Chapter 227: Recognizing Each Other

"What’s that noise?" Qin San Lang’s hearing was good; even before reaching the back courtyard, he already heard a loud scolding mixed with crying.

Ms. Jin laughed, "That’s Granny Gong scolding someone. She’s an old wife, and has a sharp tongue; she feels uneasy if she doesn’t scold someone for a day. Hurry and follow me, the back courtyard is just ahead."

Qin San Lang exchanged glances with Jiang Jiao, realizing that Ms. Jin was deliberately taking them on a detour to waste time. Hearing the scolding from the back courtyard, they no longer paid heed to Ms. Jin and immediately rushed towards the back courtyard.

At last, Gu Dashan did something clever; seeing Qin San Lang and others running, he hurriedly followed them to the back courtyard.

Luo Wu called Third Grandpa and Li Anzi, and the three of them quickly followed suit.

Seeing this, Master Qi grabbed Ms. Jin and asked, "You didn’t find someone to harm that mother and daughter, did you?"

Those who entered the brothel, even just for a few days, inevitably might have their bodies violated. Master Qi’s biggest fear was just that, especially since among the mother and daughter, there was an unmarried girl.

If anything happened to that girl, the Qi Family would definitely face retaliation from the Lei Family’s Trading Team!

"No, no, the mother and daughter are fine, no one has touched them." Ms. Jin looked ahead, then turned and whispered to Master Qi, "It’s just that girl called Li Shuangxi who’s too stubborn. While the guard wasn’t paying attention, she scratched her own face. You know the rules here, sir; someone so defiant is bound to be beaten a few times to suffer a bit."

"Eh, I knew it. Once inside your brothel, one is bound to suffer greatly," Master Qi cursed Ms. Jin through clenched teeth.

Ms. Jin kept a smiling face and clung to him, asking, "Sir, please calm down, could you clarify who exactly that mother and daughter are? Will they bring trouble to Yingxian Square?"

"Their relatives are protected by the Lei Family’s Trading Team, what do you think?" Master Qi shook off Ms. Jin’s hand and hurried towards the back courtyard.

The Lei Family’s Trading Team?

Ms. Jin had never been to the Northwest, but Yingxian Square welcomes guests from all directions, and she had heard about the Lei Family’s Trading Team, knowing it was one of the three major trading companies in Great Chu, traveling the route from the Northwest to Da Rong, connected with both the Green Forest and the military.

"How did we get involved with someone related to the Lei Family’s Trading Team?!" Ms. Jin also hurriedly ran to the back courtyard.

In the back courtyard, the old woman was still holding Li Shuangxi, shivering while furiously glaring at Luzi, fearing he would approach again.

Gu Dashan burst into the back courtyard, and upon seeing the old woman, he squinted for a long while before daring to say, "Daya, is that you? I’m your elder brother Gu Dashan."

The old woman, upon hearing the name Gu Dashan, was stunned for a moment. It wasn’t until Granny Gong brought steamed buns and water, and seeing so many people had come to the back courtyard, cursed loudly, which shocked her back to reality.

"Gu, Gu Dashan... You are Gu Dashan?!" The old woman wanted to run over to take a closer look at Gu Dashan, but she dared not let go of Li Shuangxi in her embrace, fearing that once she let go, the girl would be captured by the enforcers of the brothel.

Gu Dashan rushed over, crying, "It’s me, it’s me, Daya, what happened to you? Why have you aged so much? I almost couldn’t recognize you."

Though he and Daya were twins, Daya took after their mother and was very beautiful. Yet, unexpectedly, having not seen her for over twenty years, she had aged so much?

"Who are you people? Do you know where you are? You dare to barge in!" Granny Gong pointed at Gu Dashan and said, "What rural bumpkin are you? Get out quickly; these mother and daughter are our people at Yingxian Square."

Luzi hurried over, covering her mouth: "Granny Gong, you better stop cursing. These people were brought in by Ms. Jin herself, they are honored guests."

This wretched old woman has no awareness; this is Yingxian Square. Without Ms. Jin and Elder Ge speaking up, how could these people have entered the back courtyard of Yingxian Square?

Ms. Jin had already rushed in, upon seeing Granny Gong, she scolded: "What are you shouting for? Hurry and find some clean, warm clothes, and prepare a sumptuous meal let Miss Li and her daughter fill their stomachs. Poor things, they’ve been fleeing famine all the way here, they’ve starved and become so thin."

Granny Gong was stunned at first, and after being scolded again by Ms. Jin, she turned around to prepare things.

"Mother, sister..." Li Anzi saw his own mother and sister and also ran over crying.

Third Grandpa saw Gu Daya and almost couldn’t recognize her; she was clearly not even forty yet. Now, she looked like she was fifty, with her hair already greying.

"Daya, you’ve suffered these years." Third Grandpa, supported by Luo Wu, staggered over to Gu Daya and seeing the blood stains on her clothes, felt even more heartbroken.

Third Grandpa, holding back his tears, quickly looked at the young woman next to Gu Daya, noticing a one-inch-long scar on her right cheek, which had just scabbed over. He could no longer hold back his tears and they fell.

How did her face get like this?

Once entered into the brothel, reputation ruined, and if the face is ruined too, how could she marry in the future?

Qin San Lang noticed that Li Shuangxi looked unwell and reminded him: "Third Grandpa, this elder sister’s lips are very pale, and her face is flushed; could she have a fever?"

Upon hearing this, Third Grandpa looked at Li Shuangxi and touched her forehead, only to retract his hand due to the heat: "This child has a fever, we must take them away quickly and call a doctor to have a look."

"Old Master is right, Master Qi, please take them away quickly." Ms. Jin now truly wished for them to leave quickly.

"For the... the indenture..." Li Shuangxi’s mind was befuddled from the fever, yet she still remembered the matter of the indenture; if they couldn’t get the indenture, leaving here would be pointless.

"Yes, yes, yes, the indenture, get the indentures for Daya and her mother." Gu Dashan looked at Ms. Jin and asked, "How much silver were they sold for? Tell me, I’ll buy their freedom!"

Ms. Jin, wanting to ingratiate herself with him, replied: "What silver? The mother and daughter were brought to Yingxian Square intentionally by someone, that person didn’t want silver. Consider the redemption money spared; I will fetch the indenture for you immediately."

"What do you mean by saying this?" Qin San Lang asked.

Ms. Jin was waiting for this question; she replied: "It was Elder Li Si who brought them to Yingxian Square. He said he didn’t want silver and delivered the mother and daughter to us but instructed that they should suffer more. He also said... to let the elder sister take clients."

Normally, an old woman like Li Guiyun, who could be a grandmother, would never take clients. But that Elder Li Si was utterly corrupt, specifically instructing this point.

Ms. Jin was telling Gu Dashan and the others this to make them hate the Li Family even more and vent their anger on the Li Family, rather than bothering Yingxian Square.

Although she could decide to buy and release people, after all, she was just a procuress; Yingxian Square still had the Boss backing it, a prominent household that disliked dealing with the troubles of Yingxian Square.

That is why she spoke in this way, to prevent Lei Family’s Trading Team from stepping in to support the Gu Family, thereby causing troubles for the Boss.