"Brother, please stay!"
Meiyi turned around and watched the young man move to follow him. He was indeed limping and walking with difficulty. Seeing Meiyi watching him walk, the young man's face turned redder: "I have never asked for help from others before. Today is really too difficult. I hope you can help me!"
Meiyi was riding on the horse and looking at the young man. Her eyes were clear and bright, and she looked innocent. But why? He kept calling her brother, but he was obviously older than her. Did she really look so old? She touched her face. Okay, it might be because of the mask.
People are begging like this, it seems a bit too much not to help, she sighed and jumped off the horse again: "I said I don't have money, but I have seen how others deal with this kind of thing. If you trust me, let's all give it a try!"
She was used to watching farmers transporting melons and vegetables at the villa, and had a general idea of what they did when the heavy truck got stuck in a pit. She thought that as long as they had the tools, these few people should be able to do it.
"Are there any rocks nearby? If not, look for something similar on the car, and find two boards. Don't just stare at the wheel here, pay attention to the other side too. Come on, like this... Listen to my command... Get up! Why can't you move?"
The biggest reason is that there is not enough manpower! Meiyi walked to the back of the caravan. The drivers who made a living by transporting goods for others were too smart. She ignored the young man who had been unable to call him. She bowed to the drivers who gathered behind and waited for the car to pass by:
"Dear brothers, rely on your parents at home and rely on your friends when you go out. Things may change in the future. I hope you can meet kind people and help each other through the difficulties. Everyone is in a hurry to get on the road, right? Why not help the one in front and pull the cart out together so that everyone can leave this place? That foreign young man has difficulty walking, and you all helped him. He will naturally remember your kindness and is very grateful to you!"
If Xu Junying and Meimei saw Meiyi, who usually behaved like a lady at home, making such remarks, Meimei might be able to accept it, but Xu Junying would be dumbfounded and would not believe that this was his daughter who was so dignified in her actions and gentle and elegant in her words.
But this is indeed a good intention. Meimei does not restrict her daughters with the rules of the Xu Mansion. She lets them grow up freely before they are seven or eight years old. The two sisters knew how to dress up as boys since they were young, and were accompanied by guards to go out of the mansion to wander around. They are familiar with Xiankelai and Qianxilefang. Meimei does not stop them as long as they are safe. Baoju and Baizhan have children of the same age, who accompany each other. Often, a large group of children run to another house when they are tired of playing. Most of the people who come and go from Baoju and Baizhan are guards and people in the barracks. They guess numbers and drink wine at meals, and talk about everything when they drink tea. The curious and playful children gather around to listen and watch. Cuilian often disciplines the girls not to get close to them. Cuisi does not take it seriously at all, and completely lets them be free. They come from all kinds of environments, and they learn everything by hearing and seeing. They dare not do whatever they want at home, but they are free and unrestrained when they go out. As long as they do not break the law or are not rude, they can do whatever they want.
The young man in white stood by, his eyes slightly smiling, watching Meiyi busying around leisurely, then waved to a young man in green sitting in the carriage to come over. The young man in green also walked with a limp like him, and a piece of white bandage was exposed under his headscarf. In fact, if Meiyi paid attention, she would find that there were more than ten drivers sitting in a row of carriages, all of whom were injured, and some even had broken hands, but they were hidden in their clothes to avoid being seen. It's not that they didn't want to get off the carriage to help, it's probably that they couldn't help at all.
The young man in white asked softly, "Wangcai, can you walk faster?"
Wangcai replied: "You can go, what do you want, young master?"
The young man in white: "Butler Wang has gone to a nearby farm to invite someone. He should be here soon. Go and stop him quickly. Tell him not to come. Rent another carriage and go directly to the dock to wait for us. Remember to get some silver from Butler Wang!"
"But Master..."
"go!"
"yes!"
Wangcai's leg injury might not be very serious, as he walked fairly swiftly by gritting his teeth. He quickly went and came back, taking a look at the cart that was about to be pushed out. With his good intentions, he persuaded a few burly drivers to come over and work together with the previous five or six drivers. Nothing was impossible.
He handed a purse to the young man in white and said, "Master, Steward Wang has already found more than ten strong men and gone to the back. Now he pays the money and sends them away... Did we spend money and work in vain?"
The young man in white lowered his voice: "Keep your voice down! I'll send you away, but the wheels are up, right? Take this silver and go to the back to distribute it to the drivers who are helping to push the carts. Five taels each... Don't let this young man who is helping see it. Do you understand?"
Wangcai's eyes widened: "Uh, this? Return the silver? Five taels per person! Young Master..."
"Um?"
"yes!"
The wheel was finally pushed out of the mud pit, and Meiyi couldn't help but be happy. But no matter whether it was the result of others' strong push, she just felt that it was her credit, wasn't it? Without her method and call, would the wheel be able to come up? Even if the young man in white cried to death, there was nothing he could do!
After saying a few words of thanks to the drivers who helped, Meiyi smiled and said to the young man in white:
"Okay, let them level the road first so that the cars behind can pass. Otherwise, it will be hard to get out if it gets stuck again. Look at the wooden planks that have rotted away. If you don't give them money, they won't help you a second time!"
"Yes, yes! Thanks to you for your kindness, brother. I am very grateful!"
The young man in white seemed relieved, smiling brightly and saying countless words of thanks. Wangcai, who was standing not far away, rolled his eyes. Did his well-traveled, smart and capable young master encounter evil spirits today
Meiyi was a little embarrassed: "It's just a small favor. Your convoy should be fine. I'm leaving now!"
"Where are you going, brother?"
"I... I'm going to deliver the letter, as I just told you!"
"Oh, sorry, I forgot... I wonder where you are working?"
Meiyi glared at him again—she glared at him. The young man's clear eyes were full of sincerity and humility. Meiyi was helpless: "It's clearly said that there is a master, so isn't that a slave? Is being a slave a high position? You like to be sarcastic, right? Then let's be sarcastic together:
"You are making fun of me, sir. I can't read a single word, how can I get a high position? I can only be a doorman for others!"
After saying that, he raised his hand and bowed: "Please, see you later!"
"But you helped me a lot, but I haven't repaid you..."
"I didn't do anything. It was the people behind me who did the hard work. You should thank them. You should also hurry up and leave. Otherwise, if you keep blocking the road, people will scold you soon!"
"It doesn't matter, the hole hasn't been filled yet!"
The young man in white took a quick look at the driver who was repairing the road, and said with determination: "Brother, you are such a person, it is a waste of my talent to be your servant. I admire your noble character. If you don't mind, we can exchange our names and become brothers. We can accompany each other and escort the herbs home. My family has a small foundation, so I can guarantee you a high position!"
Meiyi looked at the young man in white seriously, and felt a sense of accomplishment for no reason: What did he say? Admiration, someone actually admires her! He just helped her a little, haha!
Alas! It's a pity that he is a delicate, tender, and frail white-faced boy. If he was as thin as Ah Kang and Zhao Jie, he would be thin but domineering, with an arrogant look of "if you don't mess with me, I will mess with you". Otherwise, he could be like Brother Ah Heng, who is upright, solemn, steady and dignified, with a bit of his father's aura of authority without anger. If that doesn't work, he could be like his eldest cousin Qin Shizhen, who is cold and arrogant. Then she could go with him without any reluctance. After all, there is a real difference between having a companion and not having one. She and Meijuan are twin girls, and she feels this too deeply. But now she can't take care of herself. This boy obviously needs support. She asks herself if she has that ability, so it's better to get away from him as soon as possible.
"I am grateful for your kindness, sir. However, I am reluctant to leave my old master and have no intention of leaving this place for the time being. Thank you very much! Farewell!"
Meiyi raised the whip and tapped the brown-red horse lightly. The brown-red horse spread out its four hooves and trotted away, carrying Meiyi away.
The young man in white had no time to speak to persuade her to stay. Seeing Meiyi running away without looking back, he could not help but look disappointed. He stretched his neck to watch her turn the corner until she disappeared. Wangcai came over and called him:
"Young Master!"
The young man in white turned to look at him angrily: "What's wrong now?"
Wangcai shook his purse and said, "Five people spent a total of 25 taels of silver, and there is still..."
"Just take it, stop talking nonsense, pack up and get going!"
After saying this, he walked towards the carriage in front with difficulty. The driver quickly helped him sit on it, lowered the curtain, and shouted, "Let's go!"
A line of carriages started slowly, from slow to fast, heading towards the dock dozens of miles away.
Wangcai limped onto the middle carriage, leaned against the carriage board and took a deep breath, then poured out the silver from his purse and counted it. The middle-aged man driving the carriage, Liu San, laughed and said, "You know your uncle, butler Wang's habits. A purse is fifty taels, why count it?"
"I'll count, okay?"
Wangcai said angrily: "Young Master must have been possessed by evil spirits today, or maybe he was beaten stupid by the bandits! How can you waste money like this? My uncle clearly spent money to invite the strong men to the side, but he didn't use them. He also gave money to those idiots to push a cart, and each of them only paid five taels. This is too much!"
"The money belongs to the young master. He can spend it however he likes. What does it have to do with you?"
"But he never does anything so stupid!"
Liu San shook his head and sighed, "As expected, the materials are different, and the difference is clear. You are the same age as the young master, and you have grown up with him. You were always there when he was studying and learning to do things. How come you are not as good as him? You can't even figure out the young master's temper! Can't you see that the young master did this all for that boy! If we hadn't encountered the bandits in Mao County and hadn't been seriously injured in the fight with them, if he could still ride a horse, he would have chased after us long ago!"
Wangcai looked at Liu San in a daze: "Uncle Liu San, why is this happening? The eldest young master has always been prudent, why did he become like this for a boy? I think the boy is also stupid, he should just go his own way, why should he meddle in other people's business?"
"Hey! You stupid boy!" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.) (To be continued)