Ch 150: Buying People
“Mm…”
Shen Xiangwan didn’t respond immediately. After holding her chest and stroking her chin for a long time, she asked, “I also need a draft ox. Do you have any dairy cows here?”
“We have draft oxen ready. We don’t have dairy cows temporarily. If Madam needs them, we can find them. It will take at most three days to find them.”
Even a large pawnshop has its limits. Usually, everyone buys draft oxen. Dairy cows are basically neglected, so they don’t have reserves. However, they know where there are some, and three days is enough for them to get them back.
“Okay, I need at least four dairy cows.”
Nodding, Shen Xiangwan said solemnly, Milk is a good thing. Regardless of how weak this body is, it needs to be properly supplemented. Look at the people she bought; one by one, they are skinny, only skin and bones left. In the future, let them drink a glass of fresh milk every day, plus three meals a day, and I believe they will be well-nourished in no time. With good health, they can do what she has instructed.
“Okay, shall we choose the draft oxen first?”
With their ability, let alone four dairy cows, even forty cows, they can easily get them back. Datong County’s number one reputation isn’t just for show.
“No, I can’t choose.”
Waving her hand to reject his suggestion, Shen Xiangwan turned her head and said, “Wu Youfu, you go and choose. By the way, add a cart and farming tools for plowing.”
“Yes.”
Wu Youfu, who was called upon, did not dare to neglect. After bowing and leaving, he went with the shop assistant to choose draft oxen.
“By the way, do you have any piglets here?”
As she got up, Shen Xiangwan casually asked.
“Ah?”
Hearing this, Manager Sun was stunned. The pawnshop does indeed deal in livestock, but they really don’t have piglets, which don’t sell for a good price and are basically never bought.
“It seems there aren’t any.”
Shen Xiangwan pretended to be disappointed, but in fact, she was calm and very nonchalant.
“No, Madam, if you need a large quantity, we can purchase them on your behalf.”
Unable to bear her reaction that made them seem incompetent, Manager Sun quickly spoke, trying to regain face.
“Really?”
Their business scope is too wide; they even have a purchasing on behalf of others service.
Shen Xiangwan raised an eyebrow and after a moment of contemplation said, “I only need a hundred for now. I wonder if this quantity is considered large?”
Most people in the Tianqi Dynasty do not eat pork because pork has a strong foul smell; they call it cheap meat. Anyone who can afford it will choose mutton, chicken, duck, or fish. Only the poor common people will eat pork. Moreover, pigs at this time grow very slowly. After two years, they only weigh more than one hundred catties at most, and there are very few people raising them.
However, none of this is difficult for her. Although mutton and chicken, duck, and fish are also good, she still prefers pork. After she raises them using her methods, she believes that Wei Chengyi and the others will also fall in love with eating pork.
In fact, she has pig farming in her space, and they are all fat and strong because Number Two feeds them with grains grown in the space. The meat is even better than ordinary pork, and long-term consumption can even prolong life. However, isn’t it inconvenient to take them out?
“Okay, a hundred is nothing, not a big problem. They should be able to be brought back with the dairy cows. Will Madam come to collect them herself in three days, or shall we deliver them to the mansion?”
Manager Sun agreed without thinking. Although pigs grow slowly and many people don’t eat pork, piglets are not that hard to find. You must know that this is a border city, and poor people are far more numerous than rich people. They can’t afford the relatively expensive mutton, chicken, duck, and fish, so they can only eat pork.
“They can even deliver it to the door.”
Unexpectedly, there is such a good thing. Shen Xiangwan smiled and said, “Then I’ll trouble you to deliver them directly to my home. Also, I bought so many people today. Can you arrange a carriage or ox cart to send us back?”
Since there is a delivery service, why not use it?
“No problem. May I ask Madam’s surname and the location of your mansion?”
Although he knew they bought a large number of homestead plots in Yong’an Village, he wasn’t sure if they lived there.
“My husband’s surname is Wei. The innermost blue-brick tile-roofed house in Yong’an Village is our home.”
“Okay, I’ll arrange an ox cart immediately. Later, let those people go back with you. The dairy cows and piglets will definitely be delivered in three days.”
Saying this, Manager Sun turned and walked out.
Shen Xiangwan exchanged glances with Wei Chengyi, stepped out of the gazebo, and Yuan Xiu and Yuan Shu tacitly followed behind. As for the people they bought, they left through another door under the guidance of the shop assistant to avoid too many people disturbing other customers in the shops outside.
“Please have some tea.”
Back in the shop outside, the couple sat down in their previous seats, and the shop assistant diligently served tea and exquisite pastries.
“Mmm, so sweet.”
Manager Sun was still busy arranging things for them. Shen Xiangwan picked up a piece of pastry and put it in her mouth, immediately showing a face more unsightly than crying. Sweet, too sweet, sickeningly sweet.
“Spit it out quickly.”
Seeing this, Wei Chengyi quickly took out a handkerchief and handed it to her mouth, his eyes filled with undisguised heartache.
“Mmm…”
Shen Xiangwan didn’t make it difficult for herself and spat out the pastry in her mouth onto the handkerchief.
“Madam, rinse your mouth.”
Yuan Xiu, who was following behind them, cleverly handed her a teacup. Shen Xiangwan didn’t stand on ceremony with him and drank several cups to dilute the cloying sweetness in her mouth: “Phew…Is sugar free? Why is it so sweet?”
Shen Xiangwan didn’t know that for the common people, pastries and sugar are very luxurious things. If pastries don’t contain a lot of sugar, they simply won’t sell. She isn’t particularly fond of sweets, so naturally, she can’t get used to it.
“Who told you to put everything in your mouth?”
Putting away the handkerchief she had soiled, Wei Chengyi angrily knocked her head with his bent finger, his eyes filled with nothing but helplessness.
“It’s because they looked so good!”
Shen Xiangwan innocently defended herself. Who would have thought that such beautiful pastries would taste so strange?
“You.”
Shaking his head helplessly, Wei Chengyi once again handed her the teacup: “Mother and Linger both make pastries. If you like them, let them make some for you.”
“Forget it, I have a psychological trauma.”
Shen Xiangwan politely refused. From now on, she would absolutely never eat any pastries from this era again.
“I apologize for the wait.”
Manager Sun quickly returned with a thick stack of contracts. The shop assistant behind him was carrying a tray with an abacus and writing implements: “Madam, our pawnshop’s strong laborers are generally thirty taels of silver each. Adult women under forty are considered more than half a strong laborer, twenty taels of silver each. Children are given away for free, so we won’t charge you. You chose a total of forty-two strong laborers and twenty-nine women, totaling one thousand eight hundred and forty taels of silver. In addition, the draft oxen are thirty taels of silver each. We’ll consider the cart and plow as a gift. For the dairy cows and piglets you ordered, we need to collect thirty taels of silver as a deposit, making it exactly one thousand nine hundred taels of silver.”
Manager Sun spoke while operating the abacus. As his words fell, the abacus beads also stopped. A transaction of nearly two thousand taels is a big deal for them.
“Here is two thousand taels in silver notes. Please verify them.”
Wei Chengyi raised his hand and beckoned with his finger, and Yuan Xiu immediately took out the silver notes and handed them over.
Shen Xiangwan, who was about to pay, raised her eyebrows and simply didn’t bother to move. Manager Sun took the silver notes, lowered his head to check their authenticity, and after a moment, stood up and went to the counter, exchanged them for a hundred-tael silver note, and handed it along with the contracts: “This is your change and the indentures of those people, as well as the contract for purchasing the draft oxen. Please check them.”
“Mm.”
After receiving the silver notes and contracts, Yuan Xiu checked them in front of him and only returned them after confirming there were no problems.
“It seems they have all been arranged.”
Looking past him at the servants who were already seated in several ox carts, Shen Xiangwan spoke as she got up. They had already wasted enough time here and it was almost time to go back.
“Yes, the ox carts will follow behind your carriage.”
Manager Sun personally escorted them to the door, and at the same time, the shop assistant cleverly led their carriage.
“Manager Sun, please stay!”
“Please go slowly.”
After a final polite exchange, the couple entered the carriage one after another. Yuan Xiu and Yuan Shu also jumped onto the cart. Under their urging, the carriage quickly drove away, and several ox carts carrying servants immediately followed. Manager Sun watched their carriage disappear from sight before turning back.
When the carriage passed the cloth shop, Shen Xiangwan bought a large amount of cloth and ready-made clothes, mostly for the servants. Their clothes were simply inadequate, but as for themselves, when she was doing zero-yuan purchases, she had obtained countless pieces of cloth in various materials. She could find an excuse to go out alone and get those things out openly.
Please vote!!!
