allonlinenovel Chapter 153 I want to buy him!
Chapter 153 I want to buy him!
The next day.
Lin Qingchuan got up early, loaded the carriage, and immediately woke up his eldest daughter. The father and daughter prepared dry food for breakfast and then drove the carriage at high speed to Dushui County.
After delivering the goods, they inquired about the boy's residence and went there.
An elderly woman lay on a rocking chair under a tree in the courtyard. Her hair was adorned with silver ornaments, and she wore fine clothes. However, her eyes revealed a ruthless intent, and a single glance from her could send shivers down one's spine.
She snorted coldly, snorting through her nostrils, and snapped, "You little brat, why don't you run again?"
"Why don't you run away?"
Her anger hadn't subsided when she slammed her hand on the table next to her, causing the blood-stained whip on the table to fall to the ground.
A boy lay on the ground opposite, dressed in tattered black clothes. His sleeves and trouser legs were rolled up, revealing numerous whip marks and freshly dried blood from the open wounds.
It was obvious that he had just been beaten.
The boy was in so much pain that his whole body was convulsing, but he kept his teeth clenched and didn't utter a sound or beg for mercy.
The old woman grew angrier the more she looked, and picked up the leather whip and lashed out again.
Two rows of children stood under the eaves behind the boy being beaten on the ground. One row was girls, and the other row was boys. They were terrified by the sight of the beating. Their eyes were filled with fear, and they covered their mouths with their hands, afraid that they would make a sound and be whipped.
No one dared to plead for him!
Because, of all the children who have entered this place, only those who have been bought by their owners have ever managed to escape.
Anyone who dares to run away will end up like this!
The old woman lashed the children a few more times, until she was tired. Then she wrapped the whip around her wrist, stuck out a finger, pointed at the two rows of children, and gritted her teeth as a warning.
“You all better watch out today. If anyone dares to try to run away like him, I’ll strip you naked. Your indentures are in my hands anyway. Even if I beat you to death, no one will know. Even if the authorities find out, they can’t do anything about it…”
The children shrank back in fear at the old woman's harsh words, their bodies trembling even more.
They were terrified and could only desperately pray that a kind master would come along and buy them back so they could be the lowest-ranking servants, even lowly maids, as long as they had somewhere to go and would be free.
This old woman Chen is a shrew. She'll beat and scold them at the slightest provocation. Because no one has come to buy servants these past few days, she's penniless and still has to feed so many people. She's already furious and looks at everyone with disdain, and then there's someone who's trying to run away.
Isn't this just deliberately setting fire to a firecracker?
After giving them a warning, Granny Chen glared at them and snapped, "You little brats, did you all remember that?"
"remember!"
More than a dozen children, big and small, answered in unison, afraid of being dragged out by Granny Chen if they were even a beat too slow.
Granny Chen nodded in satisfaction, her face, which had been as black as the bottom of a pot, softened slightly, and she threw the whip in her hand onto the table.
She turned back and glared fiercely at the boy covered in whip marks on the ground, her eyes filled with disgust.
"Alright, two of you come here and lock him in the woodshed. Let him go hungry for two days before releasing him."
With injuries all over his body, and unable to sell his goods recently, leaving him in the yard is an eyesore. It's better to lock him in the woodshed to temper his temperament.
Two tall boys walked out from the row of boys, bent down and dragged him toward the woodshed.
A shout suddenly came from outside the door.
Is this Grandma Chen's house?
The two boys had just dragged the person to the door of the woodshed when they heard someone outside calling for Granny Chen. They immediately let go and ran back to the team, afraid of missing out on a new buyer.
"Hey, here we come."
The once fierce-looking Granny Chen immediately changed her expression, put on a smile, and swayed her fat, barrel-shaped waist as she opened the door to greet people.
Lin Xiaotang and her father were ushered into the courtyard by Granny Chen. Seeing the two rows of boys and girls in the courtyard, they immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
It seems they really made the right choice coming to Granny Chen's place!
Granny Chen smiled as she looked at the father and daughter.
His clothes were of average quality, but they were brand new and clean. The adult looked like an honest man, and his eyes sparkled when he smiled, showing a cleverness about him.
She asked with a smile, "You two have come here to buy some servants, right? Are you looking to buy male servants or maids?"
Lin Qingchuan held up one finger and said, "Aunt Chen, one is enough for us. Let's buy one that's hardworking, so it can lend a hand with some simple chores when we get home."
Granny Chen's smile faded slightly, but she still chuckled and said, "I understand, you want to buy a boy to do some chores, right? Yes, yes, yes, here they are, all lined up."
With a single glance, seven or eight boys of varying heights rushed forward to stand in a row, each one excited yet apprehensive, fearing they wouldn't be chosen and would have to continue suffering under Granny Chen's care.
Lin Xiaotang and her father looked at the children standing neatly in rows.
Children ranging from five or six years old to sixteen or seventeen, with varying heights and appearances, all shared the same look in their eyes: anticipation tinged with apprehension about the unknown.
Lin Qingchuan felt that buying a thirteen or fourteen-year-old would be just right. He could bring her home so she could help with simple tasks and even drive the horse-drawn carriage to the county to deliver braised pig's trotters.
He felt that since they were all born of parents, he couldn't let them be servants to his family for the rest of their lives.
After two or three years, when his wife's baby was old enough to run around, he rented out the land and stopped farming. He would then only sell braised pig's trotters, which he could manage on his own. He returned the indenture and sent the young boy home.
Seeing the father and daughter's serious expressions as they made their choice, Granny Chen was secretly delighted; this business deal was going to be successful.
It's good to sell something after not making any sales for several days.
"Gentlemen, what age group are you looking to buy? We have all age groups available."
Lin Qingchuan replied, "Twelve or thirteen will do."
If he buys one that's too small, he worries that it won't be able to drive the carriage and deliver goods for him; if he buys one that's too big, he's afraid he won't understand its temperament and that it won't obey him.
Granny Chen quickly pulled out a thirteen-year-old boy and said with a proud look, "Look, this thirteen-year-old, don't let his thinness fool you, he's very strong, quiet, hardworking, and capable. Buying him is definitely a good deal."
Lin Qingchuan nodded, thinking that the thirteen-year-old did indeed look quite good.
"Aunt Chen, how much is this?"
After holding up three fingers, Granny Chen's eyes darted around, and she quickly added another finger.
"Four taels of silver, a real bargain!"
Lin Qingchuan was shocked when he heard this. It cost four taels of silver to buy a servant?
Spending four taels of silver to buy someone to work for two or three years, only to release them afterward by selling them into servitude, seems a bit too much of a bargain.
After all, he built two houses in Guihua Village and didn't spend this much money.
While he was silently calculating in his heart, Lin Xiaotang suddenly caught a glimpse of the doorway of the woodshed. There seemed to be a person lying there, covered in blood, and his body was trembling slightly.
She couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Grandma Chen, who's that lying by the door over there?"
Grandma Chen's smile froze, and she said somewhat awkwardly, "That's a stubborn mule who won't listen to reason. I just disciplined him a bit, and we'll leave him alone."
Lin Xiaotang ignored her and walked over.
Seeing the boy on the ground covered in wounds, his clothes torn, and bloody gashes all over his body, looking ferocious and terrifying, Lin Xiaotang gasped.
If you just give someone a little discipline, you beat them half to death. If you really discipline them properly, you'll probably beat them to death.
I had long heard that slave traders sold servants just like livestock, but seeing it for myself was truly an eye-opener.
She took a deep breath and pointed at the boy on the ground, saying, "Father, I want to buy him!"