Old Geng had originally planned to drop Lu Jiajie off at the Lu Family's doorstep in the Forty-Nine City and then head back, concluding that his mission would be accomplished once he got him home.
Seeing him about to leave, Lu Jiajie grabbed hold of his arm and said, "Older brother, I met a few people in the mine, and two of them are from the Forty-Nine City. If their families can afford the ransom, could you help get them out?"
Old Geng looked at him, with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, "Your ransom was ten thousand greenbacks, and my fee is another ten thousand greenbacks. Plus, if more people are ransomed, the other side may raise the price. Are you sure your two friends' families can come up with that much money? Or rather, are they willing to?"
The gold mine's owner was a local bully with connections above, but they were all ultimately after money. If families were willing to pay a high ransom, they would certainly release the captives.
