Chapter 164: An Extra Follower

What Tang Wei requested was merely to save a few slaves. For the middle-aged man bearing the Gao surname, this was indeed just a matter of a single word. Compared to the elder's plea for them to accompany him to the Gao family estate, this was truly a trivial, sesame-sized matter! Naturally, with the outcome turning out this way, the middle-aged man with the Gao surname was more than happy to oblige. With a lightened and pleasant mood, he immediately replied, "Grand Uncle, I will go and handle this personally right away!"

"How could I possibly trouble you? This was originally our own affair in the first place. Now that we have Mr. Gao's help, it has become much easier to manage. How could we possibly burden Mr. Gao to make the trip in person! Please, Mr. Gao, just write a note for us, and let Wanwan send Chen Jiu to take care of it." Tang Wei now felt genuinely embarrassed. Initially, she had felt it was a bit excessive to use delicious food to coerce the elder, but in order to ensure things went smoothly, she had no choice but to take this shortcut. Now that her goal had already been achieved, how could she still have the heart to make someone else run around and exhaust themselves for this matter?

"Young lady, please don't be too courteous. Our group originally planned to head to the West Mountain Mine to attend to some business anyway, so taking care of this is just by the way. Please do not take it to heart," the middle-aged man with the Gao surname said sincerely. In his heart, however, he was thinking: As long as you don't follow me back to the Gao family estate, I will thank the heavens. Even if I have to make a personal trip to the West Mountain Mine for this tiny matter, it is well worth it.

Seeing that he did not seem to be putting on a false act, Tang Wei found it difficult to decline further, and acquiesced gracefully, "Since that is the case, I must truly trouble Mr. Gao!"

"It is nothing, merely a trifle! You need only wait right here, and I will be back shortly! I ask that the few of you take good care of my grand uncle in the meantime," the middle-aged man with the Gao surname guaranteed solemnly. Before leaving, he walked over to the elder and coaxed, "Grand Uncle, Yan'er is going to take care of some business and will be back soon. Please just wait here for a little while with them."

"Go on, go on. Don't stay here and disturb our chatting!" The elder wore an expression that showed he found them a bother, waving both hands high in the air. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought he utterly despised the man!

The middle-aged man with the Gao surname was not angered in the least. Instead, he cast a focused gaze at Tang Wei, the meaning of which was none other than entrusting the elder to her care. Only after receiving a nodding assurance from Tang Wei did the middle-aged man with the Gao surname lead half of his entourage toward the West Mountain Mine. Logically speaking, even if he were inspecting the West Mountain Mine, there was no need for him to make a personal trip to the mine itself; ordinarily, he would simply stay at the local courtyard in the nearby town and review the ledgers. Today, however, in order to rid himself of Tang Wei and her companions as quickly as possible, he personally dispatched men at a gallop to find the people first, while he himself followed closely behind.

The efficiency of the Gao family's people was remarkably swift. When the head steward received the orders from the middle-aged man, although he felt deeply puzzled, he did not ask a single redundant question and immediately went in person to the mine to find the people requested. He then arranged for someone to give Sang Xiong and the others a modest cleanup, outfitting them in clean, brand-new garments. He had them wait in the main hall of the mine before ordering a sumptuous spread of delicious food to be served.

This rapid sequence of actions left the attending servants completely baffled. How did this whole routine look like anything other than a last meal?! Never had anyone who entered the mine been able to leave completely unscathed, yet these few individuals looked entirely unremarkable. They didn't seem like the sort to have powerful backers behind them, did they? Those with influential backers would never have been brought into a place like this in the first place. Not only were the minor foremen bewildered, but even the Sang family members found the situation exceedingly strange. Did these people perhaps harbor some other cruel method of torture for them?

Ever since they were brought into the mine, they had witnessed all sorts of unspeakable atrocities, compounded by the harrowing experience of watching Sang Ying die right before their eyes. The members of the Sang family had long since abandoned any hope of escaping unscathed. They only wished to endure a little less suffering and manage to live a little longer.

"Father, why did they bring us out? I've been very obedient lately and haven't given the foreman any reason to be angry," Sang Liang said, still lingering in a state of lingering fear. If he couldn't figure out what was going on first, he wouldn't be able to swallow a single bite, even facing a table full of such fine food! When Sang Liang had first entered the mine, he was young and fearless, and together with several other newly arrived slaves, he had revolted a few times. After being severely whipped and nearly beaten to death, he had finally learned to behave. Now, the mere thought of that dark, gloomy whip made his entire body ache intensely.

The other two Sang village boys, aged eleven or twelve, were trembling so violently all over that they joined in with worried questions: "That's right, Uncle! Are they planning to sell us off to some other place again? I've been working really hard these past few days, and the foreman has barely whipped me at all! I haven't been slacking off!" As he reached the end of his sentence, his voice carried a faint sob, and his small body shook like a sieve. The mere thought of those loud shouts and the agonizing pain of the leather whip lashing against their flesh was enough to frighten them out of their wits. It was truly a trial for such tender young ages.

"I tell you, worrying about these things is useless. We are already at the mercy of others. Now, eat when there is food, sleep when there is sleep, what is the use of pondering over such futile matters? Come on! It's rare to see such fine dishes, let us have a proper meal together, the few of us!" Although Sang Xiong was also puzzled as to why the foreman had brought them here, he was older and thus able to view matters with a broader perspective.

"You certainly know how to look on the bright side! Rest assured, no one will torture you ever again. You are already free now, and your status as slaves has been rescinded. In the future, no one will block your way wherever you wish to go! Finish this meal properly, and soon someone will come to take you down the mountain." The head steward of the mine walked in from outside just in time to overhear Sang Xiong's words, and nodded approvingly.

Seeing the newcomer, Sang Xiong hastily stood up, bowed deeply in profound respect, and upon hearing that they were truly free, felt a surge of joy in his heart, though his expression remained doubtful. With utmost caution, he asked, "My lord, might I ask what is going on? Are we truly free?"

"The specifics are not entirely clear to me; it was Second Master who issued the order personally! Once you have eaten your fill, Second Master will personally lead you away." The head steward himself felt deeply perplexed as well! But whom could he ask about his curiosity? He certainly couldn't run up to Second Master and demand to know why a few members of the Sang family were allowed to descend the mountain! Still, for people who had entered this place and were actually allowed to leave, it was best for him to be cautious.

"This..." Sang Xiong was so overwhelmed with emotion that he could scarcely control himself. In his heart, he began to guess: Who on earth had saved them? He did not know anyone possessing such immense power. There was only one possibility—Miss Tang Wei, whom they had just met not long ago. But after all, they were merely passing acquaintances; surely Miss Tang Wei would not run around and go to such great lengths to resolve this kind of troublesome matter for their sake? Yet, apart from Miss Tang Wei, he truly could not think of anyone else who would expend such tremendous effort to help him. This was not because Sang Xiong possessed miraculous foresight, but simply because Tang Wei was the only logical possibility he could conceive of.

"Very well, just wait here with peace of mind! I have matters to attend to and must take my leave!" Seeing the four of them standing there in a daze, the head steward knew he likely wouldn't extract any answers from them anyway, and decided it was better to go about his business early. He was extremely curious too; a matter personally ordered by Second Master could hardly be a simple affair! Originally, he had wanted to probe these individuals for information, hoping to find out if they were acquainted with any high-ranking officials or nobles, but judging by their current dazed appearance, his trip had evidently been in vain.

Seeing this man arrive in haste and leave with equal urgency, Sang Xiong was left entirely bewildered, yet he had understood the man's words clearly, and at last, he was certain that the few of them could genuinely leave! At that moment, his heart was filled with an indescribable surge of emotion. His entire being throbbed and trembled, much like a pot of water that had just reached a rolling boil—so overwhelmingly excited that it felt as though it would spill over. The irrepressible smile on his face failed entirely to conceal his moist eyes. Recalling the suffering he had endured over this period, he wondered how he had ever managed to survive it at all.

"Fa-Fa-Father, he-he..." Sang Liang was so overcome with emotion that he had no idea how to phrase his words, yet this was still better than standing there like a stunned blockhead; at least he managed to stammer out the question.

"Do not ask any more questions. Let us eat quickly, and we shall just follow along shortly!" Sang Xiong interrupted Sang Liang, soothing them with a steady composure. Although the hand hidden within Sang Xiong's sleeve was still trembling slightly, from the outside, he appeared markedly calmer than the younger ones.

At a time like this, how could anyone possibly have the appetite to eat? The few of them simply kept their eyes fixed unwaveringly on the doorway, constantly watching to see if someone would come to lead them away. However, the man of the Gao surname did not keep them in suspense for long; in less than thirty minutes, the Gao family's Second Master sent someone to escort them down the mountain. The messenger was extremely polite, and as soon as they stepped out of the courtyard, he guided them onto a carriage and personally drove them out of the mining area. Although the carriage could hardly be called luxurious, it was a vehicle none of them had ever even touched in their lifetimes. Yet, at that moment, they had no spare energy to pay attention to such details, and simply pulled back the curtains to gaze fixedly at every single blade of grass and tree outside, terrified of missing anything.

Before long, they were delivered straight to Tang Wei. Naturally, the father and daughter engaged in a tearful reunion. Detesting such scenes most of all, Tang Wei followed Wanwan to the side to chat and jest with the Gao family elder: "Old man, the people we were looking for have already arrived. We will be leaving shortly!"

"You're leaving just like this?" A distinct look of reluctance flashed through the elder's eyes. It was rare to find two people who did not treat him like an ancestor, who could both bicker playfully with him and converse with genuine ease. Just as he was starting to enjoy himself to the fullest, they were about to leave; the old man truly did not wish to part ways so abruptly!

"That's right! Your people have already learned how to make those few small dishes, so you won't need to drool with craving anymore!" Wanwan seemed determined to match wits with him, never missing a chance to tease him.

"Who is drooling with craving? It looked to me like a certain young lass wasn't far behind!" Refusing to show weakness, the elder immediately fired back.

"So what if I drooled? What I craved was my own family's food; that's still much better than snatching things away from others!" Pressing her advantage, Wanwan opened fire on the target without hesitation.

"The two of us, one old and one young, have only just met, yet we can argue like this. Anyone who doesn't know better would think you two shared the deepest of bonds! Will you feel unaccustomed once we part ways later? If I were you, old man, why not just come along with us on the road? With all this bickering and quarreling along the way, time will pass much faster, and the rest of us can tag along to watch the excitement," Tang Wei said, finding their claw-baring antics immensely entertaining, and deliberately making the playful suggestion.

To her surprise, the elder replied without a moment's hesitation: "Splendid! I shall accompany you on the road then!"