Chapter 3: Ayu, the Beauty, Becomes a Slave.
Yue Yining: "I bought him from a slave trader in the south alley of the city. He was being whipped at the time and looked very disheveled, but I took a closer look and felt something was wrong."
Although the man was covered in tattered clothes and his skin was so dirty that his original color was indistinguishable, his exposed limbs and the general shape of his body beneath the clothes were still discernible. Yue Yining immediately concluded that this man was definitely not of slave origin.
"His hands have delicate skin, which shows that he has lived a pampered life and has never done any rough work. However, he has very thick calluses on his right thumb, index finger, and middle finger, which means that he either writes often or practices musical instruments for a long time. Moreover, his body is well-proportioned and his muscles have not atrophied. He does not look like the skinny person who has been starving for many years. He looks like he has just lost weight from hunger in the past month."
Families that can cultivate their children's literacy and musical instrument skills from a young age are definitely not ordinary families.
Fu Yao was also a little surprised: "You mean... he became a slave due to a sudden change of events, and in reality, he might be a nobleman who was stranded abroad?"
Yue Yining: "Based on preliminary judgment, that's one way to put it."
The thorns on Fu Yao's body immediately softened, and Yue Yining could almost see her tail swaying lightly behind her.
If they are nobles who have been living away from home, they will eventually return to their own homes. Even if we take a step back, a rich young master would not be able to do these chores better than her.
Yue Yining smiled and said, "I originally just thought that if the price was reasonable, buying him and letting him go would be a good deed. We don't need servants at home, and having more people would increase our expenses on the road." But since the divination indicated this, we'll keep him at home for now.
Knowing that the other party wouldn't pose a threat to her, Fu Yao relaxed and then became curious: "Then how did you calculate things about him, Miss? Is it because our next destination is his family's home? Do we have to bring him home?"
Yue Yining touched the yarrow stalks in her sleeve, her hands already itching to do it. "I'll find out the answers to these questions once I ask him for his birth date and time."
As soon as they finished speaking, footsteps approached from the distant porch. The person walked slowly and quietly, but the sound of them entering the courtyard was still quite loud, and both of them noticed it.
Fu Yao, who was fanning her with a fan, looked over first, then her eyes widened. The bamboo fan with the golden bell fell to the ground with a "ding," stirring up a cloud of dust.
Yue Yining turned around, just in time to hear Fu Yao's exclamation.
However, her gaze was completely drawn to the person in front of her, and she couldn't spare a single glance for her own maid.
The person approached slowly, having washed away the dust and grime, revealing skin as clean as snow. Long hair was loosely tied in front of her arms, and she wore only a woman's moon-white outer robe, the ends of which were slightly damp with the sash at her waist. Her beauty was exceptional; although she wore no headdress or makeup, she was radiant and dazzling, as if emitting a precious light.
It rises majestically like the morning glow, sways gracefully like willows in spring, stands tall and firm like a lone pine, shines brightly like the moonlight, and cascades down like a jade mountain.
It's truly... no amount of rhetoric can adequately describe it, it's beyond words.
A handsome man with a jade-like face and crimson lips knelt down in front of her and kowtowed to her respectfully.
His voice was also melodious, like spring water dripping on a paulownia tree: "Miss, your kindness is beyond my ability to repay."
Yue Yining then realized that she was still squatting on the tree root, in a rather unseemly posture. She quickly cleared her throat twice and stood up, trying to cover up her embarrassment at being stunned: "Get up first."
The man on the ground said gently, "There are no chairs in the courtyard, so it would be disrespectful to stand. I will kneel down to answer your question, Miss."
Yue Yining is really easily embarrassed, like right now she is.
Fu Yao was very perceptive and quickly moved a wooden chair from the nearby tea table, thoughtfully placing it in front of Yue Yining's bottom.
Yue Yining was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to stand or sit. With a hint of helplessness, she turned around and said, "Please rise, young master. I did not buy you from that dealer because I needed a servant. I saw that you did not appear to be a slave, yet you are imprisoned, which may be a mistake. If you would like to tell us where you live, we are willing to escort you."
Surprisingly, the man did not show any surprise or delight after hearing Yue Yining's words. He remained silent for a while before speaking: "...I see."
“There is something you may not know, Miss. I was knocked unconscious once when I tried to escape, and I lost all my memories after I woke up. The people who were imprisoned in the slave shed with me also said that I was not born a slave, but they did not know my name or place of origin. As for the traffickers, they would never tell me.”
Yue Yining never expected to receive such an answer.
She exclaimed in disbelief, "Amnesia?!"
Oh no. She still wanted to use the information this person gave her to calculate his fate. The divination she got this morning was no accident; it must have a special meaning. If the clues ended here and couldn't be found, then she would be in trouble.
The man's tone turned bitter: "I only just realized that Miss bought me with such kindness in her heart. I have failed Miss's kindness... If only I hadn't lost my memory."
Yue Yining hurriedly said, "No, no, no! How could it be a betrayal? The amnesia was not your intention, and I did not mean to blame you, young master."
"Don't worry about it. Stay here for a few days while I inquire with the authorities if any families in the nearby cities are looking for someone..."
The man looked somber: “It is my conscience that is filled with remorse. I suppose the young lady’s household is not short of servants, is it? My presence here is superfluous.”
"Miss bought me out of kindness. I have already become a burden to you. If I stay here doing nothing and just eat and drink for free, I will surely be restless and unable to eat or sleep..."
As he spoke, he lowered his head, his brow furrowing like a patch of rippling spring water.
The power of a beautiful woman's sorrowful expression is immense. Yue Yining quickly said, "Wait! Um... actually, we do need someone to clean the courtyard..."
As soon as Yue Yining finished speaking, she felt Fu Yao's eyes glaring at her, making her feel extremely guilty. Fu Yao's eyes seemed to say: Miss, this is not what we agreed on!
However, the beauty, who had been looking downcast, suddenly raised her eyelids, her eyes shining brightly.
He exclaimed with delight, "Really?! Please allow me to stay, Miss. I am willing to share your burdens!"
Yue Yining hesitated: "But young master, what about your family...?"
Before she could finish speaking, the beautiful woman in front of her raised her hand and untied the knot on her robe.
Yue Yining's eyes widened. Fu Yao screamed from the side, "What are you doing! Put your clothes on right now!"
Her clothes slipped down, revealing a naked, snow-white body. The beauty knelt before her, having removed her clothes. What should have been a vibrant and sensual scene, however, caused Yue Yining to hold her breath the moment she saw it clearly.
This is a body riddled with wounds; the pale skin makes the scars on it all the more shocking. The bright red ones are fresh wounds, while the dark, grimy ones are old scars. The two overlap, indistinguishable, creating a powerful visual impact, like a dense web of blood holding a handful of snow.
It's hard to imagine how many beatings this body has endured.
After a long silence, the beauty slowly gathered her clothes and said in a low voice, "To be honest, before Miss took me out of the slave shed, I lived a life worse than death every day. If this continued, I might be beaten to death in a few days, rolled up in a straw mat and thrown into a mass grave, and no one would care."
"I don't know if I can ever get my lost memories back. I might not even recognize my parents if they stood in front of me. I don't want you to worry about me anymore, Miss. I'm not worth it."
"Whether it was my parents' teachings or my teachers' instructions, even though I have lost my memory, I will always remember one thing—I must repay kindness." He knelt on the ground and kowtowed deeply to Yue Yining. "Please allow me to stay at home, Miss. I want to repay your kindness. I have nothing to give back to you, Miss. I can only repay you with my own body. Even if I have to be your slave, I will have no regrets."
When Yue Yining heard the phrase "repay with one's own body," she couldn't help but cough.
She pinched herself secretly, barely managing to calm herself down: "Please rise, young master. I understand your thoughts. If this puts your mind at ease, I won't object. However, there are some things I need to explain to you beforehand."
"As you can see, it's just Fu Yao and me at home. Before coming to Jiulian Town, we traveled all over the world, visiting the snowy plains in the far north of Dongxi and Guangfu in the southern border. We have no attachments and have been living the world for a long time. Our next departure may be next month. To be honest, not everyone can adapt to this kind of rootless life, and I don't have much money. I'm not sure if I can take you with me."
"How about this, young master, you can stay here temporarily and do some odd jobs, that is... be my servant. You only need to share some of the work with my maids, and your monthly salary will stay with me, to offset the money I paid you from that slave trader today. When the debt is settled, you can leave in peace and go to find your parents and family."
“If you’d like, tell me your name,” Yue Yining said with a smile. “If you don’t even remember your name… well, you can make one up on the spot.”
“Ayu.”
The beauty on the ground—no, it should be called Ayu. Ayu raised her head, looked at Yue Yining, and said solemnly, "Yu as in jade. Miss, you can just call me Ayu."
After the man looked up, his eyes remained fixed on her, and she gradually became restless under his gaze.
Yue Yining coughed again. Just as she was about to speak, Fu Yao, who was standing beside her, looked at her strangely: "Miss, did you catch a cold last night? Why are you coughing so much today?"
Yue Yining was embarrassed again. Just then, Ayu chuckled softly and spoke up to help her out: "It's been so hot lately, you shouldn't have caught a cold. Miss, you probably haven't had any water in a while, that's why your throat is dry and you're coughing."
Fu Yao immediately stood up straight and dashed towards the kitchen: "I'll go get some water for Miss!"
Yue Yining had just raised her hand to stop her when her maid had already vanished.
She awkwardly withdrew her hand, and in the blink of an eye, she saw that Ayu, who had been smiling with her lips pursed, had lowered her lips and was quietly looking at her.
The emotions in his eyes were like a long-woven net coming together, chaotic and unclear.
Yue Yining was taken aback, and heard him seem to murmur, "Finally... I've met you."
She wondered if she was hallucinating: "What did you say?"
Ayu smiled again: "Miss, I was right, the weather is really nice today."
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