The group looked back and saw that the old woman who had been drinking tea at the table had appeared behind them at some point. When Xiang Wan and Xiang Xia looked over, she nodded slightly to them, then frowned at the shopkeeper and said, "These two young girls don't seem to be short of money. They must have run into some trouble. Why don't you do them a favor and let them go? I'll pay for their meal."

When Xiang Wan and Xiang Xia heard this not-so-young voice, even if it was a beggar speaking, it sounded like heavenly music to them. Moreover, it was as if it had saved their lives, and they were filled with gratitude.

When the innkeeper saw someone come out to mediate, he frowned, looking as if he was unwilling to let someone snatch away the prize he had almost gotten his hands on. He let go of Xiang Wan's hand and said to the old woman, "Do you know how much they'll have to pay for the meal? Can you afford it?"

"It's just a meal, what's there to be unable to pay?" The old woman seemed dissatisfied with the innkeeper's attitude and frowned. "My home is not far from here. If you don't have enough money, you can have the waiter come with me to get it."

"Alright, they spent a total of 103 taels of silver. Since you're going to pay for them, I won't be the bad guy. I'll round it down to 100 taels." The shopkeeper gestured for the waiter to bring the ledger, showed it to the old woman, and then put it back.

"A meal costs 100 taels? Why don't you just rob someone?" Xiang Wan was immediately indignant when she heard that the bill was 100 taels of silver. She recalled her experience of spending over 1,000 taels of silver on a lobster during a festival in modern times, and realized that she had been ripped off. She felt a pang of guilt and cursed Qin Rong inwardly.

“Little girl, you should be grateful that someone is paying for your bill. Besides, you’ve caused so much trouble here, wasting so much of my time, and you don’t have to pay?” the shopkeeper mocked, then added, “Paying back debts is a matter of course. If you don’t want to pay, I’ll sell you to pay for it.”

"You..." Xiang Wan was furious and wanted to argue further, but Xiang Xia stopped her and shook her head.

When faced with something like this, there's nothing you can do but accept your bad luck. The two of them are unfamiliar with the area and penniless; they need to find a way to escape first, and then figure out what to do next.

"Alright, come with me to get the money." After saying that, the old woman gestured for the waiter to follow her and walked outside.

Xiang Wan and Xiang Xia exchanged glances, unsure whether to wait there or follow the old woman to get the money.

"Aren't you leaving yet?" The innkeeper looked at the two of them coldly and said disdainfully, "You can't even afford a meal, yet you want to act like rich young ladies. Someone kindly paid for your meal, are you waiting for someone else to treat you to another meal? You're really shameless."

Upon hearing this, Xiang Xia's face turned bright red, and she grabbed Xiang Wan and ran towards the old woman.

The two women were kicked out of the restaurant by the innkeeper, unaware of the mix of regret and smugness on his face. Even if they had seen it, they would have assumed the innkeeper was lamenting not having sold them and was pleased with himself for swindling them out of money.

After all the commotion, it was getting dark. The old woman walked at a leisurely pace. Xiang Wan and Xiang Xia were worried that they wouldn't be able to find the Qin family's carriage, and they were also afraid that if they separated, they wouldn't be able to find each other. After discussing it as they walked, they decided to go back with the old woman first, remember her address, and then figure out a way to repay the money when they got back.

Along the way, Xiang Wan and Xiang Xia tried to strike up a conversation with the old woman and learned that her husband's surname was Liu and that they had moved here from another place. Mr. Liu had been a businessman in his early years, but his business gradually declined. He thought he would return to his hometown to enjoy his old age, but he fell ill on the way and passed away, leaving Mrs. Liu alone with a few maids to guard the house. They passed through Anyang City and bought a house here to stay.

Madam Liu had no children, and seeing Xiang Wan and Xiang Xia being harassed, she felt sorry for them and stepped in to help.

Hearing this, Xiang Wan and Xiang Xia felt sympathy for Madam Liu. Seeing her generous help, they were wondering how to repay her when she said she wanted them to stay and talk with her for the night. After a slight hesitation, they agreed.

The waiter took the money and glanced at them inexplicably before leaving. Xiang Wan snorted coldly and turned away.