Chapter 27: Cuier and Xiaohua

Having carefully looked at the new stock that had arrived as refugees, where were there any with good figures?

They were all nearly skin and bones.

Cheng Feng said helplessly, "Is this what you call having a good figure?"

The Shopkeeper smiled obsequiously, "Customer, as the saying goes, one can recognize a beauty by their bones. I have handled no fewer than eight hundred, if not a thousand, in this line of work. These girls are just famished from being hungry for so long; as long as you raise them for a bit, they are absolutely worth more than the price."

Cheng Feng would not pay any mind to the Shopkeeper's suggestion; what he needed was someone he could buy and take to the bridal chamber that very night.

But Cheng Feng could not say that explicitly, so he had to shake his head and say, "I can't wait that long to raise them. Are there any ready-made ones?"

Seeing the difficult expression on the Shopkeeper's face, Cheng Feng felt there was a chance.

Not refusing directly meant it was negotiable.

"Rest assured, price is not an issue."

While saying this, Cheng Feng slipped two large coins into the Shopkeeper's hand.

Cheng Feng wore a smile on the surface, but his heart was bleeding; those were, after all, two large coins!

Previously, when Cheng Feng sold fish, one fish was only worth one large coin.

Although it hurt, he had to endure it for the sake of his goal.

All of Cheng Feng's current goals were set on the Martial Arts Hall assessment.

Once he entered the outer sect, he would be able to earn a decent salary.

As for the rest, he still had twenty-two taels of Silver; after buying the people, the remainder should be enough to get by until that time.

The Shopkeeper accepted the money, and the smile on his face became full of sincerity, as he hurriedly flattered him in a low voice, "Thank you for the reward, Master."

Following the Shopkeeper, he arrived at a side room again, and while opening the door, the Shopkeeper introduced, "This way, Master."

Hearing how the Shopkeeper's form of address had changed, Cheng Feng felt some regret over whether he had given too much.

However, he also felt a secret thrill; the feeling of being flattered was indeed quite good.

If he could find another girl who caught his eye to take away, it would be even better.

"In this room are those who were just received these past two days. I remember there are a few pretty ones. Master, take a look; if you still don't find one you like, then our shop truly has none left."

Cheng Feng asked skeptically, "There won't be any problems, will there?"

Locals are one thing, but the biggest taboo with outsiders is that they have no ties or attachments; they sell themselves for a bit of Silver and then turn around and commit suicide.

And the money cannot be recovered.

The Shopkeeper, however, put Cheng Feng's mind at ease, "Rest assured, Master. We are a shop that has been here for decades. In this line of work, we certainly make their backgrounds clear and transparent."

Cheng Feng looked at this batch of new stock; there were indeed some pretty ones, and even some that suited Cheng Feng's tastes.

As expected, one can only see the good goods after topping up to VIP!

Compared to these appearances with excellent figures and temperaments, Cheng Feng was more curious about the origins of this batch of new stock.

The Shopkeeper replied, "Hasn't there been a rebellion over in Dongyudao? Wealthy merchants and great clans have been fleeing south with their families. The journey is long, and they have many servants and retainers. These are the slave girls of those wealthy clans; some were sold for money, and some were forced into this plight through underhanded means. So, Master, you have absolutely no need to worry; the contract terms will all be prepared perfectly."

"Sounds good. Are they all untouched?" Cheng Feng asked.

"They are all untouched, except for this mother and daughter; they must be bought together and cannot be sold separately," the Shopkeeper replied.

Cheng Feng looked carefully at the mother and daughter; the mother should be around twenty-four or twenty-five, with a charming figure and a temperament that was not bad either.

But she brought a daughter, about five or six years old, who was looking at everything around her in ignorance.

Cheng Feng did not know the plight of this mother and daughter.

He only knew he had come to find the person he needed.

Not to sympathize with others.

If he had the spare capacity, helping out would be fine.

With this real gold and Silver, how could Cheng Feng have so much money to go around being charitable?

Those cold scales, in that desperate chase, were the Silver that Cheng Feng and Lao San had risked their lives to bring out.

How could Cheng Feng dare to spend it recklessly? "Forget about the mother and daughter; I still prefer those who are untouched."

Cheng Feng carefully selected a maidservant raised by a great clan; she had long legs, and while her figure was not as prominent as Cai'er's, it was not bad either.

Her features were superior to Cai'er's, and more delicate.

Her lips were slightly full, not appearing thin.

Cheng Feng even specifically checked her teeth; they were neat and tidy.

Cheng Feng looked left and right; she was the type he liked.

Satisfied.

Cheng Feng pointed at the girl he had taken a fancy to, "Just her. What's the price?"

The Shopkeeper said happily, "Master, her name is Cuier. She was a maid in a wealthy household before and is excellent at taking care of people. The shop's price is sixteen taels."

Cheng Feng frowned slightly; he hadn't expected his taste to be good, but this price was not cheap either!

The Shopkeeper, skilled at reading expressions, saw Cheng Feng's hesitation and added, "Master, if you take another one of those girls who arrived as refugees earlier, it's two for the price of one, seventeen taels in total. You'd even be making a profit!"

"Oh? It can be like that?" Cheng Feng became interested.

"Master, this is also because there have been many people fleeing here as refugees recently, so the Shopkeeper is practically selling them off. After all, if they stay here, they will consume quite a bit of grain," the Shopkeeper explained.

Cheng Feng nodded; that logic held up, "Alright then, let's go to the front and pick another one. Who knows, there might be a piece of raw jade among them!"

Seeing that Cheng Feng was going to buy, the Shopkeeper flattered him, "Master, your eye for things is absolutely correct. If you raise her for a bit, she will definitely be a great beauty."

Bringing Cuier, he arrived at the front room and picked a young one by roughly looking at her eyes, temperament, teeth, and figure.

Her body was frail, and her temperament was gentle.

Her name was Xiaohua; she had no surname, and her background was simple—she had been sold by her family to pay for her younger brother's medical treatment.

Cheng Feng did not waste words; he took the two of them to the front hall, paid the money and the Silver, and sat at the table again, waiting for the runner to go to the Yamen to have the official seal stamped.

Cheng Feng felt a bit of pity for that mother and daughter; that mother's appearance was truly excellent, and she had grown right into Cheng Feng's heart.

In the educational films from the island nation, I really saw no shortage of that kind of elegant matron temperament.

It's a pity to actually encounter one like that in reality.

There will be no chance to meet again.

It was nearly sunset when Cheng Feng finally hurried to the clothing store with the two women, bought each of them a set of clothes, and then returned home.

Cai'er was already mentally prepared, but she was somewhat surprised to see Cheng Feng return with two people.

You bought an extra one?

Cheng Feng took the initiative to explain: "I ran into a famine, and they are refugees who came to the house; the shopkeeper happened to say it was cheaper to buy two, so I just bought them both. I was afraid that if I only bought one, she wouldn't be able to keep up with the work."

Looking at the two women's clothing and appearance, Cai'er understood in her heart: one to help herself, and one to help her man.

She first busied herself with getting Cheng Feng to eat.

Then she took the two women to the kitchen to prepare two dishes; the fine rice, fine flour, and even meat in the meal truly stunned Xiaohua.

Is it this extravagant?

Cuier had seen quite a bit, so she wasn't overly surprised.

If it's given, then eat it.

Since they had already been sold, Cuier knew in her heart what she was about to face.

Those who look good are nothing more than becoming a Concubine for others.

The worst is being a servant concubine, the kind that can be gifted away at will.

Originally, Cuier would have been gifted as a present to someone who was on good terms with her former master's family.

But unfortunately, from famine and riots to rebellion and fleeing, Cuier had seen too much, so she resigned herself to her fate.

With her deed of indenture held by the master's family, the outcome of running away wouldn't be very good either.

Being able to come to this household could actually be considered not bad.

The two women ate their meal in silence, and as they ate, they began to cry.

Their crying was not loud, for they were afraid of disturbing the master of the house.

Cai'er was someone who had been through it all, so she busied herself with comforting them: "What are you crying for? Don't cry, don't cry; it will be stable from now on."

Xiaohua cried as she replied: "This food is too delicious."

Cuier also nodded silently in agreement.