Chapter 680

The slaves' training was also nearing its end; in fact, it had basically succeeded, but due to time constraints, they could not yet be sold, so they could only continue to linger in the camp. The soldiers guarding them now felt much less pressure and no longer needed to worry so much.

Several slaves from the Baifeng household responsible for special education were also selected—many clever and well-behaved ones were picked out, and their names were recorded. Later, some of them were sent into the Baifeng household, while the rest would be sold. Other slaves with average but still qualified performance would also fetch a higher price.

Not a single slave in Huaxia could read—or rather, Baifeng did not allow them to. Slave literacy was a terrifying matter, especially for royal household slaves, as Baifeng did not want secrets in his own home. Written communication made information transmission simple, and important documents were stored in abundance within his residence.

Slaves were only permitted to learn arithmetic; even basic calculation had to be mastered, so they could better assist their masters in daily life. Outstanding slaves also had to pass basic arithmetic assessments—this single criterion alone separated the clever from the mediocre.

Yinyang had provoked the soldiers' displeasure, and his own abilities were not particularly outstanding. In truth, he would have made a decent laborer, but Huaxia now needed them to compete intellectually, so Yinyang's performance was poor. Though not the worst, his overall score was low, with his only advantage being strength and a healthy physique. His final fate was to become a hard-labor slave in the household of a noble who valued his strength.

Cangyun, on the other hand, performed very well—she was among the best. However, due to Yinyang's presence, her situation became awkward. Had she no connection to him, she would likely have entered the Baifeng household. But she was already pregnant, her belly noticeably so, and experienced observers could tell she was about six months along.

However, neither Cangyun nor Yinyang had experience with this matter; they were unclear how long pregnancy lasted, believing simply that when the time came, birth would follow. Everyone in Huaxia assumed Cangyun had always been Yinyang's woman, unaware that she had formerly been the woman of the Yanhu Tribe's chief, and that her time with Yinyang had lasted only about three months.

Thus, the father of the child in Cangyun's womb was obvious to all, yet no one knew—Baifeng even less so, as he would never concern himself with such trivial matters.

However, Cangyun's presence had created a major complication in slave disposition, as the sale was imminent. Everyone knew no household would want a heavily pregnant slave incapable of work, burdened with a constantly crying child not their own—no noble would be so magnanimous in this era, when hearts were generally ruthless.

If Baifeng knew who fathered Cangyun's child, and she knew as well, he might not let that person live. Though such small-probability events sound absurd, for the sake of his rule and Huaxia, eliminating a potential source of destruction—however minuscule the risk—was nothing. Huaxia would not lack such a person.

But since no one knew, after discussion in the camp and reporting to the Ministry of Revenue, it was decided to send Cangyun to the slave camp of the Ministry of Works, with Yinyang also exiled there. Yinyang would serve as a Ministry of Works slave, performing heavy labor—suitable for him—while Cangyun would work in the kitchen preparing meals for workers, her cooking skills being adequate.

The Ministry of Works' food standards were relatively high, especially for its artisans, but Huaxia lacked cooks, so even the finest ingredients could not yield excellent meals. Cangyun was well-suited for this role, living alongside Yinyang, which was barely acceptable. Having received the news, they knew that after serving sufficient years as slaves, they could regain freedom, and their child, after living as a slave alongside parents for the required term, could also be freed to become ordinary people—thus, they still had some good days ahead.

Of course, the slaves knew none of this. They had grown accustomed to this regular, peaceful life. Though they had never entered the distant, towering, luxurious city, spending their lives here was not unbearable—they had food and drink, feared neither freezing nor hard labor, aside from the initial days after stealing food, when they were punished and tormented, but now they had recovered.

Each day consisted merely of chopping firewood and doing light tasks—odd little behaviors, from how to open a door to wiping tables and floors, to larger ones like hauling water and cooking. Though they did not understand, as long as they could eat their fill, what did it matter?

Slaves with access to bathing facilities would go regularly, yet they remained deeply averse to it—not just slaves, but soldiers and all of Huaxia in winter, when bathing frequency plummeted. It was not due to lack or scarcity of water, but because stepping into the bathhouse required immense mental preparation before one dared enter. Winter bathing was a painful ordeal.

Moreover, frequent bathing caused excessive skin flaking, like snowflakes, leaving skin dry and parched, so everyone agreed winter bathing should not be too frequent.

Forced to bathe, slaves developed a strong aversion—they would rather wash their clothes in freezing weather than bathe.

Yet now, the slaves all appeared clean and tidy, the entire camp swept spotless. Though the ground was dirt, constant trampling by many had hardened the soil into firm, solid earth, so describing it as spotless after sweeping was not inaccurate—even after snowfall, the ground would not become overly muddy.

Slaves could not pause for weather; even in heavy snow, they had to go out to labor—chopping wood, hauling water, or, if snow still fell, clearing accumulated snow from the ground and shoveling it away with wooden shovels.

Even if they found it pointless, they had to comply, after all, who provided them with food to eat?