After leaving the Chen residence, it was still early, so Chen An asked, "A-Yue, shall we go home first?"
Although he wasn't tired, Ah Yue and the two little ones had been busy all day. He wanted to go back and rest as soon as possible, since the next few days would only be more tiring.
Cheng Yue shook her head and suggested, "Let's not go home, let's go to the brokerage first."
The shop is about to open, so it's best to finalize the staff as soon as possible. We'll need to train them during this time, and by the time they're really up to the task, it will be around the Dragon Boat Festival.
At that time, Chen An and Chen Tong will no longer need to go, and Chen An will have time to attend to his carpentry team.
After Cheng Yue finished speaking, she thought for a moment and realized that the brokers didn't know either, so she said, "Let's go ask Sister Liang."
Chen An agreed and headed back towards the shop.
Just as Cheng Yue finished speaking to Liang Hongyu, she heard her sigh and say, "Didn't you come to the right person? My sister-in-law's brother works as a broker in the brokerage business, so he's reliable."
He arranged everything for my house, even the maids who served my mother-in-law. Oh well, never mind, I'll just go with you!
Liang Hongyu slammed the melon seeds in her hand onto the counter and was about to leave. Anyway, her man was there, so it didn't matter whether she was there or not.
She accepted Cheng Yue's zongzi and pastries; it was only right to make the trip to avoid them being ripped off.
Before Cheng Yue could refuse, Liang Hongyu got on the oxcart and urged, "Sister Cheng Yue, let's go, let's go, don't delay!"
The process of buying and selling people is quite complicated. First, you select a person, then negotiate the price. Once the price is agreed upon, you sign a contract, put your fingerprint on it, pay the money, and hand over the person. But that's not the end of the process. Finally, you have to go to the government to pay taxes and register the transaction.
It's getting late, so we need to finalize things quickly. If we do it fast, we can get everything done tonight.
"Okay, thank you, Sister Liang!"
Cheng Yue was touched. Since she couldn't refuse, she decided to go with him.
Moreover, with Liang Hongyu, an acquaintance, around, she felt much more at ease.
Upon arriving at the entrance of the brokerage firm, Liang Hongyu jumped off the oxcart and shouted inside, "Tiger, come out quickly!"
No sooner had she finished speaking than a fair-skinned young man of about fifteen or sixteen years old ran out. "Sister Hongyu, what brings you here?"
Liang Hongyu didn't waste any time and introduced, "This is Boss Cheng of Cheng's Braised Food. He said he wanted to buy people, so I brought him here!"
"This is my good friend! You've already eaten the pastries and rice dumplings she gave you, so you can't ask for a higher price, or you'll be in trouble!"
After Liang Hongyu finished speaking, she gave another warning. Hu Zi nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, yes, I know, Sister Hongyu!"
Tiger licked his lips; the sweet aroma of the pastries seemed to linger.
He then said respectfully, "Mr. Cheng, please come in. Please feel free to make any requests, and I'll see if I have any suitable candidates."
After saying that, he waved to the shop's young assistant, who then led the oxcart to the backyard.
This brokerage firm is similar to a modern real estate agency, except that it can trade anything, from houses and people to cattle and sheep; there's nothing it can't trade.
After Cheng Yue went in, she directly stated her needs. Upon hearing that she wanted to buy someone to work as a shop assistant, Hu Zi immediately said:
"We happen to have a few suitable ones. Mr. Cheng, why don't you come with me to the backyard and take a look at them first?"
Liang Hongyu pulled Cheng Yue along, "Come on! Let's go take a look!"
Cheng Yue smiled. Liang Hongyu was even more attentive than she was. The group followed Hu Zi to the backyard.
Chen Tong and Chen Ning knew this was a place for buying and selling, and they had an instinctive resistance to it. After entering, they stayed close to Chen An and Cheng Yue.
Tiger called everyone out, and seven or eight people stood in a neat row. Cheng Yue looked over and couldn't help but frown.
Although she was prepared, she still felt a little uncomfortable when she saw a row of boys with dull eyes, waiting to be chosen like merchandise.
There's no way around it; it's a gene that only those raised under the red flag possess.
After Cheng Yue had mentally prepared herself, she asked them to introduce themselves one by one. The boys looked up in surprise and asked them to introduce themselves.
Although Tiger was also a little puzzled, he still said to the group, "This is the host's request. Just say what you need to say, explain your background and what you can do."
Although his tone was calm, it wasn't cold. Cheng Yue thought to herself, no wonder Liang Hongyu said that Hu Zi was a good person. It was truly commendable that he had such an attitude towards the "goods" being sold.
Among the boys, several were timid and hesitant, perhaps because they had been beaten and were too scared to speak for a long time.
The other two stammered, perhaps due to nervousness or introverted personalities; in any case, Cheng Yue couldn't understand what they were saying after a long time.
That won't do. It might be okay for other jobs, but you can't talk like that in a shop.
Cheng Yue felt that perhaps she shouldn't have come to the brokerage to buy people, since they were used to being servants and their way of doing things was different from ordinary people.
Thinking of this, Cheng Yue felt a little discouraged, and Hu Zi was also a little anxious. He wiped his sweat and was about to explain when he heard the youngest-looking boy in the row of teenagers speak up.
"In response to your question, Madam, my brother and I were originally children of good families. We were literate when we were young, but our parents passed away unexpectedly."
My uncles and aunts were vicious. We were left with no one to rely on and were exploited by the family until our line ended. That's why they tricked us into being sold off.
After that, we worked for a family in the prefectural city, doing odd jobs in the yard, and we didn't have any special skills.
However, our master later got into trouble, and we were sold off as well, which is how we ended up here.
Although his voice was a little soft, his pronunciation was clear and his logic was sound, which was quite good.
Moreover, these words clearly explained the cause and effect of the experience, and Cheng Yue nodded, very satisfied.
However, Cheng Yue asked again, "Do you hate the uncles and clans who sold you out?"
Families that could afford to send their children to school must have been well-off, but they were exploited and left without any descendants, forced to become servants. It's impossible not to feel resentment.
But if all she feels is hatred, then she has to think about it.
Tiger had just breathed a sigh of relief, but now he was worried again. Boss Cheng was asking really detailed questions. Although he understood, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
The boy raised his head instantly, wondering why Cheng Yue had asked that question.
How could he not hate? But he had already been sold and was no longer a free man, so what right did he have to hate?
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