The three men were taken aback by the sudden intervention of a passerby. The two men glanced at Xue Shen and held up a number: "Fifty taels. What, are you going to pay it for her?"
Xue Shen glanced at the guard, who then took out some silver and tossed it to the two men, saying, "Is that enough?"
The two men counted the money, making sure it was a considerable amount, before giving the woman a reluctant look and spitting, "You're lucky, we'll let you go this time."
Before leaving, the two joked, "But you'd better keep a close eye on your husband. You were lucky this time that a benefactor paid off your debts, but you might not be so lucky next time."
The woman hunched her shoulders, picked up the medicine packet that had been carelessly thrown on the ground, and then stood up to look at Shen Youying and Xue Shen. Her lips trembled for a long time before she managed to say with difficulty, "Thank you for your help, sir and madam, but I really don't have enough money to repay you..."
At this point, her expression grew increasingly embarrassed. Fearing a misunderstanding, she quickly explained, "I'm not saying this to renege on the debt. I just want to say that my family has encountered some misfortune and we really don't have any money. But I will definitely repay the money. I just... I just hope you can give me a little more time..."
The more she spoke, the lower she bowed, almost to the point of humility.
Shen Youying had seen impoverished people before, but this woman, though humble and weak, possessed a remarkable resilience. Perhaps it was because the women in those stories were like that, which made her feel more compassionate and sympathetic towards her, so she said gently, "It's alright, you can pay it back slowly."
The woman thanked her repeatedly and introduced herself as "Chen Yaoniang": "I wonder how I can repay the money to you two in the future? If you two are not often in town, could you please leave me an address? I will definitely return the money to you in person once I have saved enough. My husband is a storyteller at Zhao's Teahouse. If you are worried, you can send someone to the teahouse to find him at any time. The teahouse manager and staff all know where I live."
When Shen Youying heard her mention the Zhao Family Teahouse, she was surprised by the coincidence: "The Maple Leaf Hermit of the teahouse is your husband?"
Chen Yaoniang nodded: "That's right, please excuse my poor appearance."
Shen Youying recalled the storyteller who was not old but whose storytelling was full of ups and downs and passionate emotions. She never imagined that he would be such a scoundrel who owed money and used his wife to pay off his debts.
Moreover, with the teahouse business booming, the storyteller's pay must not be too low.
Shen Youying hesitated and said, "To be honest, I've been listening to your husband tell stories at the teahouse these past two days. He has quite a few customers, so the teahouse must be paying him well. How could he owe so much money..."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yaoniang gave a bitter smile and said softly, "I heard he lost at the casino."
Shen Youying remained silent. Once you get involved in gambling, no amount of money is ever enough to cover your losses.
She sighed, looking at the other person's worried face, not knowing how to comfort them, and could only offer some advice: "Once someone is addicted to gambling, they will do it again and again."
Chen Yaoniang nodded and said, "I know."
The two had only met by chance, and it wasn't appropriate to have too much conversation. Chen Yaoniang thanked her repeatedly and asked for the address. Only when Shen Youying told her to send money to Chuyun Temple when she had it in the future did she feel at ease enough to take her leave.
Shen Youying looked at her thin back and sighed slowly.
Xue Shen patted her head: "Why be upset about other people's affairs?"
Shen Youying said, "There are too many people suffering in this world. If I were to sympathize with them all, I wouldn't be able to. But perhaps because I'm pregnant, I can't bear to see such things."
Xue Shen pushed her to continue buying hawthorns, saying in a calm voice, "Chen Yaoniang seems to be a person with a strong will, and her speech doesn't sound like that of a simple country bumpkin. Even if she is in trouble for a while, she should be able to get through this difficult time."
Shen Youying felt somewhat comforted by his words. It wasn't until Xue Shen repeatedly washed the hawthorns he had bought, wrapped them in oil paper, and placed them in her hand that her attention was diverted.
She took a small bite of the hawthorn, her face scrunched up from the sourness, but she still finished it in small bites.
After finishing one, he immediately grabbed another.
Xue Shen frowned and looked at it: "Not sour?"
Shen Youying took a satisfied bite, looked up at him, her eyes darting around a few times, and fed the remaining half to him: "Try it."
When Xue Shen saw her smiling like a little fox, he knew she had ill intentions.
But the way her eyes sparkled with anticipation made it hard for him to refuse, so he ate the remaining half of the hawthorn from her hand.
These hawthorns are mostly picked from the mountains by vendors; they're so sour they make your teeth ache.
Xue Shen frowned and swallowed with difficulty.
Shen Youying sat in her wheelchair watching him laugh so hard she couldn't straighten up, while she held the remaining hawthorn fruit in her hands like a precious treasure.
Xue Shen pinched her earlobe helplessly: "You naughty girl, I'll settle the score with you tonight."
Shen Youying stopped laughing as soon as she heard this. She sat up straight and changed the subject, urging Xue Shen, "It's time to go back for dinner."
Xue Shen didn't argue with her, but kept the matter in mind and pushed her back.
When the two returned to the inn, they found the guards who had been sent to follow Zhao Meier were already waiting in the courtyard.
Upon seeing Xue Shen return, he was about to step forward to report.
Xue Shen didn't try to avoid Shen Youying's question and asked directly, "Did you find anything?"
Shen Youying was wondering what Xue Shen had asked the guards to investigate when she heard the guards reply, "I followed Zhao Meier and found that she met a woman named Yao Niang in the backyard of the teahouse. From their conversation, it was clear that the storybook was not written by Zhao Meier, but by the woman named Yao Niang."
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