Chapter 1 Buying and Selling

The summer afternoon was so hot and humid that there wasn't a breath of wind. Because of the high temperature, there were far fewer people coming and going in the market streets of Taiping Town.

The place where slaves were bought and sold was nearly deserted today, with only two or three slave traders chatting idly under the shade of a tree. Fan Xiaoxiao, locked in a wooden cage, hung her head and stared blankly at the ropes binding her hands tightly.

She never imagined that she, a model citizen of the new era and a well-known lifestyle content creator on a popular website, would one day be treated like a commodity and sold! She was a famous content creator who had just gained 100,000 followers! If it weren't for the rainy day when she went catching lobsters…

Thinking about this, Fan Xiaoxiao wanted to slap herself. Catching lobsters! Why didn't she just go buy lobsters? She had to go catch them by the pond in the rain! And what a mess! Because the pond was slippery from the rain, she slipped and fell in. Suddenly, she was transported to this Zhou Dynasty, and to make matters worse, she ended up in the body of a little kid with the same surname as her!

This little bean sprout was far worse off than her. Years ago, her biological mother left home and abandoned them, leaving the family dirt poor, always hungry and cold. Despite being thirteen, she looked like a withered little bean sprout under ten. Adding to her woes, her father had just died a few days prior, and her stepmother, desperate for a penny, sold her at the market.

That slave trader was heartless. After the little girl was sold here, he hadn't given her a bite to eat or drink for two days. Heaven knows! This little girl had already been starving for three days under the care of her wicked stepmother!

Just the night before last, the little girl couldn't bear the hunger, and Fan Er Ya turned into Fan Xiao Xiao.

Thinking of this, Fan Xiaoxiao sighed. The little girl was gone, never to have to worry about hunger or being bossed around by her mean-spirited, wicked stepmother and her children again. But now, her future didn't look so good.

Fan Xiaoxiao glanced up at the plump, dark-skinned woman lazily fanning herself under the tree, then at the wooden cage containing her. That morning, she had threatened to kill herself to get a piece of dry, hard-to-crack bread and some water from the woman, promising she wouldn't starve to death that day. But if she went hungry for another two days, she feared she wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.

No! She has to find a way to escape!

Just as Fan Xiaoxiao's eyes darted around, preparing to feign illness, she saw a woman with delicate and clean features walk towards the plump, dark-skinned woman under the shade of a tree.

"Are you Aunt Chen?"

The plump, dark-skinned woman lazily glanced at the woman's patched-up dress and replied indifferently, "It's me. Are you here to buy or sell someone, madam?"

“I…I’m looking to buy people. It was Aunt Wang from Wuxi Village who introduced me to you.”

Upon hearing that they were there to buy people, Aunt Chen's eyes lit up and a smile appeared on her face.

"Oh my! Aunt Wang is an acquaintance of mine! This way, my lady."

The woman in gray was clearly unaccustomed to such enthusiasm, nervously twisting the hem of her clothes as she followed behind Aunt Chen. When she saw Fan Xiaoxiao, her face lit up with excitement. Fan Xiaoxiao stared at her, a moment of astonishment in her eyes.

After realizing what was happening, she quickly gave the woman a wink and looked away. Aunt Chen, with her back turned, went to pull open the wooden cage door, unaware of the exchange between the two.

"What kind of woman does my wife need?"

The woman shifted her gaze from Fan Xiaoxiao to the door of the wooden cage.

"Just... just a little girl who's about ten years old..."

"Yes, yes, yes, what do you think of this one, madam? He's a farmer's son, hardworking and capable! Only one tael of silver."

The little girl next to Fan Xiaoxiao was pulled out and shoved around by Aunt Chen like a piece of merchandise. A hint of pity flashed across the woman's face, then she seemed to remember something and shook her head: "She...she's too expensive. Do you...do you have any other options?"

Aunt Chen was taken aback, glancing at Fan Xiaoxiao who was still in the cage: "There's another one who's a bit older..."

With that, she pulled Fan Xiaoxiao out of the cage. The sheer strength of the pull caused Fan Xiaoxiao to stumble. Hunger made her see stars, and she trembled as she walked, barely able to stand thanks to Aunt Chen's restraint.

Seeing her like this, the woman said somewhat anxiously, "She...she looks so sickly!"

Before Aunt Chen could reply, Fan Xiaoxiao, as if to confirm her words, began to cough violently. This startled Aunt Chen, who wondered if the girl had caught a cold a few days ago.

Upon seeing Fan Xiaoxiao coughing, the woman raised her voice even louder: "Why is she coughing?!" Aunt Chen, oblivious to the woman's expression, assumed the peasant woman was disgusted by the girl's frail health. She frowned, watching Fan Xiaoxiao cough as if she were about to cough up her lungs, and a knot formed in her heart—no, she had to sell the girl; keeping her any longer would mean losing money on medicine!

Despite her thoughts, Aunt Chen's eyes still flashed with a hint of regret when she glanced at Fan Xiaoxiao's face, which was just beginning to show signs of life.

"Oh dear, this girl may be a bit thin, but she's quite pretty! She could be a future child bride for your son! How about this, since Aunt Wang recommended you, I'll give you a discount! Nine qian of silver!"

Hearing Aunt Chen's words, the woman frowned deeply. Just as she was about to speak, she noticed Fan Xiaoxiao subtly making a downward gesture with her hand. She paused, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke again.

“I…I came here to work, Auntie, please don’t joke. This girl looks sickly…how can she be worth nine coins! Never mind, I…I’d better go look somewhere else.”

Having said that, she actually turned to leave. Aunt Chen panicked and quickly stopped her: "Hey, hey, wait, madam! Seven coins! Seven coins will do!"

Fan Xiaoxiao coughed twice, covering her mouth. She bit her tongue hard, drawing blood between her fingers. Aunt Chen frowned deeply, silently blocking her way. Seeing the hesitation on the woman's face, Aunt Chen thought of the blood from before and gritted her teeth: "Five coins! I really can't go any lower!"

"...Alright, then it'll be her..."

After both parties signed and sealed the contract, the woman carefully put away the indenture and left Taiping Town with Fan Xiaoxiao. Once she was sure no one was following them, the woman stroked Fan Xiaoxiao's straw-like hair and tears streamed down her face: "You've suffered so much..."

Whether it was the original owner's memories influencing Fan Xiaoxiao, or because she, as a helpless orphan, had never experienced such familial care, her eyes reddened when she heard the person before her say she had suffered. But she was so hungry that she saw stars, her vision blurred, and she murmured something and fainted…

"Sister..."

(End of this chapter)