Allure of a Country Maiden-Chapter 214 - 212: Compensation Must Be Given

"Young Master, I am grateful for your assistance in saving my life. I am willing to stay by your side and serve you..." The woman continued pleading despite being kicked away.

Xiao’er couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Why were women of ancient times always so dramatic when expressing their gratitude, always wanting to offer their bodies in return?

"Miss, you have it all wrong. It was that man who saved you! You should express your gratitude to him." Xiao’er stated, curious to see her reaction.

The hidden guard, known as Fourteen, had a scar running down his face, giving him a ferocious look.

The woman carrying the baby walked over, "Thank you, Young Master, for saving us!"

Shangguan Xuanyi nodded without uttering a word. He wasn’t interested in such trivial matters, his only desire was to quickly leave.

"You should get the child some dry clothes quickly," Xiao’er reminded her.

The woman nodded in acknowledgment and then hurried off.

"Brother Shangguan, my stomach aches from being carried like this. I feel like throwing up," Xiao’er warned him as he continued to carry her with him.

"If you have the energy to meddle in these affairs, how could you be in discomfort? Maybe if you actually felt unwell, you wouldn’t go jumping into rivers again!" He thought to himself.

Despite his thoughts, he adjusted his hold on her to a princess carry, not bearing to see her in discomfort.

Shangguan Xuanyi realized he had completely succumbed to her, discarding all his principles. But he was rather content in doing so.

Xiao’er silently looked up towards the sky, wondering why he wouldn’t just let her down and let her walk on her own. Being carried like a child was beyond embarrassing for her.

"It was the Young Master’s order that compelled him to save me, so it is only right that I repay him," the woman retorted, quickly lowering her gaze after catching sight of the hidden guard.

She was only interested in expressing her gratitude to the handsome, distinguished, noble-looking Young Master in purple.

As for everybody else, their mere ability to aid her was a blessing for them. They didn’t deserve her gratitude! This was unthinkable!

The hidden guard looked at her with contempt. Even if she could offer him a house or a shop, he wouldn’t be interested.

Shangguan Xuanyi didn’t even spare her a glance, he simply adjusted the way he held Xiao’er in his arms and prepared to leave.

This time it was the villagers who were trying to stop them from leaving.

"You can’t just leave like this! You broke our bridge, it’s only right that you pay for it!"

"Exactly, every year it’s the people who come here to play in Maba and ride the horses who break our bridge, and then simply leave! Our village has to collect money each year to repair the bridge!"

"You’re right, unless you pay us in silver or repair the bridge yourself, you can’t leave! We, the villagers, paid for the construction of this bridge. If you’ve damaged it, it’s only fair that you repay us."

The villagers chimed in, one after another.

Every year, they were plagued by the wealthy young men and women who descended upon Maba to learn horse riding and engage in other festivities, choosing to use the wooden bridge that was built and funded by their village to travel across.

The bridge was meant to be used. Initially, they didn’t mind. But as more and more people used it, the bridge began to collapse two to three times a year.

Earlier, when people fell off the bridge, the villagers would rush to rescue them. But the rescued often showed no gratitude, blaming the villagers for building a poor-quality bridge that resulted in their fall. They would even demand compensation from the villagers.

Some of the rescued girls claimed that their rescuers had defiled their chastity and, thus, demanded compensation.

Naturally, the villagers were reluctant to comply. Moreover, they were mostly farmers and couldn’t afford to pay exorbitant amounts in compensation. When they failed to pay, they were beaten severely, leaving many bedridden for days.

Eventually, the villagers stopped trying to rescue those who fell off the bridge.

As time passed and they continued raising money for bridge repairs every year, more and more villagers began to grumble. It wasn’t easy for them to make money and, for many, even their subsistence was uncertain.

They saved up only about a hundred or so coins each year, and yet, they had to spend it all on repairing the bridge.

Shangguan Xuanyi’s eyebrows furrowed even tighter. This was becoming troublesome.

Xiao’er took a look at the bridge, the wood didn’t seem very old, she guessed the cracks formed from excessive usage combined with the weight of their speeding horses causing the collapse.

The village chief stepped forward at this point and began to address Shangguan Xuanyi, "Esteemed young master..."

Shangguan Xuanyi raised his hand to stop him from speaking further. He took out a piece of silver, asking, "Who has clothes suitable for this young lady? They need to be new, unworn, and clean."

Seems like they couldn’t hurry to the town immediately, they had to see if these rural families had any suitable clothes for her.

"We have some! I just finished making a new set for my daughter. It hasn’t even been tried on yet. It’s made of linen, though, and wouldn’t cost a piece of silver. Fifty coins would suffice," a timid woman spoke up.

"Go ahead and take off your wet clothes," Shangguan Xuanyi whispered to Xiao’er.

Xiao’er nodded. She was used to washing new clothes before wearing them. But she had clothes in her space, so she could wear her own underneath and put on the woman’s over them. It wasn’t necessary to stay in her wet clothes.

"Lead the way," Shangguan Xuanyi commanded the woman.

"Huh?" The woman seemed momentarily confused.

"Auntie, could you show me the way to your house so I can change my clothes?"

Upon hearing this, the woman quickly nodded, "Okay, okay, okay. Please follow me."

The two followed the woman to her house.

"What if they run away?" a villager asked the village chief.

The village chief shook his head, "Let’s just wait."

"Brother Shangguan, I can go alone," Xiao’er tried to use this opportunity to walk on her own.

"It’s warmer being held like this." Moreover, people could be deceitful. Shangguan Xuanyi didn’t trust her to go off alone. Of course, he didn’t share these thoughts out loud.

"But I’m not cold!"

Shangguan Xuanyi didn’t respond vocally but continued to hold Xiao’er following behind the woman.

Alright then, she would compromise. It won’t be for much longer anyway.

"Young Master, I also made a new set of clothes for my husband. They are clean and haven’t been worn, would you like to change?"

Shangguan Xuanyi shook his head.

He could only wear silk or cotton clothing. He would get an allergic reaction from clothes made out of materials like hemp.

"Wearing wet clothes will make you catch a cold," Xiao’er warned him.

"I can use my inner strength to dry them," he responded, leaving Xiao’er at a loss for words.

After Xiao’er had changed her clothes, Shangguan Xuanyi left a piece of silver on the table, picked Xiao’er up and walked out.

"This is too much, I cannot accept!" The woman followed them out with the piece of silver in her hand, refusing to accept it.

"Auntie, please accept it as our token of appreciation." Xiao’er turned around and said with a smile.

"Isn’t that not quite right?" the woman hesitated.

"We didn’t steal or rob it, we’re giving you this willingly. There’s nothing wrong with that."

The woman finally relented, accepting the silver and repeatedly thanking them as they walked away.

When they returned to the bridge, Shangguan Xuanyi turned to Fourteen.

"All is normal," reported Fourteen, confirming that there wasn’t anyone there with ill intentions.

Shangguan Xuanyi nodded.

"How much do I owe for the bridge?" He turned to the village chief.

"Young Master, don’t fall for their tricks. Their shoddily built bridge plummeted us into the river, we were lucky to escape with our lives, we should be the ones demanding compensation!" The woman from before interfered, presuming she was doing Shangguan Xuanyi a favor. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

She was secretly pleased with herself, thinking that Shangguan Xuanyi would admire her smartness and take her with him.