Gu Jinli just glanced at the ground in the courtyard and then followed Qin San Lang onto the mule cart.
"Young Master, are you seated properly? I’m going to drive the cart now." You An wasn’t there, so Erqing had to drive. Hearing Gu Jinli’s assent, she swiftly flicked the whip and drove the mule cart away.
Yuan Jiagui stood at the door with Yuan En to see them off until the mule cart disappeared out of sight. Then he took his grandson inside and instructed, "Brother En, Grandpa is going to get dicine for your sister. Once I leave, shut the door and pack up. Don’t open the door for anyone. Our neighbors will definitely co to ask questions, but you mustn’t say a word."
The incident today caused quite a stir. Although the neighbors might not dare offend Qin San Lang, they wouldn’t hesitate to offend their family and might co to cause trouble soon.
"Alright, Grandpa, don’t worry. I will guard the house and not talk to them." Yuan En promised, and after seeing Yuan Jiagui off, locked the door and stayed inside to pack.
The neighbors on the street were more anxious than Yuan Jiagui anticipated. As soon as he stepped out, he was blocked by three bachelors.
The three bachelors, wearing clothes so dirty they shone with grease, rubbed their hands and asked Yuan Jiagui: "Old Yuan, who were those people who ca to your house today? They seed quite well-off. Did you get connected with a wealthy family?"
Yuan Jiagui ignored them, trying to bypass them and leave.
But the three bachelors wouldn’t let him go, blocking his way and threatening: "Yuan, don’t be ungrateful! Who was that young man today? And where did Tian Hui’er go?"
Without any sha, they continued, "We’ve been watching her for a long ti. If you don’t tell us where she is, we’ll take your granddaughter instead!"
Tian Hui’er, that little prostitute, swayed around the alley all day, making their hearts itch, and they weren’t willing to let her go.
Yuan Jiagui was enraged. His little granddaughter, Xiaohe, was only a few years old, yet they dared to say such things? Pointing at them, he scolded: "Shaless rascals! We owe you nothing, so how dare you threaten an old man? If you want to find Tian Hui’er, go outside the city. Her family is no longer here."
"Not here?" The three bachelors beca anxious: "When did they leave? Where did they go? We heard their family has a house, land, and so Silver, did they take it all? Or did that young man take it from them? Tell us quickly!"
Yuan Jiagui sneered: "Have you no sha? Not only are you after Tian Hui’er, now you want the Tian Family’s property too? Let tell you, their house and land are gone. As for their other matters, I don’t know; I only know they left town, so go look for them there."
"You old fool, being so ungrateful, huh?" The three bachelors, aggravated by Yuan Jiagui’s refusal to speak, rolled up their sleeves to strike him.
But Yuan Jiagui still wouldn’t speak: "Hitting is useless. Even if you beat to death, you won’t get a word about where the Tian Family went."
He warned further: "I advise you to leave quickly. If you dare lay a finger on , my Dong Family people will knock your teeth out."
"Your Dong Family people? Who are they?" The three bachelors were a bit intimidated.
Yuan Jiagui replied, "The young man who ca today. You know what he’s like; he’s tough, doesn’t hold back. Don’t provoke him, or you’ll regret it."
The three bachelors frowned, hesitated a bit but were still reluctant. In the Prefecture, it’s tough to find a bride. Proper families wouldn’t marry their daughters to them, and those willing require a hefty dowry. Even buying a maid, even if deflowered, costs three taels of Silver, which they couldn’t afford.
So they could only target Tian Hui’er.
They believed the Tian Family was easy pickings and had been taught a lesson today. Moreover, with Tian Hui’er’s ear missing, they thought a few threats would make the Tian Family comply.
After hesitating for a while, the three bachelors grabbed Yuan Jiagui’s collar and furiously demanded: "You old fool, you definitely know where the Tian Family went! Tell us quickly, or we’ll not only beat you but also sell your grandchildren, take them to the brothel, and after getting the money, we’ll buy brides!"
Yuan Jiagui was trembling with anger, but he still didn’t speak.
The three bachelors, seeing this, showed no courtesy and were ready to strike.
But before their fists landed, Qin San Lang’s n appeared, and within three moves, they had all three of them on the ground. One man’s face was stomped on as they said, "These are my master’s people, and you dare touch them. If you want to die, just say so, and I’ll fulfill your wish!"
With that, he pressed down with his foot, breaking the skin on the man’s face.
The man cried out: "rcy, please spare , good sir! I know I was wrong, please forgive this once."
Good God, where did this person co from? How did they not notice?
Hearing this, the other two bachelors quickly knelt down and pleaded: "rcy, good sir! We won’t dare again. We didn’t an to; it’s just that we’re too poor to find brides, and after finally targeting Tian Hui’er, we didn’t want to miss out. That’s why we acted against Old Yuan."
The man sneered: "Want a wife? Then go find Tian Hui’er yourselves. Why are you bothering the Yuan Family?"
The three bachelors, after hearing this, pleaded once more: "Please forgive us, we won’t dare again!"
After scaring them a bit, the man said, "Get lost now, and if you dare co back to cause trouble at the Yuan Family, I’ll cripple you!"
"Yes, yes, thank you for sparing our lives!" The three bachelors hurriedly ran away.
Yuan Jiagui was finally safe. He thanked the man, "Young man, thank you. Are you really from Boss Qin’s place?"
The man nodded: "That’s right. My master sent to protect you. You can rest easy; you’ll have a mule cart co pick you up tomorrow."
The master knew that the West City was a mix of good and bad people, and once he and the Young Master left, ruffians would definitely co to the Yuan Family to cause trouble. So he sent soone to protect the Yuan Family and ensure they wouldn’t suffer.
Yuan Jiagui, hearing this, felt at ease and was more convinced that allying with Qin San Lang was the right decision.
His family was all old and weak, and being outsiders, they needed a protector to survive in a foreign land. Without wanting to sell himself again, working for Qin San Lang in exchange for Silver and protection was truly the right move.
"Young man, you stay at my house first; I’ll go get the dicine." Afraid that the neighbors would co to trouble his family again, Yuan Jiagui left the young man behind and went to buy dicine.
Unable to match the street’s malicious neighbors, leaving to fetch the dicine and having the young man stay was the safest option.
The man agreed and went inside the Yuan household to stay.
Only then did Yuan Jiagui head to the dical clinic with peace of mind.
At the clinic, the doctor looked at his prescription and asked in surprise: "Old man, who gave you this prescription? We’ve never seen such a prescription before. To be honest, so ingredients in this prescription are actually poisonous."
Yuan Jiagui replied: "This prescription was given to this old man by a trustworthy doctor, so don’t worry about it and prepare the dicine. Nothing will go wrong."
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