mesbooks Chapter 118 Rescuing the Young Man
Chapter 118 Rescuing the Young Man
As dawn breaks, the gentle sunlight spills into the courtyard like a veil, and a light breeze, carrying a touch of cool freshness, gently stirs the curtains hanging on the window frames.
Lin Qianqian slowly woke up, lazily stretching as if trying to dispel the weariness of the night in the pleasant morning breeze. She stepped out of the room and saw Afu bustling about in the courtyard. A sense of curiosity arose in her heart, and she stepped forward gracefully to ask, "Afu~ what are you doing?"
When Afu saw Lin Qianqian come out, he smiled and said softly, "Your Highness, it's like this. The seventh day of the seventh lunar month is approaching, which is the prince's birthday."
Upon hearing this, Lin Qianqian's beautiful eyes widened, her cherry lips parted slightly, and she exclaimed softly, "The prince's birthday is on the same day as the Qixi Festival!"
Afu nodded slightly, her smile widening: "Yes~"
After responding, Afu turned around and busied himself again. He deftly manipulated the colorful silk and lanterns in his hands, his eyes focused and bright, and his steps light as he moved around the courtyard.
Lin Qianqian lowered her head slightly, her delicate brows furrowed, and a thoughtful glint appeared in her eyes. She stood quietly in place, as if a thousand thoughts were swirling and intertwining in her mind.
Lin Qianqian and Xiaodie strolled along the bustling street. Xiaodie was like a nimble sparrow, her eyes darting left and right, full of curiosity and exploration about everything around her. The endless shops, the bustling crowds, and the dazzling array of goods excited her.
Lin Qianqian, lost in thought, gently lifted her hand, pinching her chin slightly, her brows furrowed, as if she were shrouded in a fog of unsolvable thoughts. She murmured to herself, "Although Murong Yi and I have never gotten along, we are still husband and wife in name only. It's only right and proper that I prepare a birthday gift for him. But... what should I give him?" Lost in thought, her steps unconsciously slowed.
Seeing her young mistress's expression, Xiaodie pouted in confusion, gently tugged at Lin Qianqian's sleeve, and called out, "Miss, what are you thinking about? You're so lost in thought that you didn't even hear me calling you!"
Lin Qianqian then came to her senses, sighed softly, and said to Xiaodie, "His Highness's birthday is coming soon, and I'm having trouble deciding what gift to give him."
Xiaodie pursed her lips, her brows furrowed, racking her brains to think of a gift.
Suddenly, a commotion came like a tidal wave. They looked in the direction of the sound and saw a crowd gathered on the street.
It turned out to be a street performance scene. In the scene, a man was filthy and unkempt, with messy hair and covered in wounds.
A middle-aged man with a whip in his hand was cursing at him, brandishing the whip fiercely and gesturing for the man to jump over the blazing ring of fire in front of him.
The man's face showed fear and hesitation, and he hesitated to move forward. Seeing this, the middle-aged man, without saying a word, began to lash out with his leather whip like raindrops. He immediately felt pain, and after several lashes, he gritted his teeth and rushed towards the circle of fire, leaping over it with all his might.
The onlookers applauded and cheered, but not a single person showed the slightest pity for the poor man. The man endured the pain silently, tears welling in his eyes, until finally he couldn't help but cry out in agony.
However, even more cruel things were yet to come; the middle-aged man then forced him to roll on a bed of nails. The sharp iron nails on the bed gleamed coldly, sending chills down one's spine.
The man shook his head frantically in terror, then knelt down with a thud, repeatedly kowtowing to the middle-aged man and begging for mercy.
But the middle-aged man seemed heartless and showed no mercy, becoming increasingly ruthless, the whip lashing the man's body again and again like a venomous snake.
In despair, the man trembled violently, his jaw clenched, and slowly lay down on the eerie bed of nails.
Seeing this, everyone gasped in horror. They all knew that this torture was no longer a performance, but a death sentence.
At this critical moment, Lin Qianqian's eyebrows furrowed, her pretty face filled with anger. She rushed forward, blocking the injured man's path, and facing the middle-aged man directly, shouted, "How can you be so cruel and heartless! Torturing someone like this in broad daylight, is there no law left!"
The middle-aged man was startled by Lin Qianqian's sudden appearance, then became enraged. He brandished his whip and said fiercely, "Where did you come from, you little wench? Don't meddle in other people's business! He's my slave, and I can do whatever I want with him. What's it to you?"
Lin Qianqian remained fearless, her eyebrows raised in anger, and retorted righteously, "Humans are not plants or trees; how can they be without feelings? Your behavior is no different from that of a ferocious beast! How can this bright and clear world tolerate such reckless behavior from you! Today, I will take charge!"
The middle-aged man sneered, "Hmph, what right do you have to interfere? What can you do to me?"
Lin Qianqian's gaze was firm as she said, "Although I am just a woman, I absolutely cannot stand by and watch you disregard human life. If you still don't stop, I will report you to the authorities and make sure you receive the punishment you deserve!"
The surrounding crowd began to whisper among themselves, expressing their dissatisfaction with the middle-aged man's behavior.
The middle-aged man curled his lip and said with disdain, "Girl, why are you doing this? This slave is filthy and smelly, just a bastard without parents. If I hadn't taken pity on him and taken him in, he would have died long ago! How could I let him eat my food for free! Now that I'm making him do these things, it's only right that he does it!"
Lin Qianqian frowned and retorted angrily, "Don't try to argue here. Your cruel treatment of him is clearly an evil act, where is there any mercy?" She was furious, her chest heaving violently. After thinking for a moment, she raised the corners of her mouth slightly and said, "Since you say you bought him, then fine, name your price, and I'll buy him!"
"You want to buy this slave?" The middle-aged man looked surprised and couldn't believe it, but his eyes quickly darted around. After a moment's thought, he gave a wicked smile, attempting to extort money: "Hmph! Since you want to buy it, here's the deal: one hundred taels! One hundred taels, and you can take this slave with you!"
"Okay, I promise you!" Lin Qianqian agreed without hesitation.
Xiao Die hurriedly stepped forward and grabbed Lin Qianqian's sleeve, her face showing worry: "Miss! This is absolutely not allowed. We know nothing about him, and besides, one hundred taels is not a small amount."
Lin Qianqian gently patted Xiaodie's hand, her eyes resolute, signaling her not to stop her. Her expression was cold and stern as she said without hesitation, "One hundred taels it is!" With that, she lightly raised her hand and quickly pulled out a stack of silver notes from her sleeve, handing them directly to the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man's eyes lit up when he saw the stack of silver notes. His face trembled slightly with excitement. He snatched the notes and gripped them tightly with both hands, his fingers repeatedly rubbing the edges of the notes as if to confirm that this was not a dream.
His originally fierce eyes were instantly filled with greed and excitement. He grinned and said, "Fine, this slave is yours!" After saying that, he turned to look at the young man, his brows furrowed, and he snorted heavily, his eyes full of disgust and loathing. Then he flicked his sleeves, turned around and strode away, not caring about the young man's life or death, leaving only a cold and indifferent back view.
Lin Qianqian moved gracefully and slowly bent down, her eyes filled with pity and concern.
The young man trembled uncontrollably like a wounded cub, every muscle tense with fear. He curled up as much as possible, hugging his knees tightly with his arms, burying his head between them, as if trying to envelop himself and completely isolate himself from this cruel world.
Lin Qianqian's heart clenched even tighter. She spoke softly, "Don't be afraid, you're safe now. I'm here, no one will hurt you anymore." Her voice was as gentle as the warmest spring breeze, carrying the power to dispel gloom. She reached out her hand, her movements extremely slow and gentle, as if afraid of disturbing the frightened soul before her, and gently placed it on the man's shoulder, lightly stroking it, trying to convey a sense of warmth and reassurance to him.
The young man hesitated for a long time, his hand, covered in wounds and grime, still trembling like a fragile branch in the wind. Finally, he mustered a bit of courage and slowly raised his hand, reaching it inch by inch towards Lin Qianqian. When his fingertips touched the back of Lin Qianqian's hand, he visibly flinched, but then, as if drawn by an invisible force, he slowly placed his entire hand on top of hers.
In that instant, the warmth from Lin Qianqian's hand felt like a ray of light, shining directly into the darkest, coldest corner of his heart. His trembling gradually subsided, and the fear in his eyes began to slowly dissipate.
Seeing this, Lin Qianqian turned her head slightly and said softly to Xiaodie, "Take him home." Her tone was gentle yet firm, carrying an undeniable compassion and kindness.