Chapter 13 Selling Oneself to Pay Off Debts
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
Wan Guirong looked in the direction of the voice, his eyes fierce. He released his grip and said to the two henchmen behind him, "Go."
Suddenly the door was opened, and Tao Tao, who was leaning against it, almost lost her balance and fell headfirst.
She looked up and saw a dark face with a scar, staring at her expressionlessly, with two other people behind him.
She immediately took a step back, looked around the alley, and then looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"That's right, do you live here?"
He didn't say anything, and the three of them walked out directly.
Suddenly, Tao Tao realized something was wrong and rushed inside. She saw the two brothers lying on the ground in a very disheveled state, as if they had just been beaten up by their men.
She stepped forward, and Yu Shan's sallow face turned an unnatural white, with bluish-purple patches on his right cheek and the corner of his mouth. His whole face looked like a palette of colors, both pitiful and funny.
"Are you alright?" She reached out and helped him up.
Yu Shan clutched his stomach and struggled to stand up, a look of pain on his face.
Before she could even catch her breath, she quickly went to help her younger brother up.
"Little River! How are you?"
Yu Shan looked at him with concern and anxiety, and quickly helped him up. Suddenly, Yu He coughed up a large pool of blood on the ground.
He was instantly terrified; this was his only younger brother, his sole family member with whom he depended on each other.
If even he gets into trouble, what's the point of my life?
Yu Shan turned around and knelt down directly in front of Tao Tao, pleading with him: "Boss Tao, please have mercy and save my brother. I will repay you by serving you like a slave."
Seeing him like this, Tao Tao tried to back away, but he grabbed her pants with such force that he almost ripped them off.
She quickly grabbed her pants with both hands and said, "Don't worry, I will definitely save him if I can. Let's take your brother to the clinic first."
"Get up quickly."
Yu Shan stared at her, his eyes wide, seemingly unable to believe his ears.
Is she really willing to save his brother? Doesn't she mind that they haven't brought her any benefit yet?
"Thank you! Thank you, Boss Tao!"
He bowed deeply to her, overjoyed.
"Come on, my carriage is parked outside, let's go to the clinic."
Tao Tao walked in front, while Yu Shan carried the nearly unconscious Yu He on his back. The cart was just big enough for Yu He to lie on.
She waved her whip, and the horse galloped swiftly through the street.
Yu He kept vomiting blood the whole way. She glanced back and guessed that his internal organs might have been ruptured. This couldn't be delayed, and she had to see a doctor as soon as possible.
They soon arrived at the nearest clinic.
"Doctor! Doctor, please take a look at my brother!"
Before the carriage had even come to a complete stop, Yu Sheng jumped down in a great hurry.
Upon seeing this, the senior doctor standing at the counter quickly went over and helped the person to a seat, then stood beside the patient to observe.
Suddenly he turned around and called out urgently, "Xiao An! Xiao An! Bring me the Heart Protection Pill!"
A young boy, about twelve or thirteen years old, with two small tufts of hair tied in his hair, came out from inside. After seeing what was going on, he hurriedly took out a medicine bottle from the medicine cabinet.
"Here you are, sir, the pills."
Doctor Lu put the pill into his mouth, and the apprentice turned around and brought him tea to drink.
Not long after, Yu He's symptoms of vomiting blood stopped.
Yu Shan looked down at Yu He, who was lying unconscious in his arms, and called out worriedly, "Xiao He, wake up."
After the vomiting of blood stopped, Doctor Lu took his pulse and examined him.
Tao Tao guessed correctly; those people had hit him hard, and his internal organs had been ruptured, which caused him to vomit blood continuously.
"I'll prescribe some medicine for him to drink, and then he can rest well. There shouldn't be any major problems."
Dr. Lu got up and went behind the counter to get the medicine.
Seeing that the doctor seemed less nervous, which meant the problem wasn't serious, Tao Tao felt relieved and went over to wait for him to prepare the medicine.
"Doctor, how much?"
Upon hearing this, Doctor Lu paused in tying the rope, glanced at the three of them, and subtly examined their clothing and the injuries on Yu Shan's face.
"Fifty coins."
"good."
Without hesitation, Tao Tao took it out of her purse and gave it to him, saying, "Count them and see if they're correct."
She took the medicine, turned around and looked up to meet Yu Shan's worried eyes. She comforted him, "It's okay. As long as Yu He takes his medicine on time, he will get better soon. Don't worry."
Her gaze fell on the injury on his face, and she turned back to say, "Doctor, could you please put some medicine on his face? It will help him heal faster. I'll pay you back later."
Worried about wasting money, Yu Shan quickly said, "No need, Boss Tao, it's just a minor injury, it'll be fine in a couple of days."
"Listen to me, you're going out with me tomorrow. What will the master think when they see you? What if they think my men are troublemakers?"
Upon hearing this, he lowered his head in shame.
"Thank you, Boss Tao. You can deduct the cost of the medicine directly from my wages."
"Let's go back and talk about it first."
They got on the cart, and Yuhe woke up on the way. He could still speak, but he was a little weak.
When they arrived home, Yu Shan carried his younger brother inside and put him on the bed to rest.
He went out and walked towards Tao Tao, who was sitting in the courtyard. He knelt down again with a thud and then kowtowed.
"Thank you so much, Boss Tao, for saving my brother's life. We are willing to serve you like slaves to repay you."
She looked at him, somewhat helpless.
"Get up first. A person's dignity is priceless. Never kneel down to others lightly."
Yu Shan looked up, his eyes slightly red. "But... if a person can't even save himself, if he has trouble getting enough to eat and wear, then what's the use of dignity?"
His mother died in childbirth while giving birth to his younger brother. When he was ten years old, his father died from overwork. After that, he and his younger brother depended on each other for survival, barely making ends meet by doing manual labor and odd jobs.
As I grew older, I wanted to find a long-term job, but no one seemed to like it.
Once, he finally managed to get a job as a servant in the mansion, but the position was taken by a relative of the steward. He had no food to eat and had to take care of his younger brother, so he had no choice but to borrow money from someone.
As a result of compound interest, his initial investment of two taels of silver grew to thirty taels, an astronomical figure for someone who was now penniless.
His life has been one of either being chosen or on the path of choosing. Dignity is not important to him; being fed, clothed, and able to support his younger brother is the most important thing.
"Who were those people just now?"
He paused for a moment, then said, "They are creditors."
How much do you owe?
Thirty taels of silver.
"How about this, I'll pay back the thirty taels for you, in exchange for two years of your time, and I'll also give you three taels of silver each month for your living expenses. What do you think?"
Yu Shan stared at her blankly, his expression incredulous, and stammered, "Really? Really?"
"Of course it's true."
"Thank you! Thank you, Boss Tao! My brother and I will definitely do our utmost to serve you!"
With tears in his eyes, he bent his knees and was about to kneel down again, but Tao Tao quickly stepped aside.
This is the third time she's knelt down. She's so young and doesn't want to have two more sons.
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