Xie Ming

Chapter 69: First Meeting with Xu Jingyi

"Patriarch Xu, how many people are there in Jiulong Town right now? How many middle schools are there in the town? Is there a clinic?"

Xiao Jingchuan suddenly asked three questions in a row, which made Xu Jialin confused!

"Ah? Why, sir?" Jialin was puzzled.

But when he looked over, he saw Xiao Lang standing there, as if he was waiting for his answer intentionally, and it was not a casual question, so he did not dare to neglect it and replied quickly.

"Oh, to be honest, there are more than 6,500 males in Jiulong Town, and the total population is about 15,000."

"There are three private schools in my Xu family in this town, but they only teach children to read and write."

"We did have a proper school originally, but the clan was unwilling to contribute the money, so we gave up!"

"As for the medical clinic, there is no big one. If anyone in the clan has a serious illness, they will go out of the mountains to Laishui County."

"He's a small one, not a big deal, just a barefoot doctor in the mountains. He can prescribe some medicine for headaches and fevers, which is quite useful!"

"I don't know what Master Xiao wants to do by asking these questions."

Xu Jialin told everything in great detail.

"Oh, haha, Patriarch Xu, you have been worried and wondering why I am willing to help you, right?"

"Actually, I do have some wealth, and I want to open a school and a clinic in your Jiulong Town!"

"Firstly, it can help me build a base for living here, and secondly, it can help with education and medical treatment, which is a benefit to the people in the town!"

Xiao Jingchuan's words were beyond Xu Jialin's expectations.

I never thought that there really is such a thing in the world that can kill two birds with one stone and have the best of both worlds.

Seeing that Xiao Lang was sincere in his words and without any falsehood or hypocrisy in sight, Patriarch Xu made up his mind and agreed without hesitation.

"Okay! Okay!"

"I didn't expect that Master Xiao actually had this idea of ​​saving the world and the people, and helping students and inheriting the virtuous!"

"Don't worry, sir. After my daughter's matter is over, I will personally come forward and help you select a site for your school and clinic. I guarantee that it will be successful!" Xu Jialin responded readily.

While the two were talking, Xu Wang also prepared tea and served it to them.

"Haha, in this case, Patriarch Xu and I can both rest assured!"

"Okay, let's put this matter aside for now, and talk to me about redeeming people first!"

"Where do you usually hand over the ransom to that Ma Dabang? It's not like someone comes into town to collect it, right?!"

Seeing that most of the other requests had been made, Xiao Jingchuan changed the subject and returned to Hongwen's matter.

"Oh, this young master is not in town!"

"Walk three miles southwest along the mountain road at the entrance of Jiulong Town. Two hundred steps to the right, there is a large willow tree. It is so large that you can recognize it at a glance."

"There are many ownerless graves under the willow trees. There is a gap next to the graves. Usually, when bandits kidnap people, they pay the ransom there!"

Seeing that the conversation was finally about her daughter, Xu Wang-shi, who was standing by, hurriedly sat down on the seat beside her and interrupted the conversation.

Seeing this, Xu Jialin frowned slightly. After all, according to the rules, it was not good for a woman to behave like this in front of outsiders.

But he was so anxious to save his daughter that he didn't bother to pay attention to it.

"Yeah, yes, they are all there!" Xu Jialin helped.

"Then, who are you going to send to deliver the ransom?"

"Will there be any rules at that time?" Xiao Lang asked again.

"Ah, this..." Xu Jialin was embarrassed when he heard this.

"Oh, you went to the ancestral hall this morning. Didn't you discuss such an important matter?" Xu Wangshi was anxious.

"We are still discussing it, but we haven't even come up with enough money. If it weren't for Mr. Xiao's promise to help, our daughter's plan would have been ruined!" Xu Jialin replied. "But, no one is going!"

"Why not ask Niu Wa, the eldest son of the farmhand Xu Sanjia, to go!" Mrs. Xu Wang thought of a solution.

"Niu Wa, when this kind of thing happens, it's usually our brothers who risk their lives to do it. Although we are the host family, we can..."

"Oh, it doesn't matter. If it really doesn't work, I, as the father, will go!"

"As long as I can redeem my daughter, I will sacrifice my old life!" Xu Jialin lamented.

"No! My daughter hasn't come back yet. If you get involved again, how are Jingyi and I going to survive?"

"Besides, you are the clan leader. If you go, won't they tie you up as well?"

"Kidnapping a clan leader is more exciting than kidnapping our daughter!"

"Wow." As she spoke, Xu Wangshi became anxious and began to cry again.

"Okay! Stop looking! I'll go!"

Just as the two elders were arguing in front of the hall, suddenly, a woman's voice floated from the second floor.

As these words were spoken, the girl, wearing a red skirt and a willow-green satin jacket, came down the stairs with a few steps!

When Xiao Jingchuan heard the voice, he looked over and froze in place, his mind stunned.

"It's really alike!" Xiao Lang couldn't help but whisper to himself so that others couldn't hear.

"Oh, Jingyi!"

"There are guests here. How can you, a girl, come running down like this?"

"You are making trouble! What are you doing?"

"Your elder sister hasn't redeemed you yet. If you are released, will your mother live?"

Xu Wangshi complained and hurriedly left the table and ran to her second daughter, trying to push her to go upstairs quickly and not cause trouble.

"Mom! What time is it now!"

"Saving my eldest sister is the most important thing, mother!" The clan leader's daughter, Second Miss Xu, argued in the Jingyi Hall.

It was a mess and full of noise. Xiao Jingchuan had originally planned to send some men to lure out the bandits' scouts while he would send more men to surround the area. As long as he could catch the bandits who came to take the money and find out where their hiding place was, he could then lead his troops to kill them directly!

But seeing the situation now, he might as well redeem the person as bait and take on the job himself, so Xiao Lang had no choice but to speak out loudly.

"Okay, okay! If Patriarch Xu trusts me, then I will run a trip for you!"

All of a sudden, Young Master Xiao in front of him was so helpful and took all the responsibility on himself. Hearing this, Xu Jialin, who was standing there in a daze, really didn't know whether to be happy or worried!
Logically speaking, it is a joy to have a difficult problem solved!
But, this person whom I have never met and never had any social interaction with before is so generous and willing to help me at the cost of his life. How can I not be suspicious?
You know, if someone shows his kindness to you for no reason, he is either a traitor or a thief! He is like a living Buddha, thinking about you all the time, how scary!
In this hall right now, besides Xu Jialin, there was another person who had such thoughts, and that was his smart second daughter Xu Jingyi.

Besides, this girl wouldn't have the old-fashioned concerns that her father had, so she spoke to Xiao Lang casually.

"Your last name is Xiao, right?"

"You're not much older than me, and you look pretty handsome!"

"My mother said that good-looking men are mostly ungrateful and useless!"

"Can you do this? This concerns my elder sister!"

"You, you said you wanted to borrow four thousand taels, where is it?"

"Tell me to see the money first!"

Xiao Jingchuan had never expected that the girl who was approaching him and whose eyes and eyebrows resembled Yuzhen's was so hot-tempered!

"Jingyi, what are you talking about! You have no manners at all!"

"How can a girl talk to guests like this? We in the Xu family have good manners!"

(End of this chapter)