Song He'er was startled and stood there stunned for a long time.
Jiang Huaifu shielded her behind him and gestured for the servant behind him to step forward and question her.
"Who are you? Stand back!"
"Sir, please save me! I lost money in business, and my creditors are chasing me. If they don't pay me today, I'll be sold to a brothel. There are people chasing me everywhere. Please save me, or buy me as your slave. I will repay you for the rest of my life!"
Jiang Huaifu was only wearing a silk robe like that of an ordinary merchant today, and did not look particularly wealthy. He wondered where this woman came from, but she took a liking to the two of them at first glance and was now pleading with them.
“Madam, we are just merchants from out of town, here to do business. We don’t have much capital, so how can we pay your debts?” Jiang Huaifu replied patiently in a calm tone.
"I...I really have nowhere else to turn. Please, save me! No one in Jiangning City is willing to help me except you. They are all Tiger Head's men, and they won't lend me any money. They're just trying to force me to my death. Please, have mercy!"
As the woman spoke, she began to kneel down.
Although Song He'er felt sorry for her, she didn't have the energy to care about others right now. After all, they came to Jiangning for business. If they put all their energy into helping others in distress, wouldn't they be using their own hard work to benefit others?
Thinking of this, Song He'er helped her up. "Madam, we are new here and really can't help you. Why don't you go and talk to the city lord?"
The woman still refused to stand up, and it seemed she was determined to hold them back.
"No, I'll surely die if I go back. Tiger Head is a notorious tyrant in Jiangning City. Even the city lord can't do anything to him! I'm really desperate. I beg you two to pay the interest for this day!"
Jiang Huaifu also hated those bullies who relied on their power, but he was alone and helpless in Nanzhao and did not want to cause trouble, so he had no choice but to refuse again.
"How much interest do you owe them for one day?"
"Ten taels of silver."
Song He'er exclaimed, "Ten taels of silver? Even a loan shark wouldn't pay that much. You've probably been swindled."
The woman sobbed, tears streaming down her face. "Yes, this is my first time doing business. I never imagined I'd lose my house, shop, and farmland all at once. I'm truly desperate. Please, kind people, give me some charity."
Jiang Huaifu just wanted to resolve this matter quickly, thinking that since he had taken the money, he could do her a favor and have her show him around Jiangning.
Thinking this, Jiang Huaifu took out a silver ingot from his waist and intended to hand it to the woman.
Song He'er felt something was amiss. Why would they encounter someone so suicidal so soon after they came out? If it wasn't deliberately arranged, then there were countless people in Jiangning who had been swindled by usurious loans.
Although born into a prosperous era, the sons of noble families still could not get rid of their vile and vulgar habits, such as bullying women and beating and scolding servants.
"Wait a minute."
Jiang Huaifu was slightly taken aback, looking at her with a surprised expression, "What's wrong with you?"
"Let me ask her a couple more questions."
"Let's not waste any more time. If we do, we probably won't be able to leave the city tonight."
"If we can't get out, we'll leave tomorrow. We've already come all this way. If we don't figure out what's going on in the market, wouldn't it be a waste of all our time?"
Jiang Huaifu had no other choice but to feel that Song He'er always had her own reasons and purposes for making decisions, and he couldn't forcefully interfere.
Thinking this through, he agreed.
Song He'er turned her head and looked at the woman kneeling on the ground with a serious expression. Then she bent down and helped her up. "Just stand and talk. Answer me truthfully. Maybe I can really help you."
"May I ask you something?"
What do you do for a living?
"Raising silkworms".
Song He'er knew that Jiangnan was a major producer of silk, so she guessed that this woman was engaged in this kind of business.
"Who did you do business with, how did you do it, and how did you lose money?"
The woman wiped away her tears, thought for a moment, and replied, "My parents have passed away. I only have an uncle. Years ago, we bought some silkworm larvae from Fulu City in Nanzhao to process into silk. At first, business was pretty good. Later, my uncle and I wanted to expand the workshop and hire a few more workers, but we didn't have enough money. So we borrowed two hundred taels of silver from the Tiger Head Merchant in Jiangning City and signed a contract, requesting repayment by the autumn equinox this year..."
"But in the latter half of the season, business in the workshop got worse and worse. The larvae couldn't grow. We bought a lot of feed to raise them, but it still didn't work. Finally, in late autumn, the workshop couldn't hold on any longer. We couldn't pay the workers' wages, and we couldn't sell the goods. We couldn't get the money, so naturally we couldn't repay the Tiger Head Inn. So the interest kept piling up day by day. I... I gave them an old house and the shop I bought, but they still claimed it wasn't enough. The day before yesterday, I gave them a piece of land. I thought that would settle the matter, and I would go elsewhere to make a living. But unexpectedly, they came to me again today. Kind people, please help me. I will definitely repay you in the future."
Song He'er saw through these schemes at a glance. They were nothing more than those unscrupulous banks preying on the people by lending money at exorbitant interest rates. Jiangning was not as peaceful as it seemed on the surface; who knows how many dirty things were happening behind the scenes.
Moreover, silkworm farming is a highly profitable business, so how could the larvae not grow up?
It seems that someone tampered with this, most likely those who lent money at exorbitant interest rates switched the good larvae with the bad ones, which is why this situation has arisen.
Suppose she can help this woman turn her life around and obtain the workshop and equipment from her, then she can be considered to have a real business.
However, this business is currently in the hands of the group at Hutouguifang, and taking it back is not as simple as it sounds.
After making up her mind, Song He'er turned to discuss it with Jiang Huaifu.
Jiang Huaifu hesitated for a moment, "We don't have many people with us. It might not be a good idea to make contact with them rashly?"
Song He'er smiled, "I naturally have my own methods, you just need to..."
Song He'er whispered something in Jiang Huaifu's ear.
"Alright then, let's go in."
"Um....."
......
My darlings, it's Lunar New Year's Eve today! The New Year's bells are about to ring. Wishing you all a prosperous and lucky year ahead, with blessings flowing into your homes and your lives getting better and better!
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