Sun Miao'er stammered, "My mother said that we are starving and asked me to come to you to exchange some money."
"Your mother?" Old Man Jin raised his voice, his leg shaking, "Who is your mother?"
Sun Miao'er started making things up, "The widow Zhou who sews shoe soles at the east end of the village."
"It seems like there is such a person." Old Man Jin naturally didn't remember, but how could he let go of such a good deal that was delivered to his door?
Although her face was a bit dirty, her young age made her the perfect target for those wealthy men!
Old Man Jin pondered for a moment and said, "Come with me."
Sun Miao'er's heart pounded with anxiety; if she really followed them, the consequences would be dire.
But she was caught in a dilemma. Running away at the last minute would definitely arouse Old Man Jin's suspicion. She calmed herself down, glanced behind the haystack a couple more times, and recalled the way she came several times in her mind.
To the east is a river, and to the west is an official road. You absolutely cannot go north. If you go north, you will be in the territory of Huizhou, which is even more chaotic. Bandits have taken to the streets, robbing and looting, and all sorts of people do all sorts of things. If you go into that place alone, you are doomed.
She followed behind Old Man Jin, repeatedly reminding herself to pay attention to these things.
If all else fails, she made some marks along the way, but that's another story, and those marks...
Only those who are truly interested can understand this.
The Jin family's house consisted of three tiled rooms, which was quite good compared to the dilapidated mud-brick houses around them. There were no miscellaneous items in the yard, not even the farm tools that were essential for ordinary farmers.
This family does such heinous things, how could they possibly be farming?
There was a large water vat on the east side of the courtyard, filled with water. But the Jin family lived so close to the river, and it wasn't the dry season, so why bother?
"New stock?"
An old woman came out of the kitchen, carrying a bamboo sieve with pickled vegetables drying on it.
Sun Miao'er glanced at the old woman and noticed that she looked seven or eight parts similar to Jin Shi. Although she was quite old and still living in a poor, remote area, she still had a beautiful face with all the makeup and hair oil, making her hair shiny and smooth. The fragrance of the oil wafted over on the wind.
It smells the same as the hair oil used by the Jin family.
Old Man Jin glanced at her and said smugly, "Aren't you going to hurry up and fetch a basin of water?"
After receiving the message, the old woman didn't go to the water vat; instead, she brought out a basin of water from the inner room.
This made her even more suspicious of the water tank's purpose.
The old woman put down the basin, tossed aside a tattered piece of coarse cloth, and said, "Wash your face."
Sun Miao'er did as instructed.
After she washed her face, Old Man Jin's expression became even more delighted. "How about it? My eye for people isn't bad, is it? Look at her, isn't she much prettier than those other girls?"
The old woman circled Sun Miao'er a few more times, then asked with some doubt, "Is there such a beautiful person in our village?"
"Who cares? This girl's family is short of money, she's just eager to be with me, it's not my fault!" Old Man Jin continued washing his hands in the basin, making the already murky water even filthy.
After Sun Miao'er and the Jin couple finished exchanging coded messages, she whispered, "How can we get... the money?"
"Didn't your mother tell you?" Old Man Jin thought that some people didn't know the village rules, so they would ask around before coming to him, otherwise they would be embarrassed later.
Sun Miao'er feigned weakness and said, "My mother said that coming here, we can...we can find a good family..."
"Girl, your mother is right!" Old Man Jin's smile became even more lewd. Isn't this a good family? This kind of girl is easy to sell anywhere. She should be worth at least twenty taels, right?
Old Man Jin, his back slightly hunched, asked, "How many taels of silver do you want?"
“Five taels…” Sun Miao’er said, thinking that the amount was reasonable, since wealthy families would buy servants for at least ten taels each.
Old Man Jin was shocked. He rubbed his hooked nose and jumped up, saying, "You think you're worth five taels of silver? Three taels is the most you can get! Let me tell you, you won't even get three taels without me!"
What a heartless man! Such a beautiful young woman, and he only values her at three taels of silver. Isn't that just asking for her life?
"But... my mother said that my father's illness will cost a lot of money." In order to make this lie more convincing and further gain Old Man Jin's trust, Sun Miao'er embellished the story as if it were true.
Old Man Jin said impatiently, "Who doesn't need money? I'm the one who needs money!"
"Could you be a little more accommodating..."
"impossible!"
As the two were haggling over the price, a violent cough suddenly came from the inner room.
Old Mrs. Jin hurriedly turned around and went into the house.
It was a man's cough. Sun Miao'er didn't know anything about Jin's family situation, nor did she know if she had any siblings.
It seems that it exists now.
A short while later, Granny Jin came out from the inner room and shook her head at Old Man Jin.
He then sighed and said, "The second son's health is getting worse and worse; I reckon it'll be within the next couple of years."
"Two years? My son will live for twenty years!" Old Man Jin's face changed drastically, clearly unable to accept this fact.
Granny Jin said helplessly, "But we can't afford to continue the medicine..."
Old Man Jin scolded, "What's your hurry! The goods have arrived!"
But just as he finished speaking, a glint of inspiration flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly leaned closer to Sun Miao'er and said, "Little girl, would you like this old man to introduce you to a marriage?"
Sun Miao'er guessed his meaning and played along, saying shyly, "But my mother said I'm not old enough to get married yet, so how can I be asked to marry someone?"
"It's alright, it's alright!" Old Man Jin was overjoyed to see that she wasn't opposed. "Where do you live? Or should I go over and talk to your mother?"
He thought that if this little girl, who had come for free, became his second son's wife, it would also be a way for the Jin family to have a male heir.
Granny Jin came up and asked secretly, "Would they be willing to give it to our family?"
A ruthless glint flashed in Old Man Jin's eyes as he said in a deep voice, "They have no choice but to agree!"
"Young lady, why don't you go back today? Why don't you go and spend some time with your future husband first?" Old Man Jin smiled wickedly and moved even closer to Sun Miao'er.
As the rumors outside proved true, this family is full of lunatics.
It's not like they've been looking for a wife for their son for a long time. It's just that the Jin couple are too greedy. They don't want to spend money on a proper marriage, so they just want to find an opportunity to kidnap someone.
Doesn't this give them an opportunity?
Sun Miao'er feigned agreement, then said, "Could you let me go back and tell my mother first... I'm afraid she'll be anxious waiting for me."
"Girl, is this the Zhou Widow's house at the east end of the village?" Old Man Jin stared at her with ill intent. "Don't worry, leave this to me. I'll send the money to your mother later and let her know."
She realized that if she kept refusing, she would probably incur Old Man Jin's wrath, and who knows what that madman might do to her. Safety was the priority right now.
She nodded. "Then please inform my mother that Father's illness must be cured."
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