"Since that's the case, you can take these two girls with you. I don't need the silver notes. I just robbed two thousand taels of silver, so I don't need this little bit. Besides, we're all friends, so talking about money is vulgar. Wang San, Liu Wu, drag the two girls to the carriage and let Miss Suzhen take them back!"
"It's my eldest brother—"
When Guan Meng heard that Yan Xia's elder brother had killed more than 300 people, he almost dropped his knife.
He only killed thirty people at most.
It seems that Pineapple Bro is a ruthless person.
Coupled with Yan Xia's strange bowing, he assumed it was a rule of Qingcheng Mountain.
So he followed Yan Xia's gesture and returned the greeting.
Both of them held up their hands, one pointing to a six and the other to a seven, above their heads.
It looked absolutely ridiculous.
"Thank you so much. May I ask your name, sir? If you would be so kind as to tell me, I will certainly remember your name."
Yan Xia almost burst out laughing when she saw Guan Meng's stupid look.
"My surname is Guan Dan, and my given name is Meng!"
"Alright, Brother Guan Meng, you seem older than me, so I'll call you 'Brother,' is that alright? I'll be going now. Remember, when we visit Qingcheng Mountain again, I'll be waiting for you!"
"Okay, I understand. I'll definitely go to Qingcheng Mountain when I find the opportunity. Goodbye!"
Yan Xia waited for him to finish speaking before getting into the carriage.
Leave quickly.
They didn't stop for a moment.
They were going so fast that the wheels kicked up sand and dirt.
"Brother, where is Qingcheng Mountain? How do we get there?"
"Damn it, I forgot to ask. You idiot, why didn't you remind me?"
Guan slapped his forehead hard, but he didn't control the force well and winced in pain.
By the time he tried to stop Yan Xia to get the details, the carriage had vanished.
"Forget it, I'll just ask someone for directions later. It shouldn't be far from here."
So the bandits picked up the chests and treasures hidden in the woods and returned to the mountain.
"Hahahaha, I'm dying of laughter! These idiots believe everything they say." Yan Xia laughed uncontrollably after the carriage drove away from the danger zone.
The loud laughter startled the two little girls in the carriage, who began to sob; they must have been crying.
"Oh dear, I forgot about them. Jinyu, you drive carefully, I'll go in and comfort them."
"Okay, don't worry, Sister Xia." Jin Yu's eyes crinkled with laughter. Sister Xia is so mischievous!
"Waaaaah—"
Upon seeing Yan Xia enter, the two girls shrank back in fear. Their hands and feet were tightly bound with rope, and their mouths were stuffed with burlap, so they could only make muffled noises.
"Don't be afraid. I was just fooling those bandits. I'm Manager Yan from Shuangqiao Town, I run a pastry shop. Are you injured? When we get back to town, I'll take you to the clinic. Don't worry, it's all over now, you're alright—"
Yan Xia helped them untie the ropes and removed the burlap from their mouths.
"I'll take you to the government office first thing tomorrow morning and have the officials send you back. Money is just an external thing, and you probably won't get it back. It's good that you can get home safely. Don't be afraid. I'm not a bad person, so don't worry."
Yan Xia's voice was very soft and gentle.
It comforted both of them.
They stopped crying, and their bodies stopped trembling.
"Thank you, thank you, Manager Yan, but we have no home anymore. Our masters have been killed..."
A slightly bolder girl spoke first.
After listening to her halting explanation for a long time, Yan Xia finally understood the whole story.
It turned out that the two girls were maids from the Bai family in Ningzhou City. The Bai family had passed away some time ago, and his only son, Bai Xiyan, sold all his belongings and took his family and servants to study in Jiangnan County. Bai Xiyan was a student and was worried about leaving his widowed mother alone at home, so he set off with her. Because the coachman did not know the way, they wandered around in the mountains for a long time and had not left the mountains by the time it got dark. They happened to encounter bandits.
Now look what happened. The groom, Bai Xiyan, Madam Bai, and three servants and a steward have all been killed.
Only the two girls remained.
Unfortunately, the two of them had come from a time of hardship as children, and their entire families had died.
"I have a private question for you. Answer me truthfully, as it concerns your future." Yan Xia spoke in a very low voice.
Seeing the two girls nod, she began to ask questions.
"Did those bandits defile you?" Yan Xia asked seriously. Given their disheveled appearance and the bandit leader's words, she couldn't help but think of this possibility.
"Waaaaah—" The two did not answer.
They both covered their faces and cried.
The answer is already obvious.
Yan Xia felt a pang of sadness and regret.
"Don't be afraid, I won't tell anyone. However, if you don't want to give birth to that bandit's child, I suggest you take the medicine beforehand."
They also have birth control pills here.
These are all things that are extremely cold in nature, such as safflower and musk.
While it can prevent pregnancy, it can also accidentally cause sterilization.
It is very likely that they will have difficulty conceiving in the future.
Anyway, she delivered the message; the choice is up to the two of them.
As for suppressing bandits, it's probably impossible. First of all, the government's forces are insufficient, and secondly, the bandits have been living in the mountains for many years and are more familiar with the terrain than anyone else. Unless a thorough search is carried out, they simply cannot be captured.
However, none of the county governments had that many officials.
If the imperial court does not suppress the bandits.
No one can wipe them out.
Rather than placing their hopes on the government, they simply kept their mouths shut and never mentioned being defiled.
Otherwise, the world's condemnation might have caused the two girls to break down.
The truth is cruel; they are clearly the victims.
Yan Xia was powerless to change anything; she had done all she could.
After more than an hour, the carriage finally returned to Shuangqiao Town.
The city gates were already closed at this point.
To get into the city, you can only wait until morning, or if you have someone you know.
Yan Xia happens to be the latter.
She had only shown her face briefly when the officials opened the city gates.
As they passed through the city gate, Yan Xia tossed two taels of silver to each of the two gatekeepers who opened it, telling them to buy wine.
Small favors can sometimes be very useful.
The streets were deserted by then. The carriage was moving very fast and stopped outside a clinic. The four of them got off the carriage.
This clinic is the only one in town that is open day and night.
The clinic is guarded by apprentices at night.
He would treat minor illnesses and pains.
Only when a problem becomes difficult will they go to the backyard to wake up the doctor.
"Jinyu, you can wait here. I'll take the two girls inside. If you're sleepy, you can go back to sleep first. The house isn't far away; I'll be there in no time."
Yan Xia didn't let Jin Yu go in with her.
"It's okay, Sister Xia, I'm not sleepy. I'll wait for you here."
Hearing him say that...
Yan Xia didn't try to persuade her anymore.
The three entered the clinic.
A dim candle was lit inside.
Upon seeing someone enter, the apprentice, who was leaning back in his chair, immediately stood up, showing no sign that he had just been dozing off.
"Could you please take a look at the abrasions on these two girls' arms and the marks on their hands? Do they need any ointment? They look a bit red and swollen."
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