Chapter 1 Resurrection from the dead, selling goods on the street
"Hey! Goods are coming! Goods are coming!"
The man's shouts echoed in the street along with the sound of gongs and drums. People in the market gathered around, making this place very lively.
Everyone knew the man beating the gongs, Coach Zhao from the government office. His shouting "Goods are coming" meant that someone else was being sold.
Everyone looked behind him and, as expected, saw a big cage with a woman inside. The woman was wearing thin and tattered clothes, with bloodstains all over her clothes. She hung her head, her long hair was hanging in clumps, covering her face, and her hands were tied to both sides of the cage. She was motionless and looked lifeless.
"Anyone want to buy it? Ten taels of silver!"
Seeing that everyone had gathered around, Master Zhao looked at the crowd and asked loudly.
"Ten taels? Are you trying to steal money? Why is it so expensive?" Someone in the crowd muttered, and a group of people echoed him. In this town, five taels of silver is enough for an ordinary family to live for a year.
Master Zhao didn't like to hear this, and immediately retorted: "This is a young girl, ten taels of silver is just right!"
"Young girls are not rare, they are everywhere, how can they be worth ten taels of silver? Unless she is as beautiful as a fairy." The person who questioned before spoke again.
Someone had been staring at the cage, and after a while, he noticed that the woman hadn't made any movement, so he shouted, "Master Zhao, why isn't this girl moving? Could she be dead?"
Immediately, another person followed suit, saying, "Oh, she looks like she's been abused, could she really be dead? Master Zhao, you're selling a dead person for ten taels of silver, that's not fair!"
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Master Zhao glared at him, and the person who was making the noise shrank his neck.
"I, Zhao Qiang, never do such wicked things, watch out."
After saying that, Master Zhao picked up a stick from the ground, walked to the side of the cage, and poked the woman inside. The woman's body moved, but her head was still drooping.
"No reaction, could she really be dead?" The crowd began to chatter.
Coach Zhao got a little anxious when he heard people talking. Wouldn't it be a big loss if the woman died? He gritted his teeth and stabbed the wound on the woman's shoulder with the stick. The woman finally woke up and slowly raised her head.
"Did you see? She's alive. Don't talk nonsense." Coach Zhao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing the woman raise her head and reveal her face, everyone was shocked again. There was a palm-sized dark red scar on both cheeks of the face. It looked like it was burned by a branding iron. It hasn't completely scabbed yet. The dried blood and fresh blood were mixed together. The skin was torn and the flesh was torn, which was very scary.
"This face is rotten, and you still dare to sell it for ten taels of silver?" After seeing the woman's face clearly, someone shouted again.
Coach Zhao felt a little guilty, he also knew that the girl was not worth the money, so he changed his words: "That five taels of silver, selling her for five taels of silver, who wants to buy?"
No one paid any attention. An experienced old man looked at her for a long time and said: "I think there is something wrong with this girl's hands and feet?"
Everyone looked over as he spoke and found that the girl in the cage did have strange hands and feet. They looked at Coach Zhao and asked him to give an explanation.
Coach Zhao couldn't hide the truth, so he had to admit: "Her hands and feet were indeed broken, but maybe she can recover after some rest."
Everyone just laughed: "Hahaha... Who wants to spend five taels of silver to buy a woman with a rotten face and broken hands and feet?"
No one noticed that the woman in the cage raised her head and looked around vigilantly like a wolf.
Where is this?
Isn't she dead?
Why are these people dressed so strangely?
One question after another emerged in her mind.
But now, the most important thing is that she realized that she was being sold as a commodity. She was injured, and every part of her body ached. She hadn't eaten for a long time, her throat was hoarse, she had no strength at all, and she was not even conscious. How could she leave?
Seeing that no one was buying, Coach Zhao lowered the price: "Three taels of silver, only three taels of silver. This woman looks like someone who can give birth to a son. If you buy her home, you will definitely have two children in three years."
The price couldn't be lower, otherwise he wouldn't be able to pay off his gambling debts. Coach Zhao looked at the crowd expectantly, hoping that a single man who was crazy about having a wife would come and buy her.
"Oh, Master Zhao, you are doomed to lose money this time!"
"Hehehe, I want to see which idiot wants to buy this half-dead woman."
"I think she is dying soon, Master Zhao, why don't you come to me and buy a straw mat, and wrap her up and bury her when she dies, it will save trouble!" Feng
Liang said one thing after another, and Master Zhao was so angry that his face turned black.
The woman in the cage began to struggle, shaking her wrists, as if trying to break free from the bound hands.
Since she is not dead, she must do her best to survive!
Coach Zhao was in a bad mood. Seeing her moving around, he suddenly became furious. He took a stick and deliberately poked her wound: "Why are you moving around? You loser, be quiet!"
The wound was bleeding and the pain suddenly came. She felt dizzy. According to past experience, it should be inflammation of the wound, coupled with low blood sugar due to not eating.
What should I do? I finally escaped from death, and I am going to die in this strange place again?
"Coach Zhao, don't beat her, sell her to me."
A clear male voice came from the crowd, and everyone turned their heads to see who the idiot was.
When Coach Zhao heard someone wanted to buy it, he immediately put down the stick and turned around to see a young man with a handsome face walking out of the crowd.
Someone recognized him as the scholar Liu Ming'an who sold calligraphy and paintings by the bridge.
Liu Ming'an took out a silver coin from his pocket, not more, not less, just three taels: "Coach Zhao, I want to buy her."
A woman's voice came from behind: "Hey, Ming'an, don't waste this money."
Liu Ming'an turned around and found that it was Aunt Qian who often asked him to help write letters.
Aunt Qian advised earnestly: "Ming'an, you are a handsome man, it's not easy for you to find a wife, why do you want to buy a woman with a disfigured face and amputated hands and feet?"
Coach Zhao was anxious to get rid of this hot potato, and seeing that Aunt Qian was trying to ruin his business, he walked over in two steps, grabbed the silver in his hand, and warned the woman in a sharp voice: "Don't talk too much, old woman!"
After that, he looked at Liu Ming'an with a smile: "Sir, this woman will be yours from now on."
Captain Zhao dived into the cage, untied the woman's hands, and then dragged her out.
The woman was limp and about to collapse to the ground. Liu Ming'an rushed forward, caught her, and supported her tightly, letting her lean on him to support her body.
"Girl, are you okay?" Liu Ming'an asked softly.
The woman in his arms looked up at him, her eyes were sharp like arrows, and Liu Ming'an felt cold on the back. However, the next moment she fainted and lost consciousness.
Seeing this, Aunt Qian shook her head and sighed: "Oh, you really found a big trouble for yourself."
Liu Ming'an smiled good-temperedly and didn't say anything.