Liu Sisi and the others squeezed into the crowd and saw a beautiful girl sitting on the ground, sobbing softly. There were some scattered things on the ground, which looked like paintbrushes and paper.
There were two men nearby, one fat and big-eared, the other skinny like a monkey, both of them leering at the girl.
The fat man said to the girl, "Young lady, it doesn't matter if you can't draw well. Just come back with me and be my concubine, and I won't make you lose money. What do you say?"
The girl stopped crying upon hearing this. "Don't even think about it. I already said I'd refund you 10 coins, but you're still not satisfied. You insist on making me pay you an ounce of silver. Where would I get that much silver? I only charge you 10 coins for painting a picture for you. You said you didn't like it, so I'd refund you. But you still won't agree. You, you're going too far."
"Oh, little lady, you've stopped crying? You've got quite a temper, haven't you? I like girls like you who are both beautiful and have a temper, so I'm going to bully you. What can you do about it?"
"I'll pay you 10 taels of silver and buy you outright. Why are you still painting? Wouldn't it be better to come with me and enjoy a life of luxury?"
The onlookers knew that this was the son of Magistrate Zhou. In such a small place, the magistrate was the highest-ranking official, and no one dared to offend him. The crowd discussed the matter, but no one dared to stand up for the girl.
"I'm just selling paintings, not my body. Don't push your luck."
When the girl heard that this fat pig wanted to take her away as a concubine, she stood up angrily and said to the fat man.
The skinny monkey chimed in, "Master, don't waste your breath on her. Just take her back to the manor, and she'll be yours." He then reached out to pull at the girl's clothes.
"Ah, don't come any closer," the girl said, backing away.
Seeing this, Liu Sifu clenched his fists and frowned slightly. He wanted to help the girl, but just as he was about to step forward, Liu Sisi stopped him and shook her head.
"Brother, given our family's current situation, we simply cannot afford to offend the county magistrate."
"Then this girl," Liu Sifu said, feeling a pang of pity for the girl.
Liu Dashi looked at his eldest son. He wanted to help, but his family couldn't afford to offend the other party's status. So he opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
"Big brother, we can't help openly, so let's do it secretly. Let's do it like this..." Liu Sisi suggested.
Just as the fat man's hand was about to touch the girl, two stones suddenly flew from nowhere and hit the fat man and the skinny man on the head.
The fat man got a big bump on his forehead, and the skinny monkey's head was bleeding, but he didn't care about himself and rushed to help his master.
The fat man clutched his head and cursed, "Who is it? Which reckless fool dares to smash my head?"
The crowd dispersed immediately, but no one saw anyone, nor did anyone see where the stone came from.
The fat man and the skinny man angrily searched outside the crowd, trying to see who it was.
Taking advantage of his inattention, Liu Sifu, with a cloth covering his face, walked up to the girl and said, "Girl, run!" Then he pulled her into the alley next to him.
By the time the fat man realized what was happening, the person had already run far away.
Seeing that he was at a disadvantage, the people around him were afraid that he would take his anger out on them, so they quickly dispersed.
This fat man is Zhou Lang, the eldest son of Magistrate Zhou. He usually acts arrogantly and has a lot of trouble forcibly taking women. In this small county, far from the emperor's reach, his father is a high-ranking official, and no one dares to challenge him. So he has ruined countless girls.
This was the first time he had suffered in silence. He had been beaten up and couldn't even find the person who did it. The onlookers felt relieved. When he asked where the girl had gone, no one told him; they had all run away.
Zhou Lang's forehead was in excruciating pain, so he had no choice but to grumble and go back to the mansion to treat the wound on his forehead.
The skinny monkey following behind him had blood streaming down his forehead and was being berated by him, who blamed him for being a useless servant who couldn't even protect his master.
On the other side, Liu Sifu had been running with the girl for a while, then turned around to make sure she wasn't being chased, and stopped.
Liu Sisi and Liu Dashi also came out from another alley to greet them.
Liu Sifu blushed when he realized he was still holding the girl's hand, and immediately let go.
Miss, I'm so sorry, the situation was urgent just now, please forgive my rudeness.
The girl blushed slightly. "Young master, I should thank you for saving me. If it weren't for you, I would probably have been kidnapped by that fat man by now."
"No, I didn't do anything. You should thank my sister; she's the one who found a way to rescue you."
It was Liu Sisi who came up with the idea, suggesting that Liu Dashi go to the alley ahead to meet them, and that Liu Sifu stay there with his face covered. She would create chaos on the side, so that Liu Sifu could seize the opportunity to take the girl away.
She picked up a few pebbles, hid behind them, and when no one was looking in her direction, she used the first level of the Jade Goddess Palm technique to smash the pebbles on the heads of the two people before hiding in her spatial dimension. She only came out after everyone had dispersed.
At first, Liu Dashi and his wife were worried that something might happen to their daughter, but Liu Sisi told them, "Dad, brother, you have to believe me. I have a snake spirit protecting me, and ordinary people can't hurt me."
They had no other choice but to agree.
The girl bowed to Liu Sisi, thanking her for saving her life.
"My name is Li Caiping, and my family is from Linghe County."
"Ping'er, why did you come to Jinshan County alone?" Liu Dashi couldn't help but ask.
When someone asked her, Ping'er's eyes reddened as she said, "My parents used to run a small business, and our family was doing alright. But when I was seven years old, my parents suddenly fell seriously ill and passed away."
My uncle took over all of my family's business and assets, including me, but they didn't treat me well. They would beat and scold me at the drop of a hat. Any good things would go to my cousins, and I could barely get enough to eat.
My uncle and aunt have absolutely no business sense. In recent years, they've squandered almost everything my parents left behind. Now they've started targeting me again, saying they want to sell me to a wealthy family in the county as a concubine.
I overheard their conversation, but they discovered me. They locked me in the woodshed and wouldn't let me go out. I'm 13 years old now, and I have my own ideas. How could I let them control me?
Once, when my aunt brought me food, I knocked her unconscious with a stick, then ran away with the jewelry my parents had left me.
I didn't know where to go, I just kept running and ended up here.
I don't know how to do anything. When my parents were alive, my father hired someone to teach me traditional Chinese ink painting. So I pawned my jewelry, bought paper and brushes, and thought I could earn some money by painting for others.
Before, things were alright. I painted a few portraits and earned some money, enough for my food and lodging, which is why I persevered until I got here. I also wanted to make money by painting portraits. But when I got to Jinshan County, I encountered a local bully. After I finished painting him, he insisted that I had painted him ugly. I offered to return the money, but he still wouldn't let it go. That's when I was so angry that I cried. You all know what happened after that.
After saying that, she was about to kowtow to Liu Sisi and the others, saying, "If it weren't for you saving me, I would still have to become someone's concubine, and I might not even have been able to save my life."
Liu Sisi reacted quickly and helped her up.
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