Chapter 254 Jiang Ling Buys Xiao Tao
The madam was taken aback by Jiang Ling's overly calm reaction. She stopped pressing the matter and said directly:
“Boss Jiang is a sensible man. I’m in business, and I’m all about real money! I spent a lot of money to buy her and have invested so much in her, hoping she would become a cash cow. Now that you people have messed things up, her reputation is ruined and her value has plummeted. I can’t stay here.”
"Actually, my cooperation with Boss Jiang under the Peony Blossom Tree was quite harmonious. If it weren't for this incident, I wouldn't have wanted to fall out with Boss Jiang. Now, I'll treat Boss Jiang with courtesy and won't ask for more than fifty taels! Give me fifty taels of silver, and I'll pretend this never happened. Xiao Tao, you stay here. Whether you fight or sell in the future, it's none of my business! Otherwise..."
She sneered, her gaze sweeping over Xiaoran and the surrounding villagers, her expression dripping with threat.
"Mr. Jiang must know that in our line of work, we all know a few people from all walks of life, and we have some connections and influence. If things get out of hand and your shop is thrown into chaos, don't blame me for not giving you a heads-up!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the burly pimps immediately stepped forward, patted their arms menacingly, and their meaning was crystal clear.
"You!" Xiao Ran clenched her fists in anger, her chest heaving violently.
He never expected that his good deed would bring such a huge disaster.
But at this moment, besides being angry, he had no other options!
"Fifty taels?!" Zhao Yin's wife gasped in shock; this was an astronomical figure for an ordinary farming family.
Even if you sold the whole family, it wouldn't be enough for fifty taels!
Even the villagers who were watching the commotion couldn't stand it anymore:
Fifty taels? That's highway robbery!
"Exactly! They're clearly trying to extort money from Miss Jiang because she's easy to talk to!"
"Xiao Ran was clearly doing a good deed, yet she ended up like this..."
Zhao Shiying stepped forward and said, "As far as I know, the madam has only had Xiao Tao for less than a year, right? How much money could she have spent on a little girl who hasn't even had her face opened yet and only does odd jobs, to make her worth fifty taels?"
The madam said matter-of-factly, "My sir, you can't say that. Once you're in our brothel, there's no way the price won't double. Even though I'm on good terms with Boss Jiang, I can't break the rules of this trade, otherwise how will others do business? Right?"
Zhao Shiying snorted coldly: "You've increased your value by more than ten times, haven't you? And you still dare to shamelessly talk about friendship?"
The madam sized Zhao Shiying up and down. Seeing that although he was tall and upright, his clothes were plain and he didn't seem like a rich and powerful man, she didn't bother to say anything more and just snorted contemptuously.
Last year, when Baiyang Village suffered a disaster, Lin, the carpenter, came to sell peaches. She kept the price very low, only using three and a half taels of silver.
For the past six months, Xiao Tao has been eating leftovers and doing the hardest work in the building, without spending much money at all.
But that didn't stop her from demanding exorbitant prices.
Brothels are easy to enter but hard to leave; this has been the rule for thousands of years!
After hearing the whole story, Grandpa Zhao knew that the situation was beyond repair and spoke in a deep voice:
“Madam, there should always be some reason in things. You haven’t had Xiao Tao for very long, and now you’re saying her reputation is damaged and she can’t fetch a good price, so how can you ask for fifty taels? That’s going too far. Since you keep saying you don’t want to fall out with Miss Jiang, how about we compromise and settle for twenty-five taels?”
The madam remained defiant: "Old Master Zhao, that's not how it works. What did I buy her for? I bought her potential! I thought she was beautiful and would definitely be a top courtesan! Now it's all ruined! If this hadn't happened, with that look, she could have earned fifty taels in three to five years!"
She abruptly turned to Jiang Ling and issued an ultimatum:
"Mr. Jiang, give me a straight answer, whether you want it or not!"
All the noise stopped, and everyone's eyes were focused on Jiang Ling, waiting for her to make a decision.
Xiao Ran walked to Jiang Ling's side, looked up at her, her eyes slightly red, and shook her head at her.
He would rather suffer humiliation himself than let Sister Jiang pay such a huge price for him and fall into this obvious trap.
Jiang Ling took two steps forward, her gaze falling on the trembling Xiao Tao.
Jiang Ling looked at the madam, then at Xiao Tao crying desperately on the ground, and made a decision in her heart.
The madam won't give up until she gets what she wants today. Continuing to harass her will only damage Xiao Ran's reputation and disrupt the peace of the shop.
Even if Xiao Ran were to report this to the authorities, he would still be in the wrong for such a private exchange.
Moreover, the government has long had dealings with the peony garden, so they will inevitably side with the madam.
She paused, her gaze sweeping over the crowd before finally settling on the madam's face.
"Okay, fifty taels, I'll buy it."
As soon as this decision was announced, discussions arose again among those present.
Xiao Ran suddenly looked up at Jiang Ling in surprise: "Sister Jiang!"
Then, he felt annoyed that he had caused trouble for Sister Jiang.
Xiao Tao, who was kneeling on the ground, trembled violently the moment she heard those words!
She was incredibly excited at that moment; she was finally about to escape this hellhole!
She dared not look up, afraid that others would see the joy in her eyes.
A smug smile flashed in the madam's eyes: "Boss Jiang is indeed a straightforward man!"
Xiao Ran suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with guilt and resentment, "Sister Jiang! No! It's all my fault, how can I let you..."
Jiang Ling raised her hand, gently stopping him from saying anything more.
"Please have Uncle Zhao write a written agreement for me." Jiang Ling said no more, turned around and went into the shop, taking out paper, pen and ink.
Grandpa Zhao sighed and followed him inside.
Soon, a simple sales contract was written, stating that due to certain circumstances, the maid Xiao Tao was being sold to Jiang Ling for fifty taels of silver, with the transaction settled in full and no room for regret.
The madam examined it carefully, confirmed it was correct, and pressed her fingerprint on it.
He then took out Xiao Tao's indenture.
Jiang Ling also took out five ingots of ten-tael snowflake silver from the counter and placed them in front of the madam.
The madam picked up the silver, weighed it in her hand, and finally a genuine smile appeared on her face. She stuffed the silver into her pocket and shouted at Xiao Tao, who was still kneeling on the ground:
"What are you still standing there for? Your new master has redeemed you. Whether you live a good life or a bad one is none of my business! Hurry up and go over there!"
Having achieved her goal, the madam was too lazy to linger any longer. She and her few pimps strode away amidst the villagers' disdainful or angry gazes.
After the excitement subsided, the villagers gradually dispersed, but the discussions continued. Today's events will likely become the topic of conversation in Jishui Village for some time to come.
Zhao Shiying sighed, knowing that he had no say in what was to come, and left with the villagers.
In front of the shop, only Jiang Ling, Xiao Yi, Xiao Ran, Zhao Yin and his wife, Grandpa Zhao, and Xiao Tao, who was still kneeling on the ground, at a loss, remained.
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