Chapter 119 Farewell

"Yes! We should plead with her! If all else fails, let my son take her as a concubine! Anything is acceptable as long as it can save my son!" Madam Yang seemed to have grasped at a straw and hurriedly left.

"What a mess! Mao'an has really messed up this time!" Liao Yunfei scratched his head in frustration.

“We tried our best to persuade him, and now it’s up to fate,” Zhou Chengyu said, feeling uneasy, and he couldn’t concentrate on reading anymore.

"Why don't we go see him? We're friends after all. What if... he's been convicted of a serious crime and we never see him again?" Another person was somewhat sympathetic. He used to be closest to Mao An, who had once encouraged him to go to a brothel, but he was short of money and didn't go.

The group bought some good wine and food and made arrangements along the way before finally meeting Mao'an in prison.

"Why are you here? How is my mother? She must be going crazy with worry these days!" Mao An had been in jail for three days and smelled of sourness, so he didn't dare to get too close to Zhou Chengyu and the others.

"Now you know how to care for your own mother? When you went to the brothel, why didn't you think about how hard it was for her to earn money? She struggled to raise her son, and now that she's old, she still has to beg for help everywhere for you," Liao Yunfei said, still angry when he saw her.

“It was my fault. I only thought I was going to broaden my horizons, but who knew... the marriage is over, and my future is ruined. I admit I did it, but my mother is innocent. I can't let her suffer along with me. Brother Liao, when you leave, please put in a good word for her and tell her to stop bothering me. I am an unfilial son! I will repay her kindness in the next life!”

Mao An spoke with great sorrow, and then broke down in tears.

"Alright! It's not as bad as you think. Your mother went to see that girl, A-Yue. If she agrees, you can get out. Now, quickly tell us what's going on between you and her. If you miss any detail that could be the key to getting you out of trouble, we can think of a way."

Seeing that he was genuinely repentant this time, the others decided not to stand idly by.

"I met her through Brother Hu's matchmaking. After they took me to the brothel, they called Ah Yue over..."

"That man surnamed Hu told you about Miss A-Yue's background? Are he and Miss A-Yue very close?"

"It's alright. They went to the brothel before me, so they must have known A-Yue first..."

"If that's the case, then this might really be an accident. It all depends on whether Miss Yue is willing to help you."

Liao Yunfei, Zhou Chengyu, and the others listened to him for a long time but couldn't find any clues, so they could only offer him a few words of comfort.

"It's okay. I feel much better now that someone's talking to me. It was my own mistake, and I admit it. You all advised me not to associate with them, but I didn't listen. Now I'm getting my comeuppance," Mao An said, showing some spirits and not being too discouraged.

"Alright! Time's up, you all need to leave now!"

The jailer urged.

Meanwhile, Mao'an's mother, Madam Yang, also found the place where Miss A-Yue was staying by following the clues she had heard.

She checked the alley repeatedly and confirmed it was the right one. Just as she was about to knock on the door, a man came out. Ah Yue, who had caused her son to go to jail, had a very ambiguous attitude towards this man. After some tugging and pulling, she finally got him to leave.

Yang felt a surge of anger rising from the bottom of her heart. If it weren't for her son, she would have turned and left long ago.

"Oh! What brings you here, sir?" A-Yue leaned against the door frame with a boneless grace, not intending to let anyone in to talk.

"Miss Yue, Mao'an really didn't mean it that day. He still has to take the imperial examinations. Please put in a good word for him! When he comes out, let him take you as his concubine!" Madam Yang pleaded.

"Take me as a concubine? I dare not presume to be associated with the Mao family! How could a whore who has been with a thousand men and ridden by ten thousand be worthy of entering the Mao family's door?" A-Yue pretended to imitate what Yang's mother had said to her at the door. Seeing her angry but speechless expression, she felt extremely pleased.

"I was wrong that day. What do you want from me to let him go?" Madam Yang asked, suppressing her embarrassment and trying to control her temper.

"Let him go? He killed my unborn child, how can I let him go!"

"You're still young, you'll definitely have more children in the future!"

"It's over. The doctor said I drank too much medicine upstairs. Getting pregnant once was already difficult enough, and now that my body is damaged, it's impossible for me to have another child," A-Yue said, her smile fading away.

"How could this happen... Mao'an really didn't mean it..." Madam Yang couldn't help but fall into despair at this moment.

"Alright, I'll forgive him, but it has to be five hundred taels, not a penny less, and I'll let him go." At this point, A-Yue no longer had any intention of humiliating Yang-shi and directly stated her conditions. She had just come out of the building because she could no longer have children and needed to have enough money to protect herself.

"Okay! I'll raise the money! You have to keep your word!" Upon hearing this, Madam Yang was almost moved to tears, grabbing A-Yue and repeatedly confirming.

Half a month later, Mao'an was released from prison. Now, Yang had sold their house in the prefectural city for him, and their family fortune was exhausted. They had nowhere to live in the prefectural city, let alone support Mao'an's studies. They could only return to their ancestral home in the countryside.

"Consider this a lesson learned. Treat your aunt well from now on, and things will get better," Liao Yunfei said, looking at the once spirited young man with his sunken cheeks and now looking exhausted. He felt a pang of sadness.

“This money is what we pooled together. Go back and find a job so we can live a good life,” Zhou Chengyu said, stuffing twenty taels of silver into his hand.

"Thank you! This parting may be the last time we meet. I will never forget the days we spent together! I also wish you all a bright future!" Mao An was also very sad. If he had stayed with them and hadn't gone to the brothel with others, he wouldn't be in this situation now. This also made him realize who was truly good to him. It's just a pity that they may never have the chance to meet again.

As Zhou Chengyu watched Mao'an help Yang Shi walk away, the people around him were already crying uncontrollably. He could only sigh and say, "Let's go, I'll treat you to a meal."

Song Yushu saw several young men with red eyes entering the restaurant and assumed they had lost a fight.

"What's wrong?" Song Yushu pulled Zhou Chengyu aside and asked.

Zhou Chengyu gave a brief explanation, and Song Yushu then realized that someone was missing this time.

The friendships formed in youth are the most sincere. Song Yushu didn't know how to comfort them, so he simply sent them a few more dishes, hoping that eating something delicious would lift their spirits.

Zhou Chengyu spent the whole afternoon eating with the group. Fortunately, everyone had asked the teacher for leave, otherwise they would have had no way to explain it.

"Think more about the consequences of your actions in the future, and don't act impulsively. You are all still young, don't ruin your whole life because of a moment of impulse," Song Yushu said, offering no comment on Mao An's behavior, but simply reminding the group before letting them go back.