It wasn't until we followed up at the brokerage that we found the couple with two young girls negotiating prices with a man.
Old Man Su placed his little girl in his eldest son's arms and then brought his two sons to the couple.
"Where did you abduct these two children from?"
Upon hearing this, the broker immediately withdrew his hand from the money he was about to hand over.
They are a brokerage firm, but they don't accept clients from illegitimate sources, because if they were caught, it would be a very serious matter.
"What nonsense are you talking about? This is my own daughter."
Looking at the two children, Old Man Su had to admit that the older girl looked quite like the woman in front of him.
"If they're their own children, then they can't control them," Old Man Su said, turning to leave.
The woman immediately knelt down. "Grandpa, it was wrong of us to cause trouble at your house before. Please buy my two daughters."
Then, the woman cried and said, "With you by my side, my two children are still alive. If they were sold to slave traders, who knows where they would be sent?"
The woman turned her head to look at the baby in Su Laoda's arms.
The child was fair-skinned with a chubby face, dressed nicely, and most importantly, I noticed a small silver bracelet on his wrist.
The woman looked at the lotus mark on Su Muyao's wrist and knew that this was indeed her daughter.
It's better if they don't come back; at least their lives are much better than if they stayed at home.
As soon as Daya heard her mother say that, she knew that the man in front of her was holding her younger sister.
She glanced up and saw the chubby little dumpling, then looked at Er Ya and couldn't help but clench her fist.
Da Ya also knelt down in front of Old Man Su with a thud. "Grandpa, please buy my sister. She can work and be a playmate for your little granddaughter."
Seeing this scene, Daya's father couldn't help but curl his lip.
"I don't think either of you are destined to enjoy a good life. Whether you are sold to a brothel or to a wealthy family as a maid, it's better than living in a peasant's house in the countryside."
The man thought that if she were sold to a brothel and hooked up with some rich man, even as a concubine, she would have more money than she could ever spend.
If you were to go to a wealthy family and grow up with their young master, it's not impossible that you might develop feelings for him and be married off as his official wife.
Isn't that what storytellers always say? Look at them now, actually wanting to go work as laborers in the homes of peasants.
"Since it's your own child, are you going to sell it or not? If not, go away and don't interfere with my business."
The brokerage owner was furious as he looked at the three of them crying and sobbing.
They came right to my doorstep to discuss business; I'm speechless.
Old Su wanted to leave, but looking at the two children, he couldn't bear to leave, especially after hearing the man say he would sell them to a brothel. How could a father say such a thing?
In previous years, there were families who couldn't afford to eat who sold their daughters, hoping to find a good family to marry into and earn a living as servants.
Old Man Su was torn, "How much are you planning to sell these two children for?"
The woman was about to speak when her husband twisted her arm. The man immediately replied, "It's not expensive, just two taels of silver for each of these two children."
The brokerage owner standing nearby curled his lip upon hearing this.
Putting aside the fact that they originally agreed on a price of 800 coins, how could a country bumpkin possibly buy two girls?
Upon hearing this, Old Man Su turned and left, but the woman immediately called out, "Two taels of silver, take both of my children back with you."
Upon hearing his wife's words, the man slapped her across the face, yelling, "You shameless woman, when did it become your place to make decisions?"
The woman whispered in the man's ear, "Husband, they definitely won't buy it at such a high price."
Two taels of silver is already quite a lot. Have you forgotten the price you just negotiated with the broker? If they leave, you'll lose money if you sell it back to the broker.
Old Su also stopped in his tracks. He wanted to take the two children home, but he was afraid that his little granddaughter would object.
Finally, she steeled herself and said, "Let's go."
Seeing her grandfather about to leave, Su Muyao quickly called out to him to stop.
"Grandpa, should we buy these two older sisters? They can help with chores when our family gets busy."
Old Man Su hesitated for a long time before finally nodding in agreement.
In the end, he went to the county government office with the couple to sign a document acknowledging that he had sold himself into servitude, and also wrote a document severing all ties.
Su Muyao's idea was to return the indenture to her two older sisters in the future so they would be free. She didn't want those scumbags to come looking for her again, which would be troublesome.
The two sisters huddled together timidly the whole way, not daring to utter a single word.
When Grandma Su got home and learned about this, she beat Grandpa Su severely.
"You old geezer, don't you have any granddaughters of your own? You brought two unwanted girls from outside."
"Still hiding? You still have the nerve to hide? How did you buy it? How are you going to return it to me? You think you're so great just because you have a little money?"
Is that money yours? Two taels of silver to buy two dolls isn't expensive, they can do work? What kind of work can they do? I'll beat you to death today, or I'll change my surname to yours.
Su Muyao chimed in from the side, "Grandma, you were originally surnamed Su too."
Grandma Su didn't listen to what her granddaughter was saying, and instead smacked Grandpa Su a few times with a stick.
Finally, when he was tired of fighting, he took a look at the two little girls standing together, trembling.
"Do you two have anything to say?"
Daya immediately knelt down before the old lady, saying, "Grandma, Erya and I can both work. Please don't send us back. We can do any kind of work."
Grandma Su sneered, "With your skinny arms and legs, what can you do? Let me make this clear: we are a farming family. We don't need to adopt granddaughters or goddaughters. In my family, you can only eat if you work."
"If you want to stay, then stay; if not, we'll send you back to where we came from."
Grandma Su didn't want to end up having two little devils in the house. One precious child was enough; she absolutely refused to let another little girl take away her precious child's love.
I remember when I was young, we had a big brick house in the village, which was considered a wealthy family back then.
She was unable to have children but had a daughter. The girl was about the same age as her, and she often played with her.
But then the family behind them picked up another baby from somewhere.
The doll that was later found became increasingly popular in the family, while her playmate, who was initially lively and cheerful, became quiet and withdrawn. In the end, she was wrongly accused by her family and jumped into the river to prove her innocence.
She had cherished her precious child since she was a baby, and she didn't want her precious child to suffer even the slightest grievance because of the two girls she bought halfway through her life.
Daya kowtowed twice to Grandma Su, saying, "Grandma is right. We are just maids who were bought and we will only do our work. We will not have any other thoughts."
"It's good that you know. Your indentures are still with me. Work hard at home, and I can return them to you when it's time to arrange marriages."
But now you all need to behave yourselves and stop thinking things you shouldn't. Recognize your place.
Old Man Su was a little confused listening to this. What could they possibly be thinking? Besides, his family was just a farming family; what could these two girls possibly be after?
Su Muyao never expected her grandmother to be so strict with the two little girls. But she figured it was probably because her grandmother was afraid that the two girls would steal away the affection her brothers, uncles, and aunts had for her after they arrived.
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