Chapter 171: Hiring

 Chapter 171: Hiring

"Daohua?"

"Daohua!"

Qin Xiao Liu initially looked at Daohua with confusion, then suddenly seemed to remember something. His eyes widened in surprise as he stared at her. "You're the little Daohua from the human trafficker’s place?!"

Seeing that he had remembered her, Daohua quickly nodded.

"Wow~"

As soon as Daohua nodded, Qin Xiao Liu let out a loud cry, bursting into tears.

He cried with such intensity, as though a lost child had just found their family and was venting all their fear and panic.

Watching Qin Xiao Liu cry like a child, Daohua remained silent, standing there motionless, not urging him to stop or asking any questions. She just quietly waited for him to release the emotions he had been holding in.

Behind them, Wang Man'er watched Qin Xiao Liu, whose face was swollen from the beating. She could relate to his despair. Her father had once lost goods and was beaten half to death by their employer. That feeling of being hopeless and having no way out was still fresh in her memory.

Later, when her father died and she was left all alone, she had no choice but to sell herself.

Fortunately, she was lucky enough to meet a kind-hearted young lady, who not only gave her a place to stay but also ensured she was well-fed and clothed, saving her from the suffering of hunger and cold.

Li Xingnian and the others, who had just gotten out of the carriage, also felt bad seeing Qin Xiao Liu cry so heartbrokenly.

After a while, Qin Xiao Liu’s sobs began to quiet down, turning into occasional sniffles.

Seeing his face covered with tears and snot, Daohua was about to hand him her handkerchief when Wang Man'er stopped her.

"Miss, use mine instead."

A young lady’s handkerchief wasn’t something to give to just anyone. With that, Wang Man'er handed her own handkerchief to Qin Xiao Liu.

Seeing the handkerchief, Qin Xiao Liu blushed a little. He wiped his tears and nose with his sleeve, then shyly glanced at Daohua.

Once Qin Xiao Liu had calmed down a bit, Daohua finally spoke, "Brother Xiao Liu, how did you end up here? Where are Uncle Qin Wu and the others?" 

The mention of Qin Wu made Qin Xiao Liu want to cry again. His voice trembled as he answered, "Fifth Brother and the others were arrested. They’re locked up in the prison right now."

Daohua furrowed her brows. "Tell me exactly what happened."

Qin Xiao Liu sniffled as he spoke, "Our cargo was robbed, and our employer reported us to the authorities. Because we couldn’t repay the losses, brother Qin Wu and the others were arrested. If we can’t come up with the ransom, they’ll be exiled to the frontier to work as laborers."

Upon hearing this, Daohua looked towards her uncle and two older brothers.

Li Xingnian nodded. "There is indeed such a rule in the government."

Daohua turned back to Qin Xiao Liu. "How much do you owe?"

Qin Xiao Liu looked pained. "The total is one thousand taels—plus the compensation for the goods. One thousand taels! How can I possibly come up with that much money?"

Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked at Daohua, then glanced at Li Xingnian and the others behind her. With a sudden thud, he knelt in front of Daohua.

"Daohua, no, Miss Daohua, if... if you can help us through this difficult time, I... I and Fifth Brother and the others will repay you, as slaves, or anything else!" 

Qin Xiao Liu mustered all his courage to say this, though he wasn’t very confident.

First, he and Daohua weren’t very familiar. Back then, they had only escorted them for a short while. Second, one thousand taels was no small amount of money. Although they looked presentable, could they really come up with that much money all at once?

He also knew that it was very rude and abrupt of him to ask.

But now, he really had no other choice. Qin Wu and the others were the main pillars of the family. If anything happened to them, how would the rest of the family survive?

So, with no other option, he could only shamelessly beg.

Daohua reached out to help him up. "Let's talk calmly. Stand up first."

Qin Xiao Liu looked at Daohua, cautiously stood up, his eyes filled with hope.

Daohua was silent for a moment before turning to walk toward Li Xingnian, Yan Wenxiu, and Yan Wenkai.

Upon seeing her action, Yan Wenxiu immediately understood. "You want to help them?"

Daohua nodded. "If it weren’t for them escorting us back then, my grandmother, my third brother, and I might not have safely reached Linyi County."

Li Xingnian furrowed his brows, clearly not in favor of this. One thousand taels was no small sum.

Daohua quickly added, "I don’t just want to help them."

Li Xingnian raised an eyebrow, smiling as he asked, "Oh? What else do you have in mind?"

Daohua replied, "I want to hire them."

"Eh?"

Li Xingnian, Yan Wenxiu, and Yan Wenkai all looked over at once.

Daohua said, "Brother Xiao Liu and Uncle Qin Wu are skilled at escorting goods; they have good martial arts. I want to hire them to be bodyguards for our family."

Upon hearing this, Yan Wenxiu's eyes suddenly lit up.

Although the family had bought some servants over time, there were almost none who were skilled enough to take on security duties.

The more time he spent with people like the young prince and Dong Yuanxuan, the more he understood how important it was to have capable people around.

He then heard Daohua continue speaking.

"Big brother, third brother, and fourth brother are studying at Wangyue Academy. Although they have servants with them, it’s not as safe as having someone skilled in martial arts. Every time they go out, grandmother and mother are worried, fearing something might happen on the road."

"Also, with father being a Prefect Magistrate now, he deals with many matters and might touch some people’s interests. He also needs a few skilled people around for protection."

Listening to Daohua’s analysis, Li Xingnian couldn’t help but look at his ten-year-old niece with new respect. 

As for the bodyguard proposal, he thought that even his sister and brother-in-law probably hadn’t thought of this angle.

Daohua looked at her clearly interested older brother and asked with a smile, "Big brother, what do you think? If you agree, I’ll go ask Brother Xiao Liu if he’s willing to help."

Yan Wenxiu looked at Li Xingnian. "Uncle, what do you think?"

Li Xingnian, pleased that Yan Wenxiu consulted him before making a decision, shook his head. "This is your family’s business, I shouldn’t interfere. But if you need money, I can lend some."

Upon hearing this, Yan Wenxiu understood that his uncle had given his approval. After thinking for a moment, he turned to Daohua and asked, "Little sister, what about their character?"

Daohua thought about Qin Wu and the others' behavior. "They don't cause trouble, but they still have a kind heart."

Yan Wenxiu nodded. "In that case, let's go with little sister's plan."

Daohua smiled. "Okay, I’ll go ask Brother Xiao Liu now."

When Daohua returned, Qin Xiao Liu’s heart tightened, his face full of nervousness as he looked at her.

"Brother Xiao Liu, my family wants to hire you to work for us. Would you be willing?"

Hearing this, Qin Xiao Liu was stunned. "What kind of work?"

Daohua pointed to Yan Wenxiu and the others. "These are my two older brothers. They study outside and travel between home and the academy often, so they need someone to escort them. Also, my father..."

Upon hearing this, Qin Xiao Liu immediately nodded eagerly. "Yes, of course we’re willing."

They were already in the bodyguard business; now it was just a matter of guarding people instead of escorting goods.

Escorting goods, going through wind and rain, wasn’t as easy and stable as protecting people.

Daohua then asked, "Can you take charge like Qin Wu and the others?"

Qin Xiao Liu nodded. "I can. Actually, Fifth Brother and the others had tried looking for guarding work before, but they were never chosen. If we can settle down, who would want to keep running around escorting goods all the time?"

"Alright, then we’ll go to the government office to ransom them."

(End of Chapter)