Suddenly, a bare-chested, burly man holding a whip stood in front of the slaves and shouted loudly to the people below the platform:
"Please be quiet! The market for horses and men is about to begin! Please be quiet, everyone."
The big man's voice was very loud, and Lin Zao and the others standing on the outermost edge could hear it clearly.
The scene gradually quieted down. Whether they wanted to buy or not, everyone looked at the slaves on the stage with great interest, as if they were selecting goods.
"Thank you all for your support of Tianhua Trading Company. I'm sure you're all familiar with our rules, so I won't go into detail. Let's get right to selling!"
After saying that, the big man turned around and lashed the row of five slaves behind him with his whip—three men and two women.
Five people stepped forward, trembling.
"Look carefully, everyone. This is a family of five, all of whom are strong and healthy. They used to be servants in the household of a ninth-rank county magistrate. After the magistrate was transferred, they were put back on the market. They are definitely top-quality goods. Anyone who wants them can make an offer."
The people below whispered amongst themselves, and soon someone started making a bid.
"Ten taels!"
"12 taels..."
···
"18 taels!"
Prices are getting higher and higher, but fewer and fewer people are bidding.
From a distance, Lin Zao could tell that the five people on the stage looked to be a couple with two sons and a daughter-in-law.
At this moment, they seemed filled with confusion and fear towards their future masters, trembling with fear as they watched the people below the stage picking and choosing them.
Seeing that Lin Zao kept looking at the people on the stage, Tang Jian thought that Lin Zao was sympathizing with that family, so he asked Lin Zao in a low voice.
"Does my lady wish to buy them?"
Lin Zao shook her head. There are too many people like this nowadays. She can't possibly save every one she sees, nor can she save that many people.
All she wants is for her family to be well.
In the end, the family was bought by a portly merchant for 23 taels of silver.
The merchant didn't seem mean, so that family probably wouldn't have a bad life in the future; they were certainly luckier than those who starved to death outside.
After this family sold out, three more people came, this time three young women.
They all looked pretty and were around 16 years old.
As soon as the three men came on stage, the crowd below became excited and started bidding without waiting for the burly man to finish.
"Thirty taels!"
"I'll offer 50!"
"53"
····
In the end, the three girls agreed on a price of 80 taels of silver. Judging from their expressions, they all seemed to accept it well and followed their new master without any resistance.
Several more batches of slaves arrived in succession, and they were all quickly sold off.
There were groups of strong young men, groups of old and young, and groups of entire families. In short, the owner of this business knew very well how to sell people.
If items don't sell on their own, they're bundled together and sold together.
Finally, another group of slaves came up.
This time it's a brother and sister.
The older one is about 13 years old, and the younger one is about 5 years old. If there's anything special about them, it's that they're both quite good-looking.
It's not that it's particularly beautiful, but it's much better looking than the ones we sold before.
The crowd became lively again, with the first person to bid 100 taels.
Many people in the audience were bidding against each other.
Lin Zao looked thoughtfully at the brother and sister on the stage. She felt that the little girl looked somewhat familiar.
She frowned and thought for a long time, but couldn't remember for the moment.
"186 taels! Anyone else bidding?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
