Chapter 57 Ye Weilai (Happy Lantern Festival!)
Ouyang Rong noticed that the silver-haired loli was staring at him.
The silver-haired loli seemed to realize that she was about to be taken away by this new master from a foreign land.
She raised her head, and beneath her silver hair, which Ouyang Rong had rubbed messily, her large eyes rolled slightly upwards, fixed on him without blinking.
The shyness and fear in her eyes were gone, replaced by a look that Ouyang Rong couldn't quite understand.
Western white girls are indeed much bolder than shy and timid Eastern girls.
Her eyes took on a hazy, misty gray-blue hue in the sunlight—a color that Ouyang Rong could not find or describe in this era of material scarcity and equally color scarcity.
The silver-haired loli's eyes, silver hair, and skin were completely out of place in the dark and gloomy atmosphere of this dilapidated and filthy slave backyard.
He wouldn't have been surprised to see such a silver-haired loli in his previous life's school or coffee shop, but now he's stumbled upon her in a corner of the ancient and charming Jiangnan Road of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
So when Ouyang Rong entered the hospital, he was immediately drawn in, feeling a sudden sense of disorientation, as if he had been reborn.
Whether the Great Zhou Dynasty was truly a golden age is debatable, but the spectacle of all nations paying tribute was no joke, and the Guangzhou-Yidao (sea route) to the south was indeed something special...
The market official in charge of the horse market, led by the steward, quickly arrived at the backyard and began to conclude the contract for this slave trade and issue an official market certificate. This was a necessary procedure for the slave market in the Great Zhou Dynasty; otherwise, even princes and nobles would be punished.
The slave trade that was concluded at Jinxiaokou Horse Shop involved a very small amount of money. For a clerk who was familiar with the business, it should have been a routine matter. He could have quickly settled it by taking a small cut and a bribe. However, when he entered the backyard, he couldn't help but stop and stare at the scene.
First of all... what kind of female slave is this? Should the contract state "child slave" or "old slave"? Also, are you sure anyone would dare to buy this?
Secondly...
The clerk's expression changed drastically, and he rubbed his hands obsequiously: "Your Excellency, Magistrate, what brings you here?"
Inside the courtyard, the young county magistrate, dressed in plain clothes, waved his hand and said, "You do your thing, don't worry about me."
The Arab merchant Li Yan and his manager were dumbfounded. After a series of interesting expressions, the previously smug manager Li looked guilty and quietly suggested that they renegotiate the price. It seemed that the price of rice had been miscalculated. In addition, they suggested a buy-one-get-ten-free promotion for today's limited time. However, Ouyang Rong calmly declined both suggestions.
The transaction continued, and soon the exceptionally competent clerk of the city magistrate had drafted the document and respectfully handed it to Ouyang Rong for confirmation, filling in the final information about master and servant.
Ouyang Rong spoke to the silver-haired loli for the first time today:
What's your name?
Seeing his patient expression, the silver-haired loli fell silent for a moment, her voice like a somewhat dried-up spring:
“Vera…Nail…”
She seemed to understand the language of the Great Zhou Dynasty, but the accent was quite strange. It was unclear whether these syllables were from her hometown or from the unfamiliar language of the Great Zhou Dynasty. To Ouyang Rong, they sounded roughly like these four words.
Ouyang Rong glanced at her large, bright gray-blue eyes, lowered his head and thought for a moment, then filled in two words on the contract for her.
"From now on, your name will be... Wei Lai."
He paused, then asked softly, "Do you have a surname?"
The silver-haired loli couldn't help but glance at the tall, slender young man in front of her with a magnetic and gentle voice. He seemed very patient, speaking softly and gently from the beginning until now, while the fierce and ruthless people around him treated him with utmost respect.
The silver-haired girl felt as if she were having an unbelievable dream, as if everything that had happened today was not real.
She looked down, her fingers clutching the hem of her clothes, and muttered another sentence.
Ouyang Rong only heard the first word of this long string of syllables, which seemed to be pronounced as "night," so he picked up his pen again and filled it in casually.
The silver-haired loli, who had been burying her head in her work, glanced at his focused face, seemingly wanting to speak to him, but at that moment, Zhen Shitou leaned closer.
The woman glanced at the paper and slightly pursed her lips: "Ye Weilai? As long as there's a name that can be called, that's fine. What does a slave need a surname for? My lord is really kind-hearted to go to such lengths."
Ouyang Rong shook his head and remained silent. He finished filling out the form and had Wei Lai and Li Yan put their handprints on it. Then, with the city magistrate and minor officials as witnesses, the contract was completed without any setbacks.
After receiving the market vouchers, Ouyang Rong, accompanied by Wei Lai and the Zhen family, left the Kou Ma Hang amidst the enthusiastic farewell of the Arab merchants.
Watching the distinguished guest depart, the steward couldn't help but whisper, "Is this magistrate a bit foolish? Why did he buy something like that..."
"You know nothing!" Li Yan scolded sternly, then turned to look at Ouyang Rong's retreating figure and sighed:
"I misunderstood just now. No wonder he didn't like any of the maids at our horse shop. It's not just because of the price. This Magistrate Ouyang is indeed a true gentleman who doesn't get close to women, just as the rumors say. He doesn't even care about looks when buying a bed warmer. He only picks the ugliest and most pitiful ones."
...
On a bustling street in the West Market.
The silver-haired girl brought out by Ouyang Rong and his group instantly attracted frequent glances and turns from passersby.
Wherever they went, the group became the focus of attention in the entire West Market.
However, the people of Longcheng, along with the merchants and vendors, who were watching with great interest were not attracted by some kind of beauty, but rather stared wide-eyed as if looking at a strange and ugly thing, curious yet afraid to get closer.
Because Ouyang Rong had appeared on the main stage on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, and many people recognized the young county magistrate, the commotion caused by Ouyang Rong and his entourage was even greater.
However, Ouyang Rong ignored this. Although he still didn't quite understand the difference between his aesthetic sense and that of others in the Great Zhou Dynasty, it didn't affect his good mood. He walked with ease and confidence.
The main thing is that finding a bargain is pretty satisfying in itself.
"So that's where my thousand merits went... The Blessing Bell does understand blessings."
Ouyang Rong suddenly felt a wicked sense of humor. If he had a phone right now, and took a picture of the silver-haired girl who called him "Master," and posted it in that old group of upright gentlemen preparing for the postgraduate entrance exam, along with a ridiculously smug explanation of how he managed to get away with it, probably none of the guys in the group would be able to take the exam this year...
"My love!"
Suddenly, his aunt's scolding voice came from behind him. Ouyang Rong, who was lost in thought, was startled and turned around. He found that he had been walking too fast. Apart from the silver-haired maid who was holding his clothes and following closely behind, and Liu Ashan, Zhen Shi and her entourage had been left far behind.
Ouyang Rong coughed, covering his mouth, and waited for Zhen Shi and the others.
The woman in the skirt couldn't hold back any longer. If they weren't on the street, she would have really twisted the brat's ear.
With a soft hum, Zhen stepped forward, stretched out her jade hand, pinched Wei Lai's chin, and straightened her small face. The latter trembled, not daring to move or resist the tall and beautiful woman in front of her.
Madam Zhen frowned, looking the girl up and down for a while. As for the girl's silver hair tied up with rope, she was even more reluctant to touch it, fearing it would bring bad luck. The woman sighed.
"Why is my love interested in someone with such a high nose and deep-set eyes? They look like demons in temples; and those eyes, they're like a raccoon's, what if they scare you at night? And this head of white hair... maybe we should go back and shave it off, then we can wear a nun's hat from now on..."
"Besides, Tanlang, what can we do with her if we take her back? Wash clothes and mop the floor? There are plenty of servants to do that. Meiluyuan has everything, except for a personal maid for you. Today's trip has been a waste. Auntie thinks that down-on-her-luck Goguryeo lady from earlier was quite nice; she's literate and can even manage accounts..."
With her face pinched, Wei Lai began to tremble slightly. It wasn't just Zhen Shi's sharp and critical gaze, but also the pointing and whispering of the onlookers about her "strange appearance." Why did she have to look like this? The girl felt extremely inferior and even trembled as she closed her eyes, not daring to look at the gentle young man who had helped her open the iron cage and lead her out.
He... he'll definitely regret it, won't he? The initial novelty turned into buying a worthless item, and then that familiar look of disgust will slowly creep into his eyes, feeling it's bad luck and wanting to avoid it at all costs... He definitely will, isn't that how everyone he's met since childhood has been...?
"It wasn't a wasted trip, she's the one, my nephew's personal maid."
Ouyang Rong gently pressed down on Zhen's arm, then suddenly took the silver-haired maid's cold little hand. He silently took out two copper coins from his pocket, placed them directly into her hand, and said earnestly to her:
"Here you go, Wei Lai, please manage the money for me. These two copper coins represent all we have right now. It's not much, but it's still something to look forward to, so we need to keep it safe."
Ouyang Rong turned around, walked forward with his hands behind his back, and left with only a laugh: "Aunt, what's wrong with Wei Lai? I like her hair very much. Don't shave it. She's my personal maid. I like her as long as I like her."
Madam Zhen nodded helplessly, sighed, and followed.
Wei Lai lowered her head, staring blankly at the two small copper coins lying peacefully in her palm.
This is... her and her master's goal.
Sorry, my friends, I couldn't help but go into too much detail and couldn't stop writing. The next chapter will start pushing out the main plot!
(End of this chapter)
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