Gu Jiangyue knew that Xi Yun was not a lazy person. On the contrary, she was very industrious. Xi Yun sewed clothes during the day and wove shoes at night. In her spare time, she would look for other jobs. However, no matter how hard she tried, there were always endless debts waiting for her. She just wanted to provide a good environment for He Zhou so that he could be like other children. Having worked together for so many years, Gu Jiangyue understood Xi Yun. If it hadn't been for He Zhou today, Xi Yun would never have asked Gu Jiangyue to save her.
"I'll pay off her debts. Don't worry," Gu Jiangyue said coldly. Her angry eyes stared at the man, making him feel a little scared.
In her previous life, Xi Yun wasn't so lucky. When she encountered the same situation, no one came to help her. The money she had saved for Zhou'er to go to school was snatched away, and she was eventually sold to a brothel because she couldn't pay off the debts.
In the brothel, Xi Yun suffered inhumane abuse. Even He Zhou, the child she loved most, was sold somewhere, and she had no idea where he was.
Gu Jiangyue met Xi Yun in her previous life when she was on the verge of death.
Although a long time had passed, the memory was still vivid in her mind. The weather was terrible that day. Rain mixed with mud splashed everywhere. Xi Yun stood on the bridgehead, staring blankly at the river.
That was the first time she had escaped from the brothel after many attempts. But after she escaped, she learned that He Zhou had been sold to someone else and had already died.
She had just regained her freedom, but then she fell into hell again. There was no greater pain in life. Xi Yun couldn't bear the blow any longer. With the death of the only loved one she cared about, she lost all hope of living. So she was about to end her life on the bridge.
It was Gu Jiangyue who stopped her. Gu Jiangyue couldn't remember the other details clearly. She only remembered that Xi Yun was incredibly calm at that time, except for her red and swollen eyes. Her eyes were extremely determined when she looked at Gu Jiangyue.
"Miss, I want revenge," Xi Yun said.
Gu Jiangyue took her back. It was Gu Jiangyue who had given her an umbrella and a knife when she was most helpless. From then on, Xi Yun had always followed Gu Jiangyue. Gu Jiangyue meant a great deal to her.
Xi Yun's life was so tragic that even after Gu Jiangyue was reborn, she still felt regretful for not coming to save her earlier.
When Xi Yun heard that Gu Jiangyue was going to pay off her debts, her eyes were filled with disbelief. After all, she didn't know Gu Jiangyue, let alone having any friendship with her.
But Xi Yun was very smart. The most important thing was to solve the urgent problem first. She quickly kowtowed in Gu Jiangyue's direction, one after another, with the sound getting louder and louder. No matter what Gu Jiangyue's purpose was for approaching her, it was Gu Jiangyue who had saved her.
The debt - collector didn't expect Gu Jiangyue to be so straightforward. From the moment he reported the price to the moment he got the money, everything happened so fast. The man still felt it was a bit unreal even after he left.
After Gu Jiangyue sent the man away, she quickly walked to Xi Yun's side. Since the man thought Xi Yun was quite good - looking and wanted to sell her to a brothel, he didn't beat her too hard. After all, it would be difficult to sell a girl with injuries. So after resting for a while, Xi Yun was fine.
When Xi Yun saw Gu Jiangyue coming, she was about to kowtow to her again, but Gu Jiangyue quickly reached out her hand to stop her.
He Zhou wasn't afraid of Gu Jiangyue because she had just helped his mother. He was standing beside Xi Yun, with his bright eyes wide open, staring at Gu Jiangyue without blinking. He looked cute and well - behaved.
Gu Jiangyue had often heard Xi Yun talk about her child, saying that he was very smart and a good candidate for studying. But every time Xi Yun said this, she would sigh. He Zhou had always been a pain in Xi Yun's heart, in both her previous and current lives.
Looking at He Zhou's eyebrows, which were very similar to Xi Yun's, Gu Jiangyue smiled very gently and reached out her hand to touch He Zhou's head.
Then Gu Jiangyue's words shocked He Zhou even more.
"Zhou'er, do you like reading? Sister will help you," Gu Jiangyue said.
After saying that, Gu Jiangyue asked the guard to bring several silver notes. These silver notes were given to her by the old matriarch. Gu Jiangyue never felt sorry for such external things when it came to her own people. She directly handed the silver notes to Xi Yun, who was completely stunned.
Xi Yun was a bit dazed. She didn't know why Gu Jiangyue was willing to help Zhou'er go to school after paying off their debts.
He Zhou, on the other hand, was a bit anxious. He had loved reading since he was a child. Now he was afraid that Xi Yun would refuse Gu Jiangyue's money. He was looking at Xi Yun eagerly.
Seeing He Zhou's expression, Xi Yun thought for a long time and finally accepted the money. Seeing this, He Zhou happily jumped up and down in the small yard, cheering that he could go to school.
Xi Yun seemed to remember something. She quickly ran into the house. After a while, she came out with a box in her hand. She had already wiped away her tears and said respectfully to Gu Jiangyue,
"This box contains the ancestral secret recipe of our Xi family, a beauty - preserving secret, and my indenture. If the miss doesn't mind, please accept them."
Xi Yun had just thought about all the things she had. In the end, she could only think of this beauty - preserving secret. She guessed that Gu Jiangyue came for this secret.
But Gu Jiangyue had saved her and He Zhou today. She was their savior. Not to mention this beauty - preserving secret, even her life, as long as Gu Jiangyue wanted it, she would be willing to give it.
Gu Jiangyue took the box from Xi Yun's hand and silently agreed to what she had just said.
Looking at the haggard Xi Yun in front of her, Gu Jiangyue couldn't hold back her long - lost longing. She directly hugged Xi Yun and tried hard not to let the tears fall.
Xi Yun didn't know what was wrong with Gu Jiangyue. She just gently patted her back.
She wasn't the kind of person who would easily trust others, but Gu Jiangyue gave her a very familiar feeling, making her feel inexplicably at ease.
Gu Jiangyue asked Xi Yun and He Zhou to pack up the things in the house casually and prepared to take them away and settle them in the Gu Mansion. After all, this place was too dangerous. She couldn't always be by Xi Yun's side. If those debt - collectors kept pestering Xi Yun, it would be troublesome.
So she directly took Xi Yun and He Zhou away from this place, completely out of the darkness. Sincere people belonged in the light, not hiding everywhere like outcasts of the world.
Gu Jiangyue took Xi Yun and her son into the carriage, and the carriage drove all the way to the Gu Mansion.
In the carriage, Gu Jiangyue explained her identity and her plan to open a store. She planned to let Xi Yun be the manager of the store and find some helpers for her so that they could open the store.
Although Xi Yun had been forced by life and couldn't do these things anymore, she had been influenced by them since childhood and was still very interested in some cosmetics. So she directly agreed.
The carriage arrived at the Gu Mansion all the way. Just as Gu Jiangyue had settled Xi Yun and He Zhou down, she saw Zhiyuan standing at the door of the room, looking a bit coy.
"Zhiyuan, what's wrong?"
"Miss, the Second Prince is here. He also sent a guqin."