Chapter 143

"Ruqian..."

When these words came out, the people outside were stunned, and Zheng Ruqian inside was also stunned.

He remembered that many years ago, it seemed that a woman had called him this way, but it was also this woman who, after finding out he was useless, had heartlessly driven him away.

If it hadn't been for meeting Jiang Sheng, he probably would have starved to death on the street with how stupid he was back then.

Back then it was agreed that they would have no further relations, so why did she have to jump out now?

Zheng Ruqian pursed his lips, feeling chills in his bones, not knowing how to face this with what kind of attitude.

Until an affected "Ruqian" sounded from inside the carriage as well.

Zheng Ruqian looked back and saw Jiang Sheng posing and mimicking him perfectly.

It was just that although the tone was the same, it carried the unique milk voice of a young girl.

After a moment of shock, Zheng Ruqian couldn't help but laugh and said, "Jiang Sheng, stop horsing around."

"I've always called you big brother, I also wanted to call you by your name," Jiang Sheng pouted, but her heart was relieved.

"Big brother is your big brother, don't think about becoming a big sister." Zheng Ruqian rubbed her little head, and his mood gradually calmed down.

He should have realized that when someone becomes well-known later in life, it can attract old figures from the past.

"Ruqian..."

The affected voice sounded from outside again.

Zheng Ruqian turned his head back and saw Jiang Sheng posing and perfectly imitating him again.

Unfortunately, although the tone was the same, it still carried the unique milkiness of a young girl’s voice.

After a moment of shock, Zheng Ruqian couldn’t help but laugh and said, “Jiang Sheng, stop horsing around.”

"I've always called you big brother, I also wanted to try calling you by your name," Jiang Sheng pouted, but her heart was relieved.

"Big brother is your big brother, don't think about becoming a big sister." Zheng Ruqian rubbed her little head, and his mood gradually calmed down.

He should have realized that when someone becomes well-known later in life, it can attract figures from the past.

"Ruqian..."

When this word came out, the people outside were stunned, and Zheng Ruqian inside was also stunned.

He remembered that many years ago, it seemed that a woman had called him this way, but it was also this woman who, after finding out he was useless, had heartlessly driven him away. If it hadn't been for meeting Jiang Sheng, he probably would have starved to death on the street with how stupid he was back then.

Back then it was agreed that they would have no further relations, so why did she have to jump out now?

Zheng Ruqian pursed his lips, feeling chills in his bones, not knowing how to face this with what kind of attitude.

Until an affected "Ruqian" sounded from inside the carriage as well.

Zheng Ruqian looked back and saw Jiang Sheng posing and mimicking him perfectly.

It was just that although the tone was the same, it carried the unique milk voice of a young girl.

After a moment of shock, Zheng Ruqian couldn't help but laugh and said, "Jiang Sheng, stop horsing around."

"I've always called you big brother, I also wanted to call you by your name," Jiang Sheng pouted, but her heart was relieved.

"Big brother is your big brother, don't think about becoming a big sister." Zheng Ruqian rubbed her little head, and his mood gradually calmed down.

He should have realized that when someone becomes well-known later in life, it can attract figures from the past.

Zheng Ruqian cleared his throat and lifted the curtain to look out, "Madam, do you need something?"

He called her Madam.

No longer like when he was eight or nine years old, calling her "Mother" while clinging to her legs and wanting her to keep him company for a while.

The woman was a little stunned, and soon had tears brimming in her eyes.

Behind her were several women dressed in red and green, hands on their waists dissatisfied, "How can you speak to her like this, she's the one who gave birth to you and raised you, yet you are ungrateful and moreover dare to speak to her this way, you really deserve to be put in the big prison by the Chief Magistrate."

"I've seen ungrateful wretches before, but never one like this. Back then, Sister Ziwei shouldn't have kept him, just get rid of him directly with an abortion, it would have saved all these years of raising him." Another yelled angrily.

Zheng Ruqian listened with no anger at all.

He just looked calmly at the lead woman, "Madam, back then at the back door of Yihong Courtyard, you already abandoned me. We have no definite relationship, and the household registration has only me, not to mention telling Xiaoyang County, even if we go to the prefectural government, I have nothing to fear."

Thanks to Big Brother Xu Mo becoming an official and getting household registrations for his younger siblings, he didn't put the siblings all under one household registration, but rather each of the six siblings had their own.

This way, no matter if they do business or serve as officials, they won't affect each other.

True sibling affection doesn't need something as trivial as household registration to prove it.

"You..." The woman seemed to not have expected that in just two or three years, the child would have changed so much, and choked up, "I didn't want to accuse you, I just wanted to see how you were doing."

What a far-fetched excuse.

Even Wang Xiaosong at the side almost laughed.

Zheng Ruqian smiled even more, "As Madam can see, very well."

The woman's tears flowed even more freely.

Seeing she had nothing more to say, Zheng Ruqian dropped the curtain and said coldly, "If there's nothing else, please let us pass, we still have to go home."

The woman was startled, and didn't dare to let her tears flow recklessly anymore. She hurriedly dried her face with her handkerchief, choking back sobs, "I do have something, I do. Yihong Courtyard is going under, and I want to redeem myself, but with my limited savings over the years, I could only come find you...ask you for a bit."

Asking a twelve year old child for money to redeem herself.

To say this out loud, she must be certain that Zheng Ruqian had money.

But what made Young Master Zheng shiver the most was that she didn't just come herself, but brought several sisters along, afraid that she wanted him to pay for redeeming her sisters as well! For an instant, he deeply regretted stopping the carriage, regretted talking to her.

Was it too late now to have Wang Xiaosong hurry the carriage away?

"Ruqian, Mother couldn't bear to part with you. Back then forcing you away was really unavoidable. Think about how Mother took care of you until you were eight or nine, just help Mother this once." The woman pleaded, "Back then when you were at Yihong Courtyard, Mother didn't shortchange you, right?"

Zheng Ruqian's mind stirred.

Although back at Yihong Courtyard the woman didn't take good care of him, she indeed didn't skimp on his food and clothing, at least not like little Jiang Sheng who had wandered begging.

Even the two gold beans that he and his siblings relied on at the beginning were given by patrons at Yihong Courtyard.

"Speaking of which, I do owe you two gold beans." Zheng Ruqian turned his head to look at his little sister who held the purse strings. "Now is time to pay them back."

Two little gold beans were probably worth four or five taels of silver.

This was the first time Jiang Sheng so readily took out her purse and picked out ten taels of silver.

"An ordinary household of three can get by on half a tael for a year. Big brother lived at Yihong Courtyard for nearly ten years, so ten taels is not excessive." The little girl had a very serious face.

Zheng Ruqian also nodded, and tossed the ingots to Wang Xiaosong.

Wang Xiaosong scrambled to catch them, then tossed them to the woman like they were hot potatoes.

"Alright Madam, please stop delaying our journey." Zheng Ruqian was extremely cold. "If you hinder us without reason again, I will have to go to the county office to seek fairness." Throughout history, courtesans have feared officials.

Hearing him say this, the women in red and green all dodged to the side.

The woman still wanted to persist, but was pulled and persuaded away.

Wang Xiaosong took the opportunity to whip the horses, shouting "Ya!" and the carriage sped away.

The further they went, galloping towards bigger and more distant cities, the woman watched them leave, hand clutched to her chest, shaking her head, "Why doesn't Ruqian believe me, I really doted on him, abandoning him back then was unavoidable as well."

"But having abandoned him was abandoning him in the end..."

Someone gently sighed.

The woman didn't speak again, just swayed and turned around, heading towards her own remaining future.

In the carriage.

Jiang Sheng was heatedly discussing with Zheng Ruqian.

"It must have been the Prefect who did it!" Zheng Ruqian nearly cracked his voice, "Truly insidious, actually dug out my mother, if it wasn't for gaining some experience over these years, I would have been scared to death."

"Maybe not." Jiang Sheng leaned on her hand. "Master Zheng only recently became famous."

Sometimes when one becomes well-known, it really can draw out figures from the past.

"No, definitely it was him." Zheng Ruqian was furious, "Just wait until we're back in the prefectural city, I'll definitely have it out with him."

But what could a small merchant like him do against a Prefect?

Jiang Sheng knew big brother was just venting verbally. She didn't take it to heart.

Moreover, when they returned to Anshui Prefecture, they found out that Prefect He had been busy getting back at the Sun family to vent anger for his wife, and forgot all about the Wang family being tricked.

"What did you say? The Wang family wants to propose marriage to Elder Brother Fufeng?" Jiang Sheng's eyes were wide.