Chapter 14: Big Pie
The north wind was howling, like a knife scraping on people's faces. There was no carriage, so Su Ruojin wrapped herself up like a little fat bear and sat on the mule's back, but she still felt her hands and feet were frozen. It was really too cold.
"Uncle, when will the dental clinic arrive?"
Shu Tong pulled the mule with one hand and held the brim of his felt hat with the other, walking on the windy side with his body bent, shielding the young master from the wind. The young lady's voice drifted in the wind, and he turned his head away, "I should have known not to ask you to come. It's really a torture."
Although it was cold, Su Ruojin still shook her head: "Wouldn't it be more painful for you and Mother Dong to go out to do business every day? I just come out occasionally, it's not worth it." Without the greenhouse effect of later generations, the winters in ancient times were really cold.
“We’re used to it.”
Su Ruojin: ...
"When we make enough money, we will also get a carriage."
Whether it is buying a carriage or maintaining a carriage, it costs a lot of money.
Shu Tong wanted to laugh, but his face was frozen, and his laugh sounded like crying: "Second Madam, after buying people, how much money will be left in the family? We need to pay two more people an extra salary every month, and the New Year is coming soon. Everything, including food, clothing, housing, and social interactions, all needs money!"
"I said wait until I make money." She didn't say to buy it now!
Well, Shu Tong kept silent, and suddenly seemed to remember something, "Second Madam, were you making big promises for me or for yourself?"
Su Ruojin: ...
Can't even draw! This book is really a dampener on people's enthusiasm.
The little master's angry glare was so cute that Shu Tong couldn't help laughing. Suddenly, he gulped, "Ahem..."
"Hmph... you deserve it!" See if you dare to laugh at me again.
The master and servant joked and entertained themselves all the way until they finally arrived at the pawnshop in the market. After finding a place to store the mule, they entered the first pawnshop.
When the pawnbroker saw a man, one big and one small, coming in, he checked them out as usual. The young man wore an ordinary black linen coat and a long-eared felt hat. Although his complexion was pale, it was obviously exposed to the wind and sun. He was obviously a member of the lower class.
Look at the little girl wearing the same linen cotton jacket. The clothes are gray in color, and although there are no patches, they are obviously washed white. It is obvious that she has not had a good life. However, the girl has delicate eyebrows, fair skin, and straight hair. It is obvious that she is a good girl.
The shopkeeper sat in the main seat, seemingly calm, but his eyes were actually rolling around. What kind of relationship could the eldest son and the youngest daughter have? Father and daughter? Brother and sister, uncle and nephew, uncle and nephew...
The young lady looks quite good. How much does the young man want to sell her for?
The shopkeeper was thinking about how low the price could be for the girl, and where he could sell her for the most profit. In order to lower the price, he signaled to the waiter not to rush forward to greet him.
Su Ruojin didn't know that as she walked a few steps into the pawnshop, the owner and the waiter had already judged them by their clothes, treating them as ordinary people in the capital who couldn't make ends meet, and were just waiting for them to open their mouths so they could make a fortune.
Seeing that the people in the store were sitting still and not coming to greet people, Shutong frowned, thinking, "Is this tooth good?" Could it be that the cold weather has frozen them too? He glanced at the burning fire pot, which was obviously very warm!
The roasting cage in the store was very warm, but the calculating gazes of the master and servant were too direct, and Su Ruojin was so scared that she ate too much and went out, "Uncle Shutong, let's go!"
Shu Tong was very dissatisfied that he didn't even greet the young master when he came in, so he turned around and left.
Hey! How can the person being sold decide who to sell to? Strange things happen every year, but this year is the first time. The young lady's behavior really shocked the shopkeeper. He stood up in surprise and urged the waiter: "Hurry up and ask him how much he wants to sell it for?"
The waiter shouted, "Hey, sir, don't leave. How much do you want to sell this girl for?"
Selling? He was clearly here to buy someone.
Su Ruojin paused and turned around, "What are you selling?"
The shopkeeper stepped forward and asked Shu Tong, "Sir, how much do you want to sell this young lady for?"
"Yes, the price is negotiable." The waiter and the shopkeeper agreed.
Su Ruojin and his servant looked at each other and turned around and said, "What are you selling? Sell your head!"
The master and servant were so angry that smoke came out of their nostrils.
If you don't want to sell, what are you doing in the pawnshop? The master and servant of the pawnshop all looked at the two people in front of them.
Su Ruojin and his servant followed their gaze and looked down at their clothes. It was a coarse linen jacket, clean but indeed cheap.
The four pairs of eyes met again.
Su Ruojin and his servant were instantly speechless.
Well, what a hypocrite who judges people by their clothes.
Su Ruojin snorted coldly, "Uncle Shutong, let's go!" She just didn't believe that she couldn't find a store that didn't judge people by their clothes?
Shu Tong was so angry that he took out his purse, untied the ribbon, and revealed the Jiaozi and the white silver coins: "We are here to buy people."
The pawnshop owner: ...
Waiter: ...
How could this happen? I was wrong.
Shu Tong deliberately shook his purse in front of them and said, "I brought Jiaozi with me!" Jiaozi, it's only used when the denomination is large and inconvenient!
The shopkeeper looked annoyed.
The waiter pursed his lips in misery.
You regret looking down on others! Humph, enough of showing off, Shu Tong raised his chin and left with a look of arrogance and contempt.
Seeing that the two were about to disappear, the waiter hurriedly chased after them, "Hey, sir, everything can be negotiated. We will give you the cheapest price for any person you want..."
Su Ruojin and the other two ignored them.
Shu Tong was so angry that he said, "I wish I could smash their dog eyes." The young man started nagging.
When passing by the second dental shop, Su Ruojin stood aside and did not go in.
Shu Tong reminded her, "Second Lady?"
Su Ruojin looked at her clothes again, then looked at the people coming in and out of the dental clinic, and exhaled, "Uncle Shutong, we won't buy anyone today."
Shu Tong felt bad. As Su Yanli's servant, the adults had a hard time in recent years. He also suffered a lot from social abuses and had long been accustomed to it. However, the Second Lady was only six years old. She was born at home and had never been out of the house. Of course, she had never been treated harshly by the world.
The master and the servant looked even more lonely standing in the cold winter wind.
No, it's too depressing!
Su Ruojin didn't like it. She took a deep breath and said, "Uncle Shutong, let's go to the cloth shop and the clothing store."
Judging people by their clothes and appearance, even Su Ruojin herself is no exception. If this is the case, why should we ask others to do the same? As the saying goes, "Do not do to others what you do not want others to do to you."
She had decided that when she was working at home, she would wear something that was durable and resistant to dirt, and when she went out, she would follow the local customs! As the daughter of an eighth-rank Xiaojing, since her family was doing well, she should dress more decently.
In order to prevent Cheng Yingzhen from worrying during her double confinement, Su Ruojin bought almost all ready-made clothes, and bought the latest styles regardless of quality or design. He spent seven or eight taels of silver, which was almost as much as his father's monthly salary.
"Uncle Shutong, wait until we put on clothes that match our status before we come back to buy people."
"Okay!" It was a wasted trip in the cold wind. The book had nothing to do with him, but he couldn't bear to let the young master suffer.
"It's okay." Su Ruojin said, "If I wear this to buy someone, I'm afraid the money I get from being beheaded is worse than buying clothes to wear!"
Society is so strange. To do the same thing, the poor actually spend more money than the rich. As a servant who has been with the masters all the way, Shu Tong agrees.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
