Dafeng Night Watchman

Chapter 509: Chapter 509: Unfairness



"Da Da Da..."

The mare trotted over with graceful little steps, carrying the princess on her back.

It snorted and gently rubbed Xu Qi'an's face. The latter kept stroking its neck to comfort it.

The princess untied the package hanging on the horse's back, grabbed a green robe and handed it to Xu Qi'an, and then she looked at the little woman, hesitated a little, and took out her cotton coat.

"Put it on, if you catch a cold, it will be in vain to save people."

In late autumn, the climate in Yongzhou is cold to the bone. If people are just pulled out of the river and do not change clothes and keep warm in time, once they get sick, the mortality rate is still very high.

"The old man's house is just ahead, go to the old man's house to change clothes."

The old man holding the bamboo pole said hurriedly.

Xu Qi'an held the clean green robe and cotton coat, bowed and said:

"Thank you, old man."

Immediately led the horse, dragged the little woman, and followed behind the old man..

The people around were still talking and pointing, gossiping, or sighing that Zhang Bozi's wife was lucky to meet a man who was good at swimming and willing to jump into the water to save people in the cold weather.

After walking less than a hundred meters, the old man turned into a small alley paved with cobblestones and pushed open the black wooden door covered with corrosion marks.

Behind the door was a small courtyard with a square patio above her head.

The little woman's face was livid, her lips were pale, and her whole body was shivering.

If Xu Qian'an was still a warrior, the Qi transfer would easily drive away the coldness in her body.

But Qi is the patent of warriors. At low and medium levels, only warriors can use Qi in all major systems.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

At high levels, other systems can also use Qi as their physical bodies become stronger, but they are far from comparable to warriors. Just like the power Gu, when it reaches Lina's level, she can actively refine her essence into Qi, focusing on the physical body and supplementing the Qi, so as to better exert her combat power.

"Take her to change clothes." Xu Qi'an took down the big package and threw it to Mu Nanzhi. The princess hugged her tightly in her arms, glanced at the little woman, quietly stuffed the beautiful cotton jacket back into the package, and took out a not-so-beautiful cotton coat. I was careless just now and accidentally took a good piece of clothing......

Looking at the two people entering the master bedroom, Xu Qi'an went to the side room to change clothes under the guidance of the old man.

"Old man, why don't you take shelter first?"

Xu Qi'an said tactfully.

The old man was stunned and wondered: "What's the matter? Are you shy, young man?" No, I'm afraid of scaring you... Xu Qi'an smiled apologetically and looked at the old man without saying anything.

The old man put the clean sweat towel on the table and left the room.

Xu Qiyan untied his robe and took off his inner clothes. There were four nails on his front abdomen and back, and the wounds were dark red and hideous.

There was another nail on the Baihui acupoint on his head, which sealed his soul.

The magic-sealing nail sealed his cultivation, including his strength. Now he only had the toughness of a third-grade warrior, but he couldn't exert enough strength. Even if he wanted to kill people with the hardness of his body, it would be difficult to do it.

After changing into a set of dry clothes, Xu Qiyan and the old man sat in the simple hall, warming the fire, with a pot of rice wine on the stove, and the two chatted.

"Old man, are you the only one living at home?"

"Yes."

"Where are your family members?"

"My wife passed away last year. We have a pair of children. My daughter married in another place and hasn't come back to see me for many years. As for my son..."

The old man paused for a moment, and a look of helplessness flashed in his slightly turbid eyes:

"There was a flood a few years ago, and all the crops were gone. In order to feed his family, he went hunting with a hunter, but he slipped and fell off a cliff and died."

There was a moment of silence.

Xu Qian'an himself had experienced great sorrow and pain, so he would not say "condolences".

this time, the old man picked up the wine pot and smiled, "This wine is ready when it is just warm. When it boils, the taste will dissipate. Young man, try it."

There were no extra cups at home.

Xu Qian'an poured the wine pot, took a sip, and his eyes lit up. The taste was sweet and mellow, with sour, bitter, spicy and astringent, but just right. After swallowing the wine, the rich fragrance lingered between the lips and teeth for a long time.

There are countless good wines in Beijing, but this is the first time he has tasted this kind of wine.

At this time, it would be nice to have another plate of white-cut chicken and salted boiled peanuts...... Xu Qian'an thought regretfully in his heart, and he couldn't wait to find an inn to stay and drink with the princess until dawn.

The old man nodded with satisfaction, and saw that he looked like he was savoring

something, and his wrinkled face showed a smile.

"From the young man's accent, you are not a local of Yongzhou."

"From Beijing."

The old man stood in awe and said, "So you are from Beijing, no wonder, the young man and your wife are really a perfect match."

Hey, old man, can you really feel at ease when you say this... Xu Qian'an complained in his

heart.

Just at this time, the princess and the young woman came out, the latter's face was still pale, and her slender body was shivering slightly due to the cold.

The old man invited the two to come over to warm themselves by the fire. Xu Qian'an saw something unusual in the princess's face, as if she was trying to suppress her anger.

"What's wrong?"

Xu Qian'an handed the wine pot to the young woman, motioning her to take a sip to warm

herself up, and then turned to look at Mu Nanzhi.

The old man sighed, "Did Zhang Bozi go gambling again?"

The young woman lowered her head and nodded.

Seeing this, the old man commented, "It seems that life is unbearable."

The young woman shook her head, and tears fell.

Mu Nanzhi's face was gloomy and she said, "Her husband gave her away..."

Giving her away is a euphemism. The thing is, the young woman's husband is Zhang Youfu, a lame man. Because of his disability, he can't do heavy work, and his family has always been

poor.

But Zhang Bozi is a man with high expectations and low skills. He is unwilling to live a hard life, so he indulges in gambling.

After a few years, the life that was not rich to begin with became more and more difficult to

live.

Nine out of ten gambling games are lost, Zhang Bozi is not special. Not only did he lose all his

family wealth, but he also owed a lot of debts.

The biggest creditor was a gangster named Zhu Er.

Zhu Er colluded with the casino to drain Zhang Bozi's money, and then lent him money, nine

out of thirteen returned.

His purpose was not money, but he had his eyes on Zhang Bozi's wife, the young woman in

front of him.

He threatened Zhang Bozi with debt and asked him to pawn his wife to him. When he could pay back the money, he would take his wife back.

Zhang Bozi, who was desperate, had no choice but to agree and signed the contract.

The young woman was taken away by Zhu Er yesterday and forced to commit herself to him.

This morning, while Zhu Er was sleeping, she secretly escaped and wanted to jump into the river to commit suicide.

After listening to this, the old man sighed again, as if he had expected Zhang Bozi to come to

this step sooner or later.

Pawning wives is quite common in the south of Dafeng. It is okay when life is peaceful, but once there is a natural disaster or man-made disaster, the custom of pawning wives will

prevail.

The law strictly prohibits such practices, but the government usually turns a blind eye and

acquiesces.

Xu Qian'an looked at the young woman again. She was indeed pretty and had a gentle temperament, which could arouse men's possessiveness.

Mu Nanzhi frequently signaled with her eyes, asking Xu Qian'an why he treated the young

woman like this.

"How much silver does your husband owe Zhu Er?"

The young woman looked up, looked at him timidly, and whispered, "Thirty taels."

Thirty taels of silver is not a small amount. In the capital, this is the annual income of a wealthy population. In a small county like Fuyang County, thirty taels of silver is enough to buy a big house.

However, if it is gambling, it can't be settled like this.

If the young woman did not lie, and Zhu Er colluded with the gambling house to kill pigs, then

the thirty taels of silver were actually not a penny spent, and he got a charming and good young woman for nothing.

The old man whispered, "This Zhu Er is a notorious gangster in the county. He is sworn brothers with the county magistrate's nephew. He has dozens of people under him. The busiest street in the county has to pay him protection fees.

"There are many people who are dissatisfied with him, but there are even more people who are afraid of him. With the county magistrate's protection, he can do whatever he wants." He is also very smart and has "reasonable" means to bully men and women...Xu Qian'an

added in his heart.

"As the saying goes, a good person should be good to the end. You now have two choices:

First, we will pay back the thirty taels your husband owes Zhu Er, and you can go back and

continue to live with your husband.

"Second, the contract is illegal. I will settle it for you, but you have to divorce your husband. I will give you a sum of money afterwards. You can go back to your parents' home or go somewhere else. It's up to you."

The young woman lowered her head and said softly: "A daughter who is married is like water

spilled out. How can she go back to her parents' home? I am a local. Where can I make a living

if I leave the county?"

Xu Qian'an knew that she chose the first option.

He immediately left thirty taels of silver for the young woman, led the mare and Mu Nanzhi

away from the old man's house.

"If you have any follow-up questions, come to the best inn in the county to find me.

"Old man, the wine is good. Thank you for the hospitality."

The two men and the horse walked out of the alley and gradually went far away.

The old man watched them leave, and returned to the house. He was shocked to find that there

was an ingot of official silver left where the young man had just sat.

The old man had never seen such a large amount of silver in his life.

.......

In the county, a three-story courtyard.

Zhu Er, with a face full of flesh, sat in the hall with a gloomy face, and shouted to his

subordinates in the hall:

"Catch that little bitch back, she is shameless, and keep her in the house to relieve the

brothers' anger. There are so many brothers who can't find wives, just make the best use of

them."

He had tasted the young lady's taste before, and Zhu Er had always been a man who loved the new and disliked the old.

Although the contract did not allow him to do so, the lame man was penniless, and he could

not even take out three taels of silver, let alone thirty taels.

This woman was his from now on, and he could do whatever he wanted with her.

"Gulp..."

The men swallowed their saliva.

Zhu Er was very satisfied with the reaction of his subordinates, and thought that his decision

was extremely correct and had greatly won the hearts of the people. During this period of time, Zhu Er felt that his luck had turned, which was mainly manifested

in four aspects. First, he won more and lost less when gambling in the gambling house. Here,

it means that there was no cheating, and it was purely a great luck. Second, the several shops, industries, and businesses he operated suddenly became better

and more prosperous.

Third, the county lord, who had originally been lukewarm, taking bribes while looking down

on him, suddenly changed his temper and became a brother to him.

From the casino The idea of setting a trap to squeeze Zhang Bozi dry, and then forcing the young lady into the room with debt was suggested by the county magistrate. Otherwise, according to Zhu Er's character, he would prefer to force the good woman to obey.

The county magistrate is indeed a scholar, and his method is flawless without any sequelae. Fourth, his brothers are more and more respectful and loyal to him.

Zhu Er, whose financial resources and power are rapidly expanding, even thought of going to

Yongzhou City to make a living.

Compared with the main city of Yongzhou, what is the small county of Fuyang County... Zhu

Er restrained his divergent thoughts and thought about what kind of gift to give to the county

magistrate. Women were directly eliminated from the options. Would the county magistrate lack women? Silver was also eliminated because silver had always been given and was not distinctive enough to show his intentions.

At this time, a subordinate hurried in and said, "Second Master, Zhang Bozi and his sister-in-

law are here, saying they are here to pay back the money."

Repay the money? Zhu Er was stunned, almost thinking that he had heard wrongly, and said in

a deep voice: "Let them in."

After a while, a thin man who walked with a limp came in with a pretty young woman. The

young woman's arms were swollen and she was holding them tightly.

There were several bruises on her face, as if she had just been beaten, but she still held the

things in her arms tightly, without relaxing at all. "Second Master, we are here to pay back the silver."

Zhang Bozi nodded and bowed, his face full of flattery.

Zhu Er ignored him, but looked at the young woman, squinting his eyes and said:

"Where have you been?"

The young woman tightened the things in her arms again, a little afraid, and forced to be

brave: "We are here to pay back the money, where is the contract?"

Zhu Er stared at her: "Where is the silver. "

The young woman took out the cloth bag, which contained three ingots of official silver, each

weighing ten taels.

Official silver was not something that ordinary people could use. It was not that they were not

qualified, but that the "face value" was too large. Ordinary people generally used copper coins and small silver.

"Where did the official silver come from!"

Zhu Er stared and asked loudly.

The young woman was frightened, and Zhang Bozi hurriedly said: "A foreigner gave it to

me."

Immediately, he told the story again. After the young woman went back, she told Zhang Bozi what happened. Zhang Bozi's idea at the time was not to repay the debt, but to take the silver to gamble.

But the pawned daughter-in-law was desperately protecting her. He was thin and weak, and

his legs were inconvenient, so he couldn't snatch it for a while.

He had to compromise and redeem the person first. Foreigner, rich......Zhu Er turned his eyes, suddenly slammed the table and shouted angrily,

saying:

"Bitch, you are so bold, you dare to steal my silver while I was sleeping. Tie them up and lock them up in the woodshed."

Zhang Bozi and his wife's faces changed drastically. They were dragged away crying and

locked up in the woodshed. "Second Master is smart!"

The subordinates said, "Where did Zhang Bozi get the thirty taels? No one would believe it if

he told anyone. He must have stolen it from Second Master."

"Second Master, that young wife..."

One of the subordinates looked salivating. They remembered what Zhu Er said just now.

"Why are you in such a hurry? The people are locked up. Are you afraid of running away?" Zhu Er frowned and scolded, "You useless thing. Go check that foreigner to see where he came

from. Hey, if he can easily take out thirty taels, he can take out three hundred taels, or even

more. "

In the best inn in the county, Xu Qian'an was holding a pot of wine in his hand. The wine had

just been warmed up, which made the pot warmer.

The princess sat at the table, and there was also a pot of wine in her hand. The wine was

soaked with ginger and spices. She had a good alcohol tolerance. After drinking a few sips, her face was flushed as if she was drunk, and she was a little charming. "Since ancient times, saints and sages have been lonely, only drinkers leave their names...."

He said softly.

"Good poem!"

The princess praised and looked at him sideways: "What's next?"

Xu Qian'an said unhappily: "No more next."

He drank slowly, "I'll go to the little woman's house later. Since I've helped, I'll help her to

the end."

The princess sighed: "In fact, I shouldn't care. There are so many troubles along the way."