A Good Country Wife
Chapter 394 - 388_1

Chapter 394: Chapter 388_1

"Zhao Family brothers, Zhao Family’s lady, you’re here too?" As more and more people gathered, Li Xun, who had arrived at some point, saw Zhao Erhu and his wife and greeted them.

"Yes, Li Big Brother, this child is quite pitiable, bullied by a few ruffians, and on top of that, he’s stubborn and unwilling to submit. These people are ruthless and merciless in their actions, I fear things might turn out badly." Witnessing the scene unfolding before her, Lin Yue couldn’t bear it and wanted to save Chang Xiaohu. Seeing Li Xun arrive, she became more hopeful. Li Xun was a member of the Jiang Family, with a powerful background, even if he took action, he wouldn’t need to worry about any trouble. No matter how daring they were, a few local ruffians wouldn’t dare to provoke someone affiliated with the Jiang Family.

Li Xun had traveled far and wide and had seen such incidents numerous times; although he felt some sympathy, he had no other thoughts, "That’s just how the world is, these ruffians have been rampant in Longmen Town for many years now, only because their leader is the county official’s brother-in-law, and thus, the locals dare not provoke them."

Li Xun’s usual business involved escorting goods, and he relied on Longmen Town several times a year, so he was very familiar with the local situation.

"It’s just lamentable for this child, only eight or nine years old, to fall into the hands of these ruffians."

"Does Zhao Family’s lady wish to save this child?" Li Xun roughly guessed Lin Yue’s intention. To him, it was a matter that could be either done or not. However, having interacted with Zhao Erhu and his wife over the past few days, he found them to be good people. Besides, there was already a directive from the Family Head earlier. If Lin Yue made the request, he would also be willing to save the child.

"If it’s convenient, I would like to ask Li Big Brother to save this child, but I’m not sure if it would cause any trouble for you?"

"Not a problem. They’re just a few local ruffians; I don’t even take them seriously. Since Zhao Family’s lady has spoken, I’ll play the good Samaritan this time and save someone." After Li Xun finished speaking, he stepped forward and swiftly rescued Chang Xiaohu from the hands of the ruffians.

"Who are you, where do you come from, don’t you know the rules here? Don’t meddle in things that don’t concern you, or else don’t blame me for not being polite!" The ruffians, seeing Li Xun’s imposing build, realized he wasn’t an easy target and were somewhat polite, refraining from immediate violence, but verbally warned Li Xun to mind his own business.

"Gentlemen, it’s best to show mercy when you can. This is just a child of a few years old, I kindly ask you to spare him."

"On what basis? You say let him go and we should let him go? What about our losses?

This little brat owes me money and almost ruined my manhood; I can’t let him off easily."

Li Xun looked at the ruffians expressionlessly, "So what do you want?"

"Compensate me for my losses, five taels of silver. Give me five taels and I’ll spare this little bastard. Otherwise, I swear I’ll cripple him." The ruffians, pursuing Chang Xiaohu, originally wanted to take possession of a few things he had, and even though the man before them looked tough to deal with, they couldn’t just let things slide; they still needed to claim the benefits they were after.

As soon as Chang Xiaohu heard the ruffian demanding silver from Li Xun, he became agitated, "Pah! Don’t even think about it! Why should you get silver? I don’t owe you any money, not to mention five taels, I don’t even have half a copper on me. If you don’t let me go, my brother will come back to take revenge on me."

"You little brat, you’re asking for a beating!"

Lin Yue didn’t want to cause Li Xun too much trouble, and since the street thugs had said five taels of Silver would set the person free, there was no need to resort to violence. She quickly took out the Silver, "Gentlemen, your grace in overlooking the faults of us lesser folks is appreciated. The child is young and speaks out of turn. Please don’t mind him. Here are five taels of Silver, for you, sirs, to kindly accept."

"Hey, you silly woman, who asked you to give them Silver? Even if this Silver were thrown into a stinky ditch, it shouldn’t benefit these bastards," Chang Xiaohu said as he saw Lin Yue really giving them Silver, becoming even more agitated and excited.

As soon as Chang Xiaohu uttered these words, the faces of the street thugs darkened again, and Lin Yue hastily scolded him, "Shut your mouth!"

"Gentlemen, the child is young, and he’s not very bright; please don’t take it to heart." Lin Yue was already thinking about giving Chang Xiaohu a good scolding. She had no idea whose child he was, but he was too bold for his own good, daring to provoke others despite being clearly outmatched. Wasn’t he just asking for a beating?

The street thugs took Lin Yue’s Silver, and although they were displeased, they finally let Chang Xiaohu go. However, they didn’t leave without threatening him a few more times, "Kid, you better watch out, don’t let me catch you again."

There was no way Chang Xiaohu would back down and he wanted to retort, but Lin Yue covered his mouth. This kid was really too good at causing trouble.

Only after the street thugs had walked far away, Lin Yue breathed a sigh of relief and released Chang Xiaohu. But Chang Xiaohu was still looking at her angrily, "I thought you were quite pretty and would be smart too, but you’re so spineless, scared by a few lowlife thugs. Who told you to give them Silver? You’re really making me lose face."

Lin Yue was at a loss for words; this was the first time she had encountered such a brazen child. It seemed her good deed in helping out had been misplaced. "If I hadn’t given that five taels of Silver, would those people have let you go? You could have lost your little life. It’s enough that you don’t thank me, but to speak to me like this is too unreasonable. I wish I hadn’t rescued you, you ungrateful brat."

Chang Xiaohu felt somewhat guilty after being scolded by Lin Yue, "I’m not an ingrate; it’s just that the Silver was wasted. Why should it go to those thugs? But you did save me, so all right, consider that I owe you one. I always return favors and avenge wrongs. I’ll definitely repay this debt to you one day."

"Forget about it. Rescuing you was just a matter of lifting a hand. I’m just passing through Longmen Town and might not have the chance to meet again. It’s not safe for a child like you to be out and about, especially since those thugs have it in for you. Better head home and don’t wander about. Next time, you might not be so lucky," Lin Yue said, her voice filled with concern.

After giving Chang Xiaohu a few words of advice, Lin Yue and Zhao Erhu headed back to the inn with Li Xun. Unlike Lin Yue’s fruitful day, Li Xun had only purchased a couple of small items.

"Big Brother Li, it’s rare for us to visit Longmen Town. You strolled around for so long and only got these two things? Why not buy a few more? Look at me; I got a lot," Lin Yue gestured towards the items Zhao Erhu was holding, showcasing her successful haul.

"It’s not about how expensive or numerous the things you buy are. Longmen Town may have good items, but there are plenty of fakes too. You need a keen eye for that. Otherwise, you might get cheated. I forgot to remind you. With all the things you’ve bought, I hope none are counterfeit," Li Xun cautioned.

"Don’t worry, Big Brother Li, I have a good eye and won’t be taken advantage of," Lin Yue reassured.

The afternoon’s small interlude was quickly dismissed from Lin Yue’s mind. The next morning, everyone was up early, spirited and hoping the journey through Longhu Mountain would pass safely.