Tangli Fried Snow

Brother Shan said fiercely, "There's chaos and the government is inactive right now. They don't have time to deal with trivial matters like a lost girl. If you behave, you'll be as beautiful as I am. I'll take good care of you and sell you to a good family so you can be a concubine. You'll live a life of luxury. Isn't that great?"

"How dare you lock up a decent girl in broad daylight and even forge a contract to sell her like merchandise?" Sherry shouted. "This is kidnapping! That's a crime punishable by imprisonment!"

Brother Shan sneered, "We have connections! We're not afraid of going to jail! Throw her into that room and let her scream all she wants. Once she's tired of screaming, she'll naturally behave."

Two people arrived immediately and threw her into a dilapidated house.

They didn't even gag her, clearly not afraid of her yelling. Shirley also stopped yelling and only rolled her eyes around, thinking of a way to escape.

There were several girls and children in the room, all dressed in tattered clothes. Some were sitting, some were lying down, and there was even a pregnant woman with a big belly sitting next to her.

My God! They even dare to sell to pregnant women?

Sherry glanced at her a few times. The pregnant woman was not old, at most eighteen or nineteen years old. She was very pretty, but she was covered in dust and dirt, dressed in tattered clothes, with a bulging chest and a big belly, as if she was about to give birth.

Her gaze was vacant, her expression numb. She glanced at Sherry, perhaps thinking she was too beautiful or dressed too well, out of place here. She couldn't help but look at her a few more times.

This girl is as beautiful as a fairy from heaven.

Sherry smiled at her and quickly said, "Sister, could you please untie this for me?"

She shook the rope in her hand.

The pregnant woman glanced at the rope in her hand and said, "This is a pirate knot, it's very difficult to untie, I can't untie it. The more you struggle, the tighter it gets. Don't use force, just relax, someone will untie it for you when we eat."

Oh, no wonder her wrist felt tighter and more uncomfortable than before; that's why.

Since she could still walk, she stood up and moved closer to her, asking, "Sister, what's your name?"

"Poria."

Sherry asked, "How did you get sold while pregnant? Would anyone buy a pregnant woman like that?"

Fuling glanced at her but didn't say anything.

When Sherry saw that she was not speaking, she thought that she had touched a sore spot. She didn't want to talk about her own affairs, but she wanted to ask her more about the situation here.

She had no choice but to steer the conversation back to herself. Looking at the pregnant woman, she said, "I had a fight with my brother and sister-in-law, so I rented a carriage to go north to find my parents through the镖局 (bodyguard agency). Who knew that that bastard Er Gouzi would drag me here, tie me up, and say he was going to sell me. My brother and sister-in-law will definitely report me to the authorities, and then you'll be rescued too, and everyone will be rescued." After saying that, she glanced at everyone.

Those people, like Fuling, did not show any happy expression. They remained silent as before, as if they were mannequins whose souls had been taken away.

“We were all sold voluntarily,” Fu Ling said softly.

"Oh, you were sold while pregnant?" Sherry exclaimed in surprise. "Pregnancy means childbirth and postpartum care. Who would buy you then?"

Who would buy a pregnant woman? She can't work, she has to support two people, and the child isn't even her own.

Fuling gave a bitter smile after hearing this: "People like us don't have the good fortune to have a postpartum period. We have to go back to work right after giving birth."

"Where is the child's father? Would he be willing to sell you and the child?" Sherry asked, unwilling to give up.

"The child's father is Brother Shan..."

"what?!"

Sherry's brain has completely shut down. Brother Shan actually sold his own wife and children?

Does he have any humanity left? Isn't he just a beast?

She suppressed her shock and asked cautiously, "Sister, are you Brother Shan's wife? Why would he sell his wife and children?"

Fuling coldly replied, "I'm not his wife. My parents sold me to him because they couldn't afford to eat at home."

Sherry's mind went into another mental whirlwind.

So what's going on?

Just as she was about to ask more questions, she heard voices and footsteps outside.

There are so many people just by listening.

Oh no, are they going to sell me off now? She quickly lowered her head, trying to look like a quail, so as not to show her face.

The door was opened very quickly.

Several people walked in, and Brother Shan's voice rang out: "Gentlemen, you've come at just the right time today. The baby is due in a few days."

Sherry breathed a sigh of relief; it turned out they weren't going to sell her.

That means they're going to sell Poria cocos!

In his heart, he started cursing Brother Shan again, calling him a beast who would sell his own wife and children. He was worse than a pig or a dog!

A male voice in his forties or fifties rang out: "Hmm, not bad, quite young and good-looking. Shanzi, come on, let's take a look at the goods."

Brother Shan agreed and walked over, then pulled open Fuling's shirt and said with a smile, "Look carefully, everyone. She's young and beautiful, and this one is fair-skinned, big, tall, and has plenty of milk. She's a first-class, top-notch wet nurse."

Sherry couldn't help but look down and glance at her sideways. Fuling's upper body was exposed to the air. Her eyes were closed, and her face was full of pain.

It turns out they bought her to be their wet nurse.

Those people actually went up to me, clicking their tongues in amazement as they each tried it out, saying as they touched it, "Hmm, not bad, not bad."

An older voice rang out: "Medical books say that human milk is the essence of blood, which can nourish the brain, eyes, spleen and kidneys. It is the best tonic. The prime minister of the Han Dynasty drank human milk every day and lived to be 102 years old."

Brother Shan quickly flattered him, saying, "Master Xu, you know so much! That's just ordinary breast milk. Colostrum from a first-time mother is even more precious and highly nourishing."

Brother Shan spoke a few more words to the group, subtly pushing up the price: "This first-class product is at least five taels, the highest bidder wins. It's for breastfeeding and for the lady of the house to take care of the child... It only costs five taels of silver for three years. Colostrum is the most nourishing. Master Yuan often drinks colostrum, and he can still have sex even at seventy. As for this, Master Qian, the highest bidder wins..."

Wow! So buying a wet nurse means not only feeding the baby, but also the husband!

After a brief discussion, some offered six taels, others eight taels, and they walked out while making their bids.

The door was closed again, and only a few women with blank expressions sat inside.

Now she understands why these people are so indifferent.

Sherry's heart was in turmoil, her breathing was uneven, her body was ice-cold, and a deep sense of sorrow welled up in her heart. This was the bloody reality of ancient times, where the lower classes and women were either exploited or enslaved.

She had never longed to return to the modern world as much as she did at this moment.

I thought being sold was bad enough, but I never knew there were pregnant women who were sold.

I thought being sold while pregnant was the worst thing ever, but to be sold as a dairy cow after giving birth is even worse!

This is absolutely outrageous!

Fuling mechanically put on her clothes and just sat there blankly, her face devoid of joy or sorrow, as if she weren't the one who had just been humiliated and sold.

Seeing her lifeless face, Shirley couldn't help but ask again, "Sister Fuling, those people bought you to feed other people's children. What will happen to your child after he/she is born? Who will feed him/her?"

When Fuling heard Xue Li mention the child, her expression finally softened a little. Her eyes gradually filled with tears, and she slowly choked out, "They said they gave away the last child... They also said that as long as I work hard in the master's house, I can come back in three years and see the child I gave birth to."

She sighed and said, "Who knew that when I came back three years later, that beast would make me pregnant again... My poor child, I don't even know if it's a boy or a girl. After I give birth, he'll sell me off again. I don't know if I'll ever see my child again."

After saying that, she touched her belly, wept, and said nothing more.

Sherry felt even more upset. She asked, "Sister Fuling, where are your family?"

“They couldn’t afford to eat, so they sold me to Brother Shan. I haven’t had a home for a long time.”

Sherry then asked, "How much do you want for it?"

Fuling looked up at her and said, "Just like the girls here, if they sell me, my parents will only get two taels of silver."

"How much would it cost to buy you?"

Looking at Xue Li's innocent and bright face, Fu Ling knew that she was an innocent and naive rich girl who was still young and did not know the suffering of the world. Perhaps being tied up and left here was the greatest suffering she had ever endured.

Fuling smiled sadly and said, "Me? I can earn ten taels in three years. I can earn money for him for another ten years or so. He would have to pay at least fifty or sixty taels to buy me before he would release me."

I can afford fifty or sixty taels, but if I buy her, she'll need a place to live, have children, raise children, and live on food. How can I afford to support her for a lifetime?

Sherry was at a loss for words. Saying that she could buy her gave her hope, but she couldn't support her and the child for the rest of her life. Giving hope only to disappoint her seemed even more cruel. So she didn't say anything, just sat there blankly, her heart filled with mixed feelings.

This is ancient times, a feudal society. Ordinary people without money or power would have a terrible time, and the freedom she wanted was not easy to obtain.

. . . . .