C17

The conditions within the Sheng Mansion were first-class, and ever since they had met Young Master Sheng's face, her eating and dressing speed had been much better than usual. Although she hadn't been carried away by her concubine, she wasn't someone an ordinary maidservant could compare with, not to mention that recently Young Master Sheng had been treating Daya quite well and had always stayed with her.

But even so, Daya wasn't blinded by the interest she saw. She knew that the young master was a playboy and wasn't trustworthy at all. If he took her in, she wouldn't be able to live for long.

She didn't have that many schemes nor did she like to fight over things. However, if she was taken in by Young Master Sheng in the future, even if she didn't want to fight, she would be dragged into it. Although he said that the food and clothing would be much better and that his days would be rich, he didn't know when he would be killed.

"Since Big Sis doesn't want to become Young Master Sheng's concubine, I'll definitely think of a way to save you. Believe me." Daya's words were exactly what Lin Xiaoqi was thinking. She also didn't want Daya to stay inside the Sheng Mansion like this for her entire life. If Daya wanted to leave, she would definitely do her best to bring her along.

"Xiaoqi, don't try to comfort me. I am already a member of Prince Sheng's family. Even if I am not carried away, I am still unclean. Where else could I go if I were to leave?" Who else would marry me? " Daya couldn't help but laugh bitterly when she heard Lin Xiaoqi's words. Naturally, she wanted to leave as well, but things had already gotten to this point. It wasn't as if she could do anything she wanted.

"Big sister, I'm being serious, I'm not joking, as long as you don't want to continue staying in the Sheng Mansion, I'll definitely think of a way to take you away. I'm your little sister, how can I harm you!" Lin Xiaoqi knew that Daya didn't believe what she had just said, but it didn't matter. Since she had already said so, she would definitely do it. It was just a matter of time. Her elder sister would believe it as well.

"Xiaoqi, of course elder sister understands your feelings, but elder sister must also tell you, no matter what happens, you must always pay attention to your own safety. Your safety is the most important thing, you must not repeat what happened to Xiaoba." Daya couldn't stop her tears from rolling down her face.

"Eldest young mistress …" Looking at Daya's sorrowful expression, Lin Xiaoqi felt a wave of discomfort in her heart. She had never really gotten along with Lin Xiaoba, but she still felt terrible, let alone Daya who had watched Lin Xiaoba grow up.

"Big Sis is fine. We're not by father and mother's side right now. Xiaoqi, you have to take good care of your parents and yourself. Big Sis will find an opportunity to go home and visit Xiaoba." Daya wiped her tears away and forced herself to smile to reassure Lin Xiaoqi, but her voice was choked with emotions. She gently rubbed Lin Xiaoqi's head, and her eyes were filled with reluctance and gentleness.

"Big sister, I will. I will take good care of my parents and myself. You must take care of yourself too. Trust me, our family will be reunited sooner or later. There is no need to live such a miserable life anymore." Lin Xiaoqi nodded her head heavily. She had been in this world for such a long time that she had not felt the warmth from her family.

Lin Shaojin was too cowardly. At home, he always listened to Lin Tiasan and his wife. Mrs Niu bullied the weak and feared the strong, while Mrs Zhang seemed to be timid when she was with them. Mrs Zhang valued men and women; she only valued the second and third houses. All of this made Lin Xiaoqi tired. The environment was too harsh.

But today, in this simple servant's room, Lin Xiaoqi's heart softened the moment she saw Daya's affectionate gaze. She thought she had calmed down a long time ago, so there were waves once again rising in her heart. This was the feeling a family should have.

"Alright, Big Sis will be waiting for you." Daya actually didn't really believe Lin Xiaoqi's words, but she still nodded with a gentle smile. She didn't want to disappoint Lin Xiaoqi, but she felt that she couldn't do it.

"Alright, it's getting late. Big sister, I'll be going back first. If anything happens, you must contact me." Lin Xiaoqi looked outside and saw that it was already afternoon. Although it wasn't too late, Daya was still a servant of the mansion. She had her own work to do and couldn't keep her company and chat.

"Alright, I understand. Oh right, this is my monthly allowance and a reward from some of my lords. You can take it and go out to the streets later to buy some things you like. As for you and your parents, we haven't had any new clothes for a long time. This is the material given by the manor, so you should take it back to your mother and let her cut some clothes for you. " Daya nodded and opened the cabinet not far from her. She carefully took out a bundle and stuffed it into Lin Xiaoqi's hands, giving her instructions.

"Big sister, if you give us all the silver, what will you do in this house?" Furthermore, you should also leave this material to make clothes. " Lin Xiaoqi didn't accept the bundle. She looked at Daya with disapproval. She had given her everything, so what should she do then?

You don't have to worry about me. I don't have much use for money in this manor. All of my food and clothing will be distributed by the manor. Daya smiled as she shook her head. However, she felt a surge of warmth in her heart.

"But …" Lin Xiaoqi frowned slightly and was about to say something when she was interrupted by Daya. "Alright, are you not going to listen to what Big Sis has to say?" Hurry and take it! "

"Alright, then sister, you have to take care of yourself." Lin Xiaoqi bit her lips and her eyes reddened. She didn't know why she felt such a pang in her heart when she looked at Daya like this.

"Mm, okay, I should go to work in the front courtyard. Leave quickly, this mansion isn't a good place to stay. After you return, help me greet my parents and say that I'll be back in a few days." Daya whispered into Lin Xiaoqi's ear with her arms.

"En!"

"..."

"Would the girl like a bowl of noodles?"

When Lin Xiaoqi came out of the Sheng Mansion, she took a stroll around with her bag and bag. It was still early in the morning, so she wasn't in a hurry to go back. Unknowingly, he walked up to a noodle stall. The owner of the noodle stall was a middle-aged man who looked simple and honest. He greeted Lin Xiaoqi enthusiastically as soon as he stopped.

"Ugh …" "What's all this?" Lin Xiaoqi looked at the signboard and hesitantly looked at the owner.

"There's noodles, stuffed buns with vegetables, stuffed buns with meat, and wonton. Miss, what do you want to eat?" The boss introduced Lin Xiaoqi with a smile. After that, he led her to the table for Lin Xiaoqi to sit down.

"How much is it?" Lin Xiaoqi raised her eyebrows. In truth, she was not very familiar with the ability to purchase silver coins in this era. It was a good opportunity for her to get to know them.

"A bowl of Yang Spring Noodle Soup is worth three coins, a piece of stuffed bun is worth one coin, a piece of meat is worth two coins, and a bowl of wontons is worth five coins." The boss didn't often go out on the streets when he saw Lin Xiaoqi.

"Then give me a bowl of wontons." Lin Xiaoqi calculated in her heart before loudly shouting to her boss, "Wonton of money! A bowl of money isn't expensive at all! After all, five money is only enough to buy two meat buns!"

"Alright, young lady, please sit for a moment. Wonton will be ready soon!" Upon hearing this, the boss hurriedly walked towards the stove.

"Young master, we're at the east side of the city. That's a place where commoners gather. Should we go?" Han Shui followed behind Yang Youming by about two steps. Originally, they had brought several people with them, but Yang Youming felt that the probability of them going back to the city together was too high, so he just let them wait at the side. Anyway, Han Shui's martial arts was high, so there shouldn't be any problems.

"Eastern City? Go on, why don't you go? " Yang Youming said in a soft voice, and then the corner of his mouth hooked up into a smile.

"Yes." Hearing Yang Youming's answer, Han Shui was a bit surprised, but he didn't say anything. Anyway, wherever the master went, he would go. His duty was to protect the master.

Lin Xiaoqi looked at the steaming wonton in front of her and felt a surge of excitement in her heart. She had been here for a long time and hadn't touched any meat. She felt that she had lost a lot of weight, and now she finally had meat to eat.

With that in mind, Lin Xiaoqi scooped up a wonton with her spoon and took a bite. However, she was stunned when she ate it. Why was there no meat at all? She lowered her head to look at the wonton in the spoon. She had only just eaten a little bit of the stuffing.

No wonder the wontons were sold so cheaply. She was wondering why the ancient rice noodles were so expensive, why the wontons were made with white noodles and even sold at such a cheap price. So the wontons were stuffed small.

This era didn't have much seasoning, so the soup wasn't very rich. Although it couldn't be compared with the modern era, it had to be said that this was her best meal ever since she came here.

Lin Xiaoqi was eating the wontons with relish when she suddenly heard a loud noise. She couldn't help but look towards the source of the noise and saw a group of men swaggering towards them. Could this be a street lord? Such a thought flashed through Lin Xiaoqi's mind.

"Collect the protection fee. Hurry up and give me the money. If you don't, I'll smash all of your things!" Lin Xiaoqi was still in a daze, but that group of people had already walked up to Lin Xiaoqi's noodle stall and viciously said to the owner. Lin Xiaoqi was still in a daze, but that group of people had already walked up to Lin Xiaoqi's noodle stall and viciously said to the owner.

"Masters, look at my small business. I can't even earn that much money a day. I really don't have any money for you guys …" The boss looked at these local thugs with a fearful smile, feeling extremely flustered in his heart. This sort of situation was something they would never encounter, because the oil and water supply in the East Market was too little, so these people usually headed towards the South City. The restaurant was all over the other side of the street, and the protection fees collected from the shops could easily cover the entire street.

Lin Xiaoqi didn't know what was going on with these people today, but they suddenly came to the east market to cause trouble. Lin Xiaoqi was the lucky one, it was unknown whether she was lucky or not.

"No money? What do you do without money? This daddy will ask you again, where did you put all the money? Quickly hand it over, or else don't blame us for being impolite! " The leader of the men looked at his boss arrogantly. He didn't even want to listen to those excuses. Their goal was to get the money.

"I really don't have any money. Great sir, please be magnanimous …" The boss's voice was trembling, and he was extremely scared.

"You really are stubborn. Men, hit him!" That man didn't care about all that. He coldly snorted and ordered the small fry behind him, pointing at the middle-aged owner as he smiled in disdain.

"Yes sir!" As soon as the small fry received the order, they immediately walked over to the boss. The boss was scared, kept apologizing with his head lowered, and kept stepping back, but it was completely useless.

Lin Xiaoqi originally wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. After all, she couldn't care less about this kind of thing and didn't have the ability to do so, so she might as well get involved. But seeing this pitiful look from her boss, Lin Xiaoqi's heart ached, she clenched her teeth and closed her eyes. "Stop!"

The young men who were about to touch their boss were cut off by Lin Xiaoqi's shriek. They looked at Lin Xiaoqi in a daze. What was wrong with her? Why did she have to interrupt at such a time?

"Oh, little girl, what are you doing? Could it be that you want to help him take a beating? " The man in the lead looked at Lin Xiaoqi with an evil smile and a sinister tone. The pair of dirty eyes on his greasy face made Lin Xiaoqi nauseous.

"How can I let this boss go?" Lin Xiaoqi frowned and said in a cold tone. She would not say anything unfair. There was no such thing as fair in this world. Although she was scared the moment she stood up, she had no choice but to muster up her courage to confront this group of people.

"How can I let him go? "It's simple. It's fine to give him money or not. Girl, stay behind and accompany us brothers. If you make us happy, we will naturally let him go." The other men also laughed loudly and looked at Lin Xiaoqi vulgarly.

Although Lin Xiaoqi wore plain clothes, but it had to be said that she looked pretty good, so this man was rather interested in Lin Xiaoqi.

Lin Xiaoqi's expression froze when she heard the man's words. "What did you say?"

"Don't tell me you didn't hear what I said? "It's alright, then I'll say it again. We'll let him go as long as you give us the money, but looking at how you're dressed, you shouldn't have any money, so why don't you come and serve us. If you make us happy, then he can leave."

That man coldly snorted and repeated what he just said. Then, he wanted to get his follower to bring Lin Xiaoqi here.

"Who said I didn't take the silver?" Lin Xiaoqi raised her voice and took out a tael of silver from her bag, waving it in front of everyone's eyes.

"Oh, I didn't expect you to have silver, but it's not even enough to fill the gaps in our brothers' teeth, so if you want to save him, you better come over obediently. I promise, we will definitely treat you well."

When the man in the lead saw the silver in Lin Xiaoqi's hand, he couldn't help but be stunned. He didn't expect that this girl actually had silver coins.

"Someone, bring this lady here!" With that, the man turned around and gave the order to the people behind him, even emphasizing the word 'please'.

"Yes, Big Brother!" Hearing this, the eyes of the men behind him lit up. Although they couldn't monopolize this woman, they could still share the soup with her. They looked lustfully at Lin Xiaoqi with their Adam's apple twitching.

They were only a dozen steps away from where Lin Xiaoqi was standing. Just as they were about to touch Lin Xiaoqi, they were kicked out and heavily fell to the ground.

These people looked up and saw a young man standing in front of Lin Xiaoqi. He had a stern expression on his face and the long sword in his hand had already been unsheathed. Under the sunlight, it shone with a cold light.

Lin Xiaoqi was stunned. She didn't know what to say to the man in front of her. Although the man had his back facing her, she could tell it was Han Shui. Although she only met Han Shui once, she had a deep impression of his back.

"You … "Who are you!" The man in the lead swallowed his saliva and looked at Han Shui guiltily. He didn't even have the confidence to speak anymore.

"If you don't want to die, then scram!" Han Shui didn't answer him and just coldly threw down that sentence. Those men wanted to say something to Han Shui, but they swallowed their words the moment they met Han Shui's cold eyes.

"You … Just you wait! If I find out who you are, I will make you suffer! " That man forced himself to hold up his face and pointed at Han Shui as he said that. He then left with his underlings. It could be said that he was in stark contrast with his swaggering appearance when he first arrived.

Han Shui glanced at their backs indifferently and did not give chase.

"Big Brother Han Shui, why are you here?" Lin Xiaoqi pulled Han Shui's sleeve and asked curiously. They hadn't seen each other since Han Shui had sent her and Lin Baoxue home that day. She didn't expect to meet them here today and that he had even saved her. For a while, Lin Xiaoqi didn't know what to say.

"I came with young master. Just now, when young master passed by and saw that young lady was in danger, he sent me to save you." Han Shui smiled at Lin Xiaoqi and then looked towards Yang Youming.

When Lin Xiaoqi heard this, she was stunned for a moment. Was Han Shui saying that Yang Youming had also come?