Quick Transmigration: Underdog Turns out to be Untouchable

Chapter 1181: Chapter 1091: The Female Prime Minister (29)

The business deal was settled, and the family of three was ready to proceed with their second task of the day: buying a few servants.

There is a human market in the county, specifically for selling slaves. Those being sold at the market include children willingly sold by their parents and individuals selling themselves.

There are also those who have accrued debt and can’t repay, thus being captured to serve as repayment, as well as slaves and family members from wealthy households. Such people are either being sold due to errors they’ve committed or because the men of the family have dragged them down by their wrongdoings.

Yin Shuangshuang planned to buy a few individuals with clean backgrounds. Servants from affluent families are often cunning, and those being sold by their masters are certainly not useful. As for those from noble households, they are not suited for hard work.

The human market appeared relatively clean; on elevated platforms stood rows of people—this area was constructed by major human traders. There were also those selling themselves, marked with a straw emblem on their heads, in random places.

Some small-scale traffickers led groups of people tied with rope, standing wherever they pleased to sell people, much like livestock like cattle and horses, making for an unsettling scene.

A single cow generally costs about a dozen taels of silver, while a person’s selling price is merely the same. Even the price for a strong laborer amounts to only twenty taels of silver, truly not much more expensive than livestock.

After circling the human market, they bought a family of five—a couple and their two sons and one daughter. Aside from a little girl around seven or eight years old, the rest were strong laborers, with the two sons already adults.

This family encountered misfortune at home and fled from afar. Upon arriving here, they found themselves penniless, forced to sell themselves into servitude.

However, this family was resolute in staying together. Yin Shuangshuang decided to buy them because she witnessed a woman resembling a brothel madam attempting to buy the family’s young daughter.

Though the family’s little daughter appeared malnourished with sallow skin, her foundations were solid. It was clear she would grow into a beauty, which is why the brothel madam had her eyes on her.

The madam offered a high price, starting at twenty taels and continuing to raise it when the family refused. She finally offered up to one hundred taels, yet the family still refused to sell their daughter to the brothel madam.

One hundred taels is an extremely high price, and it could be said that aside from a brothel, no one else would spend so much on a person. If this family agreed, they would never again need to sell themselves into bondage with those hundred taels in hand.

But evidently, this family cherished their daughter and couldn’t bear to sell her into such a dire situation. They preferred to sell themselves into servitude together rather than watch their daughter fall into a brothel. Remarkably, even the girl’s two brothers were aligned with their parents in adamantly refusing to sell their sister to a brothel.

This greatly appealed to Yin Shuangshuang. In this era, few people valued their daughters, treating them as treasures. Many instead treated daughters as dispensable. This family’s ability to resist the allure of silver and decision not to push their daughter into a calamitous situation was enough reason for Yin Shuangshuang to decide to purchase them.

Yin Zheng and Mrs. Wang also quite liked this family. Both of them cherished their daughter, and they felt a keen affinity for this family, who similarly loved their daughter dearly.

Buying this family cost one hundred taels, and Yin Shuangshuang paid the highest price for all members, regardless of age or gender, at twenty taels of silver each. Since they were selling themselves, the one hundred taels became the family’s private property.

The father’s surname was Li, called Mr. Li, his wife was of the Chen family, the eldest son was Li Dalong, nineteen years old, the second son Li Dahu, eighteen years old, and the daughter named Xinghua, seven years old, having been born when the apricot blossoms bloomed at home.

Mr. Li was tasked to follow Yin Zheng, acting as the manor’s steward; Li Dalong and Li Dahu were tasked with manual labor, and if they raised cattle and sheep, they’d be responsible for herding.

Chen Family was to care for Mrs. Wang, mainly assisting her with household chores, while as for their little daughter Xinghua, Yin Shuangshuang had no inclination to use child labor. She planned for Xinghua to do nothing, just staying by her mother’s side for a few years until she grew up.

However, Chen Family insisted, ”The master family’s kindness is our blessing; but having already sold ourselves into servitude, we ought to behave as servants, not mistaking our status in the master’s house for that of free individuals.

Xinghua, though young, can at least help serve tea or fetch water. Let the young lady make do for a few years, and Xinghua will be ready to be of use when she grows up.”

Seeing Chen Family’s insistence, Yin Shuangshuang could only keep Xinghua by her side as a young maid, resolving not to put her to work. She found Xinghua a quiet little girl who would not be bothersome by her side.

After securing the servants, Yin Shuangshuang realized that since they now had servants at home, a vehicle for travel was necessary, and buying a cow for farming was also essential.

Yin Shuangshuang aspired to cultivate some land, growing their own grains, fruits, and vegetables. With a cow doing the work, it would be much easier and more efficient.

Initially planning to buy a horse, she found that the horses on the market were all of poor quality. Good horses were either used as military horses or bought by affluent families, making them hard to find in the market.

Ultimately, Yin Shuangshuang settled for two mighty dark green mules, both larger than ordinary horses and appeared very spirited.

She also purchased a pregnant cow; coincidentally, the seller was a man who had become addicted to gambling and was now chased by gambling houses for debts, forcing him to sell the pregnant cow at a reasonable price, which was fortunate for Yin Shuangshuang.

Riding on the green mules, guiding the cow, and leading the newly acquired family of Mr. Li, the group returned to the village in a lively manner. As they reached the village entrance, Yin Shuangshuang spotted the village chief sitting on the big green stone at the entrance, leisurely puffing on a pipe.

Since the departure of Yin Shuangshuang’s family, the village chief had been anxiously pacing at home. Unable to remain any longer, he brought his big pipe to the village entrance to wait for Yin Shuangshuang’s return.

Seeing Yin Shuangshuang, the village chief excitedly approached, barely taking note of the Li family she brought back, the two green mules, or the pregnant yellow cow, focusing solely on eagerly asking Yin Shuangshuang, ”Shuangshuang girl, did it succeed?”

Yin Shuangshuang nodded, smiling, ”Yes, it’s dealt with. Village chief, please have everyone get to work quickly and produce more Silver Frost Charcoal! The price for this Silver Frost Charcoal will be set at a tael of silver per pound; if you could relay this to everyone, I’d appreciate it.

Also, please remind everyone about one more thing: I will teach the method of making Silver Frost Charcoal and solve the sales issue, but if the quality of produced Silver Frost Charcoal is subpar, I will refuse to accept it once. A second time, the charcoal must be sold elsewhere, not through my sales channel.”

The village chief nodded repeatedly, ”Understandable, understandable. I’ll certainly urge them to ensure the quality of the Silver Frost Charcoal they produce. If their quality doesn’t meet standards, there’s no need for you to say anything, no one would allow it.”