AWB Chapter 300: Forced
Chapter 300: Forced
Chapter 300: Forced
Ji Meiqing walked over and said, "I want these two people." Then she grabbed the woman's hand and was about to leave when Murong Tianci, seeing someone trying to take her away from him, said with a dark face, "Miss, everything has to be done in order of arrival. Take her away." As he spoke, Murong Tianci ordered his servant to take the woman away.
"This isn't something that can be resolved by first come, first served," Ji Meiqing said, holding onto the woman's hand tightly. Seeing this, Murong Tianci revealed a ferocious expression and said, "I'm warning you, don't try to force me!"
The two struggled fiercely, neither willing to let go. Murong Tianci grew impatient and raised his foot to kick Ji Meiqing, but was suddenly grabbed by someone and thrown several meters away. Ji Meiqing smiled at the newcomer and said, "Brother Lu, what brings you here?"
Lu Yu said to Ji Meiqing with a hint of reproach, "I went back to the inn and you weren't there. Luckily, I arrived in time. Don't wander off alone in the future." Murong Tianci, who had been thrown out, got up from the ground and pointed at Lu Yu, saying, "Where did this blind fool come from, daring to attack me?" As he spoke, he wiped the dust off his face, and everyone covered their mouths and secretly laughed.
Murong Tianci was so angry at being ridiculed by so many people that he stomped his feet. But because he was afraid of Lu Yu, he turned and left, saying, "You just wait." Lu Yu pretended not to hear him.
Ji Meiqing turned around and looked at the two people behind her. She helped them up and said, "I will help you with your father's matter, but you have to do things for me." Upon hearing this, the two people quickly thanked her.
Zhao Ning'er told Ji Meiqing that they were siblings; her name was Zhao Ning'er, and her brother's name was Zhao Lei. They lost their mother when they were very young, and their father raised them single-handedly. Because the family was extremely poor, they couldn't even afford to bury their father after his death, so they came up with the idea of selling themselves to pay for his funeral.
"Brother Lu, shall we take them with us?" Ji Meiqing winked at Lu Yu, worried that he might disagree. Lu Yu ruffled her hair and said, "Okay." Ji Meiqing seemed very excited and took Zhao Ning'er's hand as they returned to the inn.
Ji Meiqing arranged two other rooms for them. That evening, Ji Meiqing sat at the table again, sketching and writing with a brush. She drew several clothing patterns, and after feeling she had enough, she lay down on the bed to sleep. Looking at Lu Yu beside her, she turned to her side and hugged him tightly, as if afraid he would disappear. Lu Yu thought she was still frightened by what had happened during the day, so he patted her head and kissed her forehead. Then he watched Ji Meiqing slowly fall asleep.
The next day, Ji Meiqing got up early, intending to go out with Zhao Ning'er and the others. Leaving her room, she suddenly realized she'd forgotten about Old Man Yin. She knocked on his door, but there was no answer. Just as she was about to leave, the door opened, and Yin Lie, seemingly still half asleep, looked at Ji Meiqing listlessly and said, "Miss Ji, is there something you need?"
"It's alright. I might not be able to take care of you these next few days. I'll arrange a place for you to stay in a while," Ji Meiqing said apologetically.
Yin Lie wanted to say something, but didn't know where to begin. Ji Meiqing had given him a life free from loneliness, yet she still felt guilty towards this old man. Thinking this, Yin Lie turned and waved goodbye, returning directly to his room. Ji Meiqing was puzzled, but didn't dwell on it, going straight to find Zhao Ning'er.
Ji Meiqing knocked on the door, and Zhao Ning'er opened it. Seeing that it was Ji Meiqing, she was somewhat flustered and quickly made way for her. Ji Meiqing entered and saw that Zhao Lei had also been up for some time. She was secretly pleased; these two weren't lazy people.
"Ning'er, you don't need to be so reserved. We'll be friends from now on, not master and servant," Ji Meiqing reminded Zhao Ning'er, noticing her nervousness.
"Yes, I understand, Aunt Ji... Sister Ji," Zhao Ning'er said, blushing. Realizing she had almost misspoke, she quickly corrected herself.
"Let's go, I'll take you somewhere," Ji Meiqing said, taking Zhao Ning'er's hand, with Zhao Lei following behind. The three of them then left the inn.
Ji Meiqing led them around for a while and bought them some food along the way. They kept refusing, but Ji Meiqing insisted on giving it to them. Ji Meiqing originally thought they would eat it, but to her surprise, they just held it in their hands and refused to eat it.
Ji Meiqing pretended to be angry, put her hands on her hips and said, "I bought it for you, but you don't eat it. It's a waste of my money if it goes bad, you know that!" Zhao Ning'er realized she had done something wrong again, lowered her head and didn't say anything. Ji Meiqing opened the food and let them eat. They obediently finished eating without wasting any. Seeing that they had finished eating, Ji Meiqing was in a good mood.
Ji Meiqing stopped in front of a tailor shop and pulled Zhao Ning'er inside, but Zhao Ning'er let go of Ji Meiqing's hand and stood there, refusing to go in. Ji Meiqing tried to pull her in, but she dodged to the side and said, "Sister Ji, I can't repay your great kindness. Buying me clothes is absolutely unacceptable!"
Ji Meiqing was amused by her and covered her mouth with a smile, saying, "Ning'er, your sister Zhao never does anything that doesn't benefit me. Buying you clothes is definitely for your own use. What, can't you repay a debt of gratitude back then!"
Seeing Ji Meiqing's response, Zhao Ning'er followed her into the tailor shop. Ji Meiqing asked the owner to take measurements for both Zhao Ning'er and Zhao Lei. After the owner took the measurements, Ji Meiqing took out the pattern she had drawn the night before and handed it to him.
The shopkeeper looked at the clothes and thought they were really strange. "Young lady, this hat is too weird. If you don't like it when it's made..." The shopkeeper was worried that if the finished product was too ugly and Ji Meiqing didn't want it, not only would the work be wasted, but he wouldn't have earned a single penny.
Ji Meiqing said directly, "As long as it looks good, that's fine. Also, I've written down the colors; the colors of the man's clothes and hat can't be wrong." After saying that, Ji Meiqing led Zhao Ning'er and the others out of the tailor shop. On the street, Ji Meiqing bought some rouge, some face cream, some white face cream, and several eyebrow pencils.
Ji Meiqing gave the things to Zhao Ning'er and told them to go back to the inn first. She then went to Yingchun Tower alone, going straight to the second floor. Shen Bin was still sitting upstairs, drinking tea and watching the bustling, crowded street, just as before. He didn't make much of a move when he saw Ji Meiqing arrive, and continued drinking his tea.
“Young Master Shen, I’d like to renovate this place a bit. You don’t mind, do you?” Ji Meiqing said, sitting down to drink tea, waiting for Shen Bin’s reply.
"Okay, but don't turn my perfectly good restaurant into a brothel..."
"Stop, stop, I know all that," Ji Meiqing interrupted Shen Bin, unable to bear his rambling any longer. Shen Bin seemed to realize he had gone a bit too far and awkwardly sipped his tea.
Ji Meiqing rearranged all the tables on the second floor. Originally, the tables faced the balcony, but Ji Meiqing arranged them facing the left wall, placing two rows of tables, two tables in each row. Each table had four chairs, placed facing each other, in pairs. A relatively large open space was left near the left wall.