From a refugee to a martial artist

Chapter 53 Luo's Mother
Now that you're here, there's no reason to just leave.

"What did that person come here for?" Meng Yuan asked.

"He's the forklift in the alley, here to collect the rent." Sister Hua stared at Meng Yuan.

The so-called "chaganer" generally refers to the owner of a brothel, and also refers to the person who manages these secret doors.

"What disease has afflicted you?" Meng Yuan asked again.

"I'm not seriously ill, it's just that my body has been feeling hot and cold lately, and I don't have much energy." Sister Hua didn't mention sleeping anymore.

"How long has it been?" Meng Yuan asked again.

"It's been almost a month, right?" Sister Hua thought about it carefully and said helplessly, "It's been more than half a month since we opened."

"It's been less than a month. The illness broke out at the beginning of the month." Sister Hua's brother remembered it very clearly.

Now March is approaching, and the weather has become much warmer. But in early February, there was still a chill in the spring, and the spring rains were continuous. Meng Yuan had fought to the death with Lang Da, so he remembered it very clearly.

"Have you seen a doctor?" Meng Yuan asked again.

"How can a rotten bitch afford to hire a doctor?" Sister Hua smiled on her pale face, as if she thought Meng Yuan's words were silly, "I asked the old woman to take a look."

She saw that although Meng Yuan was carrying a knife, he was a very kind person and his expression was not harsh when he spoke, so she started talking.

Probably he entered this industry in order to treat his younger brother's illness, and the result was extremely difficult.

It's easy to get into this quagmire but hard to get out. I want to find someone to live with.

They also said that the oppressors were exploiting them and that life was unbearable.

Meng Yuan just listened quietly and said nothing.

This time he came here to repay a favor. Although the favor is immeasurable, Meng Yuan would not be so pedantic as to support someone for his whole life.

This Hua sister did help someone, but she is not a completely honest person.

If you are close to him, he will be disrespectful; if you are far away from him, he will complain. Meng Yuan has never been a patron, but he is not a fool either.

"Sister, please talk less!" Sister Hua's brother couldn't help but pull at her sleeve. He clearly saw that Meng Yuan was not a stupid fat sheep.

"It's my fault. I'm very sick. My eyes and brain are not working well." Sister Hua was not embarrassed. "Are you making a fortune here now?"

"I'm not rich." Meng Yuan asked directly, "How much money can make Chagan let you go?"

Meng Yuan was confident that he could easily defeat the man with the fork, but a strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake.

This Jixiang Lane and even the surrounding area is a big quagmire. There is no need to get involved.

Meng Yuan believes in fists and swords, but he won't use fists and swords for things that can be solved with money.

Before coming, Meng Yuan thought about it and decided to give Sister Hua some money that would be enough to help her get out of the quagmire, and then give her some money to set herself up on her own.

Meng Yuan is poor, but if the matter can be settled with a little money, then it is nothing.

If you run out of money, just borrow more. Meng Yuan is now famous enough to borrow more money.

Sister Hua was sitting on the bed. After hearing this, she hurriedly stood up and knelt down on the bed in front of Meng Yuan, saying, "I dare not think about this. Master, if you want to remember the kindness you showed me, why don't you take my brother out and help him?"

Although Sister Hua was quick to see the opportunity, Meng Yuan had no intention at all. Now that he had just established himself in the palace, how could he help others? Moreover, he did not know the other person's character or his heart, so he did not repay a favor in this way.

"How much do you charge for each customer? How many customers do you receive per day?" Meng Yuan asked.

"It depends on the situation. I'm young and pretty..." Sister Hua saw Meng Yuan holding down the knife handle with a bad face, so she quickly changed her tone, "The people in Jixiang Lane do business with peasants, how much can it be expensive? They only make a little over a hundred coins a day working at the dock. In the past, when the dock was doing well, forty coins was the norm. At the end of last year, there were refugees, but now twenty or thirty coins is enough. As for how many times, the most can be twenty or so, and the least can be thirty or five. My business is booming when the dock is doing well!"

Meng Yuan understood the situation and no longer asked Sister Hua how much money she owed Chaganer, nor did he ask about the commission. He looked directly at Sister Hua's brother.

"Go and ask the fork-holder to come over." Meng Yuan said. The young man was startled for a moment, then ran out.

"You are such a good person, I will be yours from now on..." Sister Hua wiped her tears, and when she saw Meng Yuan closed his eyes, she smacked her lips and stopped.

Soon, Sister Hua's brother came with a group of people in their thirties, but they were not the one with the fork pole before.

"Brother, what gang are you from?" The man was very sturdy. He walked into the house and went straight towards Meng Yuan with his big hand stretched out.

Meng Yuan reached out, grabbed the man's wrist, and then lifted it up.

The man really didn't have the strength to fight back, and after only five or six breaths he started begging for mercy.

Then the man went out and Chaganer immediately walked in.

Meng Yuan saw clearly that this Chagan was also an experienced person. He sent people to find out the situation first, and only showed up after seeing that Meng Yuan did have some ability.

"I didn't know you had other backgrounds, I'm so sorry." The fork-handler laughed and asked with a fist: "May I ask what your name is? Where did you make your fortune?"

"I dare not mention any names, they are just trying to make a living." Meng Yuan smiled and clasped his fists in return, saying, "I have some connection with these siblings, could you please let them go for my sake?"

It's the first time we meet, there's no point in saving face, it's just a polite remark.

Seeing that Meng Yuan was not showing his true colors but was speaking in a friendly tone, Chaganer smiled and said, "Sister Hua is the top girl here. But if you want it back, there is no reason to refuse. How about one hundred taels of silver?"

"Twenty taels." Meng Yuan bargained fiercely.

When Meng Yuan asked about Sister Hua's market price just now, he had already calculated that Sister Hua was sick and bedridden, and she didn't have many customers, so she was really not worth much.

You know, Meng Yuan sold it to Muzhuang for less than one or two taels of silver a year ago. Now that the disaster is over, this price is the highest.

"Brother, aren't you making things difficult for me?" Chaganer sighed. He didn't look like a gangster, but more like a businessman. "Sister Hua still owes me more than thirty taels, and the regular silver has been delayed for several days."

The so-called debt is nothing but interest compounding, in fact, there is little capital involved, it is just a bargaining technique.

There was no way out. Meng Yuan was a poor guy and he had to fight for every penny, so he started bargaining with Chaganer again.

Seeing this, Hua's brother and sister did not find it strange and did not dare to interrupt.

After a quarter of an hour, the forkman glanced at Meng Yuan's knife several times and finally accepted the amount of twenty-seven taels.

After handing over the IOU and the indenture, Meng Yuan threw them directly to Sister Hua.

"Brother, come again next time and I will treat you to a drink." Chaganer took the money, patted his butt and left.

"Who's the person behind him?" Meng Yuan asked out of curiosity because he saw that the other party was following the rules.

"I heard he was the head of the police force in the government office." Sister Hua was still mumbling, "My worthless life is not worth even ten taels! You paid too much!"

"I'm free after all." Meng Yuan didn't feel that he was at a disadvantage because he could use money to solve the problem. He smiled and asked, "What are your plans for the future?"

"What else can I do? Just find an honest man to marry." Sister Hua sighed.

"Sister!" The young man pulled Sister Hua and knelt down in front of Meng Yuan.

Meng Yuan did not accept the gift, and took out ten small silver ingots of five taels each, "You two can start a small business or something else in the future, and you will always be able to make a living. Remember to go see a doctor first."

"The journey ahead will be long and arduous, so take care of yourselves." Meng Yuan walked away without even telling his name.

When Sister Hua saw the money, she seemed to be cured. She fell to the ground and kowtowed, tears streaming down her face. I don’t know if it was an act. “I’m almost cured. Luo’s mother gave me some medicine. I’ll be fine in two days! I’ll listen to you, sir!”

Meng Yuan was about to open the door and leave, but he stopped, turned around and asked with a frown, "Who is Luo's mother?"

(End of this chapter)