flstandardbreds Chapter 119 Buy 1 Get 1 Free
Chapter 119 Buy 1 Get 1 Free
The oxcart headed toward the brokerage firm in a somewhat silent atmosphere. Zhang Youtie had found out the location of the brokerage firm when they were buying hairpins earlier.
After a while, Wang finally realized what was happening and said to Liu, "You should find someone to watch over your shrimp pond. Otherwise, it will be inconvenient for the third son to go out and run errands if he stays there every day."
"His father and I thought the same thing, but we're afraid that something like the watermelon incident will happen again," said Madam Liu, her brows slightly furrowed.
"Yes, you guys made money this year, and it's inevitable that some people with bad intentions will be jealous." As they spoke, the group arrived outside the brokerage firm.
Seeing the group of people at the door, a plump man in his forties came forward, smiled, and cupped his hands in a fist and palm salute to Zhang Youtie, saying, "Brother, do you have something to buy or sell?"
"Boss, we'd like to buy a servant."
"My surname is Wang, and everyone calls me Wang Yaren. You can all just call me Wang Yaren. May I ask how you should address me, sir?"
"My name is Zhang Youtie."
"So it's Brother Zhang. I wonder what kind of servants your family is looking to hire, and what your specific requirements are?" The man could tell from Zhang Youtie's attire that this was probably their first time buying servants, so he asked for more details.
"I want a man, not too old, with good eyesight and hearing." Zhang Youtie didn't know what requirements to have for a pond watcher, but good eyesight and hearing were the most basic requirements.
Hearing him say that, the middle-aged man smiled and said, "Why don't you all come with me to the backyard and take a look? We can pick out some items and introduce them as we go."
"Hmm, that's a good method." Zhang Youtie nodded in a pretentious manner, then said to his wife, daughter, and sister-in-law who were following behind, "Let's go take a look together. Sister-in-law, can you help us choose?"
"Let's go then. This is my first time picking people, and I'll broaden my horizons by following you all." Wang had figured things out by now and returned to her usual carefree self.
The group followed Wang Yaren to the backyard. Although they knew that they had come to buy people, Xia Yu was still shocked by what she saw in the backyard and found it hard to accept.
The backyard had five or six rooms divided into individual huts, each containing a dozen or so people, separated by gender. These huts were essentially just dry grass on the floor; there were no beds.
Seeing the broker lead a group of people over, some people excitedly clung to the fence, hoping to be bought quickly. Others sat blankly in the corner, glancing up at the newcomers before looking down again. Everyone was somewhat disappointed when they saw Zhang Youtie and his family's attire; their clothes suggested they weren't wealthy and might not be there to buy anyone.
Seeing so many people being kept like livestock, Xia Yu realized for the first time the strict hierarchy of people in feudal society.
"Brother Zhang, these are all sold under a contract of life and death. The prices are all different. Take your time and see if there's anything you like," Wang the broker explained to Zhang Youtie.
"Buy me! Buy me!"
I can feed mules and horses.
When they heard Wang Yaren tell Zhang Youtie to choose his men, some men clinging to the fence began to volunteer themselves to Zhang Youtie through the bars. This wasn't the first time they'd seen buyers come and pick people; these men, even when they entered wealthy households, were only given menial jobs. Judging from Zhang Youtie's clothes and appearance, he seemed like an honest and simple man. Following such a master would at least ensure their safety; they wouldn't be arbitrarily beaten, scolded, or sold off—it wasn't a bad place to be.
"What's all the noise about? Be quiet. If you keep making noise, I'll sell you all to the mines." Although Wang Yaren was amiable to Zhang Youtie and the others, he was utterly ruthless in reprimanding those behind the fence.
"..."
Zhang Youtie carefully examined the houses where only men were staying, but he had no opinion of the people who offered their services. He still wanted to buy an honest and reliable one, since the shrimp in his own home grew differently from normal ones.
After looking around a few times, I finally spotted an elderly man in his fifties sitting against the wall. His hair was a little gray, and he was hunched over so I couldn't see his expression. I wondered if he was asleep.
"That's the one," Zhang Youtie said to Wang Yaren, pointing to the person he had chosen.
Wang Ya shooed away the people blocking his view to both sides before he saw the old man sitting against the wall at the back of the crowd. He recognized him at a glance and frowned slightly. But he still called out, "Old Ma, Old Ma, wake up! A boss has taken a liking to you. Come out and tell him!"
"..." No reaction.
Just as Zhang Youtie was about to make a substitution, Old Ma actually stood up and slowly walked out. Everyone present could see that he had a limp.
"Can you hear me?" Zhang Youtie asked as soon as he came up, worried that his hearing might be impaired.
"Can hear"
Would you like to come to our house?
"How many people are you planning to buy?" Old Ma didn't answer Zhang Youtie's question, but instead asked this question out of the blue.
“One, we need one person.” Zhang Youtie didn’t know why he asked that, but he answered honestly nonetheless.
"Then I can't go with you. I have an old woman here too." He pointed towards another house. Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing and saw an old woman with gray hair peering over the fence. Xia Yu felt that there was something strange about her gaze.
"This old Ma knows a lot of things, and he's got some martial arts skills too. Quite a few people have been interested in him before, but he insists on bringing his wife with him, otherwise he won't leave. He's been here for over half a year now, sigh..." Wang the broker said to Zhang Youtie, but couldn't finish his sentence. Xia Yu figured he was probably thinking that Zhang had been living here for free for half a year and still hadn't sold anything, so he was losing money.
"Then why doesn't anyone want his wife?" Zhang Youtie asked, somewhat puzzled.
“She can’t see here. You say people buy people to work at home, but what can a blind woman do?” Wang Yaren said to Zhang Youtie, pointing to his eyes.
Hearing his explanation, Xia Yu finally understood. She had felt that the old lady's eyes were a bit strange earlier, and now she finally understood. Although she was looking this way, her eyes were lifeless and unfocused, so she must be blind!
"What can you do?" Zhang Youtie asked Old Ma after listening to Wang Yaren's explanation.
"He knows a little bit of everything," Wang Yaren said, glancing at Zhang Youtie's clothes before continuing, "He can tend to the farm, raise cattle and horses, and even knows some martial arts. He used to be a bodyguard; this leg injury from being slashed by bandits during a delivery mission is what made him lame." Zhang Youtie nodded in satisfaction after hearing this. Then he looked at Wang Yaren and said...
"Bring that old lady over too, I have a few questions to ask her."
Old Ma, who was kneeling on the ground, looked up at Zhang Youtie excitedly when he heard his words. He didn't believe he had heard correctly until he saw Wang Yaren go to the women's quarters to bring people away.
As soon as the old woman was helped to kneel down in front of Zhang Youtie by Wang Yaren, Old Ma quickly reached out and grabbed her hand that was groping around.
"Old Ma, I'm the one who dragged you down. If you find a good employer, just go with them and don't worry about me."
Old Ma didn't say a word, but simply squeezed his wife's hand tightly.
"Auntie, what kind of work do you do?" This time it was Liu's turn to ask.
"Now I can wash clothes, sweep the yard, and do some farm work."
"Can you cook?" Liu asked gently. Wang gave her a strange look, but did not say anything.
"I can cook, but I can't see anymore, so I'm afraid the food I make might not be clean and would offend people."
"Wang Yaren, how much are they worth?" After asking two simple questions, Madam Liu asked Wang Yaren.
"Old Ma's net worth is seven taels of silver, and her husband's..." Wang the broker was very troubled, not knowing how to quote the blind old woman's net worth. Anyone could see that the old woman was a burden, and taking her home would be a waste of money since she couldn't do any work.
"Hey, I see you're an honest family. If you're really willing to buy the old couple together, I'll consider the old lady a gift to you. I'll only take seven taels of silver from Old Ma's entire fortune."
Xia Yu was speechless when he heard what Wang Yaren said. Could you buy people and get one free?