Ma Guan hesitated; for him, ten taels of silver to buy his life was a bit too low.
But thinking that his family was nearby and that he could get away in five years, he agreed.
The family in Ma Guan's household is quite simple: his parents are in their fifties, his wife, surnamed Gong, is around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, they have twin sons who are ten years old, and a daughter who is a little over one year old.
The whole family seemed to be in good spirits. Even though they lived in a shack, they still tried their best to keep their hair and clothes tidy.
Ma Guan was indeed capable of leading such a family on the road, but to support such a family required even more skill.
Upon hearing that the master had signed a five-year life-or-death contract with his son, allowing them to bring their families along for resettlement, the Ma family accepted this fact and immediately returned to their shack to pack their belongings, preparing to follow the master.
The news of signing with the Ma family spread quickly, and the refugee camp was in an uproar again.
Selling one person can bring along their entire family; with money, they can be settled—that's a good thing.
Once someone takes the lead, others immediately follow.
A man led a woman over, and the woman timidly lowered her head.
Before Jiang Zhi could even speak, the talkative Pi Shi, like an HR interviewer, began asking questions, mimicking Jiang Zhi's earlier remarks: "Where are you from? What are your skills? What are your plans for the future?"
Pi was a talkative, big mouth who was curious about everything. Unlike her argumentative husband, who was always nitpicking, Pi asked these questions in a very reasonable and impressive way.
The man paused for a moment, then pushed the woman forward: "We're refugees. If you want to know, just ask the officials here. They all have it written down."
"Madam, what do you think of my wife? She eats little but does a lot of work. During the day, she serves the master's meals, and at night she does the laundry and makes shoes. She can also work in the fields, turning the soil and planting rice!"
"A five-year leasehold contract only costs ten taels of silver, and my whole family can live with her in the village!"
The man spoke so casually, as if he were giving him face.
Pi's eyes widened: "So you're selling your wife, not yourself!"
Your wife serves you meals during the day, does laundry and makes shoes at night, and also works in the fields during the day?
"Let me tell you, even the old mule that Li Laoshi raises in our village isn't handled like that."
Jiang Zhi's old mule works half a day and rests half a day, while Li Laoshi has to go up the mountain to transport things every other day.
He was afraid that the mule would get tired and stop working, so he would have to carry mosquito repellent powder up the mountain himself. He took great care of it.
Upon hearing the host's magnanimity, the man's face lit up with even more joy, and he immediately said, "That means my wife is lucky to have met such a good host. If you think she's capable, just give her a little more money each month!"
Pi looked at Jiang Zhi. She couldn't make the decision, and she just felt that this woman was very pitiful.
Seeing the woman's timid appearance, and then looking at the large family standing beside her constantly peering out, Jiang Zhi didn't say a word, but simply waved her hand in refusal: "No!"
He wasn't there to be taken advantage of. He bought a woman only to have a swarm of parasites following her around. If he showed even the slightest bit of pity or sympathy, they would cling to her relentlessly.
Upon hearing that she was not wanted, the woman knelt down with a thud, her body curled up, her neck almost tucked into her chest, and said in a trembling voice, "Madam, I... I can do any kind of work, I'm strong, please buy me!"
Jiang Zhi, with a stern face and no hint of leniency, said, "You're too thin and weak, I don't like you!"
"Ah! I..." The woman was speechless, not knowing what to say. She worked every day and didn't have enough to eat, so she couldn't gain weight.
The man clearly hadn't expected to be disliked because his wife was thin, and quickly said, "She used to be chubby, she just got fat from hunger while fleeing the war. If you buy her some rice and give her an extra bowl of rice, she'll gain weight."
Errui looked at him and said, "You've gotten thin from starvation while fleeing? I don't think you've been slacking off!"
The man wasn't fat, but he was much healthier than the woman; even his complexion was rosy.
Hearing Errui's words, the man said dismissively, "It's only right that we grown men eat more."
Errui snorted, thinking that Peppa Pig must be shameless enough not to blatantly steal food like that.
However, he wasn't sharp-tongued; he simply lowered his voice and said, "You are you, and I am me. I can't do something like this! We won't buy your people."
Rejected outright, the man could only leave, cursing and swearing, with the sobbing woman.
At this moment, a fifteen-year-old boy and a twelve-year-old girl were brought over.
Both men were struggling financially, and with the consent of both families, they voluntarily entered into a life-or-death contract.
They agreed that each of them would be paid fifteen taels of silver, and under the witness of an official, they wrote a contract of service, from then on becoming Jiang Zhi's servants.
After the two children bid farewell to their family, Jiang Zhi took out some money and asked Er Rui to find two sets of clean clothes from the clerk in charge, and also to get some food to eat first.
The two children, who had just been pale and absent-minded, quickly quieted down upon seeing the food.
Even the family members who were originally crying smiled and were extremely grateful to Jiang Zhi: "Our child has met a good master. From now on, she must be obedient and work hard."
Next up was a family of four: a couple with a son and a daughter, whose children were eight or nine years old.
Their background is simple: the couple were farmers who were robbed by bandits while fleeing, which caused them to be separated from other relatives and end up in Ba County.
I can do any kind of work and endure any kind of hardship. I just hope to find a place to settle down and for my child to find a good family to marry into when he grows up.
Seeing that the couple were not cunning, Jiang Zhi offered them generous compensation: the whole family would sign a ten-year contract, each receiving one hundred coins per month, doing farm chores, with food and lodging provided, and no indenture fees. Once the children were grown up, they could leave on their own after the ten-year term, and if they wanted to stay, they could sign another contract.
This was a joyous occasion that the couple hadn't expected, so they quickly agreed.
Although I had no freedom for ten years and no money to sell myself, I had food and lodging, a monthly allowance, and my children could marry on their own. That was better than anything else.
Perhaps by then the war will be over, and the family can return home.
Four families in a row happily signed contracts, and the man who had wanted to sell his wife earlier was getting a little anxious from afar.
Selling a death contract can earn fifteen taels of silver, and even without selling a person, one can still have food and lodging and receive a monthly salary, and eventually be able to go home. Such a thing is truly rare, but people look down on their own family member who always has a long face and is considered a jinx.
Beside him, an old woman said coldly, "Useless thing, a money-losing brat who can't bear sons, no one would even want her as a servant."
Third brother, I'm telling you, you should sell those two girls and then marry another wife and have a son!
The man scratched his head, a little regretfully saying, "Mother, those two girls will be able to get married in two years, and each of them can ask for a dowry of twenty or thirty taels..."
He wanted to sell them for more money, but someone else chimed in, "Third brother, it's not that I'm being mean, but your two daughters don't look like you at all. They only look like their mother, and they look like big monkeys. They're definitely not yours. You should sell them as soon as possible."
“If I had known we would be fleeing here, I would have sold them on the way!” said another man who looked a little older.
The woman, who had been crying, suddenly looked up, knelt down before the group, and pleaded, "Don't sell my daughter, sell me instead! It's my fault for being useless!"
The older sister-in-law scoffed, "Of course it's useless. Who told you to be unable to give birth to a son and want your third son to die without an heir!"
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