her parents and cannot make decisions for her."

"this……"

The middle-aged couple looked at each other, but seeing that the young couple were dressed in fine clothes and were either rich or noble, they knew they were not people that ordinary people could afford to offend, so they didn't dare to say anything.

The woman's face turned pale with anger, and she scolded him furiously, "You stupid girl who can't tell right from wrong, do you know who they are? You're selling yourself into slavery. Be careful, they might just be after your looks and want to resell you for a good price."

The girl was fearless: "Even so, I accept it. At least I chose this path myself."

Meng Jinyao didn't want to listen to their argument anymore, and said calmly, "Miss, since you want to sell yourself into slavery, then come with me and sign the contract."

Upon hearing this, the young woman replied "Yes," then stood up and followed Meng Jinyao and her husband respectfully.

Back in the guest room, Gu Jingxi closed the door.

Meng Jinyao's first words were: "Miss, I don't need any maids. I only saved you because I saw injustice and decided to help. I'll give you some travel money. When we reach the next dock, I'll have someone take you off the ship, and then you can take a boat back to the capital. Be more careful next time and don't be fooled again. If your uncle and aunt are also disembarking at the next dock, then disembark at the next dock, and you won't run into them."

Upon hearing this, the young girl suddenly looked up, staring at her in disbelief: "Madam, this servant..."

Before she could finish speaking, Meng Jinyao interrupted her, saying sternly, "Miss, I kindly saved you from dire straits, I hope you won't repay kindness with enmity."