Chapter 86: Now There Is a Legitimate Cause for Action!
Ye Tianci gave Lin Qingqian a slight nod.
At once, she understood. She rose and said gently to the children, “You must all be hungry. There’s plenty of good food on this table, so help yourselves.”
No sooner had she spoken than seven or eight children surged forward, eating with their hands, all of them devouring the food with ravenous haste.
Looking at these frail, malnourished children, Lin Qingqian’s eyes were filled with pity.
When they had eaten their fill, the plates on the table were scraped clean, not a drop of soup left behind.
“Why did you come begging together? Can you tell me?” Lin Qingqian asked softly.
“Sister, we’re all children of families from Nanshan Mine. Our parents are dead, so we can only beg together,” the boy at the front answered.
“Your parents are dead? They died in the mine?” Lin Qingqian asked in shock.
The children all nodded.
With sympathy in her eyes, Lin Qingqian lowered her voice. “Your parents died in the mine, and your families received no compensation?”
The children shook their heads again. The oldest boy said, “My grandmother said Nanshan Mine belongs to the Qi family of Cloud City. It’s an illegal mine, and many people have died there over the years.”
“Grandma said that once someone dies in there, they can only accept their bad luck. The Qi family never pays compensation. Anyone who dares to sue the Qi family brings misfortune down on their whole family too!”
Lin Qingqian could not help exclaiming, “I can’t believe the Qi family still runs an illegal mine. So many workers have died, and they won’t pay a cent, leaving so many children to beg on the streets!”
“The Qi family is truly detestable!”
She looked at Ye Tianci, her brows faintly knit. “Tianci, think of something. So many children can’t go on begging like this.”
“They’re far too pitiful.”
Ye Tianci nodded. “I’ll make arrangements.”
He had once thought his revenge against the Qi family, his vow to destroy them utterly, was rather selfish.
Now, he suddenly felt that his cause was righteous.
If he did not destroy the Qi family, he would be failing these poor children, and the parents who had died unjustly for them.
Ye Tianci called Aunt Li, then told Lei Hong to come over.
Very soon, Aunt Li and Yuan Zhongyi arrived at the River-Viewing Tower. The children were taken away by them, while Ye Tianci kept the oldest boy behind.
“What is your name?” Ye Tianci asked.
“My name is Tian Xin,” the boy said.
“Is there anyone else in your family?”
“My parents died in the mine. My grandmother died too. I have no relatives.” Tian Xin shook his head, but did not cry.
At that moment, Lei Hong came up to Ye Tianci. “Master Ye, you were looking for me?”
“Tiger, have you been living on fasting and chanting these past few days?”
“Of course. I’ve strictly followed your instructions, Master Ye. I fast and chant every day!”
“Good.” Ye Tianci nodded, then pointed at Tian Xin. “This child is the turning point in the continuation of your Lei family line.”
“Huh? Master Ye, what do you mean?” Lei Hong asked, puzzled.
Ye Tianci smiled at Tian Xin. “Tian Xin, because you were born in the mine, the water element is lacking in your fate, which will repeatedly trigger fiery calamity. Have you been burned by fire before?”
Tian Xin nodded and patted his backside. “I got my butt burned while playing with fire.”
“That’s it, then. If you don’t change your surname, greater fiery disasters will be waiting for you in the future.”
“How about this: I’ll change your surname. From now on, you’ll be called Lei Xin. What do you think?”
Tian Xin looked at Lin Qingqian and Ye Tianci, and said very sensibly, “Big brother, big sister, you’re good people. I’ll listen to you.”
Ye Tianci pointed at Lei Hong. “This man is named Lei Hong. From today on, he is your sworn father. Go and pay him respect.”
Tian Xin immediately knelt before Lei Hong and cried out, “Lei Xin pays respects to his sworn father!”
Lei Hong looked at Ye Tianci in bafflement. “Master Ye, what exactly are you doing?”
Ye Tianci said solemnly, “Tiger, you’re destined to have no children of your own, but Lei Xin is the key. Xin means new life.”
“You have to have this adopted son first, and only then will your own biological son come to you!”
“Really?”
Lei Hong’s eyes went wide.
“Do you consider me worthy of trust, or of suspicion?” Ye Tianci asked lightly.
Lei Hong burst into laughter, his face blooming with delight. “Master Ye, of course I trust you!”
He hurriedly helped Tian Xin to his feet with both hands and said with heartfelt relief, “Good! Excellent! Lei Xin, from now on, don’t call me sworn father. Call me Dad!”
“From now on, you are my dad!”
“No, from now on I am your dad, and you are my son. Whoever dares to bully you, mention your father Lei Hong’s name!”
Feeling his affection, Lei Xin obediently knelt again and kowtowed to Lei Hong.
Lei Hong was immensely pleased and overjoyed, and took Lei Xin away.
Ye Tianci and Lin Qingqian left the River-Viewing Tower and went to the old Lin residence on Linjiang Street.
The estate was large; besides the abandoned houses, a grove of trees also fell within the boundaries of the property.
When the demolition came, all of this would bring compensation.
“If this old residence is compensated, as the head of the household, you should be able to get quite a bit of money, right?” Ye Tianci asked with a smile.
“Grandfather said at least ten million,” Lin Qingqian said, smiling.
The two of them walked around the old Lin residence. Just as they were about to leave, a young woman suddenly ran past them in a fluster.
“Qin Nan?”
Although it was evening and visibility was poor, Lin Qingqian still recognized the girl at a glance.
The girl turned her head to look at Lin Qingqian, but her foot slipped, and with a cry of pain she sat down on the ground.
She had twisted her ankle.
“Lin Qingqian, why did you have to stop me when nothing was wrong? It’s over! I’m finished now!” the girl cried in panic.
“Who is this?” Ye Tianci asked quietly.
“This is my classmate, Qin Nan.”
Lin Qingqian said, then turned to Qin Nan. “Why are you so panicked? What happened?”
As soon as she finished speaking, five burly men caught up. The leader was a bald man.
“Miss Qin, you sure can run. Twisted your ankle, did you? Ha ha!”
The bald man approached Qin Nan with a ferocious grin.
“Brother Chu, I’ll definitely repay the money as soon as possible. Please let me go,” Qin Nan pleaded.
“As soon as possible? With what are you going to repay it?”
The bald man sneered and reached out to caress Qin Nan’s pale chin.
Qin Nan hurriedly dodged and said in a low, deferential voice, “Brother Chu, when I borrowed the money from you, we agreed on a one-year term, but you had me sign a trap contract. The term was only three months.”
“That’s illegal!”
“Illegal?”
The bald man glared fiercely and said with arrogant disdain, “The money you borrowed came from the Celestial Pavilion! Do you know who the owner of the Celestial Pavilion is? It’s the second master of the Qi family, Qi Changhe!”
“There are no one-year terms for money lent by the Celestial Pavilion. Even if the Jade Emperor himself borrowed it, he’d have to pay it back within three months!”
Qin Nan trembled at his words and said fearfully, “But I really have no money to pay you back.”
“No money? That’s easy.”
The bald man smiled obscenely, his gaze roaming wantonly over Qin Nan’s body as he huffed, “Don’t you still have a body?”
“You’re pretty, your figure is great, and your voice is sweet.”
“What a waste not to use such fine assets?”
“As long as you go to the Celestial Pavilion and work as one of our hostesses, serve the guests well, won’t you have as much money as you want?”
Qin Nan was instantly struck pale with fright and shook her head repeatedly. “I don’t want to go to the Celestial Pavilion as a hostess! I don’t want to sell myself!”
“Hmph! You don’t get a choice! You must go, whether you want to or not!”
“Take her away!”
The bald man waved a hand, and the four burly men behind him pounced toward Qin Nan like four starving wolves, lunging at her viciously!