Chapter 56: The Person You Cannot Afford to Offend

Despite his polished appearance of a refined young gentleman, Wang Junhao was actually a privileged scoundrel who frequented every corner of the capital.

"Let's go. I'll just buy two ordinary servant girls."

Seeing Jiang Lihua agree, Wang Junhao happily took the lead.

The trio of three walked along the bustling street.

A young girl, selling herself to bury her father, attracted the attention of many passersby. She looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old.

Possessing the delicate beauty of a modest family, she knelt there looking utterly desolate and miserable, a sight truly heartbreaking.

So things like selling oneself to bury a father actually existed.

"Let's go over and take a look," Jiang Lihua said, heading in that direction. The girl looked pitiful, and she wanted to help where she could.

The girl knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly: "Young masters, young ladies, I beg you to take pity on me."

Jiang Lihua looked closer and saw that it only required ten taels of silver.

Intending to buy the girl, Jiang Lihua was suddenly stopped by Wang Junhao: "Lihua, buying someone like this offers no guarantee."

"It's fine. Even if I buy her, I won't restrict her personal freedom."

Knowing Jiang Lihua's nature, Ni Wenyu did not try to stop her.

As Jiang Lihua walked up to the young woman and reached out to help her up, a familiar voice rang out.

"This young master will buy her."

Jiang Lihua looked over and saw the unreasonable, spoiled young master she had encountered earlier at the shop.

"I'm sorry, but you're a step too late again," Jiang Lihua said indifferently.

"Hmph, you annoying wretch, how do you know she's willing to go with you?" He looked down his nose at the girl selling herself. "This young master offers one hundred taels of silver. Will you go with her, or with me?"

With that, he pulled out a one-hundred-tael banknote and waved it back and forth right before the girl's eyes.

The onlookers stared curiously at the girl, waiting to see whom she would choose.

A few older women began to advise her.

"Though this young lady is dressed plainly, she has a kind heart and doesn't look like someone from a poor family. Following her is definitely the right choice."

"Indeed, lass. In this old woman's eyes, you should just go with this young lady. That young master is notorious for being..."

The old woman was cut off by a fierce glare from the spoiled young master and dared not speak another word.

Jiang Lihua said nothing, leaving the choice entirely up to the girl. Even if she wanted to do a good deed, it depended on whether the person was willing.

Listening to the advice of those around her and weighing her options, the girl looked up at Jiang Lihua and asked, "Young lady, how much are you offering?"

To think she would actually ask such a question! Did she really think she was some priceless treasure that everyone had to fight over to purchase?

Speechless, Jiang Lihua replied, "I'll pay whatever amount you wrote on your sign."

That meant she was only offering ten taels of silver. Upon hearing this, the young woman stood up and walked toward the spoiled young master.

Standing before him, she offered a graceful bow. "Young master, from now on, this humble maid is yours."

Hearing this, the spoiled young master tossed the one hundred taels directly at the girl, along with a few pieces of loose silver.

"Take it all. This young master is in a good mood, consider it a reward."

Kneeling on the ground, the girl gathered the silver and stood up behind the spoiled young master.

The spoiled young master looked at Jiang Lihua with a triumphant expression.

Jiang Lihua shook her head and turned to leave. How people chose to live was their own affair; she had no right to interfere.

The spoiled young master stepped forward to block her path. "Annoying wretch, don't even think about leaving. You're dead today."

"You really never learn, do you? What? Looking for another beating?"

Jiang Lihua's words caused the young master's shoulders to shrink; he was clearly harboring some fear.

Yet, he quickly puffed out his chest again. Today, he had deliberately brought along several formidable martial artists as bodyguards.

He had originally planned to visit the apothecary to exact revenge on Jiang Lihua, but he never expected to run into her right out on the street, prompting him to stir up trouble.

"Surround this annoying wretch for me!" At his command, four or five large, burly men closed in around Jiang Lihua.

Seeing this, Ni Wenyu hurriedly stepped forward to shield Jiang Lihua. "Who do you think you are?"

"Are you courting death, Wu Jianren?" Wang Junhao, who had stepped up behind them, let out a stern shout as well.

Wang Junhao? Why was he hanging out with this annoying wretch? A trace of fear flashed in the eyes of the spoiled young master, Wu Jianren.

"Wang Junhao, what is your relationship with this annoying wretch? She hit me, and I'm just settling accounts with her. You... stay out of this."

Wu Jianren's tone softened, completely lacking confidence.

"What business is it of yours what our relationship is?" Wang Junhao glanced at him sideways. "In short, she is someone you cannot afford to provoke."

Meanwhile, the young woman standing behind Wu Jianren was suddenly consumed by a wave of deep regret.

The two men by Jiang Lihua's side exuded an air and aura far superior to Wu Jianren's.

Why hadn't those two men stepped forward earlier? If they had, she definitely would have chosen Jiang Lihua, even if it meant only getting ten taels of silver!

If she could manage to seduce just one of these two men, she would never have to worry about money again!

Perhaps there was still a turn-around. She had only taken the money earlier; she hadn't signed any formal indenture of servitude yet!

Her eyes rolled as a scheme formed in her mind, and she suddenly threw herself down at Jiang Lihua's feet.

"Young lady, I beg you to buy this humble maid. I am willing to follow you. Just now, I was only thinking of getting more money to buy a coffin for my father, and I had no idea this young master was a bad person."

"You treacherous bitch! You're courting death!" Enraged the moment he heard this, Wu Jianren stepped forward, attempting to kick her to death.

He was instantly frightened into retreating by a single glare from Wang Junhao.

Jiang Lihua was rendered utterly speechless. Her face changed truly fast; such a person was irredeemable. She flatly refused, "Every choice one makes is their own. Since you chose it, you must bear the consequences."

"No, young lady, I beg of you! This humble maid didn't know Young Master Wu was a bad person!"

As she spoke, she even reached out to tug at the hem of Ni Wenyu's robe, attempting to elicit his sympathy.

Hah, Jiang Lihua noted her petty trick—so she had set her sights on the man beside her, no wonder!

Without a shred of pity, Ni Wenyu brushed her hand away and said coldly, "You're grabbing the wrong person."

Seeing his utter coldness, the girl turned next to Wang Junhao.

Wang Junhao didn't even spare her a glance.

He had warned Lihua right from the start not to buy such people. Having grown up in the capital, he had seen this kind of trickery countless times.

Many of these people were frauds; they would claim to be selling themselves to bury their fathers, though whether the deceased was actually their father was anyone's guess.

They simply used selling themselves as a pretext, hoping to catch the eye of some high-ranking official or noble who would buy them back to live a life of luxury and wealth.

With no other options left, the girl had no choice but to keep pleading with Jiang Lihua: "Young lady, please buy this humble maid back with you. I will work like an ox or a horse to repay you in the future."

Too lazy to waste any more breath on someone of such crooked character, Jiang Lihua said to Ni Wenyu and Wang Junhao, "Let's go."

She could tell that Wu Jianren was genuinely afraid of Wang Junhao.

Wang Junhao glared fiercely at Wu Jianren, warning him never to look for trouble with Jiang Lihua again.

Seeing them about to leave, the girl realized she was done for.

Taking advantage of the fact that Wu Jianren's attention was still fixed on Jiang Lihua and the others, she abruptly stood up, dove straight into the crowd, and bolted away in a flash.

Her speed was so astonishing that it left the group behind staring in utter astonishment.

Yet this had nothing to do with them. As Jiang Lihua and her companions left, the surrounding onlookers dispersed as well.

Leaving Wu Jianren standing in place with a dark, gloomy expression, so furious his head felt like it was venting smoke.

"You bunch of good-for-nothings! Didn't you see her run off? Why aren't you chasing her? Are you standing around stupidly waiting to be fed shit?" Wu Jianren pointed at the dim-witted thugs and cursed.

"Young master, which... which way should we chase?" one of the thugs asked.

They had no idea whether they were supposed to chase Jiang Lihua or the girl who had sold herself!

Wu Jianren delivered a fierce slap across the man's face. "Idiots! Were your brains eaten by pigs?"

"Go after that bitch who took my money first!"

Once he gave the order, the thugs finally scrambled off in the direction the girl had fled.

Glaring in the direction Jiang Lihua and the others had vanished, Wu Jianren clenched his fists tightly. Once he returned and investigated her background, he would definitely make her pay dearly!

Along the way, Ni Wenyu asked, "Lihua, how did you even offend Wu Jianren? Who is he anyway?"

Jiang Lihua recounted the events of what had happened at the shop that day.

"Lihua, if you encounter something like this in the future, you must tell me. I have the ability to handle it now."

Ni Wenyu knew Lihua simply didn't want to add to his burdens, but incidents like this made him feel as though his existence had no weight at all.

"Understood," Jiang Lihua smiled. It was mainly because she was too used to being independent and hadn't quite adapted yet.

The two of you went back and forth, completely ignoring Wang Junhao.

"You two are going too far! I'm still standing right here, you know." Walking alongside them, Wang Junhao felt a strong pang of sour envy.

Why didn't he have a childhood sweetheart who had grown up alongside him?

His words caused both Jiang Lihua and Ni Wenyu to blush, making them too embarrassed to speak further.

"That's right, Young Master Wang, how did you know that girl selling herself to bury her father wasn't honest?" Jiang Lihua asked out of curiosity.

Wang Junhao began recounting the various incidents he had witnessed over the years.

At first, he had deeply sympathized with such people, but since his household didn't lack servant girls, he usually gave them money without taking anyone in.

It wasn't until one day when he saw a woman he had previously given money to sitting by the roadside once again, selling herself to bury her father—and the deceased father happened to be the exact same one as before—that he learned the truth.

Some corpses were merely props; there were old men who made a living out of this exact business, playing the role of a deceased father to pull off scams.

Jiang Lihua was left dumbfounded, listening in absolute amazement.

She had always assumed people in ancient times were relatively simple-minded, but she never imagined their scams could be so endlessly inventive!

Human nature was truly complex, indeed!

"Of course, not all of them are frauds; genuine ones do exist," Wang Junhao continued. "As for that woman just now, I could tell at a glance that her intentions were impure, but seeing that you wanted to do a good deed, I didn't say too much."

"After all, no matter how much others try to warn you, experiencing it for yourself teaches you best. That's why I held Ni brother back and didn't let him follow you up front."

"Thank you, thank you for your deep consideration, Young Master Wang," Jiang Lihua expressed her gratitude.

Wang Junhao waved a hand. "If you want to thank me, stop calling me Young Master Wang; it sounds far too distant. I'm two years older than Brother Ni, so you can just call me Big Brother."

He genuinely wanted to befriend Jiang Lihua and Ni Wenyu.

Of course, he harbored a slight private motive as well: hoping that by drawing their relationship closer, Jiang Lihua might put her heart into treating his younger sister's illness.

"Alright," Jiang Lihua readily agreed with a nod.

Having someone watch your back was always a good thing, and right now, she was practically nobody in the capital.

Gu Qingran was from the capital, and when he had first introduced old man Bai, she thought she had finally latched onto a powerful backer. As it turned out, that master of hers was entirely unreliable.

She hadn't even caught a glimpse of his shadow lately.

As for Long Tianyi, it was best to minimize troubling him to avoid incurring debts of gratitude that would be impossible to repay later.

Accompanied by Wang Junhao, they arrived at the slave trader's market. Under his recommendation, Jiang Lihua purchased two mid-tier servant girls who came from impoverished backgrounds and appeared honest and steady.

Jiang Lihua promptly completed the purchase without hesitation.