Did he hear that right?
Qiu Dafu suddenly turned around, and when he saw his eldest niece appear in front of him, he felt as if he were in a dream.
"Second Uncle."
"Xiao Yan!"
Even after the jailer removed his shackles and led him out of the cell, Qiu Dafu still felt it was unreal.
He was brought back to reality when he saw Yang, shackled, pass by him.
Yang kept her head down, not daring to look at Qiu Dafu even once. She didn't dare to cry, much less make a scene. But when she passed Qiu Yan, she still wore that murderous look on her face.
But what's the use?
Having not seen the light of day for so long, Qiu Dafu felt a little dizzy from the glare.
Qiu Yan supported her second uncle's staggering body with one hand, pulled the donkey over, and the two disappeared step by step outside the prison.
On the way, Qiu Yan took out the severance document and handed it to Qiu Dafu, saying, "Second Uncle, I forged your fingerprint."
Qiu Dafu took the document and looked at it carefully.
"Really...it's that simple? The magistrate has no doubts?"
"With the help of the magistrate's wife, the confrontation in court went very smoothly. From now on, my second uncle is free and will never have to suffer in prison again."
Listening to Qiu Yan recount what happened, Qiu Dafu felt a lingering fear.
Xiaoyan's actions were truly risky. If the county magistrate discovered the forgery, wouldn't that be extremely dangerous?
Originally, Qiu Dafu had a lot to say to Qiu Yan, but in the end, it all came down to one sentence: "Xiao Yan, thank you."
He bit his finger and pressed his fingerprint onto the document severing ties.
"Second Uncle, there's no need for thanks between us."
Qiu Dafu is now in a sorry state, attracting a lot of strange looks.
Qiu Yan looked at a shop ahead and said, "Second Uncle, there's a clothing store up ahead. I'll buy you a couple of changes of clothes first."
Qiu Dafu shook his head, "Never mind, my second uncle still has clothes at home."
"Your clothes have already been worn by Qiu Dayong. Don't worry, I have money."
Qiu Dafu pursed his lips and said nothing more, letting Qiu Yan buy him two sets of clothes.
Just after noon, the uncle and nephew went to Qiu Yumei's wonton shop. Before going, Qiu Dafu tidied himself up and washed his face by a small river outside the county.
The wonton shop owner told Qiu Yumei that business had been good in recent days, so he hired more workers and asked Qiu Yumei to train them for a few days.
The new worker was a shy young girl.
When Qiu Yumei saw Qiu Yan and Qiu Dafu appear before her, she felt the same way Qiu Dafu had reacted – it was all a bit unreal.
She bit her arm hard; it wasn't a dream.
"Second Brother." Qiu Yumei's eyes reddened. Her second brother looked much more haggard and thinner.
She quickly pulled Qiu Dafu to the table and showered him with concern. The new girl soon cooked a bowl of wontons and four meat pies for each of them.
"Aunt Qiu, are they your relatives?" the little girl thought to herself. Why do Aunt Qiu's relatives look like this? They're all dirty.
However, she only thought it to herself and did not show it.
"Yes, they are my second brother and niece." Qiu Yumei looked at Qiu Dafu with heartache in her eyes.
"Then you two chat." The little girl smiled sweetly and left.
The wonton shop owner was a middle-aged woman with high cheekbones, a pointed chin, and narrow eyes that were squinted into slits as she glanced at Qiu Dafu.
Seeing that there weren't many customers, Qiu Yumei stood next to the two of them and chatted with Qiu Yan and Qiu Dafu at their table. "Heaven has eyes, the government knows about your injustice."
Qiu Dafu brushed his messy hair aside. "It wasn't the heavens, it was Xiaoyan. She saved me."
Qiu Yumei quickly turned her gaze to Qiu Yan: "Xiao Yan, quickly tell your aunt how you saved your second uncle?"
"I used a little trick..."
"You're always slacking off and cheating, Qiu Yumei. If you want to work, then stay and do it properly. If you don't want to work, then leave. Our little shop can't afford to keep idle people!" Qiu Yan was interrupted by the wonton shop owner before she could finish her sentence.
Qiu Yumei stood up awkwardly and hurriedly bowed her head to apologize to the shop owner.
At the same time, she didn't forget to whisper instructions,
"Second brother, Xiaoyan, I'll be off work in about half an hour. Wait for me, second brother. You can stay at my house tonight."
Qiu Dafu shook his head, giving the shop owner a disapproving look. "Yu Mei, Xiao Yan and I are staying here, so we won't disturb you any longer. We'll head back now."
The shop owner couldn't stand Qiu Yumei no matter what. Seeing that Qiu Yumei hadn't left yet, he started to shoo Qiu Yan and Qiu Yumei away, saying, "You two would better leave quickly, lest you affect the shop's business."
Qiu Yumei wanted to say something more, but then she heard the shop owner say, "Qiu Yumei, three days' wages will be deducted."
The shop owner has acquired a new employee, and she has agreed with the new employee to pay her only twenty-five coins a day. So, she is trying every means to get rid of Qiu Yumei.
Qiu Yumei's eyes reddened again; three days' wages amounted to a full ninety coins.
"Second brother, you go first."
She wiped away her tears and pleaded with the shop owner, saying that she hadn't done anything wrong and that the owner shouldn't deduct her wages for no reason.
The shop owner glared angrily, "I'm the owner of this shop. What, are you trying to commit insubordination?"
Qiu Yumei, you're no good at work. After all these years, you're still not as good as a young girl.
I've wanted to replace you for a long time!
The shop owner had said this before. Qiu Yumei also wanted to leave, but she hadn't found another place to work yet.
Both of her children are in school, and she's also currently focused on moving to a new house.
The wages paid to Zhao San alone are simply not enough.
These words infuriated Qiu Yan and Qiu Dafu.
Qiu Dafu jumped up and slammed his hand on the table. "Yu Mei, we're not doing this job anymore!"
"That's good, you can quit," the shop owner smiled slyly and said nothing more.
She was just waiting for Qiu Yumei to bring it up herself so she could deduct her wages.
"Second brother, I..." Qiu Yumei has been working at this store for several years, and it's not easy to find a new job. She really doesn't want to lose this job.
"Qiu Yumei, if you're not going to do this anymore, then leave. Don't stand there and disturb my business." The shop owner was smug about his cleverness.
The little girl timidly hid to the side, not understanding why the shop owner always targeted Aunt Qiu.
Qiu Yan supported her aunt with one hand and said to the shop owner, "If you want to kick someone out, you have to pay my aunt's wages for this month first!"
"They want to leave on their own, and they still want their wages. Today is only the fifteenth, and it's still half a month before it's a full month. A family of poor bastards, they must be crazy for money."
At this point, Qiu Yumei realized that the shop owner was clearly trying to kick her out on purpose, and she trembled with anger. The shop owner actually wanted to deduct half a month's wages from her pay.
Unable to bear it any longer, Qiu Dafu suddenly stepped forward and grabbed the shop owner by the neck, shouting, "You want to cheat me out of my sister's wages? I'll take your life first!"
Qiu Yan then stood up, really wanting to applaud her second uncle.
The only customers at the restaurant were scared away by Qiu Dafu. Qiu Yumei stared wide-eyed, the little girl in the corner was terrified, and even passersby couldn't help but watch.
The shop owner rolled his eyes back as Qiu Dafu choked him, and finally, Qiu Dafu pushed him hard, causing him to fall to the ground.
"Cough cough... What kind of man are you, bullying a woman like me?" The shop owner was angry, but had no choice but to give in.
"Qiu Yumei only worked for fifteen days this month, so I can only pay her for half a month's wages."
Qiu Yan tiptoed forward and grabbed the shopkeeper by the collar. "Nine strings of copper coins, not a single one less. Hurry up, my second uncle has a bad temper!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
