Chapter 62 - Being Sold (2/2)

Yu Xiaocao and Xiaolian looked at one another and saw the doubt within each other’s eyes. The woman was dressed in a satin jacket and had a golden hairpin on her head. However, normal villagers wouldn’t be able to afford these items. The Yu Family also didn’t have any relatives like this. So, who exactly was this person?

“Based on how Eldest Aunt fawns on her, could it be that she’s here for Brother Heizi?” Heizi, whose real name was Yu Ge, was already thirteen years old. In ancient times, he should be approaching a marriageable age. Yu Xiaocao couldn’t think of any other reasons for the snobby Madam Li to treat that woman as if she were her own mother.

“Xiaolian, I’ll go take a look!” After Father got injured, Yu Xiaocao had been worried and took care of him for five days straight without going out. It was seldom that they would have a guest, so this incident sparked her inner curiosity.

She jogged into the yard with the firewood on her back while Madam Zhang and Madam Li were happily welcoming the woman into the main house.

Hearing the movement, the woman stopped in her tracks and turned to look at her from head to toe. Her critical gaze, as if she was examining a piece of good that she had just received, made Yu Xiaocao feel extremely uncomfortable.

“Is she the one? She has a decent appearance, fair and clean. Just a little too thin!” Trafficker Zhuang twitched her mouth in a picky manner.

The Zhou Family in town had just released a batch of maidservants, who had reached marriageable age. Thus, they needed to buy twenty to thirty young girls. For the past several days, Trafficker Zhuang had been extremely busy due to this matter. The Zhou Family was a major client of hers, so she couldn’t mess up this deal.

Yesterday evening, someone came to inform her that there was a competent and honest young girl for sale at Dongshan Village. So, she hired a carriage early in the morning and rushed over. She hadn’t expected that the little girl would be so thin and small that she didn’t even look the age of eight or nine.

Madam Li evasively moved away after she made contact with Yu Xiaocao’s cautious gaze. She vaguely replied, “It’s not her, but her older sister. She’s very competent and can do most of the work at home! Her father suffered a serious injury and her mother is weak and sickly, so the family is in need of money. If not, we wouldn’t have been willing to do this!”

Trafficker Zhuang looked around the five-room residence, which was bright and spacious, and the fence in the yard, which was made of sun-dried mud bricks. She smirked inwardly as she thought: ‘Looking at this house, this family doesn’t seem like they’re so short of money for them to sell their children!’ But, she’s only here to do business, so it was none of her concern. She never interfered with the dirty matters in other people’s homes.

Yu Xiaocao wasn’t an ignorant child. She could feel that something was wrong based on Trafficker Zhuang’s examining gaze and Madam Li’s guilty expression. Thus, she asked with alert, “What are you going to do with Xiaolian?”

“Go, go, go! What is a child doing here when the adults are talking?! Go somewhere else to play!” Madam Zhang impatiently waved her hand, as if she were shooing away a little chick. After that, she turned to smile at Trafficker Zhuang and said, “Let’s talk inside, in the room…”

“How is it none of our business? If you guys are trying to scheme against our second branch, then of course it has something to do with me!” Yu Xiaocao shouted as her suspicions increased.

“Who talks to their elders like you? Is this how your mother teaches you? For the past eight or nine years, we’ve been raising you, feeding you, and even providing medication for you. Yet you grew up to be an unfilial child who dares to rudely contradict your own grandmother. We should have just let you die from your illness at that time!” Seeing the impatient expression on Trafficker Zhuang’s face, Madam Zhang grinded her teeth and screamed loudly.

Madam Liu heard the screaming from the kitchen and swiftly walked out. She pulled Yu Xiaocao behind herself and apologized repeatedly, “Mother, she’s still a young child who doesn’t know anything. Please don’t take a child’s actions to heart…”

Madam Zhang continued to shout arrogantly, “You’re the only one who thinks that this useless wretch is a treasure! You damned brat, go kneel in your room and reflect on yourself! You’re not allowed to eat breakfast today!!”

Yu Xiaolian came in with the heavy firewood on her back. When she heard Madam Zhang’s words, she quickly threw the firewood down and rushed to her younger sister. She stood in front of Xiaocao and said, “My younger sister was seriously ill right before the New Year. If she falls sick again, won’t you have to spend money for the medicine? Grandmother, I’m willing to receive the punishment in place of my sister!”

Trafficker Zhuang had experienced and encountered numerous situations before, so she immediately knew that the child’s grandmother and eldest aunt were planning on secretly selling the child without the parents’ knowledge. Trafficker Zhuang had always had a good reputation in Tanggu Town. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have so many customers of high social status. Thus, she naturally wouldn’t ruin her own reputation just for a young girl.

Trafficker Zhuang smiled at Xiaolian and praised her, “Well, you’re quite faithful and righteous. Although you’re somewhat tanned and thin, you will look decent in two years after growing up a little. When noble families buy maidservants, a good character is the one important quality that they look for. These two girls, one is clever and sensible, while the other is honest and trustworthy. Moreover, they look exactly the same. Old Lady of the Yu Family, if you sell both your granddaughters to me, I’ll give you double the price!”

Earlier, Madam Zhang had already heard Trafficker Zhuang say that an eight or nine year old girl would be worth five taels at most. If the price was doubled for two girls, then it would be twenty taels. Not only would she earn back the money that was spent for the second branch’s medical fees recently, but there was also some surplus. If she added that to the money Hunter Zhao got from selling the bear… Madam Zhang suddenly got so happy that she smiled until her eyes disappeared.

[1] Trafficking matron (牙婆) – a woman trafficking young girls as slaves, concubines, etc.