Chapter 59

Chapter 59: The Essence of Tea! The Prime Minister's Arranged Marriage (5)

The person on the ground shifted slightly, then buried their face in the grass, motionless.

Leng Jiu continued indifferently, "You're smart and good at business, generous, and highly regarded by your father, who wanted to pass on the family business to you. However, you were betrayed by your stepmother and elder brother, reduced to a beggar with a broken leg, struggling even to survive. Do you feel sad and desperate now?"

Zhu Kongyang remained still, evidently numb to such humiliating words after hearing them too often.

"Having lost all hope, why do you cling to life instead of ending it? Don't you think death would be better than your current state?"

Mozi's eyelids twitched. Such words were too cruel.

"With your disability and no livelihood, why burden your aging mother? Do you know she knelt outside a pharmacy for a day and night to get you medicine, fought with dogs for food, and endures harassment from thugs daily, almost resorting to selling herself to keep you alive? Don't you think you should just die?"

Finally overwhelmed, the person on the ground sat up abruptly, his pale, bruise-streaked face streaked with tears, his bloodshot eyes filled with pain and shock, "Is what you're saying true?"

"Why would I lie to you?"

Zhu Kongyang, tears streaming down his once handsome face, now unkempt and despondent, pleaded, "Miss, I beg you! I want to see my mother, please!"

Leng Jiu clapped her hands, standing up, "You can see her, but let's make a deal first."

"Yes! Yes! I'll agree to anything if I can see my mother!" Zhu Kongyang, ignoring the pain in his leg, struggled excitedly.

Leng Jiu stepped back, "To deal with me, you must offer something convincing."

Zhu Kongyang was troubled, "What do you want, miss?"

Leng Jiu glanced at his leg, raising an eyebrow, "You still have one good leg. Stand up for me. If you can stand and walk out of this grass hut, I'll believe you."

"Okay!" Zhu Kongyang's face, once filled with despair, now showed signs of life. He excitedly scrambled against the wall, trying to stand up, unconcerned about his undignified posture, focused only on seeing his mother.

Again and again he fell, drenched in sweat but undeterred, continuing his struggle to crawl. Leng Jiu, unable to watch any longer, kicked a stick towards him, "Persistence is good, but don't be foolishly stubborn. Learn to use external help."

Zhu Kongyang, enlightened, grabbed the stick with one hand and leaned on the wall with the other, finally standing up. It was his first time standing after so many days, and never had he felt so glorious in simply standing, his pale face glowing in that moment.

"You must walk out of here!"

"Yes!" Now that he was standing, he was determined to walk out, a voice inside him insisting he must.

Leng Jiu watched as he painstakingly moved step by step, leaning on the wall. His hoarse voice pleaded with the beggars to make way; some moved aside, while others, cruelly, tripped him, laughing as he fell. Zhu Kongyang, undaunted, continued to crawl, trembling towards the doorway.

A mere twenty meters seemed an eternity, taking him an hour to traverse. Leng Jiu patiently watched as he finally stepped into the sunlight. She only helps those who aren't cowardly, heart-dead, or incapable. His actions proved his worth, so she chose to save him.

Mozi carried Zhu Kongyang back to the courtyard, handed him over to others for cleaning, and then left, likely to bathe himself, Leng Jiu surmised.

Moiyina had already summoned the best orthopedic doctor and prepared medicinal herbs, awaiting their arrival.

Zhu Kongyang was washed by someone clearly reluctant to do so, resulting in a rough handling. Now even paler, his hair just barely combed and dressed in clean, albeit unimpressive, clothes, he at least looked somewhat human.

The doctor examined his leg, feeling the bones, and thankfully noted, "It's not as bad as feared. Just a dislocated joint, no major bone damage. It needs to be set back into place. However, the leg has swollen from long neglect and developed pus, requiring an incision to drain it."

"Please proceed with the treatment, doctor. As long as it heals, that's all that matters."

"I will do my utmost!"

"Miss!" Zhu Kongyang, struggling to speak, looked at Leng Jiu, "I want to see my mother!"

Leng Jiu told him, "Your mother is in the courtyard ahead. Treat your foot first, and you can see her tomorrow."

Knowing Leng Jiu wouldn't deceive him, Zhu Kongyang gratefully smiled, "Thank you, miss!"

Leng Jiu, busy training those people, didn't return to the General's Mansion but stayed here instead. Moiyina, delighted, eagerly prepared her bed spotlessly clean and insisted on having Leng Jiu share it with her.

"Sister Jiu, do you have someone you like?"

"Sister Jiu, my brother may seem cold and grumpy, but he's actually a good person!"

"Sister Jiu, about my brother…"

"Quiet! Let's sleep!"

"Sister Jiu, do you already have someone you like?"

"Do you want me to kick you out of the bed?"

  “……”

Early the next morning, Leng Jiu went to see Zhu Kongyang. He was embracing a middle-aged woman, both mother and son crying together.

"Thank you for your great kindness, miss!" The woman, Mrs. Kong, Kong Xiangyun, had a gentle nature. Overwhelmed by the ordeal, she knelt and bowed deeply to Leng Jiu in gratitude.

Leng Jiu helped her up, "Please stand, Madam. I cannot accept such a grand gesture."

Kong Xiangyun, clutching Leng Jiu's hand emotionally, said, "You deserve it! You saved Yang's life. I would gladly kneel and crawl from miles away for you!"

"A parent's love is greater than heaven. If you really did that, Madam, I'd be shortening my own life!" Leng Jiu smiled, "Besides, my saving him had its own purpose. It can't be counted as a true kindness."

"To us, miss, your deed is as significant as giving us a new life. Don't worry about your reasons. Just command us, and we'll follow," said Kong Xiangyun earnestly.

Leng Jiu pulled out two sheets of paper filled with writing and handed them to Zhu Kongyang, "Take a look at these first."

Zhu Kongyang read them, his face registering shock, his lips and hands trembling, "Miss, this is..."

Seeing his reaction, Kong Xiangyun was alarmed, "Yang, what does it say?"

It took Zhu Kongyang a while to find his voice, "Miss has considered me for a job. She's funding me to do business under the name Kong Yang. It's a thirty-year contract!"