The shopkeeper pointed to the people in the iron cage and introduced them to Zhao Xian one by one. Soon they arrived in front of the iron cage where the two girls were being held.
"These two girls are the daughters of Qin, a wealthy man in Yingkou Town. They are twins and are sixteen years old this year. Because their relative committed a crime, they were sent to a brokerage firm. The two girls are strong-willed, disobedient, and have disfigured themselves, so no one has dared to buy them yet."
Zhao Xian looked into the cage; the two girls were huddled together, their heads down so their faces couldn't be seen.
"Alas, a relative got into trouble, and now this misfortune has dragged them down with him. It's such an undeserved disaster. Heaven is so unfair!"
The shopkeeper was startled. This was a challenge to the government, and if the government officials heard it, he would definitely be in trouble.
"Young master, you must not speak carelessly. Be careful, for walls may have ears, and it could cause unnecessary trouble."
Zhao Xian was also startled. In this era, there was no freedom of speech, and one could easily get himself arrested if he wasn't careful.
Zhao Xian's words won the favor of the two girls in the cage. They looked up at Zhao Xian gratefully, and then lowered their heads again.
In that instant, Zhao Xian saw the scratches on their faces; they were indeed disfigured.
"If you need these two maids, young master, I can sell them to you cheaply."
Zhao Xian knew that if he showed any interest in buying at this point, the shopkeeper would definitely raise the price.
He didn't speak, but continued walking forward, looking at the other fanged wolves in the cages.
The shopkeeper was somewhat disappointed to see that Zhao Xian was not interested in the two girls.
We finally got a customer, and we're determined to sell these two girls this time. They've been here for so many days; if anyone wanted them, they would have bought them long ago.
"These two girls are daughters of wealthy families, well-educated and polite. You are also a scholar, so buying them would be a great deal," the shopkeeper enthusiastically promoted.
“I came to the brokerage to buy servants, not young ladies. Besides, both of them are disfigured and cannot even be used as maids.”
The shopkeeper sighed. It seemed that the two saleswomen really couldn't be sold, but he was still a little unwilling to give up.
“Young master, what you say is indeed true, but these two maids are very cheap. You can take them away for just two taels of silver.”
Honestly, if they weren't disfigured, people would fight over them for twenty taels of silver.
Zhao Xian was surprised that the shopkeeper only quoted two taels of silver, which was basically a free gift to him. Making white sugar was not a strenuous task, and the two girls could handle it perfectly well.
“Alright, since the shopkeeper is so sincere about selling, I’ll buy it. But I’ll talk to them first, and if they’re willing, I’ll buy it,” Zhao Xian said calmly.
"Alright, then you can talk to them first." The shopkeeper was a little helpless. This was the first time he had encountered a situation where he needed the consent of the woman buying his teeth.
The two turned back to the girl's iron cage, and the shopkeeper spoke:
"Qin Shiyu, Qin Yingying, listen up! This young master wants to buy you two. He has some things to say to you, and you must answer them carefully." The shopkeeper finished speaking and stood to the side.
Zhao Xian glanced at the shopkeeper and said irritably, "Could you please leave for a moment? How can I speak with you here?"
The shopkeeper smiled sheepishly and turned to leave.
Seeing that the shopkeeper had walked away, the two girls finally raised their heads.
The two looked almost identical, after all, they were twin sisters, and at this moment their eyes revealed a kind of longing.
"My name is Zhao Xian, a scholar from Shuixian Village. I currently run some businesses at home and am short of manpower. The work is not heavy, and I wonder if the two young ladies would be willing to do it."
The two women had already developed feelings for Zhao Xian. When Zhao Xian offered to sell them and told them the truth about his situation, they felt he was a very reliable person and said in unison, "We are willing."
"Thank you for your trust, ladies. I'll go and complete the formalities now, and I'll take you away from here in a bit."
After Zhao Xian finished speaking, he waved to the shopkeeper, who quickly walked over.
"That's settled then. They've both agreed. Let's go complete the formalities." The shopkeeper breathed a sigh of relief, finally having sold the two girls.
After all the formalities were completed, the shopkeeper spoke again.
“I have another broker here. He was a soldier who was wounded and captured in a battle with the barbarian kingdom five years ago. He was imprisoned in the barbarian kingdom for five years before finally escaping back. He was convicted of desertion and became a broker.”
Because he's a soldier, many people are hesitant to buy him. He's been with the brokerage for a long time. If you're willing to buy him, I'll only charge you five qian of silver.
Zhao Xian was a little shocked. This was unbelievable. A soldier who risked his life on the battlefield, was captured by the enemy country, imprisoned for five years, and then escaped, at least showed that he was patriotic.
He couldn't understand how he had committed a crime and been bought and sold as a slave.
In modern society, he would definitely be awarded the title of hero, but it was a different story in that era. Thinking of this, he looked at the iron cage.
"I'll take you over to take a look. If you think it's suitable, then buy it." After saying that, the shopkeeper led Zhao Xian toward the iron cage.
Standing in front of the iron cage, Zhao Xian finally saw the soldier's face clearly. The man was in his thirties, with a thin face and a tragic expression on his face.
"Zhao Cheng, this young master wants to take you away. Do you have anything to say?" the shopkeeper asked.
Zhao Xian hadn't expected that this soldier also had the surname Zhao; could they be from the same family?
Zhao Cheng slowly raised his head and glanced at Zhao Xian, his face expressionless, and remained silent with his head down.
"Zhao Cheng, the shopkeeper just told me about your case. Although I don't know the reason why you were convicted, one thing I'm sure of is that you are a true soldier who has not forgotten his country and is patriotic. I respect you."
As soon as Zhao Xian finished speaking, Zhao Cheng's body visibly trembled. He slowly raised his head, and there seemed to be tears in his eyes.
“A scholar will die for one who understands him. You are the first person to think highly of me, and I am willing to follow you.” After saying this, he bowed deeply to Zhao Xian.
After leaving the brokerage firm, Zhao Xian led the three men to the Yuelai Hotel.
When Manager He saw that he had brought three people, he could tell from their attire that they were servants bought from a brokerage firm.
Manager He led them to a room upstairs and asked what kind of help they needed.
"We haven't eaten yet. Prepare some food for us, and also buy me three sets of clothes that country folk wear so we can change their clothes." After saying that, he took out two taels of silver and handed them to Manager He.
"It won't cost much to do this, just put it on the tab and I'll arrange for someone to take care of it right away." After saying that, Manager He returned the silver to Zhao Xian, then looked at the three men's figures, gestured, and calculated the sizes of their clothes.
After doing all this, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Zhao Xian and then left.
The three were deeply moved. The first thing the head of the household did after redeeming them was to give them food and clothes, and he did not treat them as slaves at all.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
