"Granny, please don't sell me!"
"Dad, I beg you, I will be obedient from now on, please don't sell me!"
"Mom..."
Heart-wrenching cries suddenly came from Du Xiaohui in the Du family yard. As soon as Pang Shi heard it, she hurried over with her cane.
"Let's go too."
Li Yao led several children and came to the Du house.
A fat-headed man with big ears, along with a tall thug, was looking satisfied at the ceaselessly crying Du Xiaohui. Du Xiaohui was holding onto the doorstep, refusing to come out.
Seeing Pang Shi come back, she hurried to her side: "Mom, please don't sell me."
"I won't, I won't," Pang Shi hugged her and said with immeasurable tenderness, "Don't worry, we won't sell you."
"Not sell her?" As soon as Xu heard this, she started yelling, "If you don't sell her, how are you going to get money for Changming to marry a daughter-in-law? Are you going to chop her up and sell her in pieces?"
"Mom, I already told Li that she is willing to hire Xiaohui as a long-term worker," Pang Shi quickly said, "And she can even pay one year's wages in advance."
Xu looked at Li Yao in surprise, seemingly unable to believe this was true.
When did this shrew from River Bend village become so kind-hearted?
"What now?" The human trafficker's face suddenly darkened as he said coldly, "You want to renege on our agreement? There's no such good thing in this world!"
"I'm sorry, brother, we really won't sell her anymore..."
"Bullshit!" The human trafficker shouted, "I came all this way, and you say you won't sell her just like that? If you don't let me take her today, I'll make you regret it!"
Seeing him get angry, the Du family didn't dare make a sound.
Anyone who can be a human trafficker nowadays is a vicious character.
Offending them would lead to terrible consequences.
Seeing them give in, the trafficker's thug threw a money bag on the ground: "This is the agreed silver. Hand her over quickly!"
Seeing the man come towards her, Du Xiaohui turned pale with fright and huddled tightly in Pang Shi's arms.
But the thug was very strong. He grabbed her slender arm, pushed Pang Shi to the ground with one hand, and dragged Du Xiaohui to leave.
"What are you doing?"
The Zhuang brothers rushed over to block the thug.
Wang Er's sense of justice flared as he shouted loudly: "You still dare to openly kidnap an innocent girl in broad daylight?"
"Oh, you sound like a scholar," the trafficker laughed and said, "But I'm afraid I paid money, so this isn't kidnapping, it's fair trade. If you continue blocking the way, don't blame me for being impolite!"
But Wang Er was fearless: "They didn't take your money, so the deal is off!"
The trafficker was also vicious. He raised his hand to toss Wang Er aside, but before he could grab his collar, a fair hand grabbed his arm.
"You stinking woman, you..."
Li Yao glared at him and increased her grip, twisting the man's arm behind his back. Then she forcefully pushed down, kneeling him on the ground.
Seeing this, the thug immediately came over to help, but before he got close, Li Yao kicked him in the crotch. He curled up in pain on the spot like a shriveled shrimp.
"You stinking woman, let me go!" The trafficker was used to being arrogant. Having never suffered such humiliation before, he couldn't help but curse loudly, "My cousin is a government official! I'll have him arrest your whole family and thrown in jail!"
"Oh, no wonder you dare be so arrogant. You have backers up top."
"You know that's good!" The trafficker said, "Hurry up and let me go, then compensate me for medical expenses. I can let you off."
"Hehe, but do you know, I specialize in dealing with scumbags like you!"
Li Yao didn't stand on courtesy either. She stomped the trafficker's head into the ground and vigorously ground it.
If she didn't have to continue living in River Bend village, with her original temperament, she would have just twisted this trash's neck and tossed him in the sewers.
"Don't...please spare me, I won't dare anymore..."
Li Yao said coldly: "You can go back and tell your official cousin to come take revenge on me, Li Yao from River Bend village, for bullying you."
"I don't dare, I don't dare..."
"Scram!"
The trafficker picked up the money bag on the ground and crawled away with all his might.
After the two men left, Du Xiaohui knelt before Li Yao and kept kowtowing to her: "Auntie Li, thank you for saving my life. I will be your ox and horse from now on..."
"Get up." Li Yao pulled Du Xiaohui to her feet. "Promise me one thing."
"Okay," Du Xiaohui said, "Auntie Li, just tell me. I'll agree to anything."
"From now on, no matter what happens, don't cry easily."
Du Xiaohui looked at Li Yao blankly, but soon wiped the tears from her face and nodded heavily: "I understand. I won't cry anymore in the future."
Li Yao had Da Zhuang take 600 wen in copper coins from home. This was one year's wages to hire Du Xiaohui as a long-term worker.
The wages were very low.
But with food and lodging provided, and new clothes added, after all for a young girl like Du Xiaohui, giving her too much money wasn't necessarily a good thing, unless when she grew up and completely rid herself of the influence from her original family.
After giving the money to Pang Shi, Li Yao said to Du Xiaohui: "Let's go, come work for me now."
"Yes, Auntie Li."
Du Xiaohui took one last look back at Granny and Du Jing, then resolutely turned and followed Li Yao.
Her heartless granny wanted to sell her, and her dad not only agreed, but didn't say a word from start to finish!
And her brother, just to raise money for his wedding, she was almost sold, yet he hid in the house and didn't even come out to look at her once.
In the end, it was only because mom pleaded with Auntie Li that she narrowly escaped her fate of being sold.
Just thinking about it made her heart ache with sadness.
But she had promised Auntie Li that no matter how heartbroken she felt, she wouldn't cry.
Soon they arrived at Li Yao's home.
Usually when she came to play, Du Xiaohui could still relax. But now that she was here to work for Auntie Li's family, she became somewhat ill at ease.
Seeing her not knowing what to do with her hands and feet, He Xiaoya took her hand and asked, "Sit and eat with us."
"Oh no, how could I eat with you?"
Looking at the braised beef on the table, Du Xiaohui became very nervous.
She had heard before that long-term workers absolutely could not eat at the same table as the masters, and they also could not eat the same food as the masters.
"I'll just eat something on the side."
"Sit down," Li Yao said. "We don't have so many rules in this family."
Hearing Li Yao say this, Du Xiaohui finally sat down apprehensively.
He Xiaoya scooped her a big bowl of rice and handed her chopsticks. Seeing that she didn't dare take any beef, only eating the side dishes, she picked some more meat chunks for her.
This was the first time in Du Xiaohui's life tasting the flavor of beef. It gave her indescribable feelings.
From young till now, she had only heard how delicious yet expensive beef was, that only rich households and officials could eat it once in a while on holidays.
But in Auntie Li's home, they ate it everyday!
And they even let her, a long-term worker, eat it too.
This life was so much better than at home!
With wages, food, and lodging, which family could give her such good treatment? She must work hard to repay Auntie Li's kindness in keeping her for many years.