Chapter 55 Selecting Maids
"My lord, please look at this maid. She comes from the small country of Japan across the sea. She has fair skin with a rosy glow, thick black hair, melancholy eyes, and a gentle and delicate temperament... She is clearly an obedient beauty, in line with our Chinese aesthetic standards, and suitable to be your personal maid. The price is only thirty strings of cash."
The Arab merchant Li Yan, carrying a rope, led over a black-haired girl dressed in silk and introduced her to Ouyang Rong, Zhen Shi, and others with a smile.
Zhen smiled and turned to ask Ouyang Rong for his opinion, but the latter's attention seemed a little strange, so she couldn't help but ask:
"Is Manager Li also a drug addict?"
Upon hearing this, Li Yan became slightly anxious and immediately said:
"Although I am a foreign merchant, I am also a naturalized person. My mother is a goddaughter, and my father was naturalized in Guangzhou when the two emperors ruled together. My family are genuine citizens of the Great Zhou Dynasty, not the kind of foreign merchants who returned to their territories."
Ouyang Rong laughed and said, "I see. I didn't mean anything by it. No wonder Manager Li's words are better than mine."
Li Yan smiled proudly and asked, "What do you think of this maidservant, sir? All the maidservants who can enter our Jinxiao Trading Company are pure and healthy foreign women."
Ouyang Rong glanced at the Japanese slave who looked somewhat like a certain teacher.
However, her current makeup is pale and her eyebrows are strangely shaped... Perhaps it's considered beautiful in her hometown; he just can't appreciate the customs of his small country.
Ouyang Rong shook his head.
"Alright. Go and bring the next one."
Li Yan turned and gave an order. Kunlun slave nodded and went to the back of the house. Soon after, he brought up a tall young woman with a completely different style.
"My lord, please look. This maid is a Western Region beauty. She has fair skin, blonde hair, blue eyes, and is tall and beautiful with a charming gaze. She is passionate and enthusiastic, and can sing and dance... She is a hot commodity these days. It's not easy to train one. She can not only be a personal maid but also a singer and dancer. The price is only fifty strings of cash."
Zhen glanced at the Western Region girl's high nose and deep-set eyes, and frowned slightly: "Her figure and talent are quite good, but why does she look like a ghost?" What if she scares her lover in the middle of the night?
Li Yan coughed and said:
"It does not quite conform to the aesthetics of our ancestors, but it is quite popular in taverns in Chang'an and Luoyang at the moment, and many men in the Great Zhou also like this exotic style."
"Madam, please look. Although this golden hair is not as noble and elegant as black hair, golden hair looks more festive and auspicious. It has an exotic feel, which is what we call the inclusiveness and tolerance of the people of the Celestial Empire."
As if thinking of her husband's possible strange hobbies, Madam Zhen swallowed her words and said no more, letting her husband choose for himself.
Faced with the flirtatious glances from the Western Region women, the man remained calm and shook his head.
The Arab merchant noticed that Ouyang Rong shook his head without even glancing at the items. So picky? He frowned slightly inwardly, but maintained a smile and continued calling out:
"It's alright. Next one, bring her up."
At this moment, a junior steward walked in from outside the door, peeked out, and looked as if he had something to report. But when he saw Manager Li entertaining distinguished guests in the hall, he wisely stopped and waited outside the door.
Li Yan glanced at the steward outside the door but didn't immediately take action.
Soon, the third and fourth maids were brought up one after another:
There were voluptuous and alluring Persian beauties, gentle Silla maids brought from the Eastern Barbarians, and impoverished female slaves of noble families who had fallen from grace in Goguryeo.
The latter, in particular, was well-educated and skilled in needlework. She could not only serve as a maidservant but also be entrusted with important responsibilities, such as managing the household business. The more Zhen Shi looked at her, the more she liked her. This was a significant advantage. Banxia was just too clumsy. Well, sixty strings of cash, it's expensive, but...
The girl waiting to the side had her fingers clenched together, her little face very nervous. She never expected that today she would not only come to go shopping, but also to find herself unemployed.
A woman in a flowing skirt couldn't help but secretly wink at her nephew, but Ouyang Rong ignored her, shaking his head repeatedly.
Moreover, Li Yan would immediately shake his head as soon as he finished introducing something, very decisively, without even glancing at it twice.
This made the Arab merchant start to doubt himself. His Jinxiao Trading Company was supposed to be a high-end, international business. Were these maids really that bad? The distinguished guests they had previously entertained, even the wealthy patrons of brothels, had all been visually bombarded by these exotic beauties and their expressions were quite varied.
But today, this young man didn't even blink, as if he wasn't surprised at all by the maids brought out by their Jinxiao Trading Company, his face calm.
Wait, are they here to cause trouble, or... are their standards too high?
Li Yan gritted his teeth secretly. It seemed he had to increase the intensity; he couldn't tarnish the reputation of Jinxiao Trading Company.
Just as the Arab merchant was about to turn around and give further instructions, the steward, who had been waiting outside for a long time, could no longer contain himself. He tiptoed in, greeted the distinguished guests with an apologetic smile, and whispered to Li Yan:
"Shopkeeper, the cargo ship is waiting at Penglangdu. Shall we load the goods onto the ship now?"
Li Yan said with dissatisfaction, "Can't you see there are people in the shop? Our distinguished guests are the priority. Those are all money-losing goods, what's the rush? We can move them later. Don't get in the way of our distinguished guests choosing maids now."
"Yes, yes, yes." The steward bowed apologetically.
Li Yan turned around and apologized, but Ouyang Rong and Zhen Shi shook their heads, not taking it to heart.
The former continued to instruct the Kunlun slave behind him: "Next... bring up Bodhisattva Man."
Ouyang Rong was curious upon hearing this, and Zhen Shi turned around to explain. It turned out that under the leadership of Empress Wei, Buddhism gradually became popular in the Great Zhou Dynasty, and beautiful women began to be called female bodhisattvas. As for bodhisattva barbarians, they were naturally referring to beautiful barbarian women.
Finally, when the maid named "Bodhisattva Man" was brought on stage, Ouyang Rong raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but take a second look.
The main reason was that, despite having watched countless films, he had never actually seen this type of exotic woman.
Inside the hall, a young maidservant, dressed in a high bun and wearing a golden crown, with tassels covering her body... her hair stood up high, and her whole body was adorned with exquisite, crystal-clear gemstones. At first glance, she was indeed quite stunning, and Ouyang Rong couldn't tell which ethnic minority she belonged to.
Li Yan, observing Ouyang Rong's expression, breathed a slight sigh of relief. "Hmph, young man, you think you can be intimidated? You should have said you liked something so expensive earlier, then everyone would be happy."
He smiled faintly: "Please look, sir. This maid from the Nüman Kingdom is our shop's prized possession. The Nüman Kingdom is a strange place. The Bodhisattva Nüman usually only pays tribute to the royal families and nobles of Chang'an and Luoyang. However, our trading company managed to get a few from there..."
Ouyang Rong shook his head directly.
Li Yan was about to launch into a long speech when he suddenly choked up and couldn't help but ask, "Young master, you don't like any of these? Then which one do you like?"
Ouyang Rong looked a little embarrassed and said sincerely, "It looks very expensive, let's forget about these." This Bodhisattva Man outfit is obviously a pay-to-win skin.
Madam Zhen patted his hand and frowned, saying, "If you like it, price is not a problem."
Ouyang Rong stubbornly shook his head.
Li Yan didn't react for a moment. After thinking for a while, he said, "This Bodhisattva statue costs 100 guan... 100,000 wen is indeed a bit expensive, but it's definitely worth the price. How about this..."
He sighed, feigning hesitation, "How about a discount of ten strings of cash, or ninety strings?"
The Arab merchant hoped that this handsome young man would haggle a bit more, and then he would pretend to be reluctant to agree, and they could become friends.
Unfortunately, he didn't know that what the person lacked wasn't ninety strings of cash, nor was it a lack of friends.
Ouyang Rong said sincerely, "Actually, I don't even have ten strings of cash. My salary can't afford it. I can only afford one string at most, but even that's a bit expensive. You have to buy things within your means... Does your shop have any maids for a few hundred coins? I don't have any other requirements, as long as you have one, I'll go pick one. By the way, could you write me an IOU? I only have sixty coins on me, and I just bought rice." He didn't forget to point to the rice that Liu Ashan was carrying.
As he listened, Li Yan's vision went black, and he almost died.
The steward next to him quickly helped the shopkeeper up and pinched his philtrum.
Madam Zhen was taken aback. "What are you joking about, my lord? I'll pay for today's expenses. It's one hundred strings of cash. I can manage to come up with it if I tighten my belt!"
Ouyang Rong said seriously, "I did promise my aunt that I would choose a maid, but I didn't say that I would spend my aunt's money, nor did I say that I would buy an expensive one. Can't I just pick one that I like?"
Mrs. Zhen was furious. "Isn't my money your money too? Isn't this whole house yours? Why are you being so distant with your aunt?"
“Alright, then lend me a few hundred coins later. I’ll go pick one that looks good now.” Ouyang Rong’s tone left no room for doubt, and his stern face revealed the aura of the head of the household.
"..." Zhen Shi. The half-hearted woman who had almost lost her job showed a slight smile.
Ouyang Rong nodded: "Manager Li, does your shop have any cheap maids? If not, we'll go to another shop."
Li Yan took a deep breath and calmed down. He pushed aside the steward next to him and looked at the young man dressed as a handsome young gentleman in front of him with disbelief. He never expected to encounter such a stingy person and waste so much breath!
The steward couldn't help but chime in: "Manager, isn't there a batch of rice-eating animals in the backyard that's a money pit? They can't be sold, and with rice prices high lately, keeping them is a waste of food. Why don't we let the young master pick one out? That way we can save on shipping costs."
Li Yan was speechless and too lazy to say anything. He weakly pointed towards the backyard and waved his hand, indicating that he should go there himself.
Ouyang Rong smiled, not paying any attention, and led Liu Ashan, who was carrying rice, towards the backyard.
What his junior sister said that day did make some sense, but then he thought about it again. Those expensive, high-quality maids didn't need him to save them. They were more likely to be bought by rich families and live well. On the contrary, the cheap slaves were the most miserable.
Jinxiao Trading Company, after all, didn't completely refuse to give them face; they still sent their junior manager as a token gesture. The junior manager led Ouyang Rong to the backyard and politely said:
“Young master, the maids in the backyard are all the ones that were rejected by wave after wave of customers. They haven’t been sold for a long time, and the manager thinks the transportation cost is too high. You can choose any one you like. The most expensive one will not exceed two hundred coins. I will put in a good word for you and give you a discount.”
"Two hundred coins, that's good. We can be friends." Ouyang Rong nodded slightly, put his hands behind his back, and walked to the backyard. The backyard was open-air and very dirty, full of iron cages, unlike the bright and beautiful main hall in front.
However, as soon as he arrived in the backyard, before he had even finished looking around, his eyes were startled by a blindingly white shadow in the corner. He was stunned for a moment, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him because he hadn't been sleeping well lately. But after looking closely and confirming, he revealed an even more astonished expression than when he had just seen Bodhisattva Man.
Ouyang Rong pointed to a dirty little cage and asked seriously, "She... only costs less than two hundred coins?"
(End of this chapter)
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