Volume 1 Chapter 92 Brother and Sister Sell Themselves

  "Uh-huh." Old Master Yao seemed to think the topic was a bit too heavy, raised an eyebrow, smiled and changed the subject, saying: "Later when we get back to the mansion, hurry up and take a hot bath, tell the kitchen to simmer a bowl of thick ginger soup for you to drink! Whatever you do, don't catch a chill!"

  "Ah, Dad! Thanks, Dad!" Yao Cunhui smiled slightly, and a faint warmth flowed through his heart.

  The next day, in the Kaiyuan Road store, a shop assistant came to report: "Second Miss, there is a brother and sister outside who want to see you."

  "A pair of siblings?" Yao Cunhui's eyes widened in surprise and she stared blankly, asking uncertainly: "Are you sure they want to see me?"

  She went over it carefully in her mind, and in the capital city, she seemed to have no other friends except for a few young ladies from high-ranking families whom she had met through her cousins. Who was this person who wanted to see her by name?

  "What kind of siblings are they?" Yao Cunhui asked again.

  The fellow thought for a moment and replied in a somewhat perplexed tone: "There's nothing special, they're just ordinary commoners' clothing and appearance. The brother and sister look average, but they are clean. If the second young lady doesn't recognize them, I'll send them away."

  "No, let them come in!" Yao Cunhui hesitated for a moment and changed his mind. He was curious and wanted to see what would happen.

  The brother and sister came in, the younger sister knelt down and kowtowed, saying: "Your humble servant Fan Shuangshuang has seen Miss Yao Er!" The man hesitated for a moment, then slowly knelt down, his back straight as he said: "Your humble servant Fan Lei, has seen you, Miss Yao Er."

  Yao Cun's eyes scanned, and Fan Shuangshuang was wearing a white-based blue small floral dress, with only one silver hairpin on her head without any other decorations. Fan Li was also dressed in a light blue coarse linen garment, with a half-new, half-old dark green hairband tied around his hair, indeed the most ordinary attire of the common people in the capital city.

  The two had slightly dark skin, regular and calm facial features, nothing special, just a pair of eyes that were particularly attractive. The sister's was clear and bright, the brother's was deep and mysterious like a pool. At first glance, the ordinary face suddenly showed a few points of extraordinariness, just like the dotting of the dragon's eye.

  At this time, both of their faces looked somewhat haggard, with a faint air of sorrow and worry lingering between their eyebrows. Especially Fan Shuangshuang, whose eye sockets were still slightly red and swollen.

  "Get up!" Yao Cunhui smiled and raised his hand, looking at one and then the other, and said with a smile: "I seem to be unfamiliar with both of you? You two are being too polite! Get up, let's talk after we get up!"

  Yao Cunhui saw their hesitant look and added another sentence.

  Fan Shuang said "thank you, Second Miss" and stood up, Fan Li also followed suit. Apparently, coming to find Yao Cunhui was mostly Fan Shuang's idea, Fan Li seemed not very willing.

  This is even more bizarre!

  Yao Cunhui slightly raised an eyebrow and sized up Fan Shuangshuang, perplexed.

  "Second Miss," Fan Shuangshuang glanced at her brother beside her, who was clearly determined to remain silent. She sighed quietly and took a step forward, wanting to speak but hesitating as if deeply conflicted.

  Yao Cunhui didn't urge her either. The corner of his eye swept over her lightly, and he leisurely picked up the teacup to drink tea.

  It's them who want to see her, it's them who have something to say, they're not in a hurry, what's she rushing for?

  "Miss Yao," Fan Shuangshuang finally steeled herself and looked up at Yao Cunhui, saying in a low voice: "My brother and I are the old couple who caused trouble at your store the other day. My father... he's already passed away!"

  As she mentioned her late father, Fan's eyes reddened and her voice became choked. She bit her lip to hold back, but her body couldn't help trembling slightly.

  Whose child is that old man?

  Yao Cunhui's eyes sparkled with surprise, and he was taken aback for a moment.

  "My father said he didn't want to do it either! But, my mother is also seriously ill, and our family owes thirty taels of silver in high-interest debt. If we can't repay the silver, the creditor will make me and my brother sell ourselves to pay off the debt. My father has no choice! He said, Second Miss, you're a kind person, please forgive him!"

  Fan Shuangshuang stabilized her emotions, opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't help losing control again. Tears burst out of her eyes and flowed down her cheeks. She hurriedly raised her hand to wipe them away, holding back sobs.

  Yao Cunhui let out a silent sigh, her eyes dimming, that old man had truly put in a lot of thought and effort!

  "Now, shouldn't your debt be cleared?" Yao Cunhui asked lightly.

  Fan Lei suddenly raised her head and stared at Yao Cunhui for a moment before lowering it again, her face showing a complex mix of shame and heartache. Fan Shuangshuang's face also turned red as she bit her lip and nodded slightly in response with a soft "yes".

  The silver was naturally provided by the owner of the silk store.

  Fān Lí's fists clenched and loosened, his chest rose and fell slightly with a faint tremble, clearly his emotions were in turmoil.

  "I, Fan Lei, will definitely return the thirty taels of silver owed to that silk store." Fan Lei slowly raised his head and stared at Yao Cunhui as he spoke, gesturing for Fan Shuangshuang to come forward. Fan Shuangshuang hesitated for a moment before taking out a small package from her body and handing it over to him involuntarily.

  Fan Lei opened the package and found two ingots of silver weighing five taels each, which was indeed what Yao Cunhui had given to the old man that day.

  Fan Lei gently placed the silver on the tea table beside Yao Cunhui and said, "This is Miss Yao's ten taels of silver, now returned intact. Father asked us siblings to thank Miss Yao! We've disturbed you, Shuangshuang, let's go!"

  Fan Lei said, bowing his hands deeply to Yao Cunhui, then turned his head and called out to Fan Shuangshuang.

  "But, brother——" Fan Shuangshuang was anxious and obviously had more to say, but was shut down by her brother's suddenly stern gaze. She closed her mouth abruptly, gave Yao Cunhui a complex glance, and silently nodded at her brother.

  "Wait a minute." Yao Cunhui suddenly stood up and stopped them.

  "Is there anything else, Miss Yao?" asked Fan Lei calmly, without turning around.

  Yao Cunhui smiled lightly and said slowly, "Your father didn't just ask you to thank me, did he? Did he also ask you to come work for our Yao family?"

  "How did you know!" Fan Shuangshuang's eyes widened in surprise.

  "Enough!" Fan Li shouted in a low voice, startled.

  "It doesn't matter how I know," Yao Cunhui smiled slightly and said: "What about you? Are you planning on not following Father's last will?"

  "Miss Yao, there's no need to be clever about this. It's not for you to worry about our affairs." Fan Lei's face was filled with embarrassment and anger. As a man of seven feet tall, he was already pained by his inability to cure his parents' serious illness. How could he bear the thought that in the end, his father had to resort to such tactics to save his siblings from disaster?

  If it weren't for his father insisting that they come to see Miss Yao and ask her to take them in, he definitely wouldn't have come. As soon as he arrived, he regretted it! He couldn't bear the humiliation of losing face in front of a young woman; it was better to die than to suffer such indignity!

  Still so arrogant! Yao Cunhui secretly rolled her eyes.

  Even if your life is miserable and pitiful, there's no need to be so sensitive and self-respecting, so resentful of the world, okay? It's as if the whole world owes you! Aren't you tired of living like this? What a waste of your father's efforts!

  "What's there to worry about!" Yao Cunhui let out a snort of laughter and said with a smile, "Hmm, I'm going to take a guess. The compensation from the silk store, wasn't it just thirty taels that you borrowed to repay your debt? Alas, your mother who is bedridden with illness will probably soon follow your father in death! And as for your young sister, who knows when she'll have enough dowry to get married off! As for the thirty taels you owe the silk store, let's just forget about it until next life... Why are you staring at me? Did I say anything wrong? You should know better than I do!"

  "Miss Yao, please, we beg of you, take us in! We'll do anything, please!" Just then, Fan Shuang's eyes reddened at the mention of her bedridden mother, and tears began to flow again. She suddenly turned around, threw herself down in front of Yao Cun Hui with a "thud", and knelt there, clutching at her legs and pleading pitifully.

  "Double!" Fan Lei's fists were clenched tightly, his cheek muscles twitched, and he closed his eyes in pain.

  "Get up!" Yao Cunhui ignored Fan Li's expression and personally helped Fan Shuangshuang up, smiling: "You can stay if you want, I'm not hiring people, it's a lifelong contract, let's sign for ten years first! If you're willing..."

  "I'm willing, I'm willing!" Fan Shuangshuang nodded repeatedly and hastily agreed before Yao Cunhui could finish speaking.

  "Double! Unacceptable!" Fan Li was frantic. All his efforts were to prevent his sister from becoming a slave, could it be that he couldn't change her fate after all? Ten years, what did it mean for a young girl? Fan Li glared at Yao Cunhui with hatred in his eyes, as if flames could erupt from them.

  "Alright, it's settled then!" Yao Cunhui didn't care about his ferocious expression and piercing gaze, smiling as he pinched Fan Shuangshuang's wrist. Feeling that wasn't enough to provoke Fan Lei, he raised an eyebrow and smiled: "Sign it right away!"

  "Good! Good!" Fan Shuangshuang also didn't care about her brother's face, and was afraid that Yao Cunhui would regret it, so she was overjoyed.

  Fan Lei stood there in a daze, his mind a jumble of confusion and turmoil. It wasn't until he suddenly came to that he realized Yao Cunhui had taken Fan Shuangshuang who-knows-where, leaving him alone in the vast empty room.

  "Twins! Twins!" Fan Li was shocked and looked around in all directions.

  "What's your name!" Yao Cunhui furrowed her brow and walked back in, with Fan Shuangshuang following behind her. Yao Cunhui raised the deed of sale in her hand and said: "It's already been taken care of!"

  "Please prepare another copy for Miss Yao, I... will sign." Fan Lei almost gritted his teeth as he spoke, the muscles on his cheek twitching in pain twice.

  Yao Cunhui let out a cold laugh, her eyes scanning Fan Lei from head to toe, saying lightly: "You think signing is that easy? How ridiculous! Whether or not this contract gets signed depends on me, not you!"

  "You——" Fan Li's eyes widened in shock, and he suddenly choked with rage.

  Yao Cunhui quietly gazed at Fan Li, her eyes calm as water, without a single ripple.

  "So, Second Miss doesn't want to sign me?" Fan Lei suddenly felt a bit dazed, his mind went blank for a moment, unable to express any kind of feeling, absurd? Out of place? Discordant? Unthinkable? He himself didn't know!