"Wow! People always say that rich people are the most heartless, and I've only just realized how true that is!"
The burly man spoke first, appearing to be indignant on behalf of the wronged.
The woman carrying the basket also shouted, "That's right, they're heartless! The poor girl is trying to sell herself to pay for her father's burial."
"You said you'd help, so why did you change your mind at the last minute? Aren't you forcing that young girl to her death?!"
The market is usually full of idle people.
Especially at this time, women and old women who were buying vegetables, and craftsmen who were finishing their work, would all come over when they heard that there was excitement here.
In just a few words, the area was surrounded by layers of people.
Now, it's even less likely that Lu Zong will be able to drag Jia Xu out.
Lu Zong instinctively felt something was wrong and frowned slightly.
Jia Xu, however, had a somewhat scholarly air about him and continued to explain to the group, "You've misunderstood. We were just passing by when this girl suddenly grabbed my robe and begged me to buy her so I could bury my father."
"I told her to give her some money so she could bury her father and then continue searching for her relatives, without having to be my servant, but she refused..."
He was telling the truth, but the woman carrying the basket had slanted, triangular eyes and was spouting nonsense.
"Oh dear, how could there be such a wicked person as you? You bought someone's girl and then didn't want her to stay with you! What does that make the girl? A person who breaks their promise! How can she face people in the future?"
“She’s a young girl, and now that she’s your woman, you don’t want her anymore. She can’t get married now! She’s no longer a servant, and she’s no longer a virgin. How is she going to live?”
"Tell me, if you didn't drive her to her death, what were you doing?"
The girl in white started crying at just the right moment, her sobs were heart-wrenching and made everyone's hearts ache.
She pleaded softly, "Waaah, young master, my father is dead, and I'm all alone, not knowing where to go. If you buy me and help me bury my father, I'll be yours!"
"Please don't despise my ugliness, just take me in! I'm willing to serve you like a slave to repay your great kindness!"
"Waaah, if the young master doesn't want me, I can only... I can only follow my father!"
After she finished speaking, she kowtowed to the ground and cried even more miserably.
At this moment, the white-bearded old man spoke up, seemingly offering Jia Xu some sincere advice, "Young master, saving a life is worse than building a seven-story pagoda. I can see that you come from a wealthy family, and your household should not lack one more servant. Why not give her a place to stay?"
"Even if you take her away temporarily, you can leave her when you find a suitable place."
The onlookers behind were not afraid of things getting out of hand.
Seeing the kneeling woman's delicate and beautiful appearance, Jia Xu, who was sweating profusely, joined in the commotion and shouted.
"Exactly! How many bowls of rice can a woman eat? Taking her home would be a great help!"
"Yeah, if you don't want her, give her to me. I don't have a wife right now!"
"No way! I don't have a wife either. Give it to me, I can keep it to warm the bed at night, just thinking about it makes me happy!"
The crowd's words became increasingly offensive, frightening the woman so much that she shrank back and cried even more bitterly.
Sweat dripped down Jia Xu's forehead.
This situation is much more difficult than writing an article.
He had been reading since he was a child, and he must have read at least eight hundred or a thousand books, but none of them told him how to handle such a situation!
Lu Zong's face turned ashen. Although he didn't know what was going on, he vaguely guessed that they had fallen into a trap and were now in a precarious situation!
If we ignore this woman, we're forcing her to die!
If they take this woman with them, it's clear she's another problem. Their background is unknown, and perhaps even greater disasters await them later!
For a moment, he felt a surge of anger and rage, wanting to summon his followers and deal with all the villains who had plotted against him.
But reason told him that he couldn't do that.
After much deliberation, he looked at the three Li brothers and asked in a low voice, "Brother Li, what should we do?"
Jiaren had been keeping an eye on things with his younger brothers, and they had also discussed it in hushed tones.
Upon seeing Lu Zong pleading for help, he stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said to the crowd, "Fellow villagers, this is our first time visiting this precious land. We had just strolled through the market when my friend's robe was suddenly ripped off."
"Logically speaking, my friend is a kind-hearted person. Hearing that this girl was in trouble, he was willing to give money to help her. This is a good story no matter where you look at it, isn't it?"
Everyone nodded in agreement; that was true.
These days, everyone is only concerned with their own business and few are willing to generously help others.
Jiaren then changed the subject, saying, "But this young lady, after receiving help, is not in a hurry to bury her father, nor is she worried about his body rotting. Instead, she pesters me, her friend, and insists on following him. This is rather strange."
He then looked at the group of old men, men, and women and asked, "We didn't speak loudly here, and you suddenly appeared, accusing us of being heartless and forcing us to take this girl with us."
"May I ask you if you know this girl? Otherwise, how can you be so unable to distinguish right from wrong?"
"Nonsense!" the woman snapped, angrily saying, "We were just passing by and couldn't stand what we saw. We said a few words, and you call us bad people?"
"That's right, who knows you guys? You're talking as if we're plotting against you!" the man said in a deep, disdainful voice.
The old man sighed and shook his head, looking disappointed. "The world is going to the dogs! You can't be a good person anymore, you can't even speak a word of justice!"
Seeing this, the crowd on the periphery was once again swayed and began to shout.
"If you don't want to save people, fine, but don't wrongly accuse them."
"That's right, we're all good people in our village, there's no such stuff here!"
Jiaren didn't argue with them and continued, "Alright, since you villagers are willing to vouch for these people, let's assume for now that they have nothing to do with this girl."
“But my friend’s family are officials; they can’t just take anyone as a servant. Since this girl is so determined to follow him, surely we can ask her a few questions?”
The group looked at each other, but no one spoke.
Jiaren wasn't really waiting for their permission. He turned to the woman and asked, "You said you and your father were in trouble, your money was stolen by a thief, and your father died of anger after many days, right?"
The girl nodded and was about to speak when Jiaren interrupted her.
"Then tell me, your father's exposed feet are so dirty, it's clear he suffered before he died."
"But your dress is made of the finest jade silk, and your hands and face are spotless, showing that you are very well cared for and do not look like you have fallen on hard times at all."
The woman lowered her head, her eyes darting around, and unconsciously tugged at her sleeves as she said, "My father loved me dearly, and even in our misfortune, he wouldn't let me suffer..."
“Fine, even if your father loves you, Yunling’s clothes can be pawned for five taels of silver, enough to buy a coffin. Why do you still want to sell yourself to bury your father?” Jiaren pressed on relentlessly.
The woman grew increasingly flustered and whispered, "This is the only dress I have. If I pawn it, I won't have any other clothes to change into."
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