Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

The mother and daughter discussed the matter of buying people and went to help Zhang Youtie and the others. Xia Yu, using her cotton-padded coat as cover, took out two masks from her spatial storage, one for Liu Shi and one for herself. The group divided the work, each watching over a kang (a heated brick bed), and their arrival made things much easier for Zhang Youtie and Uncle Ma.

They dried the chilies on the kang (a heated brick bed) and then put them in a basket. Liu then told Uncle Ma and Zhang Youtie about buying people. Hearing that his wife and daughter had already discussed it, Zhang Youtie immediately decided to go to town. Time was of the essence; besides, the people were for work, and the sooner they were brought back, the better.

Liu told the lame woman about her family's trip to the city and asked her if she needed anything to take with them. She also asked her to help feed Sihei at noon.

Upon hearing Liu's words, the lame woman nodded heavily and gestured "ah ah" several times in response. Aunt Ma helped translate from the side.

"Madam, Gengsheng's wife said she has nothing to take with her, so we can go without worry. She will help feed Sihei."

"Thank you, Sister-in-law Gensheng," Liu said with a smile.

The lame woman knew that Liu Shi couldn't understand her sign language, so she just smiled shyly and waved her hands.

After settling into the house, the family set off in two carts. Zhang Youtie drove the cart with the cargo bed, carrying Liu Shi, Xia Yu, and Aunt Ma. Uncle Ma followed behind in the oxcart.

"Sir, you just go ahead, I'll follow behind. Which brokerage firm are you and your wife planning to go to to buy someone?" Uncle Ma ran to the mule cart and asked Zhang Youtie before setting off.

"Which dental clinic in the county has a better reputation? We've only been to the one we visited last time; we haven't been to any of the others yet."

“Sir, actually the brokerage firm that bought my wife and me last time had a good reputation, otherwise we wouldn’t have sold ourselves there in the first place.” Uncle Ma didn’t hesitate to return to the place where he had been bought before.

“Okay, let’s go to that one then.” Zhang Youtie had a good impression of that brokerage firm, and after hearing what Uncle Ma said, he decided to go there again.

The mule cart was faster than the oxcart, and before long, Uncle Ma was left behind. Zhang Youtie was willing to wait, but then he heard Aunt Ma lean out of the cart and say to him, "Master, we don't need to wait for Old Ma. He knows the place. Buying people can't be rushed. We can go to the place first and choose at our leisure."

"Alright, let's get going then." Zhang Youtie cracked his whip and continued walking forward.

By the time they arrived in Ming'an County, it was past noon. Zhang Youtie had originally planned to take everyone out for a meal first, but Uncle Ma was still behind them, and it was uncertain when he would arrive. The group bought several pounds of braised beef from a shop and some hot sesame flatbreads to fill their stomachs. They left some beef and flatbreads for Uncle Ma in the carriage so he could have something to eat when they arrived.

Upon arriving at the brokerage firm, Aunt Ma jumped off the mule cart first, then helped Liu Shi and Xia Yu down. People inside the brokerage firm saw a mule cart parked at the entrance and immediately came out to greet them.

He glanced at the group's attire, unsure of the driver's identity, but seeing the respectful manner of Aunt Ma, an older woman, towards the young woman and girl, he figured the two must be in charge. So he smiled and bowed to Madam Liu, "Sister-in-law, have you come to the brokerage to buy or sell something?"

"Yes, we want to buy a few workers," Liu said, looking at the people coming out of the house.

"Alright, we've had quite a few new people here recently. Please come in, it's cold. Let's talk inside." Hearing that they wanted to buy people, the broker warmly welcomed them inside.

After leading the people inside, Zhang Youtie and Liu Shi sat down on chairs, and Aunt Ma stood behind Liu Shi without hesitation. Only then did the broker realize that the driver and the woman were from the same family. He quickly smiled apologetically and said, "Brother, please don't be offended. I was blind and didn't recognize you just now."

"Haha, no wonder, no wonder. Besides, what status do I have? I'm just a peasant from the village." Zhang Youtie didn't feel anything about it. He didn't have any status himself, so what was there to be surprised about?

"I wonder how many people you two are planning to buy, and what they're for? Do you want men or women? Are there any age requirements?" the broker asked in a row.

Zhang Youtie glanced at Liu Shi and gestured for her to speak.

Receiving Zhang Youtie's look, Liu thought for a moment and said, "We want to buy five or six, mainly for farm work. Both men and women are fine, as long as they are hardworking and willing to endure hardship."

Upon hearing Liu's request, the broker was secretly pleased, 'So she doesn't have many conditions! It seems this family isn't difficult to please.'

"Okay, okay, I will definitely pick a few honest and capable men for my elder brother and sister-in-law."

Aunt Ma frowned slightly when she heard the man speak; she recognized the voice. Hearing his words again confirmed her suspicions. So she bent down and whispered a few words in Liu's ear.

Hearing Aunt Ma's words, Liu Shi showed no unusual expression, only nodding slightly. The broker, noticing Aunt Ma's gesture, couldn't help but glance at her again. Aunt Ma looked familiar, but he couldn't recall where he had seen her before.

"It's cold and the backyard is messy. I'll go and call a few people over for my elder brother and sister-in-law. Please rest for a while." After saying that, he called out to the small house next door, "Little Bean, serve the guests tea." Then, he smiled at Liu and the others and went to the back.

Soon, a five- or six-year-old child brought over a tray with several cups of hot tea. Aunt Ma saw that he was struggling to carry the tray, so she quickly stepped forward to help him take it from him.

"Thank you, Auntie." The boy, nicknamed Little Bean, thanked Aunt Ma and then took the tray back to the small cubicle.

Seeing the little boy's figure, Aunt Ma sighed with pity.

Before long, the broker came up with ten people. This was to give Liu and her family a choice, and also to allow them to select more than one person.

"Brother and sister-in-law, these are the smart and capable people I picked out based on your requirements. Are you satisfied with them?"

Liu stood up and looked at each of the ten people one by one. The oldest was a man in his forties, and the youngest looked only twelve or thirteen years old, a boy.

Upon seeing Liu Shi and Zhang Youtie's attire, two of the fifteen or sixteen-year-old girls among the ten people clearly showed their displeasure. It was understandable; Liu Shi and Zhang Youtie had come in a hurry and hadn't changed their clothes, still wearing the clothes they wore for working at home, which did indeed look dusty and grimy.

Those two girls are so naive, their disdainful expressions are so obvious. Aren't they afraid of angering Madam Liu and actually picking them to take home and vent her anger on?

However, Madam Liu wasn't that idle; she wouldn't spend money to hire people to vent her anger. She hired people to come home and do chores for her, so she pointed to the two girls and picked them out.