Thinking of this, Meng Zhao sighed deeply. She slowly got up, took the book from the bookshelf, found the two contracts of indenture inside, made the two women stand up, and handed them the contracts.
Meng Jianqiu accepted the contract of sale with trembling hands. Her eyes widened, her face filled with shock and disbelief.
Seeing their reactions, Meng Zhao said softly, "Whether you believe it or not, I really didn't intend to use this contract to coerce you into doing anything you didn't want to do. At most, I just wanted to use this contract to control you and prevent you from betraying me easily."
After saying that, he laughed self-deprecatingly, "It seems I was right. This flimsy piece of paper is indeed not enough to bind a person. Once given the opportunity, people will eventually rebel for freedom, and no one can stop them."
After calming down, he continued, "Since that's the case, I won't keep this. Don't worry, I won't kick you out of the city. Take this indenture and leave to find your own way out."
After saying that, he turned around and gave them time to leave.
Meng Jianqiu and He Jianxia stared at each other for a long time, their shock lingering. The heaviest burden weighing on them was now in their hands; with just a little effort, they could tear it apart and escape their shackles.
Their gazes slowly shifted to Meng Zhao's back. On their journey of escape, they had seen all sorts of people, but they had never seen anyone like Meng Zhao.
Even He Jianxia, who had always thought Meng Zhao was kind-hearted and a rare good person, never imagined that she could do such a thing.
Meng Zhao turned around for a long time but didn't hear any footsteps behind him, so he turned back and saw the two of them still standing there, their eyes empty and confused. He frowned and asked, "Why don't you leave?"
Then, as if remembering something, she took a step back, her expression shifting from confusion to shock. "You don't actually expect me to give you travel expenses, do you? That's going too far!"
Upon hearing this, the two quickly shook their heads and hurriedly said, "No, no, we absolutely did not think that."
"So what do you want to do?"
The two exchanged a glance, and Meng Jianqiu spoke first: "I want to apologize to you. I was wrong. I shouldn't have doubted you. You are the best person I have ever met."
Meng Zhao waved his hand dismissively, "Alright, alright, I accept your apology. Since that's the case, then hurry up and leave. Don't stand here, or I'll get annoyed."
The two remained standing still until He Jianxia mustered up the courage to speak.
"We don't want to leave, Master. I beg you, could you let us stay and continue working?" She tilted her head slightly, her eyes full of pleading and expectation.
Meng Zhao sneered, "Let you stay? What if you sneak into my room again? I hate betrayal the most. I'm letting you go today because I feel guilty. If you really cross my line, I will never forgive you."
He Jianxia hurriedly raised his right hand, "I won't, I, He Jianxia, swear here that I will never betray Meng Zhao. If I break this oath, may I be struck by lightning."
Meng Jianqiu also raised his hand without hesitation, his eyes full of sincerity, "I, Wang Pandi, swear that I will never betray you. If I do, I am willing to die a horrible death!"
Meng Zhao was slightly surprised by Meng Jianqiu's original name, but she could understand her intention in swearing with her original name. After a moment of contemplation, she slowly reached out and tentatively took the indenture from the two of them.
"Then I'll take this back, are you two willing?"
There seemed to be a fleeting change in their expressions, but it quickly disappeared, and they nodded in unison, "Okay."
Meng Zhao was amused by their reactions. He reached out, folded the two pieces of paper together, tore them several times in the middle until they were in tiny pieces, then opened the lid of the ceramic stove in the room, threw the scraps of paper in and burned them to ashes. Then he clapped his hands.
"Forget it, this thing is useless anyway, let's just burn it."
The tension in their hearts finally eased, and their long-standing fear and gratitude towards Meng Zhao intertwined, causing tears to fall like beads from a broken string.
After they had cried their hearts out for a while, Meng Zhao turned her gaze to Wang Pandi, her expression slightly hesitant. "Um... Pandi? You... will have this name from now on?"
Wang Pandi's eyes revealed a resolute look. She shook her head vigorously and said firmly, "I don't like this name. I prefer the name Meng Jianqiu. From now on, I will still be called Meng Jianqiu."
Meng Zhao nodded slightly, acknowledging her decision. Then, he narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the two of them, and his expression became serious.
“You two are no longer selling yourselves to me; you are just my ordinary workers. From today onward, I will pay you wages every month, just like I would with any other worker.”
The two men's eyes lit up immediately, but Meng Zhao continued with a cold face, "However, since you two eat my food, drink my drinks, and live in my house, your wages will naturally be much lower than those of the other employees in the shop."
Even so, the two nodded happily, willing to do anything to keep them here.
With his hands behind his back, Meng Zhao paced slowly around the room, saying as he walked, "When I find workers in this county, I don't need to buy them clothes or shoes, let alone fancy things like tooth powder or hair ties. All the money I spent on you before, you have to pay me back after you get your wages."
The two nodded again, and Meng Jianqiu said, "We'll pay it all back, however much we have."
Meng Zhao stopped and looked at them sternly. "This place isn't so easy to stay in. I have many rules. If you don't follow my rules in your words and actions, I'll deduct your wages."
They had already learned some of the shop's rules, and when Aunt Feng'e spoke, she would explain the reasons behind those rules, which they all understood.
Meng Zhao talked for a long time until Xiao Chuan called her to eat, and then the three of them came out of the room.
Meng Jianqiu diligently moved a stool and served bowls to Meng Zhao, trying to make Meng Zhao forget the wrong thing she had done. She felt that the best thing she had ever done in her life was to stop Meng Zhao at the city gate.
The next morning, before Xiao Chuan woke up, Meng Jianqiu and He Jianxia got up to do chores. When Xiao Chuan got up, he was startled.
A strong competitive spirit surged within Xiaochuan. He secretly challenged himself, so on the third day, he got up even earlier. The three of them were busy in the yard, inevitably making some noise.
Meng Zhao was woken up by the noise. When he opened his eyes, the rooster hadn't crowed yet. He couldn't help but go out and scold the three of them, "Don't try to sabotage me. Getting up so early means you won't have any energy during the day. If you make a mistake, I'll teach you a lesson."
With enough manpower, the shop continued to operate, but what puzzled Meng Zhao was why Zhao's Braised Offal across the street was doing better and better.
Especially the people in the surrounding shops, who used to buy braised meat from her own shop, have recently been seen going to the shop across the street several times.
Although she doesn't seem to have a strong possessiveness towards her customers, this is clearly a bad sign.
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