Chapter 238 Buying People
Chen had absolutely no experience in buying people.
In the village, even the clan chief's family, which was relatively wealthy, didn't have servants to wait on them.
“Mother, there’s a labor market in the north of the city. I heard that some people who can’t make a living go to the north of the city to sell themselves.”
Selling oneself is relatively cheaper, but Lin Yuesha felt it wasn't safe enough.
“I heard from Sister Baozhu that her servants included those who came from Kyoto and those who were bought from human traffickers.”
A human trafficker is essentially a middleman who charges a higher price, knows the person's background, and is relatively reliable.
Of course, you have to find a good reputation when it comes to human traffickers, because there are plenty of swindlers and cheaters among them.
The mother and daughter discussed it and decided to go to the prefectural city to find another human trafficker. There were many people doing this business in the prefectural city, and they didn't want to rely on others when looking for people themselves. They valued character highly.
After staying in Chenjia Village for two days, the Chen mother and daughter took a horse-drawn carriage to the prefectural city and went straight to a brokerage firm called Huang's.
Huang's Brokerage was recommended by a driver from a carriage company. The owner was a fat man nicknamed Fatty Huang, and he had a great reputation in the industry, but his prices were also a bit high.
Lin Yuesha wasn't afraid of high prices; as long as the servants were reliable, she was willing to spend more money. If she found a servant with bad character who was a thief and a gossip, there would be endless trouble in the future.
The mother and daughter alighted from the carriage, and a plump middle-aged man greeted them with a smile, "Madam and Miss, are you here to buy someone?"
Regardless of the yellow-toothed man's reputation in business, he looks like a Maitreya Buddha, which gives him a good impression.
Chen was not good with words, so Lin Yuesha answered all the questions.
“Yellow-toothed man, we’re here to buy people.”
Lin Yuesha stated her requirements: she needed to buy at least two maids, whose age difference with her should not exceed two years; those who were too old or too young would not be suitable to bring to the girls' school.
"We don't care about outstanding looks, we just want someone who is reliable and keeps their mouth shut."
Lin Yuesha knew that the brokerage business was murky; some servants who made mistakes were kicked out of wealthy families and eventually ended up being sold again by brokers.
Lin Yuesha dislikes people with unclear backgrounds, regardless of right or wrong.
Making a mistake shows a lack of discipline, and being sold out again indicates a serious error. If it was a setup, it only proves stupidity.
Those who lack discipline are difficult to teach; those who are too cunning and selfish are even worse; as for the stupid ones, taking them out will only bring trouble upon yourself.
“Huangya Ren, we are an honest family, and naturally we would not be harsh or beat our servants.”
Lin Yuesha made her stance clear: she bought people to do work, not to show off her power and mistreat the servants. She also mentioned the matter of a girls' school.
“Miss, I understand.”
Upon hearing that Lin Yuesha was about to enter the girls' school, Huang Yaren immediately formed a judgment in his mind.
He had dealt with all the wealthy families in the prefectural city, and Lin Yuesha's courtyard had once belonged to Lord Zhang, so the little girl in front of him must have some connection with the officials.
"To be honest, Miss Lin, I do have two girls of suitable age, Bai Cha and Long Jing. However, Bai Cha has family members, and they are of good social standing."
Bai Cha was fourteen years old, and Long Jing was thirteen. Long Jing was from out of town; her family had all died, and she had been sold to the prefectural city after many twists and turns, with no ties to the outside world.
In contrast, Longjing tea was favored by wealthy families, and there was no lingering connection between them.
"What about white tea?"
Lin Yuesha liked the name Huang Yaren gave to the maid. It was named after tea, which was simple and elegant, and at least not rustic.
"Bai Cha has family in the prefectural city; she also has a younger brother."
Huang Yaren explained that Bai Cha's family were farmers from a nearby village. Bai Cha's father was a traveling merchant who used to earn some money, but one time he lost his goods and lost all his savings, and never recovered.
Bai Cha Niang gave birth to a son, but her health has been poor ever since, and she has been taking medicine on and off.
With no money at home and the pharmacy refusing to provide medicine on credit, Bai Cha made a tough decision, signed a life-or-death contract, and was determined to sell herself.
"However, Miss Lin, please don't misunderstand. Bai Cha's parents are not the kind of people who favor sons over daughters."
Bai Cha acted decisively, making her decision without telling her parents. Her parents only found out after she sold herself, and they cried bitterly.
"Bai Cha's father came to the brokerage and helped out for a few days, only asking that I could find a good home for Bai Cha."
The contract was signed, in black and white. All the money was used by Bai Cha to buy medicine. Bai Cha's parents told her younger brother to remember his sister's great kindness.
Huang Ya was soft-hearted and thought Bai Cha was a good girl, so he stayed for two more months to find a suitable family.
It wasn't that no one had taken a liking to the white tea before; several families had expressed interest. However, Huangya knew the other party's background and simply made excuses, saying that the white tea had already been reserved, and refused to agree.
If you're going to slack off when there's money to be made, you probably won't find another broker in the prefectural city who acts like this.
"Ms. Lin, if you mind, we can find someone else."
Huang Yaren probed the tunnel, doing his best to find a good home for the white tea.
"No need, I don't mind."
People who care about family are definitely not bad at heart. Besides, Bai Cha is her maid, so she just needs to do her job well.
If things go well, Lin Yuesha can give Bai Cha a few days to go home and visit her family; she's not unreasonable.
The most important thing for a servant is loyalty, but first, the master must do well in order to earn loyalty.
Lin Yuesha touched her cheek; she always used her personal charm to win over others.
"Then I, Huang, will bring over the white tea and Longjing tea for Miss Lin to take a look at."
After finishing speaking, Huang Yaren ran to the backyard, panting, and soon returned with two maids.
One of them looked very composed, while the other, a young girl, kept glancing at Lin Yuesha with curiosity in her eyes.
White tea is steady and reliable, while Longjing tea is lively and energetic.
Lin Yuesha asked the two a few questions and was very satisfied.
She needs a capable head maid by her side, and Bai Cha is worth cultivating. But if she's too steady, she's destined to lack fun. Long Jing can take a comedic approach.
"Then it'll be them."
Lin Yuesha glanced at her mother, Chen, who did not object. It was up to the woman herself to decide who her daughter's maid was.
“Miss Lin, I have another family here, the price isn’t high, it’s just…”
The man with yellow teeth hesitated, as if his sales pitch was a bit too much.
This family fled from disaster and supported each other. They sold themselves on only one condition: they did not want to be separated.
"Just say it."
Lin Yuesha stared at the man with yellow teeth for a moment. If he were popular, he would have been bought long ago. There must be some problems with him, and he was stuck with the man.
Seeing that she was easy to talk to, the man with yellow teeth quickly brought it up.
"The family consists of five people: the couple has a son and a daughter, who are twins, both around ten years old."
The couple were hardworking and diligent. When they first arrived in the North, they had nowhere to go and couldn't find any work, so they sold themselves, simply because they had an elderly father in his fifties.
The old man had a slight problem with his legs, but it didn't affect anything; he just walked with a limp and couldn't do heavy work.
The man with yellow teeth looked embarrassed. No one wanted an old man like that. He had tried to sell him before, but he was scolded by the steward of a wealthy family. They hired servants to do chores, not to take care of a cripple in his old age.
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