Chapter 189: Chapter 171, Hiring_1
“Daohua?”
“Daohua!”
Xiaoliu first looked at Daohua with a puzzled face, then as if he remembered something, his eyes bulged, and he looked at Daohua with surprise on his face, “Are you Little Daohua from when we fought the human traffickers?!”
Seeing him remember her, Daohua quickly nodded her head.
“Wow~”
Seeing Daohua nod, Xiaoliu cried out ‘wow’ and burst into loud sobs.
His crying was heartbreakingly sorrowful, hysterical even, like a child who had gotten lost in the dark and had finally found their family, desperate to release all the panic and fear in their heart.
Looking at Xiaoliu crying like a child, Daohua stayed silent, just standing beside him, immobile, watching without rushing him or asking any questions, silently waiting for him to vent the emotions suppressed in his heart.
Behind them, Wang Manman looked on with empathy at the battered and bruised Xiaoliu. When her own father had lost goods, he, too, had been beaten to near death by his employer. She could still vividly remember that desperate, hopeless feeling of having nowhere to turn.
Later on, her father died, leaving her all alone. With no other options, she had to sell herself into servitude.
Thank heavens, she was lucky to meet a kind-hearted young lady, who not only gave her a place to settle but also ensured she had enough food and clothes so she wouldn’t have to suffer from hunger and cold anymore.
Li Xingnian and the other two who had gotten out of the carriage, seeing Xiaoliu cry so deeply, also felt uncomfortable in their hearts.
Xiaoliu cried for a while, then his voice gradually lowered until it began to hitch.
Seeing him all covered with tears and mucus, Daohua took out her handkerchief, and just as she was about to hand it to Xiaoliu, Wang Manman stopped her.
“Miss, use mine instead!”
A young lady’s handkerchief should not be given to an outsider so casually. Saying this, Wang Manman stuffed her own handkerchief into Xiaoliu’s hand.
Looking at the handkerchief in his hand, Xiaoliu blushed, his voice hitching as he wiped his face with his sleeve, then looked at Daohua sheepishly.
Seeing that his emotions had stabilized, Daohua finally asked, “Brother Xiaoliu, how did you end up here? What about Uncle Qin and the others?”
As soon as Qin Wu was mentioned, Xiaoliu couldn’t help but feel on the verge of crying again, his voice choked with sobs, “Brother Wu and the others have been arrested, they’re locked up in the dungeon right now.”
Daohua frowned, “Tell me exactly what happened.”
Xiaoliu relayed the story with tears in his voice, “The goods we were transporting were robbed, and the employer took us to the Governor’s Office. Since we couldn’t compensate for the employer’s loss, Brother Wu and the others were arrested by the official. If we can’t pay the ransom, they’ll be exiled to the border to labor.”
Upon hearing this, Daohua looked back at her uncle and two brothers.
Li Xingnian nodded, “The Governor’s Office does have such regulations.”
Daohua turned again to Xiaoliu, “How much silver do you owe?”
Xiaoliu said with a distressed face, “With the goods and the compensation, it’s a total of one thousand taels of silver! One thousand taels, that’s so much silver, where am I going to gather that amount?”
As he spoke, he looked tearfully at Daohua and then at the Li Xingnian and his companions behind her, and then suddenly ‘thump’, he knelt down in front of Daohua.
“Little Brother Daohua, no, Sister Daohua, if… if you can help us get through this crisis, I, along with Brother Wu and the others, would work like oxen and horses to repay you.”
Xiaoliu had mustered all his courage to say these words, without much confidence in his heart.
First, he wasn’t very familiar with Daohua, since they had only accompanied her on part of her journey; second, one thousand taels of silver was not a small sum. Although their clothing seemed decent, could they possibly pay out so much silver all at once?
Moreover, he knew it was very presumptuous of him to ask like this.
But at this moment, he had no other choice. Brother Wu and the others were the main support of their families. If something happened to them, how would their families survive?
Therefore, he could only brazenly plead.
Daohua extended her hand to help Xiaoliu up, “There’s no need for that, let’s talk properly. Stand up first.”
Xiaoliu glanced at Daohua and gingerly stood up, his eyes filled with hope.
Daohua fell silent for a moment, then turned and walked toward Li Xingnian and Yan Wenxiu, Yan Wenkai.
Seeing Daohua like this, Yan Wenxiu knew what she meant, “You want to help them?”
Daohua nodded, “If it hadn’t been for their escort, my grandmother, my third brother, and I might not have arrived at Linyi County safely.”
Li Xingnian frowned in disapproval. A thousand taels of silver was no small sum.
Daohua immediately continued, “It’s not just about helping them.”
Li Xingnian raised his eyebrows and asked with a smile, “Oh? What else are you thinking?”
Daohua: “I want to hire them.”
“Hmm?”
Li Xingnian, Yan Wenxiu, and Yan Wenkai all looked over at the same time.
Daohua: “Brother Xiaoliu and Uncle Qin Wu are in the business of escorting and delivering goods; they all have excellent martial skills. I want to hire them as our family’s courtyard guards.”
Upon hearing this, Yan Wenxiu’s eyes suddenly lit up.
Although the family had gradually acquired some servants, almost none of them knew martial arts or could take on security responsibilities.
The longer he spent time around the Little Prince and Dong Yuanxuan, the more he understood the importance of having capable people by one’s side.
He then listened as Daohua continued to speak.
“Eldest brother, third brother, fourth brother, you all study at the Wangyue Academy. Though you have servants with you, it’s not as safe as having people skilled in martial arts. Every time you leave home, grandmother and mother are actually quite worried, fearing some unexpected incident on the road.”
“Furthermore, our father, as a governor, deals with a variety of matters and might unintentionally encroach on someone’s interests. He too needs a few skilled protectors by his side.”
Listening to Daohua’s measured analysis, Li Xingnian truly began to see this ten-year-old niece in a new light.
As for the hiring of guards for the house, he thought, not even his younger sister and brother-in-law had probably considered this aspect.
Daohua turned to her visibly intrigued elder brother and smiled, “What do you think, eldest brother? If you also find it feasible, then I’ll go ask Brother Xiaoliu to see if he’s willing.”
Yan Wenxiu turned to Li Xingnian, “What do you think, Uncle?”
Li Xingnian was very pleased that Yan Wenxiu sought his opinion before making a decision, but he shook his head and said, “I shouldn’t interfere with your family’s affairs. Of course, if you need silver, I still have some to offer.”
Upon hearing this, Yan Wenxiu knew his uncle agreed. After thinking for a moment, he asked Daohua, “Big sister, what about their character?”
Daohua thought about the behavior of Uncle Qin Wu and the others, “They do not start trouble on their own initiative, but at heart, they still have a kind streak.”
Yan Wenxiu: “If that’s the case, let’s follow big sister’s suggestion.”
Daohua smiled, “Alright, then I’ll go ask Brother Xiaoliu now.”
When Xiaoliu saw Daohua return, his heart tightened, and he looked at her nervously.
“Brother Xiaoliu, my family would like to hire you for a job. Are you willing?”
Upon hearing this, Xiaoliu was taken aback, “Do… do what kind of job?”
Daohua pointed to Yan Wenxiu and the others, “Those are my two brothers. They study outside and frequently travel between home and the academy. They need someone to escort them. And there’s my father…”
Xiaoliu immediately nodded repeatedly, “Willing, of course willing.”
They already made their living as bodyguards, and now it was simply a matter of shifting from guarding goods to protecting people.
Escorting goods, exposed to wind and rain, was not as easy and steady as protecting people.
Daohua then asked, “Can you make the decision on behalf of Uncle Qin Wu and the others?”
Xiaoliu nodded, “Yes, actually, Brother Wu and the rest had previously sought jobs as family protectors, but they were not chosen. If they could settle down, who would want to be out escorting all year round?”
“Then it’s settled; we’ll go to the Governor’s Office to bail them out.”