A life of two souls traveling through time

Chapter 377 Si Yao redeems Cai Yi and guesses Xiao Lu's identity

"Caiyi, come home with daddy!"

Looking at the figure of his future son-in-law being scared away, the old man dared not say anything to Xiaolu, so he could only frown and yell at his daughter again.

"I won't go back. If you want me to marry that man, I would rather jump into this Mang River and die!" The woman Caiyi still held Si Yao's arm tightly, shaking her head and crying.

"Oh, sister, you should just accept your fate since this is the case! We have already received Dazhu's money... ahem, it's the betrothal gift. Dazhu doesn't mind spending money to marry you. You should just be content and go back with him to live your life. Why go through all this trouble? In the end, you are the one who suffers, and you have to implicate us..." Caiyi's eldest brother suddenly softened his tone. He wanted to give some earnest advice, but the more he spoke, the more heartbroken his sister became. So he was interrupted by his father before he could finish his words.

“Cai Yi, those outsiders are talking without any worries. You are a girl from a poor family and you have encountered such a thing and now everyone knows about it. It’s not that your father is cruel, but there is nothing he can do! I also asked someone to find out about Dazhu, so you can just follow him without worry since he knows his background. Otherwise, if you miss this opportunity, who will marry you in the future?” The old man wanted to go forward and drag his daughter away, but when he saw the skilled young man standing in front of them, the old man was annoyed but had no choice. Since he couldn’t pull her away by force, he could only wipe away his tears and cry, pretending to be helpless.

"Dad, you lied to me again! The five hundred coins you collected must have been gambled away by my eldest brother, right? You sold your daughter to a man like this just for those five hundred coins, and he kept humiliating me before I even got married. How can I have a good life away from home in the future?" Hearing her father's hoarse cry, Caiyi's face did not show any emotion. Instead, she felt even more despair and cried weakly.

Caiyi knew very well that her father was pretending to wipe his tears just to soften her heart so that she would go back with them, but if she really went back, she would not even have a chance to die. Her loving mother died three years ago due to a relapse of her old illness, and now there is no one in the family who speaks for her.

She didn't want to die, but today she was forced into a corner and had no choice but to choose this path. Fortunately, she was not destined to die and met a kind-hearted person who rescued her and was willing to help her. She had to hold on to this life-saving straw and find a way to survive.

"Tsk tsk tsk, you're selling your daughter to a foreign land for only five hundred coins? You're such a cruel father!" Even Xiaolu couldn't stand the old man's hypocritical look, so he folded his arms across his chest and sneered with contempt.

"She is like this, it's good enough that someone is willing to offer this price. Besides, we are her biological father and brother after all, we can't sell her like human traffickers..." Caiyi's eldest brother looked quite helpless and muttered.

"Shut up! No one will think you are dumb if you don't speak!" The old man was once again very angry at his son's stupid brain.

"Do you really want to marry your daughter to that man?" Si Yao asked the old man coldly.

"The betrothal gift has been accepted, how can I regret the engagement?" The old man had long been disgusted with Si Yao's meddling in other people's affairs, so he replied unhappily.

"Caiyi, do you want to go with us?" The old man's words made Si Yao sneer. She first glanced at Caiyi beside her and asked lightly.

"Well, I'm willing to follow the girl!" Caiyi glanced at her father and nodded firmly. If this was the only way to survive, she couldn't miss it.

"It's not impossible to cancel the engagement, it's just that you can't afford the five hundred coins now. How about this, I'll pay double the price for your daughter. We are outsiders anyway, and we're just passing by here tonight. If the deal is done, we will take Caiyi away immediately." After asking for Caiyi's willingness, Si Yao turned to the old man with cold eyes and said lightly.

"You are not a man, why did you buy her?" The old man remained silent after hearing this, but his son beside him couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Since you are selling her like an item, why would you care what she does with the buyer?" Si Yao looked at the other party expressionlessly and continued to ask in a cold voice.

Caiyi's elder brother was immediately speechless.

"One tael of silver is the price for my daughter, but we have to return the five hundred coins of betrothal gift, which...also has to be paid by you." The old man thought that he couldn't take his daughter back anyway, and seeing that the two were willing to offer a higher price, he simply bargained for it.

"Hey, you're taking advantage of someone's misfortune, eh? You actually want to take your own daughter..." Xiaolu was very angry when he heard it. He pointed at the old man and was about to curse him, but was stopped by Si Yao again.

"Here are two taels of silver. The extra money can be used to repay Caiyi for your kindness in raising her." Si Yao took out two taels of silver from her purse and spread them in front of the old man, saying.

When the father and son saw the two taels of silver, their eyes brightened instantly, and Caiyi, who was standing beside them, was moved to tears again.

Afterwards, Si Yao asked Xiaolu to light a candle, and she took out a pen and paper to write a contract of sale.

"This deed is my proof. Once you sign and seal it, the transaction is complete. From now on, Caiyi will have nothing to do with you anymore." After the deed was written, Si Yao handed it to the old man and said.

The old man took the indenture and hurriedly handed it to his son who could read a few words. Caiyi's eldest brother timidly stepped forward and took a quick look in the light of the fire, then said to his father, "Dad, it's written clearly here."

"Then sign it." The old man took a look at the two taels of silver in Si Yao's hand and urged.

Caiyi's eldest brother took the pen handed over by Xiaolu, signed his name, and pressed his fingerprint. Only after Si Yao got the completed indenture did she hand the silver in her hand to the old man.

Before leaving, Caiyi kowtowed three times to her father as a final act of filial piety. Rather than reluctance, she felt more of a sense of relief.

The old man couldn't help but burst into tears when he thought that after they parted tonight, they might never see each other again in this life. This time his tears were really real.

Half an incense stick later, Caiyi led Si Yao and Xiaolu to a small dilapidated temple at the foot of a mountain. She grew up here and was naturally familiar with the surrounding environment.

In the temple, a pile of dry wood made crackling sounds in the fire. Caiyi was sleeping soundly in the haystack in the corner. She was physically and mentally exhausted from the tossing and turning of the night. Now that there was no threat anymore, she naturally fell to the ground and fell asleep.

Outside the hall, Si Yao stood quietly on a high step, her cold eyes gazing at the dark night sky thoughtfully.

"Sister Si Yao, most women in this world are as difficult to be independent as Caiyi. They can only marry according to the arrangements of their fathers and brothers. Women from poor families may even be bought and sold by their husbands at will. There are many women with unfortunate experiences in this world. You saved her today, but what if you meet someone even more miserable tomorrow?" Xiaolu, who was waiting outside the palace gate, first glanced at Caiyi who was fast asleep, hesitated for a moment, then walked to Si Yao and whispered.

It's not that he is indifferent, it's just that he has always felt that personal power is limited, and he is worried that Sister Si Yao will be dragged down by such things.

"Save as many as you can and do your best. It's impossible for me to pretend I didn't see something even though I saw it with my own eyes. What kind of doctor am I if I can be so cold-blooded and numb?" Si Yao lowered her cold eyes and said lightly.

Seeing Xiaolu remained silent for a long time, Si Yao turned around and looked at him seriously: "I didn't expect you to be so good at it."

"Ahem, I'm sorry Sister Siyao, I didn't mean to..."

"You were arranged by the prince to work in the medicine shop, right?" Si Yao continued to ask before Xiaolu finished his guilty explanation.

Xiaolu entered the medicine shop a year earlier than her. She should have thought that with the suspicious nature of the prince, how could he not have planted spies in Sanxiu Medicine Shop? Brother Huifeng was able to reveal his identity so quickly because Xiaolu found out, right? And her ID card, which she had always kept secret, was easily obtained by the prince. Moreover, when Xiaolu was wrongly imprisoned in Xucheng, she was not alert when he escaped and easily entered Liu Mansion. How could a weak medicine boy do that?

Xiao Lu was even more panicked when he heard this. He didn't expect Sister Si Yao to guess his identity so quickly. When he was hesitating whether to tell the truth, he heard Si Yao say:

"I know you are just following orders. I won't blame you, but I will tell Master the truth after returning to the medicine shop."

"Thank you, Sister Si Yao." Xiao Lu hurriedly dodged Si Yao's cold eyes. He felt guilty but didn't know what to say. In the end, he just bowed respectfully to her in gratitude.