SEC Chapter 159 The Strange Boy
Chapter 159 The Strange Boy
Six months! Just six months!!!
Where am I supposed to find an elite team?!
Song Jiaojiao was devastated. It seemed she had to travel far away, but what about setting up the workshop in the village?
Or we could give half the profits to the village and keep the other half for ourselves. That way, we wouldn't have to worry about the villagers selling the workshop if we were away for a long time.
Thinking of this, Song Jiaojiao lost all interest in resting.
Going out the back door, as you pass the shop, you can clearly see the bustling activity inside.
Meng An can't be taken away; the shop couldn't do without him at the beginning.
Song Jiaojiao came to the only bookstore in town, intending to buy some travelogues and books on rare flowers, herbs and medicines to look at. After all, relying solely on her memories from her previous life, Song Jiaojiao couldn't possibly recognize all the precious plants.
Especially flowers and plants, which I have never been exposed to before. I even plan to buy a map of the Great Jin Kingdom, which will clearly show the situation in each region.
As it turned out, the bookstores in town didn't have any maps of the Jin Dynasty. The bookstore owner said that maybe the county would have them, but if the county didn't have them, then they would have to go to the prefectural government to check.
There were others, though. Song Jiaojiao glanced at them and found they were all in classical Chinese, giving her a feeling of being back in high school Chinese class.
Fortunately, several of the travelogues were written in vernacular Chinese, so as long as you can read, you can basically understand them.
As I walked, I arrived at Fengtang again. At this time of day, Fengtang was practically deserted.
Since Song Jiaojiao was already there, she tentatively knocked on the door.
"Coming, coming! Who is it so late?"
Granny Xu's voice came from behind the door. Opening the door, they saw Song Jiaojiao.
"Madam Song, what's the matter so late?" Granny Xu asked, puzzled.
"Come in first!!" He then invited Song Jiaojiao inside.
Song Jiaojiao followed Granny Xu into the reception room and said with a smile, "Granny Xu, I hope I didn't disturb you!"
"No, no, I'm just free. Is there something you need so late, Madam Song?"
Today is the opening day of the food stall, and I heard it's bustling with people. Logically speaking, Madam Song shouldn't have time to come out right now!
"There are some things I don't know. I wonder if Granny Xu has any servants who know martial arts, or any strong men or anything like that."
Since Song Jiaojiao was already there, she figured she might as well ask.
"How could I possibly get a chance to serve as a servant who knows martial arts? Last time, Meng An only got a chance because he brought his nephew, and his nephew can eat so much. Otherwise, how could I possibly get a share?"
Granny Xu said jokingly,
"However, there are some strong and muscular men. Would Madam Song like to see them now?"
Song Jiaojiao thought about it and realized that people who knew martial arts were usually bought by wealthy families as soon as they arrived. The brokers would notify these people as soon as the goods arrived, so how could she buy them without connections?
"Look, we're already here anyway."
"Alright, Madam Song, please sit for a while. I'll go call them." With that, Granny Xu went out.
In a short while, about ten people were summoned.
Looking at these people, Song Jiaojiao said that although they were described as strong and capable, they were actually more like farmers, though they varied in age.
"Those under 20 should stand together, and those over 20 should stand together," Song Jiaojiao said.
The group quickly divided themselves into five groups, all under the age of twenty. These five were all pretty much the same and didn't seem to have anything special about them.
"Old Mrs. Xu, I don't see anything special about this. Why don't you tell me about it?"
Granny Xu glanced at Song Jiaojiao with surprise. This was the first time in a long time that Song Jiaojiao had asked her to introduce someone. Then, she smiled and said...
"Among this group, that young man used to be a soldier," Granny Xu said, pointing to a young man under 20.
Song Jiaojiao looked over and saw a man with strong facial features and wolf-like eyes.
"Could someone who served in the military be sold?" Song Jiaojiao asked doubtfully. Since the new emperor ascended the throne, the Great Jin Kingdom has valued military prowess and provided many benefits to soldiers. How could someone be sold into service?
"Madam Song, you may not know this, but although this young man joined the army, he was stripped of his military status for making a mistake and was then sold by his relatives, which is why..."
Upon hearing Granny Xu's words, the man loudly retorted, "I did nothing wrong, I was wronged."
He stared at Granny Xu with resentment, like a wolf in the night.
The man's sudden voice startled both Granny Xu and Song Jiaojiao. Startled, Granny Xu initially wanted to scold the man...
But seeing the man's fierce eyes, her expression tightened, and she said nothing more.
Song Jiaojiao, however, became interested in the man in front of her.
"You say you're innocent, but what evidence do you have?"
The man was taken aback, but did not speak, only resisting silently.
"Old Mrs. Xu, tell me about his situation."
Song Jiaojiao didn't press him for details, but instead turned to ask Granny Xu.
"He was bought by the master from another brokerage firm. When they bought him, it was said that there wasn't a single good spot on his body. He was only wearing summer clothes in the dead of winter. The master spent a lot of money to save him. Every time someone wanted to buy him, he always looked this fierce."
Ultimately, it ended up in my hands, but he was only outwardly fierce; he never actually laid a hand on me.
After listening, Song Jiaojiao had a general idea of what was going on.
Looking at the man, he casually asked, "You were a soldier, so... have you ever killed anyone?"
The man looked up in surprise, thinking to himself, "What kind of young lady would ask so casually if someone had killed someone? Shouldn't she be trembling with fear?"
"What does it matter whether I've killed anyone or not?" the man retorted.
"Oh, so he hasn't killed anyone yet. He's just a greenhorn!" Song Jiaojiao said with a smile.
The man's expression tightened, and he remained silent.
It seems there's some credibility to his claim that he was wronged.
"Old Mrs. Xu, how much is it?"
“Madam Song, he got 15 taels. To be honest, that’s not a high price, especially considering he spent a lot on medicine. That price is just the cost.”
Granny Xu began to explain.
"Alright, your employer is generous, so I won't say anything. Just pick two more people for me, strong ones, preferably good at hunting."
Song Jiaojiao spoke nonchalantly; she no longer cared about the money.
“Alright, these two used to be hunters,” Granny Xu said, pointing to a man under 20 and a man around 30.
Song Jiaojiao glanced at them and nodded, saying, "Alright, let's go with them. Same as always, you can call out any of your family members."
Granny Xu knew that every time Song Jiaojiao came to buy servants, she would take the family members she fancied with her.
Granny Xu hurriedly went to call their family members, and this time there were more family members than Song Jiaojiao wanted to buy things from.
The twenty-year-old man had a younger sister who was about fifteen years old and looked about the same age as Mu Qing.
The thirty-year-old hunter had more: a wife and four children.
A pair of ten-year-old twin daughters, an eight-year-old eldest son, and a six-year-old youngest son.
Upon seeing this, Song Jiaojiao asked Granny Xu, "What's going on with them? Why did they sell the whole family?"