Chapter 434

After the rations were gone, Caitou could only gnaw on dry cakes and sweet potatoes with the goods, and his temper became increasingly irritable. Whenever he saw someone who looked like a potential buyer, he would rush up from afar, eager to promote the goods in his hands.

Qin Huai also tried to investigate where Zhao Zhao Chengan was.

It was difficult.

This time, Qin Huai's range of movement was very large, and he was almost unimpeded in the entire trading market. Whether it was the suburbs further away or the shacks closer to the outer city, Qin Huai could go anywhere. It was difficult to judge where Zhao Zhao Chengan was based on the range of movement; after all, there were too many people in this place.

Shi Dadan had told Qin Huai that mayflies were originally buried in the soil or water to sleep all year round in their place. If Zhao Zhao Chengan dug a hole and buried herself like Chen Huihong, it would be impossible for Qin Huai to find her on the ground.

He could only wait for her to come out and steal things again.

As a result, this wait lasted for two days.

Because there was a little thief who could go anywhere, the traffickers didn't dare to buy good wine, meat, and vegetables lavishly anymore. They quickly disposed of the good goods on hand and entered the city, leaving only traffickers like Caitou, who had unsalable goods in his hands, still struggling to promote them outside the city.

Nothing had been lost in the past two days, or perhaps there was nothing worth stealing. But the traffickers were scared of being stolen from; even if nothing was lost, they had to keep an eye on each other when boiling porridge.

Watching one peer after another dispose of their goods at low prices and enter the city to enjoy themselves, while Caitou, who hadn't finished disposing of his and could only drink a bowl of hot porridge every day, and could only drink cold water and gnaw on big cakes every day, felt completely unbalanced. Whether it was a person or a dog passing by, he wanted to kick them a couple of times.

Every day, he was either sitting on the ground cursing his goods or standing and cursing his goods. But goods couldn't be sold just by cursing. Qin Huai had stayed in this trading market for two days and could roughly see that the quality of the batch of goods in Caitou's hands was really not good; they were basically all children, and they often lied about their age.

Children who looked only five or six years old would desperately claim to be eleven or twelve. The promotional words were also very poor; when asked, he would say they would be raised back after eating something good for two days.

These children, one by one, were skin and bones, and could be blown over by the wind; how could they be raised back just by eating something good?

After selling the last woman in his hands, Caitou stared fiercely at the most valuable goods he currently had—the child whose teeth Qin Huai had seen him showing to a customer at the beginning.

"If you can't be sold tomorrow, you don't have to eat cakes either. I've already contacted the leather workshop, coal kiln, and brick kiln; I'll send you all there tomorrow night."

As soon as these words were spoken, the children who were lying on the ground and didn't even have the strength to sigh couldn't help but shrink and tremble.

The child threatened by Caitou had no reaction and lay quietly on the ground.

"Really bad luck." Caitou really wanted to kick him hard, but he held back. He returned to his belongings (which were actually just a few cloth bags), took out a cake that was hard enough to smash walnuts, soaked it in cold water, and started eating.

The sun was about to set.

Qin Huai had stayed here for two days and had a rough understanding of the time when customers would appear in concentration; customers mainly appeared between 10 a. m. and 2 p. m. Customers with spare money to leave the city to buy people basically lived in the inner city. From the inner city to the outer city, whether by carriage or rickshaw, it took time.

It was too early for customers to get up, and too late to return after the sun set, which was unsafe. Basically, by 3 or 4 p. m. every day, the traffickers would relax; it was time to get off work.

As a result, just as the sun was about to set, someone came.

Other traffickers were still gathered around the pot drinking porridge and hadn't reacted, but Caitou, who was anxious to sell his goods, put down his cake and cold water and rushed up in one stride, beaming with a smile as if the God of Wealth had arrived. Looking at that posture, he wished he could drag the person to his side, but he kept a distance of more than a meter from the customer with great discretion.

This customer was dressed very decently; his clothes were a black cotton long gown without patches, the frog buttons were not worn out, and the cloth shoes on his feet looked very new. The most important thing was that this customer was sturdy, but looked relatively gentle and easy to talk to. One look and you knew he was a wealthy, well-off, and easy-to-fool master.

No one staying outside the city was clean; many children were bitten by mosquitoes and fleas, and the traffickers were naturally no better.

Any professional trafficker knew that while being attentive, one must never touch the customer directly.

"This master, take a look at what kind of goods you want. My goods here are complete, and the price is fair and reasonable. Take a look, I have boys from seven or eight to over ten years old, basically all collected from Jin Province. Don't look at how thin they are now; it's all because they were hungry from the dusty journey. There has been a drought in Jin Province for several years, and people have started eating each other. You must have heard about the situation. Those who can survive to this day have a good foundation; you'll raise them back after giving them a few full meals when you go back."

Hearing Caitou promote like this, several traffickers sitting by the pot drinking porridge showed disdainful smiles and exchanged glances, their eyes full of the thought that it would be a miracle if he could close this deal.

The customer heard Caitou say this and asked directly: "Do you have any boys around eight years old?"

Hearing that there was a chance, Caitou's eyes suddenly lit up. He strode to his territory, picked up the only valuable goods, and dragged him to the customer, skillfully prying open the child's mouth: "Take a look at this one, a farmer's son, 9 years old. This is the best goods I have on hand. Someone offered four and a half taels of silver before, but I didn't sell it; I just wanted to find a good home for this child. I see you are also a decent person; if you really want it, I'll sell it for four and a half taels of silver."

The customer looked at the child in Caitou's hand and said: "Don't hold him; put him down."

Caitou secretly stepped on the child, signaling him to be smart and say something nice, but the child was indifferent. After being put down, he knelt directly on the ground without even raising his head.

Caitou could only force an explanation: "Raised in the countryside all year round, hasn't seen the world, afraid. But this also has its benefits: honest, won't run away no matter how you beat or scold him, just give him a full meal."

The customer ignored Caitou's promotion, looked at the child carefully, and asked: "Have a name?"

"Yes, yes!" Caitou said hurriedly, opening his mouth to call out the child's name, but suddenly realized he didn't know what his name was at all, and hurriedly pushed him hard: "The master is asking you what your name is? Why don't you speak quickly!"

The child said woodenly: "Xia Sheng."

"Right, that's the name." Caitou grinned and accompanied with a smile: "I have an impression of this child; his family suffered a disaster and everyone died. Originally, I didn't want to take him. It was his mother who knelt on the ground and kowtowed to me, not wanting money or food, just begging me to take him and give him a bite to eat. My heart softened, so I took him."

"Absolutely a child from a good family!"

The customer hesitated, looking a bit moved. After thinking for a while, he shook his head: "Too old."

Caitou was stunned and blurted out: "Nine years old is old? This master, I absolutely didn't lie about the age, unlike some black-hearted ones who report seven or eight-year-olds as eleven or twelve."

As soon as Caitou said this, the other traffickers glared at him angrily.

The customer didn't explain either, just shook his head: "Nine years old is old."

After saying that, he was about to leave. Caitou was suddenly anxious, reaching out to catch up but not daring to, so angry that he was about to give Xia Sheng two kicks on the spot. Just as the first kick was about to land, Xia Sheng suddenly raised his head and said: "This master, I was born before the New Year. According to the customs of our family, those born before the New Year are counted as one year older, and the nominal age is counted as another year older. I am called 9 years old, but if counted fully, I am only 7 years old."

Xia Sheng's words kept the customer. The customer turned back, looked at him, and asked: "Have you read books?"

"There was an old scholar in the village. Before, my mother gave him a piece of cured meat to teach me to write a few characters. I recognize a few and have learned a little bookkeeping."

Caitou was anxious: "Why didn't you say so earlier!"

Caitou's face was full of the thought that if you had said you had this skill earlier, you would have been sold long ago.

The customer nodded with satisfaction and asked Caitou: "You just said he sells for four and a half taels of silver."

Caitou was a bit reluctant: "This master, that was just now, now..."