Chapter 2 Selling Oneself (2)
Li Xiaoxiao was baffled: "I paid for the steamed buns, why should I share them with you?"
The man who spoke first stared intently at Li Xiaoxiao with a gloomy face. He didn't believe that Li Xiaoxiao hadn't seen that they had left all the money for their families and that she didn't have a single copper coin on her.
They were all about to sign indentures, forcing themselves to separate from their families. They were already in a bad mood, and now they were determined to make a scene, even if they were being unreasonable. He stepped forward and said, "We've left all our money to our families. We don't have a single copper coin on us. You've kept so much money, but it's no use. Why don't you buy us some buns to fill our stomachs? Maybe we can end up being sold to the same master in the future and help each other out."
But Li Xiaoxiao was used to being alone and eating alone, so she didn't buy into this. Seeing the remaining people surrounding her in a semi-circle, led by the man in front of her, looking ready to pounce, she suddenly looked at Wei Yingjie, who was watching them make a scene with his arms crossed: "If you want to help, shouldn't you ask him? He buys you, but doesn't he provide food?"
The men, who had been so aggressive, turned around and saw Wei Jie's sinister face. Their hard-won morale vanished instantly, and they became trembling with fear, bowing their heads and not daring to look Wei Yingjie in the eye.
Li Xiaoxiao stared blankly at their face-changing act, unable to process it for a moment. Just now they were clearly ready to fight, so why were they so afraid of the slave trader? Was he that good at fighting?
She looked Wei Yingjie up and down and thought that he was all show and no substance and did not seem like a very capable person.
Wei Yingjie walked over with a stern face: "Why did you stop? Who's causing trouble?"
Everyone else lowered their heads, not daring to look him in the eye. Wei Yingjie walked up to Li Xiaoxiao, glancing at her sideways: "It's you again. What are you doing?"
Li Xiaoxiao asked curiously, "Didn't you just see it? Why are you pretending not to know? The people in this world are so strange."
Wei Yingjie was so speechless he almost couldn't breathe. Where did this vagrant come from? Is she out of her mind?
Remembering how effortlessly she had just overpowered him, he wasn't quite sure of her strength. He suppressed his anger for the moment and shouted, "Get out of here! If we delay, we'll each lose a hundred coins!"
Upon hearing this, the refugees immediately fell silent. They hadn't even received the remaining money yet, so how could so much be deducted? They couldn't care less about their hatred for Li Xiaoxiao anymore, and hurriedly followed behind Wei Yingjie with trepidation, afraid that if they were a step too late, their money would be deducted.
Wei Yingjie led them through a maze of turns into a small courtyard. There was an old locust tree at the entrance, and the courtyard was empty in the middle, big enough for dozens of people to stand in. There were three main rooms directly opposite and several large communal sleeping rooms on the side. When he brought several people back, a woman in her forties dressed in blue came out from the main hall: "You're back? What did you pick out?"
Wei Yingjie pointed to the four men and four women who had followed him back: "Eight of them. They are all indentured servitude contracts. Ask about their situation, sign the contracts, and see where they can go. I'm going to change my clothes."
He glared at Li Xiaoxiao, who was walking at the back. If it weren't for the sudden jolt she caused, he wouldn't have had to go through all this trouble!
Li Xiaoxiao was the last to enter. She saw four characters on the plaque outside the courtyard: X Ji Ya Hang. She recognized three of the four characters and, with her limited knowledge, figured out that this must be the place where people were bought and sold in this world.
She recognized some of the characters in this world, but not others. This was because the post-apocalyptic world she had lived in since childhood rarely used ancient Chinese characters. Her history teacher when she was young happened to be an enthusiast of ancient Chinese and would secretly slip in some knowledge during class, so she could recognize some relatively simple Chinese characters. However, she didn't recognize those with many strokes, such as the two couplets pasted on the door, which she didn't quite understand what was written on them.
The woman in blue came out with a booklet and a pen, sat down at the table in front of the courtyard, and had the refugees line up to register their information one by one.
"What's your name?"
"Wang Dazhuang".
Where did it come from?
"Hefeng Village, Huangshiling, Yizhou".
How old are you this year?
Twenty-one.
"What were your reasons for fleeing to Biyang County?"
A look of misery immediately spread across Wang Dazhuang's face. He wiped away his tears: "From last year to this spring, there was a drought. Not a single drop of rain fell. All the wheat and rice in the fields withered and died. We couldn't even harvest the seeds. Many elderly people and children in our village starved to death. Finally, around Qingming Festival, it started to rain. We thought the drought was finally over, but who knew that it would rain for three months straight, flooding our houses and fields. The entire Huangshiling area became a vast expanse of water. It was only because my father sensed something was wrong that he desperately pulled our whole family out of the water, and that's how we didn't drown. All those people in our village who stayed behind to guard their houses and fields and refused to leave are gone..."
Upon hearing this, everyone except Li Xiaoxiao burst into tears.
They were lucky to escape, but which family didn't have several relatives and friends who died in the flood? Moreover, many of the relatives and friends who were fortunate enough to escape with them collapsed on the road due to lack of food and clothing and illness. They had clearly escaped the flood, but they couldn't make it here. Thinking of this, they cried even louder.
The cries were so mournful and heart-wrenching that they brought tears to the eyes of all who heard them.
But the woman in blue was used to human trafficking, and this kind of situation was commonplace for her. Without hesitation, she interrupted the refugees' cries and quickly wrote out the indenture: "Put your fingerprint here."
Most of the refugees were illiterate and unable to sign, so she simply circled the signature and had them press their handprints on it, thus completing a contract of sale.
Once the indenture is signed, sealed, and filed with the yamen (government office), it becomes officially effective. The person who sold themselves becomes a slave and can then be traded on the market. If they want to regain their freedom in the future, they need to pay the agreed amount of silver to their master to retrieve the indenture and obtain a release deed. They also need to cancel their slave status at the yamen and re-establish their household registration to regain their status as a commoner.
The woman in blue had been a human trafficker for over twenty years, and only one in a hundred could go from slavery back to commoner status. So, she simply gave the crowd a brief explanation without any expression and then told them to stand on the other side.
When it was Li Xiaoxiao's turn, the woman in green glanced at her more. Although she had remained unmoved by the cries of the refugees, her gaze was sharp. Li Xiaoxiao was the only one who hadn't shed a single tear.
This person is probably cold-hearted and heartless.
The woman in blue asked coldly, "Name?"
Li Xiaoxiao said, "Li Xiaoxiao."
The woman in blue paused, glancing at her again. The refugees in front of her were all called Da Zhuang, Er Niu, Da Ni, Er Niu—common names used by country folk. But this cold-hearted girl had a name unlike anyone else's: Xiao Xiao.
She paused for a moment, then wrote down her name: "How old are you?"
Li smiled and said, "Fifteen."
"Can you read?" the woman in blue suddenly asked, because she noticed that Li Xiaoxiao had been watching her write.
Li Xiaoxiao glanced at it again: "I recognize a few."
The woman in blue handed her the indenture: "Which ones do you recognize?"
Li Xiaoxiao looked through it from beginning to end, pointing out some characters with fewer strokes, while she didn't recognize the ones with more strokes.
The woman in green took back the contract, then used cinnabar to mark a red dot on it: "Where are you from?"
Li smiled and said, "From Niutou'ao Village."
The woman in green asked, "Who's left in the house?"
Li Xiaoxiao replied expressionlessly, "That's all."
The woman in blue stopped asking questions and handed her a pen: "Since you can read, you can write your own name, right? Sign it yourself."
The refugees standing nearby looked at her in surprise, their eyes filled with envy.
This girl can actually read? She can even write her own name? Doesn't that mean she can be sold to a better family?
Thanks to her history teacher, Li Xiaoxiao can actually write her Chinese name, but she doesn't know how to use a soft brush – her character "黎" has a lot of strokes, and when she finishes writing the three characters, it takes up a lot of space and becomes a mess.
The woman in blue didn't mind, and after the writing dried, she had the woman press her handprint on it as well.
Occasionally, some people who sell themselves into servitude are literate. There are people like her, who may not know much or write well, but their uniqueness is enough.
She carefully put away the eight indentures. Just then, Wei Yingjie returned after changing his clothes. She handed him the indentures: "They're all here. There's nothing else. That girl knows a few words." She pointed to Li Xiaoxiao.
Wei Yingjie opened his eyes wide in surprise: "Aren't you a miner? How did you get the opportunity to learn to read?"
Li Xiaoxiao made up a reason on the spot: "My father taught me that his employer is an accountant."
Wei Yingjie understood, placed her indenture on top, and immediately his face darkened: "Stand in order of height, from tallest to shortest!"
The refugees quickly looked at each other and lined up in a row.
Wei Yingjie walked up to them with a stern face, looking at them one by one and then back at them: "From today onwards, you are servants. What kind of family you can be sold to depends on your fate, but there are shortcuts you can take."
Hearing that there was a shortcut, the refugees' eyes lit up.
Wei Yingjie put his hands behind his back, his face full of arrogance: "Which servant doesn't want to find a good master? The wives in the backyards of those high-ranking officials and nobles wear fine silks and eat delicacies. If you can catch their eye, not to mention the monthly wages, just the clothes, shoes, socks, seasonal gifts, and rewards for all four seasons will be a considerable sum. And those who are lucky enough to become the master's personal attendants or the young lady's dowry maids, their food and clothing are no different from those of the master. The more particular ones even have maids to serve them. Do you want to go to such a family?"
The refugees' eyes lit up, and they said in unison, "Yes!"
Wei Yingjie nodded in satisfaction, leaned closer, but then waved his hand over his nose, looking disgusted: "Look at you now? Your clothes are dirty and tattered, and you stink. If you went to the master looking like this, he would be suffocated by the stench before he even got there. How could he possibly choose you? It would be a favor if he didn't have you thrown out!"
Wang Dazhuang said anxiously, "Grandpa, but we've fled here from famine. All our belongings were washed away by the flood, and we only have these tattered clothes left. It's not that we don't want to wear better clothes, but we have no other choice!"
The others chimed in, knowing they looked disheveled, but after fleeing famine for over a month without a single bath, it was no wonder they stank. They didn't want to be like this either.
Wei Yingjie coughed and said, "Don't worry, now that I've bought you, I'll naturally find a way to help you solve this problem. Here you go, someone!"
Two middle-aged women who had followed him to buy servants appeared, each carrying a set of clothes. The woman on the left held a light blue linen women's dress, while the woman on the right held a light yellow linen short coat. Wei Yingjie walked up to the two sets of clothes and said, "These are the most common clothes worn by servants in our Biyang County. They are newly made this year. A maid's outfit is only 250 coins a set, and flat shoes are 50 coins a pair. A male servant's short coat is only 200 coins a set. Flat shoes are the same price as women's shoes. If you buy clothes from me, our brokerage will provide you with free washing and even lend you scissors to cut your hair and face. Whether you want to find a good master depends on whether you are willing to spend this money."
After saying this, he proudly raised his head, as if he had done a good deed and kept his merits hidden.
A note from the author:
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Three new chapters in a row! Please add to your favorites and leave comments! [Hands clasped in prayer]
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