"Qian'er..."
Upon hearing this, the people outside were stunned, and Zheng Ruqian inside was also stunned.
He remembered that many years ago, a woman seemed to have called him that, but it was this same woman who, after discovering that he was useless, ruthlessly drove him away.
If he hadn't met Jiang Sheng, he would probably have starved to death on the streets back then, being so stupid and clumsy.
We agreed to have no further relationship, so why did you have to come out of it again?
Zheng Ruqian pursed his lips, a chill running through him, unsure of how to react.
Until, a affected, high-pitched "Qian'er" rang out from inside the carriage.
When Zheng Ruqian turned around, he saw Jiang Sheng posing and looking at him in a very lifelike manner.
Unfortunately, although the tone was the same, it carried a uniquely girlish, childlike quality.
After a moment of astonishment, Zheng Ruqian couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Jiang Sheng, stop being cheeky."
"I've always called you Second Brother, I'd like to call you by your name too." Jiang Sheng pouted, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Your second brother is still your second brother. Don't think about climbing the social ladder to become the older sister." Zheng Ruqian patted her head, his mood gradually calming down.
I should have thought of this long ago. In this life, one either dies in obscurity or achieves great success, at which point even one's great-uncle will come knocking on one's door.
My elder brother once said, "When you're poor, no one cares even in the bustling city; when you're rich, even distant relatives come calling."
If Zheng Ruqian were just a beggar who made a living by scavenging, she would never have stopped him and spoken to him in such an affected manner.
Once you understand all of this, you'll know what to do.
Zheng Ruqian cleared his throat, lifted the curtain, and looked over. "Madam, is there something you need?"
He said, "Madam."
Unlike when I was eight or nine years old, I no longer call my grandmother "A-niang" and cling to her legs, wanting her to stay with me for a while.
The woman was slightly stunned, and soon tears welled up in her eyes.
The men behind her, dressed in bright red and green, stood with their hands on their hips, displeased. "How dare you talk like that, child? These are the people who gave you life and raised you. It's one thing to be ungrateful, but to speak like that is quite another. The county magistrate should throw you in jail."
"I've seen ingrates before, but I've never seen one like this. Sister Ziwei shouldn't have kept him in the first place. She should have just knocked the red flower out of him and saved herself all these years of upbringing." Another said angrily.
Zheng Ruqian heard this but didn't feel any anger at all.
He simply looked calmly at the woman at the head of the group. “Madam, you abandoned me at the back gate of the Yihong Courtyard. We have no real relationship, and I am the only person listed on the household registration. I have no fear of going to the county government or even the prefectural government office, let alone taking the case to Xiyang County.”
I am grateful that when my eldest brother Xu Mo became a legal advisor, he did not register all six of his siblings under the same household registration system, but instead assigned each of them their own household registration.
In this way, whether they engage in business or pursue official careers, it will not affect each other.
True sibling affection doesn't need mere household registration to prove it.
"You..." The woman seemed surprised that the child had changed so much in just two or three years. She choked up and said, "I didn't mean to sue you. I just wanted to see you and see how you were doing."
What an excuse.
Even Wang Xiaosong, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but laugh.
Zheng Ruqian raised the corners of his mouth and said, "As you can see, Madam, you are doing very well."
The woman's tears flowed even more freely.
Seeing that she had nothing to say, Zheng Ruqian lowered the curtain and said coldly, "If there is nothing else, please make way, Madam. We are going home."
The woman was startled and dared not cry unrestrainedly anymore. She wiped her face haphazardly with a handkerchief and choked out, "I have something to do, something to do. The brothel is going to close down. I want to redeem myself, but I have only saved up a limited amount of money over the years. I can only ask you... ask you for some."
They need to find a twelve-year-old child to pay for his release.
The fact that someone could say such a thing suggests they were certain Zheng Ruqian was wealthy.
But what chilled Master Zheng the most was that she not only came by herself, but also brought several of her sisters. He was afraid that she would have to pay for the sisters' redemption herself.
In an instant, he felt a deep regret. He shouldn't have stopped the car, and he shouldn't have talked to her.
Is it too late to get Wang Xiaosong to catch the bus and run away?
"Qian'er, your mother can't bear to part with you. I had no choice but to send you away back then. Please help your mother this once, considering that I took care of you until you were eight or nine years old." The woman pleaded, "When you were in the Yihong Courtyard, I didn't mistreat you either."
Zheng Ruqian's heart skipped a beat.
Back in the brothel, although the women didn't take good care of him, they certainly didn't skimp on his food and clothing, and at least he didn't end up homeless and begging like Xiao Jiang Sheng.
Even the two golden beans that the siblings initially relied on were given to them by a patron of the brothel.
“So, I do owe you two gold beans.” Zheng Ruqian turned to look at his sister, who controlled the finances. “Now, it’s time to pay them back.”
Two small gold beans, worth about four taels of silver.
For the first time, Jiang Sheng readily took out her purse and picked out ten taels of silver.
“A typical farming family of three can make ends meet with half a tael a year. My second brother has lived in the brothel for almost ten years, so giving him ten taels isn’t excessive,” the girl said earnestly.
Zheng Ruqian nodded in agreement and tossed the silver ingot to Wang Xiaosong.
Wang Xiaosong hurriedly took it, then tossed it to the woman like a hot potato.
"Alright, Madam, please don't delay our journey any further." Zheng Ruqian said coldly, "If you continue to obstruct us without cause, I will have to go to the county government to seek justice."
Since ancient times, courtesans have feared officials.
Upon hearing this, the group dressed in red and green all stepped aside.
The woman tried to persist, but was pulled, persuaded, and dragged away.
Taking advantage of the moment, Wang Xiaosong flicked his whip, shouted "Giddy up!" and the carriage sped away.
They went further and further, heading towards larger and more distant cities.
The woman saw this, clutched her chest and shook her head, "Why doesn't Qian'er believe me? I really loved him. I had no choice but to abandon him back then."
"But it's lost, it's lost after all..."
Someone sighed softly.
The woman stopped speaking, turned unsteadily, and headed towards her future, which consisted only of herself.
On the carriage.
Jiang Sheng was having a heated discussion with Zheng Ruqian.
“It must have been the Prefect who did it!” Zheng Ruqian almost broke his voice. “It’s so despicable that he actually dug up my mother’s name. If I hadn’t walked a bit more these past few years, I would have been scared to death.”
"Perhaps not," Jiang Sheng said, resting her chin on her hand. "Master Zheng has indeed only recently risen to fame."
Sometimes, when you become famous, you attract old acquaintances.
"No, it must be." Zheng Ruqian was furious. "When we get back to the prefectural city, I'm definitely not done with him."
But how could a small merchant like him possibly have a falling out with a prefect?
Jiang Sheng knew that her second brother was just venting his anger verbally, so she didn't take it to heart.
Moreover, after returning to Anshui County, they learned that Prefect He had been busy dealing with the Sun family to avenge his wife, and even the Wang family had been tricked.
"What did you say? The Wang family wants to arrange a marriage for Brother Fufeng?" Jiang Sheng's eyes widened.
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