And so, he lost his temper and kicked a hornet's nest.
The Zhao family wasn't a human trafficker, so they wouldn't just buy people randomly. They only did so because the girl was truly pitiful.
Huang then asked,
"Child, come to Grandma. Grandma wants to ask you, is your father good to you?"
Nizi lowered her head, tears streaming down her face, and didn't say a word.
"Do you want to leave that home?" Mrs. Huang asked again.
Nizi suddenly raised her head, and Huang was afraid that she would shake it off because she used too much force.
Nizi's eyes were filled with longing.
"Grandma, I want to leave."
Huang greeted Zhang Xianliang.
"Lord Zhang, if I may be so bold, I'm buying this girl. What's the going price here?"
Before Zhang Xianliang could even speak, Han Ruhua, whose knees were already aching from kneeling on the ground, started bubbling again.
"I won't sell this brat unless you give me twenty taels, no, fifty taels of silver."
Huang looked at him as if he were a fool.
"Fifty taels is more than enough to buy your whole family."
"You're the stepmother, your word doesn't count; the child's biological father has to come."
So, Fatty Wu was summoned.
Upon learning that someone wanted to buy his daughter, he was about to make an exorbitant demand, but when he saw the magistrate's murderous gaze, he chickened out.
However, he still weakly asked for twenty taels of silver.
Huang's face was cold.
"Lord Zhang, I apologize for disturbing you. Please continue your interrogation of the woman's case."
To intercept an official appointed by the imperial court in the street and utter vile words—what crime should be punished for this? Judge him quickly!
The old woman was in a hurry to get going.
This girl, this old woman can't afford her, she's too expensive.
The little money I painstakingly saved was meant for my grandson's imperial examinations. Forget it, forget it. I won't buy it.
"My dear girl, I'm so sorry, I don't have enough money."
As he spoke, he winked at Nizi.
Having lived under her stepmother's beatings for years, Nizi had long since developed a keen ability to read people's expressions and moods.
Seeing Huang give her a meaningful look, she knew that the old woman was plotting something.
I calmed down.
Since her mother passed away, apart from her maternal relatives secretly bringing her some dry food, no one has treated her kindly.
Could things get any worse? At worst, I'll get a few more beatings when I get back; it's not like I haven't been beaten before. What's there to be afraid of?
Anyway, that vicious woman won't kill her.
If they are killed, there will be no one to work and support the family.
Nizi thought so.
When Fatty Wu heard that the other party wasn't going to buy it, he got anxious.
He knew exactly how much the local brokerage firm would pay.
If you finally find someone from out of town who doesn't know anything about this, and they don't buy it, wouldn't you lose a lot of money?
"No, ma'am, this business involves both buyers and sellers. If you're reluctant to part with twenty taels, then let's make it less."
Eighteen taels, no less than that.
Huang interrupted Fatty Wu's rambling.
"Five taels, and you also have to sign a letter severing ties."
Although the laws of the Divine Dragon Kingdom stipulate that once children are sold by their parents, they have no further connection with their biological parents.
But I'm worried that you might use your father's name to ask your daughter for money in the future.
It affected her mood, and she didn't do her job properly. It was the old woman who suffered losses.
Your local official is here and surely knows best what the prices are at your local brokerage firm.
Giving you five taels of silver is already considered a kind act by this old woman.
If they agreed, they signed a contract of servitude and wrote a document severing ties with their family.
"No, I'm not selling. This old woman is in a hurry to get on my way, so I won't waste my time here with you."
Fatty Wu couldn't bear to watch the duck fly away from his mouth, so he had no choice but to reluctantly sign the contract of servitude and the letter of severance of kinship.
Zhang Xianliang was also a shrewd one.
They immediately sent someone back to the yamen to process Nizi's indenture and also to obtain her identity document.
From then on, Wu Nizi no longer had the surname Wu, but was given the beautiful name Langyue, without a surname.
Huang asked Langyue if she had any close relatives, and if so, she would grant her freedom.
Finally, Langyue was sent to her maternal grandmother's house. They even asked the local constables to deliver her.
The Zhao family didn't pay much attention to the outcome of Han Ruhua's case.
This simply means that they are not brokers and do not buy people.
As for the children in the car, they were all homeless orphans.
If we met them on the road, we had no choice but to take them with us and then settle them in their new posts.
Okay, since they're not slave traders, they shouldn't force the Zhao family to sell their child. But what about those women who stopped the Zhao family earlier?
They also really wanted to take advantage of those 5 taels of silver.
Huang's face fell.
"If the old woman wants to buy people, why not buy some strong and healthy ones?"
Look at your kids, they all look like little chicks!
If we buy them, will they serve their master, or will we take care of them?
They were all only thinking about selling their children.
Why don't you ever think that the children are also flesh and blood of your own bodies?
Take good care of her; who knows what kind of fortune awaits her in the future?
Regardless of the future of those children who are about to be sold, the Zhao family cannot buy them at this moment.
If they buy them, and at high prices at that, the Zhao family will have to buy countless children along the way.
If the reputation of being foolish and rich gets out, who knows how much trouble that will cause.
The Zhao family left abruptly.
Before leaving, he gave Lord Zhang a wolf pelt as a gift.
Whether Lord Zhang is honest or not should be determined by the supervising officials.
It is better to be kind to others than to be hostile to them.
Lord Zhang thought he had suffered for nothing today and hadn't even gotten a good result, but he never expected to receive this gift.
I've heard that if you put a wolf skin on your bed, your legs won't hurt when you sleep.
I've wanted to get one for a long time, but wolf skin isn't like pigskin or cowhide. Those things come in packs, so it's not easy to get one.
Logically, Han Ruhua should have been severely punished, but considering that she had a young child at home, she was only given thirty strokes of the cane and that was the end of it.
Compared to being imprisoned, being beaten with a rod is obviously much lighter.
But only the one who gets beaten knows how painful it is.
Leaving aside other cases, just consider these thirty strokes of the cane; the skin is torn and the flesh is ripped open. It will take at least two months to fully recover.
If the beating were more severe, it could affect his ability to walk in the future.
On windy or rainy days, my buttocks might ache and itch, causing me great discomfort.
Moreover, a large scar on the buttocks will gradually cause men to lose interest in it.
The person who was beaten will probably recall the pain of being beaten whenever they touch the dents and bumps on their buttocks.
This is a nightmare I will remember for the rest of my life.
Zhang Xianliang's judgment was praised by the people for its benevolence and righteousness. They said that Han Ruhua had gotten a great deal.
There are many twists and turns. Ordinary people just observe and look at the surface without really understanding the situation.
The Zhao family's affair naturally alarmed the entire city.
Naturally, the news of the Zhao family taking in an orphan spread quickly.
When they were leaving the city gate, the Zhao family was stopped again.
They were stopped by a group of young beggars, dressed in thin clothes and shivering in the wind.
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