After a male student transmigrated into the body of a widow,

After resting, Gu Lin and his group set off again. After traveling on the official road for five or six days, the oxcart finally arrived at the prefectural city.

Following Gu Lin's directions, Brother Zhao and Niu Qiang drove the oxcart to the house that Gu Lin had bought.

Looking at the house in front of her, which was much larger than the one in the county town, Sister Zhao took a deep breath and said in a slightly trembling voice, "Brother Lin, this house in the prefectural city must be expensive, right?"

Without hiding anything from the other party, Gu Lin told them the price truthfully.

Upon hearing the price of the house, Zhao's wife raised her hand to touch her rapidly beating heart, thinking to herself, "As expected of the prefectural city, the house prices alone are more than ten times higher than in the county town."

Gu Lin stepped forward and opened the gate. Zheng Hao, Brother Zhao, and Niu Qiang unloaded the luggage from the oxcart and carried it inside.

After they had moved their luggage, Gu Lin and Sister-in-law Zhao brought them tea.

Gu Lin said to Niu Qiang, "Brother Niu, thank you for helping us with our luggage. Please stay for a meal later."

Niu Qiang did not immediately agree upon hearing this. Instead, he looked at Zheng Hao and, seeing that the other party did not react, Niu Qiang said, "Then I'll have to trouble Boss Gu."

Gu Lin said, "It's us who are troubling Brother Niu."

After the meal, Niu Qiang had to take his leave.

Sister-in-law Zhao and Brother Zhao started cleaning the house, but Gu Lin stopped them and said, "Sister-in-law, Brother Zhao, you should go and rest. I'll find someone else to clean the house tomorrow."

Sister-in-law Zhao waved her hand and said, "You go ahead with your work. Your brother Zhao and I have nothing to do right now, so we'll clean the house. Besides, it's never as comfortable as cleaning it ourselves. It's always better to tidy up your own place before you feel at ease."

After saying that, Sister-in-law Zhao pulled Brother Zhao to continue cleaning the house.

Seeing that he couldn't stop them, Gu Lin helplessly told them to clean up however they wanted and not to tire themselves out.

As a result, Gu Lin and Zheng Hao became the two most idle people in the family.

Gu Lin wasn't in a hurry to pack his luggage because there was something more important waiting for him.

He turned to Zheng Hao beside him and said, "Xiao Hao, I've decided to buy servants."

With a slight twitch of his brow, Zheng Hao looked up at Gu Lin and asked, "Uncle Gu, why did you suddenly change your mind?"

Gu Lin said, "After thinking about it for a long time, I think you are right. As long as I keep a positive attitude and don't punish them arbitrarily after I buy them, they will be just like the other people I hire."

"Moreover, if they behave well afterward, I can also free them from slavery."

As he continued, Gu Lin couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly, "In the end, I still didn't adhere to my principles as much as I thought. Since buying servants would save me more trouble and effort, I didn't want to waste any more energy recruiting people."

Listening to Uncle Gu's pedantic words, Zheng Hao said, "Uncle Gu hasn't even bought the servants yet, but he's already thinking of releasing them from their slave status, which shows that Uncle Gu is kind. Moreover, Uncle Gu won't punish or dispose of them arbitrarily, so who knows if Uncle Gu's place isn't a good place for them?"

Gu Lin smiled slightly upon hearing this, a smile tinged with helplessness and sorrow.

The quality of life for the people in the prefectural city is far superior to that of the people in the county town. The city is bustling and offers many opportunities, so the people of the prefectural city are never short of work.

They even have many requirements for the work location: it can't be too tiring, you can't work too late, and the wages must be high.

Gu Lin, who had worked as a laborer, could understand their demands and didn't think there was anything wrong with them. People work hard all year round, just wanting to make their lives better, right?

If the other party only asked for high wages, Gu Lin could afford it, but the people of the prefectural city were always somewhat lazy, so Gu Lin couldn't just let it slide and had to buy servants.

However, Gu Lin's heart was still too soft.

Zheng Hao cautioned, "If Uncle Gu buys the servants, he shouldn't be too kind and tolerant. Human nature is complex. They were bought from outside, and it's hard to guarantee that they won't have any improper thoughts because Uncle Gu is easy to talk to."

Gu Lin heeded Zheng Hao's advice.

He said solemnly, "I understand."

Having decided to buy servants, Gu Lin had prepared himself mentally.

His modern experiences have taught him that one should do what one is meant to do. Just as a student should follow the school rules, if one stands out from the crowd when one has no power to change them, one will not be seen as unique, but rather as different from the world and should disappear from this world.

Applying this to the relationship between the master and the servants, Gu Lin did not want his momentary kindness to bring disaster upon his entire family.

After discussing it, Gu Lin and Zheng Hao didn't delay and immediately got up to go to the brokerage.

There were many people selling themselves on the street, or brokers leading groups of servants and hawking their wares, but Gu Lin didn't buy anything.

After making preparations to buy servants, he inquired and learned that it was best to buy servants from a reputable brokerage firm, as buying servants on the street might save money but was dangerous.

The true identity of the servants bought from the street cannot be verified. There have been similar cases in the past where the servants and sellers were in cahoots, secretly conspiring to murder the buyer's family for their money.

Instead of living in constant fear, it's better to spend more money to buy servants from a reputable brokerage firm.

As Gu Lin and Zheng Hao entered the brokerage, a shop assistant came forward to greet them.

Gu Lin said, "I want to buy a few servants, male or female, but they must be young and strong."

Upon hearing the young man's request, the waiter immediately said, "You two come with me."

The shop assistant turned around, and Gu Lin and Zheng Hao followed him into the depths of the brokerage firm.

As soon as Gu Lin entered the brokerage, he saw the other brokers leading customers deeper into the brokerage.

If he wasn't mistaken, that should be a place where servants were kept.

As expected, Gu Lin was right.

After following the waiter inside, they walked through a slightly dimly lit corridor, and then their eyes lit up as Gu Lin and Zheng Hao arrived at a spacious yet narrow courtyard.

The reason why the courtyard in front of us is described as both spacious and narrow is because it does occupy a large area, but at the same time, there are too many people standing and squatting here, which makes the originally spacious courtyard seem particularly narrow.

The waiter led Gu Lin and Zheng Hao to a group of people squatting down. Then, he turned to Gu Lin and said, "Husband, these are the servants you requested. There are men and women, all healthy and in their prime."

As soon as the waiter finished speaking, Gu Lin looked down at the group of people squatting on the ground. Their hair was messy and dirty, and their clothes were tattered and worn, revealing glimpses of their skin.

These servants seemed to be very well-trained; they didn't even look up when the waiter spoke.

Gu Lin said, "Raise your heads."

A thin man tentatively raised his head, and seeing that the waiter did not scold or beat him, he raised his head completely to look at Gu Lin.

Seeing the other servants still bowing their heads, the waiter shouted, "Why aren't you raising your heads yet?"

Only then did the people squatting on the ground raise their heads one by one, as if they had received a command.

If the man in front who raised his head still had some vitality, then the man behind him had a numb and lifeless expression on his face.

Gu Lin's heart sank.

Although he already knew that the lives of servants in this era were not good, looking at the scene before him, Gu Lin still felt that his previous thoughts had underestimated the misery involved.

His tone was slightly somber as he addressed the group of people squatting in front of him: "What are your names? How old are you? What have you done in the past?"

However, before the servants could answer, the waiter interrupted, "Sir, these people are all refugees from the south. They couldn't survive, so they sold themselves into slavery. Back in their hometowns, they were all farmers who only knew how to farm."

Gu Lin frowned, then turned to the waiter and said, "I wasn't asking you, I was asking them."

Although he didn't know why the young husband in front of him had suddenly become angry, the waiter wisely kept quiet.

Gu Lin turned his head and looked at the group of people on the ground, saying, "You all speak."

I thought the group of people squatting on the ground wouldn't dare to speak, or that it would be a long time before someone would say something.

Unexpectedly, the man who had been the first to look up opened his mouth and said in a hoarse voice, "Hello, my husband. My name is Lin Xiaoyao. I am twenty-four years old. I used to run a small food stall with my husband's family back in my hometown, so I know some cooking skills. If my husband needs me, I hope you can give me a meal."

"Are you a boy?" Gu Lin's eyebrows twitched.

The thin man replied, "Yes."

Hearing the other person's confirmation, Gu Lin looked at them carefully.

Upon closer inspection, Gu Lin noticed that compared to the man, the other person was indeed more slender and had softer, more delicate features.

Gu Lin asked, "Where are your family members? Are they here too?"

The thin young man paused for a moment and said, "My hometown was flooded, and my husband's family and I fled north. We spent all our money and ran out of food along the way, so my husband's family sold me to a brokerage firm to exchange for money."

I wonder if all buyers who come to purchase servants ask this question. Lin Xiaoyao seems to have said it many times before, her tone completely calm.

Gu Lin raised his finger and pointed at Lin Xiaoyao, saying, "It's you. Come here."

Lin Xiaoyao was stunned for a moment, then quickly got up and walked towards Gu Lin, finally standing behind Gu Lin.

Seeing that Lin Xiaoyao, a young man, could be picked up by a buyer so quickly, the remaining squatting people showed some ripples on their faces.

Soon, a burly man began to introduce himself. Gu Lin did not react, so the remaining dozen or so people took turns stating their names and origins.

After listening, Gu Lin turned around and whispered a few words to Zheng Hao.

Finally, he pointed out five young men, three women, and two young men from the crowd.

Once they were behind him, Gu Lin turned to the waiter and said, "That's all for now. Calculate the cost."

Seeing that the young man in front of him had bought so many servants at once, and that they were all young and strong men at considerable prices, the shopkeeper immediately beamed and said, "Young man, the young and strong men and young ladies you bought are priced at ten taels each, eight taels each, and seven taels each, according to the market price."

In this way, Gu Lin spent ninety-five taels of silver to buy servants, and he took out a one-hundred-tael silver note from his purse and gave it to the shop assistant.

The waiter was quite surprised to see that the other party was so straightforward and did not haggle.

Even when stewards from many wealthy families in the prefectural city came to buy servants, they would haggle with him.

Moreover, the price he initially agreed to with Gu Lin was open to negotiation, and he was prepared to waive a few taels of silver for him. He never expected that the young husband in front of him would pay so readily.

The waiter's smile grew even brighter as he said, "Alright, sir, please wait a moment, I'll go get you the money right away."

Originally, the shop assistant would have received a commission of five taels for this deal, but since Gu Lin did not negotiate the price back, the shop assistant received an extra two taels.

The waiter turned around and quickly ran to the front to get the money from the manager, afraid that the young man behind him would regret it.

After the waiter left, Gu Lin felt slightly depressed.

Although he didn't speak, Zheng Hao sensed it and said softly, "Uncle Gu, are you saddened by these people? You've done very well."

Given the kind and gentle nature of the young man beside me, he would definitely not be able to accept such a scene of people being treated like animals.

Zheng Hao's dark eyes couldn't help but show a hint of worry. Gu Shuliang was kind and lively, and others had long been numb to this kind of situation. In years of disaster, people couldn't even survive, let alone talk about personal dignity.

Uncle Gu is too out of place in this world.

He was too kind.

Just like earlier, Uncle Gu always liked to haggle with sellers when buying things, but he didn't mention it even though he knew the brokers were asking for more money. It was simply to protect the pride of the servants behind him.

Gu Lin pursed his lips slightly and said to Zheng Hao, "It's okay, I'll be fine after a while."

The broker returned quickly, bringing with him the servants' indentures.

He handed the recovered silver and the indenture to Gu Lin, saying, "Husband, these people will be your servants from now on."

After receiving the indenture, Gu Lin turned to the people he had bought and said, "Let's go."

Gu Lin and Zheng Hao walked in front, and the servants followed behind them. Unlike when they came in through the entrance of the brokerage, after they bought the servants, they could simply go out through the main gate of the courtyard.

Suddenly, as Gu Lin passed through a crowd, the hem of his clothes was grabbed.

He looked down and saw a child who was thin as a rake, but with bright eyes.

Zheng Hao took a few steps forward to pull the person away, but Gu Lin raised his hand to stop him.

Upon seeing this, the waiter rushed over and yelled, "You little bastard, get your filthy hands off me right now!"

After saying that, he bent down to pull the child's hand away.

The child's face was dark and dirty, but his eyes were bright and he stared at Gu Lin. The waiter scolded him, but he still didn't react. He just kept holding onto Gu Lin.

The familiar scene made Gu Lin feel somewhat dazed. When he saw the waiter about to touch the child, Gu Lin said, "Stop."

The waiter stopped what he was doing and turned to look at Gu Lin.

Gu Lin asked without changing his expression, "Where are this child's parents?"

The waiter said, "This child's parents were government slaves. The official they served was confiscated, and his parents were seriously injured and died. Now he is all alone."

After a moment of silence, Gu Lin asked, "How much silver does he want to buy it?"

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's face showed surprise as he said, "Sir, if you're going to buy this child, I advise you not to, because this child has mental problems and still can't speak."

A knowing glint flashed in Gu Lin's eyes.

He paused for a moment, then said to the waiter, "It's alright, just name your price."

He had never encountered anyone buying a problematic servant before, but it would be foolish not to make money. Since he had warned the other party and they were still willing to buy, the shopkeeper said, "Two taels of silver will be enough."

After giving the money, Gu Lin squatted down, took out a handkerchief from his sleeve to wipe the child's hands clean, and then led the child away.

Following behind Gu Lin, Zheng Hao's dark eyes fell on the back of the boy in front of him, then shifted slightly to look at the child beside him, an unreadable emotion flashing in his eyes.